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


Thursday, November 25, 2004 

The Times on the growing pressure to remove Roger Knapman from the UKIP Leadership

'Leadership contest on cards, says Kilroy-Silk camp' Such is the headline of an article in today's influential newspaper. It is linked from here, and reports:

Quote

The campaign to make Robert Kilroy-Silk leader of the UK Independence Party gathered pace last night with the claim that an official leadership contest could be announced within weeks.

Mr Kilroy-Silk has spent the time since he resigned from the party's group in the European Parliament touring about ten local branches. To begin the process of ousting Roger Knapman as party leader, branches can call a local meeting at which they pass a vote calling for a leadership contest.

Tony Bennett, an aide to Mr Kilroy-Silk, said that 12 UKIP branch chairmen has passed such a motion and that dozens more were in the process of doing so. Their target is 47: the number required by the party's constitution before an emergency general meeting can be held.

The talks by Robert Kilroy Silk have crystallised in people's minds that they have to have an effective leadership Mr Bennett said. However Tony Stone the UKIP party secretary said that he had not received a single valid letter on the subject from the branch chairman.

The rules, which were changed recently to ensure stability in a party prone to infighting, state that the letter has to be accompanied by a cheque for £100 to pay for the cost of holding an emergency national meeting to decide the leader. However, Mr Damian Hockney, leader of the UKIP group in the London Assembly, said that this was because they were planning to have the letters verified first by a lawyer. Michael Harvey, a former party secretary and now chairman of the Woking Branch, said he believed that he could get the support of 50 branch chairman by the end of the week.

Nigel Farage a leading UKIP MEP, said that the move would inflict huge damage on UKIP's general election chances: It's the last thing we need. Even if they succeeded in getting a general EGM, members would vote overwhelmingly against Mr Kilroy Silk, who has behaved appallingly.

Mr Knapman said last night that he still retained a strong majority of support. "It's just a regular group from London trying to cause problems for the party.

Unquote

Read this blog to realise the absurdity of this latest Knapman claim. Up and down the country UKIP members are becoming increasingly concerned and disgusted as the facts behind his leadership, the antics of his puppet-master Nigel Farage, and the dealings of his cronies are steadily being revealed to an ever wider and better informed party membership!

Knapman must go and go quickly!

posted by Martin |7:36 PM
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