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


Sunday, December 05, 2004 

Leadership view on EGM is a 'Denial of Democracy'

The following analysis of the situation regarding an Emergency Conference by UKIP, and whether such can call for a Leadership Contest has been posted on a much used private internet fora, which we reproduce here with the contributor's permission.

Quote

If I have understood this correctly the party chairman considers that the constitution, by stating at 8.3 the circumstances in which a leadership election must be called (death; incapacity; resignation; on passing of a vote of no confidence by the Party conference; on passing of a vote of no confidence by the NEC if endorsed by an EGM; on completion of term of office), prohibits the holding of one in any other circumstances such as the passing of a resolution of no confidence at an Emergency Conference.

Unlike Petrina Holdsworth I am not a lawyer, but I would have thought that had the intention of the constitution been to limit the calling of leadership elections to those situations listed at 8.3, then its wording would have been: 'A leadership election shall be called ONLY in the event of . . . ' etc. The omission of the word 'only' suggests to me that the constitution specifies the events that "must" be followed by a leadership election, but does not necessarily rule out the holding of one in other circumstances. In support of this view I note that in paragraph 6.10 on the calling of Extraordinary Conferences, the constitution places no restriction on the business that may be dealt with, and gives no indication that resolutions passed at ECs hold less force than those passed at party conferences and EGMs.

I would have thought that the intention of the constitution, by allowing Emergency Conferences to be called by the membership through branch chairmen, was to provide a mechanism by which the will of the membership could be expressed and enacted in the periods between party conferences. If the party chairman is now interpreting the constitution in such a way as to block in advance a course of action that might be resolved on by members at a properly convened Emergency Conference, does that not amount to denial of the very democracy that UKIP is supposed to be fighting for? (My emphasis -ed)
Unquote

posted by Martin |10:14 AM
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