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


Monday, January 31, 2005 

Stafford Speaking Engagement Venue Change


Reference to Friday's meeting for Robert Kilroy Silk MEP, the venue has been changed.

It will now be at the North Stafford Medical Institute on the Hartshill Road, Stoke starting at 7.00pm. The Institute is just past the General outpatients dept of the North Staffs hospital between Newcastle under Lyme and Stoke.

The venue on our earlier posting will be removed.


posted by Martin |5:02 PM
 

Robert Kilroy-Silk on TV Tonight

The programme covering the ex-UKIP MEP's arrival in Strasbourg will be aired this evening (then repeated later in the week) on BBC3 on Monday at 9:00pm.

BBC3 is available on Sky, Cable and Free-to-Air in the UK.

posted by Martin |10:43 AM
 

BBC Suggests all UKIP London Assembly members and staff as ready to defect to Kilroy

The BBC report, linked here, also reports on the suspension of a UKIP PPC with some very bizarre views!

posted by Martin |10:38 AM
 

A UKIP PPC Resignation Statement

This statement confirms my intention to resign from the committee of U.K.I.P. Mid-Worcestershire branch .I also have to inform you, that I will no longer be standing as U.K.I.P's P.C. for this constituency . Though I doubt you will be concerned my reasons are as follows:-
1 Under the leadership of this party U.K.I.P. has failed miserably to publicise countless serious issues that have been forced on the U.K. public by the labour government in our own country & the E.U.
2 I have no confidence in the current leadership, not only is Mr Knapman unable to perform well in a T.V. interview [free publicity with the greatest audience], but he has refused to accept R.K.S. could & would have been competent to capitalise & exploit all forms of the media coverage. By missing this important point Mr Knapman has selfishly denied U.K.I.P. a very valuable asset and as a result will surely have lost his chance to serve OUR country to his best endeavour.
3 During the Exeter strategy & training event last Friday & Saturday , we as P.Cs. were plainly told that the leadership has no confidence in us , this was manifested wholly demoralising & negative statement that you the leadership only expect to gain 5-6 seats in the coming election and therefore intend channelling all of OUR parties resources into YOUR regions clearly we now know the reasons for the absent manifesto.

posted by Martin |10:28 AM
 

Robert Kilroy-Silk Speaking Engagements

THURSDAY 3rd February - Legend Room, Pride Park, DERBY (evening - time to be arranged) - contacts Alex Stevenson 01773 760954 and Cllr. Frank Leeming 01332 572702

FRIDAY 4th February - Changed venue see later posting of 31st January.

posted by Martin |10:18 AM
 

Damian Hockney Resigns - NEC Cancelled

Following Damian Hockney's announcement that he is to leave UKIP and join Robert Kilroy-Silk, the UKIP leadership promptly cancelled the NEC meeting scheduled for Monday (today).

It is the second NEC meeting cancelled or delayed and means that the increasingly powerless and sidelined NEC has not now met for two months. In that time the leadership have sent out hoax e-mails in their name, toasted the departure of their star performer and alienated 40 branches which have either disbanded themselves or been disbanded by the leadership.

posted by Martin |10:02 AM


Friday, January 28, 2005 

Resigning from UKIP aint that easy!

Frank Leeming resigned from UKIP back in November, but it isn't that simple as the following e-mail he was forced to send out this week clearly shows:

RE: resignation from ukip

From Frank Leeming

Hello Mr Warry , Ian Crompton has kicked the ball back into your court. It appears that to avoid letting everybody know that your membership is rapidly disappearing down the drain you are keeping people on your lists that you know have resigned from UKIP. Would you please tell me how many people you currently have as members on your lists who have resigned UKIP and like myself do not know that you are keeping us all on your current membership list. This and many other reasons like it is why I resigned from UKIP.

I FORMALY GIVE YOU NOTICE THAT YOU DO NOT HAVE MY PERMISION TO KEEP MY NAME ON ANY MEMBERSHIP LIST BELONGING TO UKIP THAT INDICATES THAT I AM STILL A MEMBER OF UKIP.

