UKIP Uncovered

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

Tuesday, June 22, 2004

Historic opportunity at risk

The post beneath this illustrates the dreadful mismanagement underway within UKIP. The FT this morning, a portion of which is quoted below, and the letter we received from an anguished party member (also quoted) both illustrate the true extent of betrayal to party and country which Knapman, Farage, Nattrass and others connected with the tight-knit group who control UKIP are now embarked.

The Financial Times article quoting MORI and headlined 'Growing support for UKIP bodes ill for Blair' is linked here, it opens as follows:-

This month's significant increase in voters prepared to back the UK Independence party in a general election, revealed in a MORI poll today, is consistent with the strong eurosceptic trend of recent surveys.

The anti-European Union party's level of support - up from 4 to 9 per cent this month, among people planning to vote in the next election - would trouble the big parties only in marginal seats. But the signal it sends to Tony Blair of a further hardening in anti- Brussels sentiment could bode ill for his chances of winning the referendum.

The letter from a Party Member arrived yesterday and was as follows:-

Quote
What a farce this is, can it really be possible that after an amazing GLA and Euro election result, the leadership in it's wisdom think that making a disgraced ex tory MP the CEO of UKIP is a good way to capitalise on our success, this party needs an enema, for want of a better phrase.

A ray of hope is that if as rumoured on your blog, Paul Sykes is going to come into the heart of UKIP, I hope he realises what is to be done;

Firstly all expulsions, in fact any disciplinary matter held by this
leadership MUST be reviewed as a matter of urgency and I suspect that 95% will then require an apology and a request to rejoin/take up position with the Party again.

Secondly all those invovled in such actions against members should be
punished

Thirdly All nec members should resign and the elections held again, only this time within the bounds of the law, if NEC members were found not to have put a brake on the leaderships excesses, then they should be banned from holding office as they are obviously not robust enough to make decisions.

Fourthly All MEPs are to be given a portfolio (fisheries, agriculture, etc) on which they must make regular reports back to headoffice for inclusion into a weekly briefing to the national press, we should be looking at getting as much press coverage as possible now, MEP reports should also be further disseminated so as too allow for regional press briefings aswell.

All MEPs are just that and are not to hold any other Party office.

Finance: All party finance will be that of open book, at local,regional and National level, all MEPs will too have open accounts for scrutiny, allexcess expenses will be split 50% head office and 50% for regional/local uses, all requests by members over financial irregularites will need to be investigated within 5 days of complaint being made and an interim report sent to member within 10 days (being followed up by final report as and when investigation is complete).

It is fair to say after recent electorial results UKIP is consolidated as the fourth British political force, to move to third, second and first we must be more proffessional in how we act as a party, and how we are perceived by the public, above are ideas that we must as a party deal with internally and those now who have and are bringing unwanted attention to the party must either step aside or be quashed, the present leadership must NOT be allowed to continue to place their cronies friends and family into any party position that could harm the Party this is best send in ryhme;

OVER THE HILL CAME FARAGES MEN
LIKE A TROOP OF BENGAL LANCERS
1 IN 10 WERE UKIP MEN
THE REST WERE POLITICAL CHANCERS

Mr Sykes needs to know what is required(if he does indeed become chairman), he will need to make decisions and if I ever get to speak to him I will reiterate what is in this email, it should be that we in the North East can capitalise on the success of UKIP elswhere, but I fear the good people of ..... will remember only that a disgraced ex MP in Piers Merchant was foisted upon them....
Unquote

The true extent of the rot at the party's centre was detailed in our first post of today, which follows. (Meantime Kilroy's ability to hit on the correct phrase for any occasion is recognised even as far as Teheran as may be read from this link).

posted by Martin |6:37 AM