UKIP Uncovered

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

Saturday, November 27, 2004

Are UKIP’s Closet Tories being forced to break cover?

The extraordinary letter from Party Secretary Tony Stone and Chairman Petrina Holdsworth, revealed last evening on this blog and further quoted here this morning, is quite clearly dynamite.

A refusal by the incompetent and now widely distrusted Party Leader, Roger Knapman, not to stand down in the face of a vote of no-confidence at an Emergency General Meeting properly convened by the Constituency Branch Chairmen, beggars belief.

On the positive side surely this is the conclusive evidence ordinary party members, who have until now tended to support the UKIP leadership cabal, should now realise that their political objectives must be in the greatest danger of being betrayed.

The threat of an EGM has forced into the open the clear disregard the leadership has both for the party’s constitution and for the views and beliefs of the membership. This coming on top of the news last week that all the remaining UKIP-whipped MEPs have been forced to sign some form of oath of allegiance to Roger Knapman and Nigel Farage, can only deepen the widespread suspicion in which these two are already held.

What is it that might be behind this extraordinary behaviour?

We have brainstormed alternatives and the only likely explanation that seems to meet most of the bizarre string of events that have recently occurred within the party is that the leadership was/is planning a sell out to the Tory Party just ahead of the coming General Election. Possibly being sold to members as a deal for a more eurosceptic stance from that least to be trusted of UK political parties!

Whether or not this would take the form of a simple union of MEPs in the European Parliament, a full merger or would see a repeat of the strange situation that occurred in William Hague’s constituency when the UKIP candidate failed to present his nomination papers can only be conjecture at this stage.

It must be remembered that under the PPERA anybody wishing to stand for public office as a UKIP Party Candidate will need in support of his/her nomination papers an official certificate of authorisation issued by the Party's Nominating Officer. Even if no official pact were to be announced, could obstacles and difficulties be thrown in the way of those contesting ‘sensitive constituencies’ when seeking this necessary form? Failure to present this document would result in the candidate being unable to use the party name.

If anything like such a plan was being considered then party members and Eurorealists in general must be grateful, that thanks to Robert Kilroy-Silk these non-democratic schemers within the party have now been fully exposed.

The desperation of those now in control of UKIP to retain and manipulate power cannot surely be more obvious. The question, however, as always remains - “For what ends?”

posted by Martin |10:49 AM