You are fully aware that I have resigned from UKIP.

Please have the decency to correct your membership list and inform Mr Ian Crompton to take my name off any list he is holding THAT INDICATES I AM STILL A MEMBER OF UKIP. I now regard this matter as having more serious implications than just your normal dis-functiontalism . I have e-mails from you, Chairman Petrina and your secretary Tony Stone assuring me that you have amended your records to show that I have resigned from UKIP. So please will you tell me why you are still sending out mis-information ?

Frank Leeming


posted by Martin |11:30 AM
 

Another Resignation from Yorkshire

The Party Secretary
The UK Independence Party
PO Box 9876
Birmingham
B6 4DN

Wednesday, 26 January 2005

Dear Sir/Madam,

I would like to withdraw my nomination to serve on the NEC and to stand as a PPC, please also accept this as my letter of resignation as Yorkshire Regional Secretary, Branch Chairman of the Mid-Yorkshire Branch and also as a member of the UK Independence Party with immediate effect.

I feel the party is becoming more and more akin to that which it opposes, just like the EU it is undemocratic and unconstitutional however unlike the EU it is easy to leave, I will be carrying on my fight against the EU by whatever means I feel appropriate and effective.

Yours Sincerely



H John Burdon

Ex – NEC Candidate
Ex – Prospective Parliamentary Candidate
Ex – Regional Secretary
Ex – Branch Chairman
Ex - Member

posted by Martin |11:13 AM
 

Resignation of UKIP's Bolton Branch Secretary

26th January 2005

LETTER OF RESIGNATION FROM UKIP.

Dear Colleagues and Friends,

It is with a feeling of profound sorrow and regret, that I find my self in the position where I am forced to write this letter, but due to the unremitting pressure being applied from all quarters, in an effort to force us to accept the totally undemocratic way the party is being run, and the resignations of the remaining members of the remaining committee, I find I have no option but to tender my own resignation.

This is done, not with any feeling of defeat, but with a feeing of frustration at backbiting, and the lack of cohesion, or direction within the party, and a determination to carry on the fight, albeit in another party.

Since I became a member of UKIP, and in particular, a member, and Secretary of the Bolton Branch of the party, I have had the privilege of working with, and for, some very fine, and dedicated people, people who with nothing more in mind than to work towards the withdrawal of the U.K from Europe, and to return our country to it’s own people.

All this in what we all thought was a democratic party; sadly, there was amongst us people who, by fair means, or foul, were determined to have their own way, even if it meant going against the stated aims of the party, and the wishes of the Branch members, they would deny the members the right to have their say in the running of the party.

As you will by now all be aware, it was decided by the committee that we should ask the members of our branch if they wished to have an EGM called, and if they wanted a leadership contest, in order to establish their wishes, a letter was sent to all our members asking their views.

Before the result was known, and at the instigation of a certain member of the committee, who had resigned, had asked the N.W. Regional office to close the branch down, I can only draw one conclusion to that! I would suggest the reason was to deny the members their democratic right to have their say.

Since that time, we have had the obscenity of a letter from the N.W Regional office stating that it was their intention to form another Branch in Bolton, with a stronger committee, I would say to that, you had one of the strongest Committee’s you could possibly have had, and the only reason you wanted to remove them, was because they would not betray their democratic principles, and do as they were told.

The position now is, as a result of resignations from the Committee, and constant harassment by members of the hierarchy, the prospects of the Branch carrying on in its present form has become untenable.

On the face of it, I would think that if we decided to carry on we could expect no support from the Party in any shape or form, therefore it has been decided that with effect from to-days date the Bolton Branch of UKIP no longer exists, and therefore any addresses, and telephone ?’s you may have, which were provided by me, no longer refer to UKIP.

It may well be that the party will try to establish another Branch in Bolton, the one question you must then ask yourself in the light of what has been said, would, or could you trust them to listen to you? Or as they have done with us, just ignore you.

In conclusion I would like to pass on the result of the ballot of our members regarding the EGM and a leadership challenge. 75% in favour of a challenge 25% against, this however is now academic, and another nail in the coffin of democracy.

