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


Thursday, January 13, 2005 

Hockney Letter to Knapman - Summary "Duuurrrrrrr"

Cannot really understand how this letter with its long circulation list has taken so long to reach the blog. Maybe its the skiing season!! Anyway better late than never:-

Subject: Party Leader's letter to local councillors of 3rd January 2005 (Maybe the correct date of the letter is the 13th January in which case it may be read on UKIP's dreadful website linked here.)


To Party Leader, NEC Members, MEPs and London Chairmen

Dear Roger

I refer to your letter dated 3rd January 2005 regarding Regional Government, which appears to have been sent to a large number of local councillors.

I had never seen it but it was brought to my attention today by a councillor from the London Borough of Sutton, who also happens to be a London Assembly Member. He correctly observed, with wry amusement, that it is completely irrelevant in London, since the London Assembly is already directly elected and governed by the Greater London Authority Act 1999.

The content of the letter is entirely inaccurate as regards London councillors. It also makes misleading statements regarding their position, and the law as it applies to them.

Unfortunately including London Boroughs in this mailing has made UKIP look somewhat amateurish in the eyes of London councillors. Presumably this is the exact opposite of the effect you intended. UKIP at the London Assembly have been working hard to discard any label of amateurism from which UKIP has suffered, with some considerable success in recent months. We were praised in the Evening Standard just before Christmas as the "voice of reason" on the Assembly.

Also, may I point out that your assertion about possible illegality will lack credibility unless you can substantiate it. I have already been asked about it. Presumably your office has done the research to support these assertions. If it is indeed correct, I would be most grateful to see the
briefing paper, and I am sure it would be useful to publish it on the UKIP national website for the benefit of all our members.

I sit on the Commission on London Governance and it is inevitable that I will be asked about this type of thing when we meet.

Whilst obviously sharing your opposition to the EU-inspired regional assemblies, and applauding your efforts to capitalise on the excellent North East referendum result, I do think these initiatives need to be more carefully considered, including generating complementary press coverage. Perhaps you may see your way clear to using the considerable expertise we now have in the London Assembly before undertaking any more initiatives in future, particularly as they affect London. This has been offered on many occasions.

Kind regards

Damian Hockney
Leader, UK Independence Party Group
London Assembly
City Hall
LONDON
SE1 2AA

The circulation list I have obtained was a full listing of all the usual suspects within the crumbling UK Independence Party:

O what a tangled web we weave
When first we practise to deceive
Sir Walter Scott


posted by Martin |7:40 PM
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