UKIP Uncovered

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

Tuesday, June 17, 2003

Michael Harvey

The above ex sub-postmaster now glorifying in the power and title of General Party Secretary of UKIP, has apparently been putting it about on a party group discussion of which I am not a member that the reasons for my resignation are other than I stated in my post on these pages on 10th June 2003.

In this connection he points out that I was to be subject to a disciplinary hearing the following day. Had he taken the trouble to check with the Party Secretary, (confusingly a quite different position) presently held by one Derek Clark, he would have been aware that the disciplinary hearing had in fact had to be postponed and no new date had then been set.

As Mr Harvey has now made the disciplinary complaint a public matter, I am only too happy to acquaint readers of this Blog with the full details.

First some background. I was an MEP candidate for the North East region and attended the first hustings in Newcastle on 8th March. I knew my principal opponent for lead position was party employee and head office favourite Peter Troy. At that meeting I was subjected to a vicious attack from a "lady" in the audience who I was later informed was a very close friend and associate of the said Peter Troy called Chris Williamson.

Before the hustings had begun those present had been given a presentation on the "Shockwaves" video by Mr Graham Wood who had travelled from York for the meeting. It was fortunate that this independent figure was in attendance as he was kind enough to provide me with this statement on the events of that evening. Similar statements by any others present would have been worthless in view of the suspensions that were to follow.

Mr Wood wrote " ...I must say I was both amazed and somewhat shocked to witness the series of hostile questions to which you had been subject at the close of your address, and at the time was completely baffled by the level of opposition by an erstwhile political friend".

Mr Wood subsequently resigned his UKIP membership partly as a result of the activities of Peter Troy most particularly concerning the Hartlepool office.

In preparing my defence against the disciplinary complaint that had been brought against me I contacted Mr Wood and asked if I might use his e-mail in the hearing. He agreed and further amplified his original views as follows:-

"CW made the mistake against all precedent and the normal courtesies, of making a personal (and entirely unprovoked) attack in public against you at the hustings, instead of addressing objectively the wider issues of policy that your hustings speech legitimately raised.

"In my view to be subject to personal humiliation of that kind was inexcusable. The odd unguarded remark on her part could of course have been overlooked, but the fact that it was sustained at some length gives the impression that it had already been pre-planned. Best wishes in trying to establish the truth and clearing your name!"

It will by now be no surprise when I let it be known that the individual bringing the discipline complaint against me was none other than this same Chris Williamson who had attacked me with such vicious vindictiveness before we had even been introduced.

The actual nature of her complaint was really even more bizarre than her earlier unprovoked attacks. It involved this blogspot but particularly the posting of two letters, curiously neither of which were penned by myself. The first was the resignation letter of one of the other MEP candidates Mr William Chrystal. The other letter was that sent to UKIP members by the suspended NE regional committee members on 9th April countering certain allegations circulated by Chairman Lott.

I will leave it to those with the time or inclination to use the links above to read the letters to decide what really motivated Ms Williamson's complaint.

Ms Williamson charged that the postings on this site are designed to discredit the party, the individuals named (principally I presume, Peter Troy) and in consequence is bringing the party into disrepute It is the present leadership that is already bringing the party into disrepute, the blogspot is clearly designed to bring the facts into the open, facilitate a change at the top and a return of UKIP to the principles for which it is supposed to stand particularly the withdrawal of Britain from the EU.

As an internal investigation into some of the questions raised regarding Peter Troy, run by the Party Treasurer necessitated Troy standing down as lead candidate for the North East in spite of him having apparently????? topped the poll leaves it pretty clear as to whom was bringing the party in the North East into disrepute, and from her own behaviour who was helping him.

The fact that Troy's reputation is so undermined in the whole North of England has now even been understood by his protectors in London in that it is reported that he is now being moved by the party to work in Scotland. It of course does not explain why he continues to be tolerated as a party employee by the present leadership and merely re-inforces the huge questions raised by Bill Chrystal in his resignation letter.

We understand there will be a sham disciplinary hearing held against stalwart party members from the North East of England in London tomorrow. For that reason we have been delaying publication of the whole damning case against Troy. Other disciplinary complaints against hard-working, long-serving, dedicated party members, unprepared to tolerate the sort of malpractise clearly proven to have been going on, are still being delivered. Soon only the likes of Dick Morris will be able to feel at home within UKIP.

posted by Martin |1:02 PM