As I tender my resignation from the party, I would like to thank all the people from all over the Country, who have been kind enough to support the Bolton Branch since the farce of our suspension started, and to wish you all the very best in the future, who knows, we may meet again under different circumstances, and as members of another party dedicated to the freedoms we thought we had with UKIP.

And finally, I would ask you to consider voting at the next election for a candidate in your area that holds dear, the principle of DEMOCRACY, and is willing to give you the right to express your views, I like the other members of the Branch who have resigned, it is now my intention to become a member of Kilroy-Silks new party who seem to be the only party that will return this Country to its own people, and save us from the abyss of the E.U.


Yours sincerely,



W. David Jones.
Former Secretary of Bolton Branch, and former P.P.C for Bolton S.E.


posted by Martin |11:03 AM
 

UKIP Branch Resignations

Some typical exchanges now being copied to the Blog are the following:

----------------------------------

Dear Grenville,

As you know Robert Kilroy-Silk is not now a member of UKIP.

Party support, in effect was withdrawn from him when he resigned the whip in the EuropeanParliament. Now that withdrawal of support is absolute and complete andParty members should have nothing to do with him.However, I know that you support Robert very strongly and that other members in your branch, and elswhere. know of this. This is totally unacceptable, especially as you are, yourself an officer of some standing, and you should resign from the Party immediately.

Indeed, I shall consider you to have resigned unless I hear from you within7 days of your receipt of this letter
--------------------------------------
The recipient then sent the following information to Geoffrey Kingscott UKIP Regional Organiser on the 25th January 05:

Re: UK Independence Party BROXTOWE constituency association.

Dear Geoffrey,

From the date of this letter I know longer wish to be associated with the UKIndependence Party in any way shape or form whilst it is under the presentleadership and you are Regional Organiser.Please NoteThere is NO money and or bank account. All money to keep the BROXTOWE UKIndepndence Party constituency association ticking over came out of mypocket.

SNIPPED

--------------------------------

Copies of the above letter were sent to Birmingham H.Q. for the attention ofDavid Lott, Tony Stone and Patrina Holdworth

--------------------------

From another ex-UKIP brnach comes this:

Latest from Geoff Kingscott (East Midlands Organizer)

He has just phoned the former secretary of South East Derbyshire UKIP that we did not inform him of a Branch meeting last night to close the branch. I can confirm that he was notified by post as was all members on the sticky labels supplied by Birmingham.

The 11 members that turned up all voted in favor of closing the branch. A further 12 members are or have resigned. South East Derbyshire has ceased to exist, all the active members have now left.

Geoff Kingscott has told the former secretary of South East Derbyshire UKIP intends to take legal action for closing the Branch!!!!

With no active members left, what could we do?

After all it was Geoff Kingscott's idea to call for a Leadership Election !!!

-------------------------------------------------------

posted by Martin |10:38 AM


Tuesday, January 25, 2005 

Longstanding UKIP Husband and Wife team depart

E-mails with numbers and names that I have removed were sent to the Party Chairman and Party Secretary as follows:

Sent: Monday, January 24, 2005 8:29 AM
Subject: member no. *****

Madame Chairman/Party secretary,

I write to inform you that I am resigning from the party with immediate effect.

I attended my branch agm yesterday , with a tiny number of members ,and it became clear there was no way foward to achieve democratic progress within the party.

You are both well aware that there is absolute mayhem throughout the length and breadth of the kingdom amongst the workers for the party.
Criticisms are appearing from activists who until now have been loyal to a fault .

