UKIP Uncovered

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

Wednesday, May 12, 2004

Party Treasurer Finally Sacked

Part of the reason for the cabal's re-instatement of the Party Treasurer after his earlier illegal firing was that his contract was annually renewable in May. It always seemed inevitable that his reprieve would therefore be shortlived. We received this report earlier, but pressure of other news prevented us filing it before now:-

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"The party treasurer should be just a bean counter," said Nigel Farage at the memorable September NEC where the cabal tried to illegally remove the treasurer and had to reinstate him following the intervention of lawyers who made clear the party would have to close if they wished to carry on with the process, and that all its financial decisions for four months were invalid.

Well, step forward Andrew Smith, of whom more later, to jump into the role and be Farage's "bean counter".

Will he, some wonder, question when subscription moneys are diverted, or when they try to obscure the origin of donations, or when such as Farage might try to set up a "ring fenced account" to put moneys in which turns out not to be "ring fenced" after all? Do not, as they say, hold your breath.

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Well we have now heard further on that topic, which combined with rumours winging around one internet forum this morning that the Electoral Commission were rumoured to be considering making an example of a political party that had not been properly adhering to the PPERA, certainly makes for ominous reading. Though we understand that the numbers of cautions that the Electoral Commission has issued in its short existence might also cause similar concern at such rumours in other parties too.

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First signs of what will happen after the sacking of the Party Treasurer

Those who want to know what the UKIP financial arrangements will be like
following the sacking of the Party Treasurer John de Roeck at Monday's NEC need only turn to what happened at Monday's NEC immediately after the sacking.

Branches have to make periodic returns to the Electoral Commission to comply with strict electoral laws. All the while John de Roeck was doing these, there was a 100 per cent record in getting these in (ie complying with the law).

Recently the cabal took that job away from him to do it themselves...and
guess what? 17 branches ("accounting units") were missing from the return.

Up stands Mike Nattrass, justifying the failure by shouting loudly that the law was bloody silly, that he was going to tell the authorities that and that they'll just have to accept it.

When Damian Hockney was on the NEC, he kept saying like a gramophone record time and time again: "Just because you regard a law as silly, that doesn't mean to say we can just ignore it or openly flout it". But now that the gatekeepers are all being dumped or removed in dodgy discipline cases, in favour of lawlessness and the use of compliant "bean counters", the old checks and balances are being eroded.

You'll remember that John de Roeck's card was marked because he wanted to know where moneys were going, and wanted proper financial controls over the Ashford telesales operation (run by Nigel Farage and John Moran).

Better Off Out was always a good slogan for UKIP nationally. Maybe it should double as a slogan for the sacked Party Treasurer. He is indeed Better Off Out of that job, although the party is immeasurably worse off.

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posted by Martin |3:01 PM