UKIP Uncovered

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

Saturday, October 18, 2003

David Lott's Conflicts on MEP's as Party Leader

The following is an open e-mail put out by David Lott (Presently UKIP Party Chairman) regarding the difficulties facing MEP's as UKIP Party Leader in early January 2000. Before the EGM at which Michael Holmes was ousted and of course also WELL BEFORE he became an assentor to the nomination of Jeffrey Tiford's candidature for leader.

We have also had pointed out to us that Mike Nattrass is the official deputy leader of the UK Independence Party and that fact is stated on the party's web site, for some reason this had escaped our notice!

The e-mail apparently circulated by David Lott was as follows:-

Quote

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An open reply to ****
Dear ****,
You and I have worked ourselves to the bone, in harness, for this cause in the past .We are and I am sure remain friends in the pursuit of that ultimate objective, withdrawal from the EU. Perhaps by posting an open letter to Michael Holmes to ask him to stand aside I did not sufficiently reveal my extreme frustration with both parties in this dispute.

I set out upon this particular odyssey with the view that MEPs could not cope with the demands of major party roles and their duty as MEPs to raise the profile of our disastrous EU membership with the electorate at large. I still believe this to be true. You compare UKIPs leader with the
circumstances enjoyed by Hague and Blur and co but they have massive backup and are based in UK. Our MEPs, like the Greens have little in the way of supporting services and spend 50% of their time out of the country. Their physical presence is required in their constituencies and the country at large in order to spread the type of word so eloquently put by Booker in the Mail today. Would you have sacked Michael Holmes as leader if he had not been elected as an MEP? I doubt it. I would like to release the MEPs from internal politics, release them from their contemplation of UKIPs problems in order to address the wonderful opportunities afforded by the political dissarray over Europe. Release them to wake up Britain to the appalling prospect of absorption into a superstate already squaring up to the USA.
Whenever two groups cannot agree it always requires a third party to step in. Whilst I have castigated Michael Holmes, my ire falls equally upon certain members of the NEC who have consistently obstructed agreement. In this sense I am impartial.
The EGM has been called; for the members, by the members in the ultimate interests of the UKIP. The members are taking control, taking the dispute out of the hands of those who have shown they cannot solve it. UKIP is far more important than any individual however senior, we simply must save UKIP before these people between them destroy the only clear voice to be heard above the babble of Euromania.
Many are bogged down in technical argument but practical politics has to face the reality of the two factions locked in mortal combat. I may be just another member, but what is wrong with that. Does it give me less legitimacy than a QC or Party Chairman? Let us take this out of the hands of those who have failed and put it into the hands of those to whom the movement belongs. Please wish us good fortune.
David Lott.
Unquote

I feel sure it is not only we at Ukip Uncovered who find it difficult to reconcile those words with present events.

posted by Martin |1:13 PM