If you both feel that you are "decent truthful and honest "I urge you to resign your posts. Kindly turn the light out as you leave . Yours in sorrow and anger at the waste
B**** *****

Sent: Monday, January 24, 2005 2:55 PM
Subject: *****
Madam chairman/Party Secretary I advise you that I am resigning from ukip as of now . I believe that you are no longer a political force so may god forgive you for the country wont !!
E***** * *****

posted by Martin |8:02 AM


Monday, January 24, 2005 

UKIP Resignations

PRESS RELEASE FROM UKIP Bolton Branch

Having been someone who was sat on the fence over the issue of a leadership challenge, for me the question of democracy rises above all else, and it is why I initially joined UKIP. Our democracy is being eroded and we face a very grave time ahead with further integration into
Europe, so it is with a deep and disturbing dissatisfaction that I announce my resignation as a Bolton Branch Press Officer and as a member of the UK Independence Party. As a disaffected Committee Member who had tried so hard and worked hard for the party and our Bolton Branch members I feel I can no longer support a party which uses intimidation.

After listening to Roger Knapmans response to my own comments on BBCs Radio 4 Today’s Programme (Friday 21st) about my concerns over the running of the party and then listening to his remarks about "cracking open the champagne" when talking about Mr Robert Kilroy Silk's
resignation I would like to remind him first of his own quotes which were originally a quote taken from Ghandi ."First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win"

Having also had discussions with Petrina Holdsworth UKIP NEC Chair on the intimidation on Bolton Branch Committee members and the treatment from regional offices with regards the illegal suspension then winding up of the branch and UKIP Press Office, who also falsely claimed the branch was suspended, I have decided that I will now resign my position as Branch Press Officer and Committee member.

Looking ahead I will look forward to fighting along side those who are passionate about Britain’s interests, promoting real policies democratically constituted by real people who actually care about their members and constituents, supported by a real leader within a real party that will effectively lead us with a genuine foresight and actually listen to the members of their party.

Ian Upton

Former Press Officer to John Whittaker MEP, Bolton Branch Press Officer & Bolton Branch Committee Member

posted by Martin |5:15 PM
 

Mission Accomplished?

The raison d'etre of this blog is rapidly disappearing. The public attack last week and resignation by Robert Kilroy-Silk most clearly sums up and encapsulates pretty much everything we have revealed on these pages over the past twenty-two months.

This time next week when the incompetent, manipulated and totally inept National Executive Committee of UKIP meets for its monthly non-event, the defections from the party are likely to have reached such a level that the pathetic claim that only three UKIP branches ever supported the call for a leadership election will be seen for the ridiculous charade and enormous lie it always was!

Anthony Butcher the moderator of the discussion forum 'UKIP Forum' begun in such high hopes a short while ago, has posted a summary of the UKIP situation which I can hardly better. It starts as follows:

Where are we?
-------------------------------------------------------
As of now, we are in a mess. We have a critical image problem.

Thanks to the split between Mr Kilroy-Silk and our leadership, we now have two parties running on the same manifesto, potentially standing against each other in anything up to 150 constituencies in the general election. The impact of this will be not just to split the vote but also to lose a lot of the vote as the electorate lump both parties together as an unelectable shambles. Division does not inspire confidence.

On top of that, Mr Kilroy-Silk has declared war on UKIP, and has said that he will be actively campaigning against us. He began that on Thursday night with a withering attack on not just the leadership of UKIP but also the party and what we stand for. We cannot win that media war, so let's not fight it. Our support was fragile enough, but a constant attack from a former ally all the way to the general election will destroy us.

The media and the public, for the next couple of months, will be unable to see any issue beyond the splitting of UKIP and the formation of Veritas. Any attempts at policy announcements and so on will be wasted under this current climate, and any momentum that we may have had from June is finally dead.

Party morale is at an all time low. Members are witnessing the birth of a splinter party which will get all of the media attention from now on and they have witnessed the party they care dearly about publicly lambasted and ridiculed. They know that the future for the party is bleak at the moment and that the leadership has, as yet, failed to present a plan to get us out of this mess.

Celebrating the fragmentation of the anti-EU movement by declaring that we will be "breaking open the champagne" makes us look like buffoons and, perhaps worse, shows that the leadership were more interested in getting rid of RKS than protecting the integrity of the anti-EU movement. This may not be true, but it is the image that matters here.

The huge amount of negative discussion and lack of positive discussion within the party is largely fuelled by the complete failure of the party to manage the media. We have almost nothing positive emanating from the party to cheer about at the moment, so the membership are left with only negative press reports to talk about.

