UKIP Uncovered

UKIP Uncovered
What motivates the leaders of the United Kingdom Independence Party?

Friday, June 20, 2003

"Dissolved, Disciplined and Defiant"

Bravo to the UKIP members in the North East. In an opinion poll being run by Northumberland Today on who wants a Regional Assembly the "NO" vote is running at an incredible 100 per cent. No thanks to the party however.

Here are the thoughts of the dissolved and disciplined Regional Committee members put out last evening.

UKIP TODAY

Let us summarise the current situation in UKIP:-

1. The Officers of the NE Regional Committee alert Head Office to serious membership irregularities in the run up to the postal ballot to select ccandidates for the Euro Elections. Peter Troy is implicated in these irregularities; he is himself a prospective candidate for the Elections
2. The Regional Committee is disbanded by the NEC because the majority refused to sign a declaration supporting Peter Troy as a candidate.
3. The Party Treasurer, John de Roeck, investigates the membership irregularities; one relates to Mr Agnew, a well known local BNP activist, whose membership of UKIP has attracted much media attention. Mr Troy tells Mr de Roeck "there were no problems with membership and that he [Mr Agnew] and other members had paid in full 'in the normal manner". Mr de Roeck investigates and reports to the NEC that Mr Agnew "did not know he was to be made a member. The office cash book indicates membership was paid by Mr Troy". The investigation finds several others signed up by Mr Troy who did not know they were to be made members and who did not pay: "some were paid for by Mr Troy directly whilst others have not paid at all". The report concludes "as a result of this investigation Mr Troy has resigned as a candidate .. at the time the results were declared".
4. Result - The Officers of the NE Regional Committee are barred from holding any office for 18 months. Peter Troy gets a 'warning' , but remains 'an active member (Chairman Lott's words) and is now allowed to go forward as a candidate in Scotland, potentially representing UKIP as an MEP. This reads like an extract from the Tony Martin Justice Manual.

Chairman Lott was very keen to write to all constituency associations, Branch and regional chairmen about "disgraceful vilification of certain candidates by some regional committee members", but he has not troubled to write to tell them the results of the Investigation, namely that our opinion was justified and our actions vindicated.

It is curious indeed that, as a result of Head Office, the three regions where UKIP is now in utter disarray are the very same three regions where Prescott has just announced that there will be referenda for regional assemblies. Is it a coincidence? Is it simply sheer stupidity at Head Office or is there something more sinister? Has the Party been infiltrated at the top? Put the events above alongside the Party's dire financial state (huge overspend by some officers on the Welsh campaign, more than double the authorised amount; massive legal costs in the dispute with Nikki Sinclair, set to rise even higher now the Party has refused mediation and a court hearing looms) and one must ask what is happening. What's the true reason for the decisions at Head Office? There has already been one enquiry some 2 or 3 years ago, commissioned by Jeffrey Titford, then Party Leader, and conducted by Mr Webster-Gardner, which found for the Regional Committees in the north and against Mr Troy, but the farce goes on.

We, the majority on the now disbanded Regional Committee, remain committed to the fight against the EU, but, in its current state, UKIP is a hindrance to that fight, and an embarrassment. The recent events outlined above (and we have not touched on the most unsatisfactory situation regarding the funding of the Hartlepool office) have necessarily diverted us somewhat from our true purpose, to free Britain from the EU. We continue to battle against regionalisation and are pressing ahead with our work here, with renewed efforts. There are still good people in UKIP (regrettably, few at the top) but too many have been sickened and driven out, excellent people such as Graham Wood of SANITY, who resigned in disgust at the support given to Mr Troy. A superb election candidate, Martin Cole, who alerted Head Office to the BNP/UKIP membership of Trevor Agnew, was then disqualified for his honesty. Another first-rate candidate, Bill Chrystal, resigned .The Party is in dire straits. We will not , however, allow ourselves to be distracted from the real work of saving our country's democracy. We have been heartened by the support of many anti-EU activists, in the north and elsewhere.
Unquote

Signed by several former members of the NE Regional Committee (names withheld by Blog editor)

posted by Martin |7:42 AM