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


Monday, August 30, 2004 

The UK Independence Panties

News this Bank Holiday is pretty sparse on the UKIP front, as may be judged from the late hour of this first posting of the day. I had toyed with an item on outstanding rates payments on the old London offices, but felt that insufficiently lighthearted for a rare non-working Monday. How about this item from 3rd June in The Scotsman column of SIMON PIA , which appeared under the headline as posted above.

IT’S not the first time the course of history has turned on ladies’ undergarments.

But still, Peter Clarke, the self-proclaimed "extremist politico of the Ettrick Valley", was looking particularly rueful with 10 June approaching and the UKIP riding high in the polls and likely to take a Euro seat in Scotland.

The former Tory and maverick free-marketeer explained that this time last year he was being interviewed by the UKIP supremo, Roger Knapman.

He had set off to meet Knapman at Edinburgh Airport, only to find Roger in a tizzy because he had taken the wrong luggage off the carousel.

Instead of a case full of Euro-subverting policy initiatives, his portfolio turned out to be someone else’s underwear. The UKIP’s most secret documents were found to be on their way to Oban.

Clarke says Knapman felt this was in some sense his fault, so Clarke’s UKIP career was promptly aborted.

Clarke bears no grudge - "God bless UKIP. They may be dafties, but they are my kind of dafties." (A rather polite way of putting it).

But surely Clarke would have enjoyed excursions on the gravy train chugging between Strasbourg and Brussels? "I think I’d rather be dead than an MEP."

Funnily enough this item turned up as first result from a Google search for 'Knapman and Lloyds', though I can't think why.

posted by Martin |4:47 PM
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