The current party image is badly tarnished now. The public criticisms by RKS dating all the way back to October will be with us forever if nothing changes. It is worth repeating our new public image:

"But I have to say that the Party is regarded by those outside it as a joke. I am ashamed to be a member. I cannot ask people to vote for it because it has no policies, no spokespersons, no energy, no vision, no idea of how Britain should be governed.

"Instead I shall advise people not to vote for the Party. To do otherwise will be to be dishonest, to pretend that the party has a purpose - when in fact it is a charade, an empty vessel" - Robert Kilroy-Silk

Under these conditions, UKIP will be lucky to get 5% of the vote in the general election. We will have no chance of getting any MPs, and our credibility for campaigning against the EU Constitution will be seriously diminished, if we do nothing to repair the damage.

Mr Butcher then proceeds to wishfully propose possible solutions all predicated on the assumption of a reasonable leadership, which of course does not exist within the Party, for were it so it could never have arrived at such a point. The forum is available to all for those interested.

I anticipate something new and better will now fairly quickly appear and have registered a few Blogspots with a Veritas title in case that new party name does indeed prove true. They will be linked from here when applicable.

In the interim I will continue to record the collapse of the UKIP, much of which I sincerely trust will be saved more or less intact - ready and prepared to truly begin to fight the European Union.

As for the 'uncovered' UKIP's sorry and treacherous leadership - let them continue - cossetted and irrelevant in Brussels and Strasbourg - where they truly belong!

posted by Martin |1:22 PM
 

Who has betrayed June's UKIP Voters?

The letter reproduced at the end of this posting appeared in last Saturday's Independent newspaper and might at first brush seem to make a reasonable case. Any careful thought shows the argument to be a complete nonsense however. Similar types of comments were published in the letters page of The Guardian, a co-incidence? I think not! The reply which was sent to The Independent by Edward Spalton quickly dispels any notion that it is Robert Kilroy-Silk who has betrayed UKIP voters of last June. He plans to fight for all he said he believed last June AND take that fight into Westminster!

To: letters@independent.co.uk
Subject: Kilroy is Here

Sir,

Dr Chris Gordon questions the morality of Robert Kilroy Silk's continuing as an MEP since he left UKIP. He may not realise that, in the East Midlands, UKIP ran the Conservatives very close for second place with Labour trailing at third.

The UKIP vote was the highest in the country because Kilroy was here. Without his intervention, it is quite possible that Derek Clark, the second on the party list, would not have gained a seat at all.

Mr. Kilroy Silk has not changed his principles nor the platform he stood on. He has simply got fed up with the spiteful, lacklustre cabal which runs UKIP and has sat on its Brussels expense accounts in self-congratulatory mode since June.

I was a UKIP candidate at the 1999 European elections and, along with about 300 other activists, left the party for very similar reasons in 2000. I see that Frederick Forsyth and Lord Deramore believe that UKIP has been infiltrated by Her Majesty's spooks. Two such specimens were identified in 2000 on the balance of probabilities.

Such infiltration is probably the reason why the UKIP leadership is targeting Tory Eurosceptics at the general election. Both UKIP's leader, Roger Knapman, and Tony Blair want to fight the constitutional referendum on the false prospectus "in or out of the EU". The congruence is too marked to be entirely coincidental.

Yours faithfully,

Edward Spalton


The letter that sparked this response was as follows:-

The Independent, 22nd January 2005

MEP morals

Sir: I was under the impression that elections to the European Parliament were by proportional representation and therefore votes were cast for the party rather than the individual.

As Mr Robert Kilroy-Silk has resigned the whip of UKIP (report, 21 January) and stories suggest he may leave and start his own party, it is interesting to speculate whether he has either the moral or legal right to remain an MEP.

DR CHRIS GORDON
Bredbury, Stockport


posted by Martin |9:17 AM


Sunday, January 23, 2005 

Howard plays the Immigration card.

