UKIP Uncovered

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

Friday, December 19, 2003

Call for an Emergency General Meeting for UKIP!

I have been asked by Mark Lester to place the following on this blog:

Quote

Dear All,

The time has come for members to call an EGM. Talk of not wanting to rock the boat is silly - the boat is rocking; an EGM should aim to stabilise it.

Is there justification for this EGM? Certainly there is. There are two leaders of UKIP:

1. Roger Knapman - Party Leader
2. Nigel Farage - Leader of the All powerful European Elections Committee and the lead MEP

These two men have tremendous power to drive the Party's agenda and affairs. They are strongly supported by Derek Clark (Party Secretary) David Lott (Party Chairman), and Mike Nattrass (Deputy Leader), which gives them awesome authority on the NEC and in the Party.

No others really matter. For example, Damian Hockney may be vocal, but he does not have even close to the same authority to direct Party affairs as these men have. Meanwhile, no other non-MEP NEC members have strong roles or positions, except Party Treasurer (who has been under assault of late).

With such power to drive Party affairs must go some responsibility and accountability.

So let us look at what their leadership has produced:

1. An unpheaval of the Party's entire administration and removal of experienced personnel, just 24 weeks before the European elections. Why disperse administration across the country (e.g., Treasurer in London, PR in the European Parliament Offices in London(!), databases in Birmingham, telesales in Ashford, Leader in the South West). The potential for chaos and distraction is obvious.

2. An over-active and flawed disciplinary committee that has limited ability to be impartial, containing as it does paid employees of MEPs.

3. A Party where 100,000 pounds (including most of UKIP's financial reserves) was spent on Welsh and Scottish elections, even when they knew that UKIP's most important NATIONAL election is just months away. As a result, the Party may not go ahead with an election broadcast in the European elections due to a lack of funds.

4. A split NEC, where agenda items concern not political and campaign strategy, but arguments over court cases, illegal sackings, lack of proper documentation for NEC decisions, disciplinary hearings, etc.

5. A party membership who are instructed not to meet or debate issues, re: the Branch chairmen's meeting, where paid employees of UKIP and NEC members (Mike Nattrass, Malcom Wood, etc.) made great efforts to stop people attending a neutral meeting about governance issues.

The list can go on, but it is tiresome. At the end of it all, members must recognise that their local efforts will be wasted if the national Party machine is in turmoil.

The way to fix the national situation is simple:

1. Call an EGM immediately (to be held in January 2004) to debate vote of no confidence in the entire NEC and Party leader. If passed, hold elections for all NEC posts and for the post of Party Leader.

A new NEC will be elected for 6 months, with the limited mandate to run a NATIONAL European elections campaign. After the European election and summer holidays, the NEC
will be disbanded and stand for re-election.

2. Make constitutional amendments as follows:

BRANCH CHAIRMEN's FORUM

a. Form a branch chairman's forum within the Constitution that will negotiate specific Job Descriptions, areas of responsibility and clear targets for every NEC member at the beginning of each year. This same forum will review their performance every 6 months, and be required to receive NEC minutes and written reports on progress.

b. Branch chairmen's forum will vote annually to have 9 representatives, from among the Party membership, to scrutinise NEC performance and review in detail the Party'sffinancial accounts.

c. 5 of these representatives must be qualified accountants and/or lawyers. Others will have strong experience in commercial or non-profit organisations (and should be able
to read financial accounts). No representative can have links to NEC members or Party Leader, or sit on NEC committees (e.g., regional committee or EEC).

d. The representatives will report to branch chairmen bi-annually: declaring their activities and giving their evaluation of each NEC member's performance against objectives, and to comment on the overall state of the Party.

e. Branch chairmen's forum can censure NEC members for poor performance. Any censures, comments or resolutions from the forum must be published in a dedicated and prominent location in the Party's regular national newsletter for members.

NEC

f. The NEC will be composed of the following posts that will be held by a separate individual:

(i) Party Chairman - Responsible for ensuring Party runs smoothly and for developing integrated strategy for the Party
(ii) Party Secretary - Responsible for adminstration
(iii) Membership Secretary - Responsible for Membership matters, including discipline, rules, subscriptions, administration of applications and donations.
(iv) Party Treasurer - Responsible for Party Accounts
(v) Press Secretary - Responsible for Media Relations
(vi) Campaign and Promotions Co-ordinator - Responsible for organsing campaigns and promotions.
(vii) Marketing Secretary - Responsible for campaign and political strategy
(viii)Research Secretary - Responsible for policy documents
(ix) Policy Development Secretary - Responsible for Manifesto and Processing suggestions from the membership
(x) Secretary for Branch Affairs - Responsible for supporting branch development and learning
(xi) Fund raising Secretary - Responsible for National Fund Raising Initiatives and Events
(xii) Political Representative - Responsible for Representing Views of All Elected Party members (MP, MEP, councillor)
(xiii) Liaison with Eurosceptic Organisations - Responsible for deciding merits of, and co-ordinating efforts with, campaigning activities of external groups/individuals.
(xiv) officer w/o portfolio
(xv) officer w/o portfolio

g. At NEC elections, candidates will have to rank (in order of preference) which 3 posts they want to hold and submit a CV giving experience relevant for their preferred post.

The disciplinary committee

h. The disciplinary committee will be appointed as follows:

(i) Its chairman will be elected by the AGM, after approval of candidates by the NEC and Branch Chairmen's Forum. No MEP, NEC member or Party employees can stand for this post.

(ii) Its members shall be selected after candidates submit an application to join the committee. These will be screened by the Branch Chairmen's Forum. Each member will then have to be approved by the Party Leader. Disputes will be adjudicated by NEC in secret ballot. No MEP, NEC member or Party employees can stand for these posts.

Unquote

(THIS IS A CORRECTED VERSION OF A POSTING FIRST MADE AT 1.08 PM TODAY)

posted by Martin |5:53 PM