An advertisement in the Sunday Telegraph signals the increasing desperation of the Tory Party just as a new British political force emerges. That new party widely rumoured to be called Veritas, the Latin for Truth, will be headed by Robert Kilroy-Silk, the man who first publicly put forward the Australian style immigration policy now being touted by the 'Johnny come lately' Conservative Party.

The article about the advert in the same paper may be read from here, while an opinion item on the advertisement is also in this morning's Observer which may be read from a link on Teetering Tories, linked here.

posted by Martin |8:29 AM


Saturday, January 22, 2005 

UKIP Derby Branch Meeting - 'A Chairman all alone'

The writing is clearly on the wall for the UK Independence Party if this report from Derby is indicative of the way things are going:
-

David Black held his Ukip branch meeting this month at the Rolls Royce Foreman’s club and nobody turned up he was on his own. It is alleged by members of the club where he held the meeting that he was mouthing off offensively and has upset certain members of the club who have complained to the club management about his language. THE WRITING IS ON THE WALL.

posted by Martin |5:44 PM
 

UKIP and MI5 by Frederick Forsyth

From The Daily Express
Friday January 21 2005

Ukip's hidden agenda to split the Tory vote
Frederick Forsyth

LORD DERAMORE asks whether there are any grounds to his gut feeling that the UK Independence Party now hates the Conservatives more than it loathes Labour and Lib-Dem.

The answer, my lord, is you're quite right but the motive is not hatred. Under our constitution it is in order for a government to designate a political movement's agenda as "contrary to British interest".

Once so designated, it is lawful for intelligence agencies to monitor such organisations.

Usually M15 (internal spooks) are used. About 10 years ago, even though growing scepticism of the direction of the EU was a majority view here, Euro-scepticism was so designated.

Under Blair, "monitoring" has become active destabilisation. The spooks' plan was simple but clever. Instead of launching a dummy pro-Brussels party, they penetrated the country's most anti-EU party Ukip.

That's why its orientation has been steadily and increasingly to contest the seats of the Conservatives' most robustly Euro-sceptic MPs and prospective candidates.

The aim? Split the Tory vote and let Labour or Lib-Dem slip in. This accounts for Ukip standing against some of the toughest Tory Euro-sceptics, so long as their majority is slim enough to be vulnerable.

Blair's declared aim (The Unfinished Revolution) is to destroy all parties opposed to him and create his Hundred Years of Blairism.

That is why Ukip chief Roger Knapman (not a bear of enormous brain) is contentedly unaware that two Government moles are deep inside the fabric of his party and have been for years, working to Government instructions, which are to destroy every possible chance of Tories winning seats. So those voting Ukip against a cracking Tory candidate are happily doing Blair's and Brussels' business for them.

Please do not be shocked. It is exactly what governments Labour and Tory used to do to the extreme Left when they were run by the Comintern. All that is new is that those who love this country more than they appreciate rule by Brussels are now seen as Blair's enemies and thus Britain's enemies.

OK, Lord Deramore? That is us and a few others!

posted by Martin |5:21 PM
 

What a charlie! Champagne Knapman!

More on the complete buffoonery of UKIP's present puppet leader Roger Knapman. Today's Telegraph article , linked here, leaves little more to be said:

The leader of the UK Independence Party yesterday welcomed the defection of Robert Kilroy-Silk, saying he was preparing to "break open the champagne".

For more information on a a real alternative to UKIP now in preparation :

stevenson93@msn.com or visit Vote for Kilroy.

posted by Martin |10:03 AM


Friday, January 21, 2005 

Former Treasurer's Suspension again turns to Farce

We reported earlier this week that the former party Treasurer John de Roeck, had once again been suspended following a typical Kangaroo Court style ringround of expired panel members. To add farce to fiddle and fiasco, it now appears that while Mr de Roeck is suspended from all Party functions and candidatures during the convening of a proper panel, which logic and the and the party constitution require cannot possibly be appointed ahead of another party conference.

Such suspension, these cannot even apparently apply to his position on the party's National Executive Committee, (which it appears was the whole reason for the disgraceful hoax e-mail situation in the first place) so there he remains - as visitors to the UKIP site can themselves witness by clicking on this link.

Mr de Roeck is mounting a considered defence against the basis on which charges have apparently been laid against him. We are informed that it is indeed the 'hoax e-mail' saga that is behind this latest dispute, whether or not that is the case, our betting is that once again the leadership is on a hiding to nothing ( or should we say it is the wider UKIP membership who will once more see funds they thought dedicated to fighting the EU, yet again devoted to the intrigues and devious schemes of the nasty little clique now at the party's head.) How the lawyers must love UKIP's cabal and their aversion to proper procedure and democratic process.

No wonder Robert Kilroy-Silk, a proper politician left the party - that e-mail address again is:

stevenson93@msn.com or visit Vote for Kilroy.

posted by Martin |7:58 PM
 

An E-mail address to register your support for Robert Kilroy-Silk MEP

An e-mail address for those wishing to express their support for the independence campaign to be mounted by the above MEP, who so publicly renounced his UKIP membership last evening is:-

stevenson93@msn.com

For further news as it occurs visit 'Vote for Kilroy'

posted by Martin |1:51 PM
 

Knapman reacts incredibly enough saying - 'Break open the champagne'

Can it be credited? The actual quote from the remark made on the Radio Four Today programme quoted in The Scotsman, linked here was:

“Well, it looks as though we’ve lost a member. He’s gone, we wanted him to go, it only remains to break open the Champagne.”

posted by Martin |8:43 AM
 

Further Media Coverage on the UKIP Crisis

The Daily Telegraph's Brendan Carlin returns to the UKIP story which he has been concentrating on for most of this week. His item titled '
Kilroy-Silk leaves Ukip, saying party is a 'joke' is linked from here.

Incredibly Nigel Farage is quoted in this report, taking time out from his repeated, unsuccessful and difficult to believe assertions that the BNP and the UKIP are not alike (see this link) nor indeed have any connections, as saying he felt "massive relief" to have lost the best - if not only - electoral asset the part could claim. In other words, one can only presume, his own leadership chances, albeit for a now doomed party, have suddenly been reborn!

The Financial Times carries a brief report, linked here, while The Independent has this quote at the end of its piece:

UKIP dismissed Mr Kilroy Silk's charges. A spokesman said: "If we're that duff why did he want to lead us last week?"

To which the only honest and obvious answer, as this blog has been desperately trying to make clear for almost three years is, 'To salvage the cause in which UKIP pretends to believe!'

20th January 2005, marks the culmination of our exposure of UKIP. The speech by Robert Kilroy-Silk put forth our own conclusions about UKIP, reached many months ago. We hoped Mr Kilroy-Silk might have been allowed to takeover the party and restore its reputation to allow it to properly fight the anti-EU cause in the forthcoming General Election. That clearly has proved impossible.

UKIP members or others who wish to move forward in the direction set out by Robert Kilroy-Silk in his speech last night can check back to this blog later today for an e-mail contact address where their support can be registered.



posted by Martin |8:01 AM
 

Robert Kilroy-Silk on the BBC's Newsnight

I was unable to view the broadcast and am therefore grateful for this review placed on Eurofaq by Christina Speight editor of EU Facts, Figures and Phantasies:
-

Newsnight tonight was exposed as incompetent, gullible and ill-informed.

Readers of this may know that I am not taken with Kilroy-Silk though unlike the UKIP leadership he is honest!

When Kirsty Wark interviewed him she did not know that there are no by-elections for MEPs nor how many UKIP MEPs there are. She challenged him on a passage about immigration thinking he had written it when in fact it was a hoax leaflet put out by UKIP cabal ! He wiped the floor with her and pointed out that she had clearly not done her research

The reporters on the spot were not much better. They were obsessed by the spoof literature handed out about the - as yet unformed - new Veritas party and interviews were amateurish. There were about 60 - YES only 60 - at the RKS meeting and 20 at the official UKIP meeting elsewhere including one from North Wales. Lots of arguing about who was what in the local branch.

In short everybody concerned EXCEPT RKS got egg on their faces - especially Newsnight. who were - I repeat - incompetent, gullible and ill-informed.

But we knew that already, didn't we?

posted by Martin |7:42 AM


Thursday, January 20, 2005 

'Kilroy quits UKIP' hits US news on Presidential inauguration day!

The ABC news network in America has this linked news item on Robert Kilroy-Silk's decision to quit the incompetently and corruptly led UK Independence Party, (soon even Dick Morris might become ashamed of his association with that party's leadership cabal!)

Other headlines from this evening's speech Kilroy-Silk quits 'charade ' party in The Times and 'Ashamed Kilroy-Silk quits UKIP' in icSouth London and the simple Kilroy Quits UKIP from Epolitix linked here.

posted by Martin |7:04 PM
 

Robert Kilroy-Silk quits UKIP - "I am ashamed to be a member"

STATEMENT BY ROBERT KILROY-SILK - 20 JANUARY 2005

To be announced at a meeting of the Bosworth Branch of the U.K. Independence Party tonight, 7.00pm, held at the Hinckley Golf Club, Leicester Road, Burbage, HINCKLEY, Leicestershire. Chair of Bosworth UKIP and convenor of the meeting is Mr Mark Harrison. Contact details below.


“In last year’s Euro elections, the U.K. Independence Party quadrupled the number of its MPs and knocked the Liberal Democrats into fourth place.

“This remarkable victory could have been a turning point in British politics. It could have been the moment when the silent, disillusioned majority finally found a voice.

“But that didn’t happen. Instead of reaching out to the millions who voted for them on June 10, UKIP’s leaders repeated the mistakes of the party’s past. They went AWOL.

“They betrayed the millions who were looking for a very different kind of political leadership.

“They squandered a golden opportunity to reach out to those who have grown tired of the old parties with their lies, their deceit, their broken promises, their discredited pledge cards and their slanging matches.

“For that I, and countless others, cannot forgive them.

“I tried, in my way, to give UKIP a vision, a sense of purpose and direction, but at each stage the old guard stood in the way,

“They had achieved their goal. They had got elected as MEPs. So off they went to Brussels, with expense-account lunches and generous subsidies, never to be heard of again. They were happy.

“They even refused a simple, fair and democratic means of resolving this matter - a leadership election of the whole membership. But instead, the self-serving cabal put every conceivable obstacle in the way, in order to retain power.

“They do not seem to want to be a mainstream political party. They do not appear to want to fight the General Election. They have certainly not shown any appetite for the battle.

“So that is why, amongst other reasons, I am announcing my resignation frorm UKIP.

“I have not changed my beliefs. I have not changed my determination to get Britain out of the European Union. I have not diluted my desire to see Britain a self-governing democracy. What I fought for in May and June last year, I will continue to fight for today and tomorrow.

“I also believe there are many who share my sense of sadness and disappointment. The people who are the backbone of UKIP fail to understand who so little has been done with the victory they worked so hard to achieve.

“But I have to say that the Party is regarded by those outside it as a joke. I am ashamed to be a member. I cannot ask people to vote for it because it has no policies, no spokespersons, no energy, no vision, no idea of how Britain should be governed.

“Instead I shall advise people not to vote for the Party. To do otherwise will be to be dishonest, to pretend that the party has a purpose - when in fact it is a charade, an empty vessel”.

But while UKIP has turned its back on the British people, I shall not. I will be standing, at the next General Election. I shall be leading a vigorous campaign for the causes I believe in.

And, unlike the old parties, we shall be honest, open and straight”.


posted by Martin |6:49 PM
 

Robert Kilroy-Silk MEP Update

The press and TV coverage is underway, even before the contents of this evenings much touted speech begins.

The BBC offers a profile linked here, while from elsewhere in the same organisation we are offered this sketch. The Manchester Evening News has a report, linked here, has this quote:

Supporters of Mr Kilroy-Silk were expected to travel from all over the country for tonight's speech.

Sources close to him say he was going to make a "devastating" attack on Ukip, as he announces his decision to resign from the party.

The Guardian
has an article titled 'Kilroy poised to quit' which may be reached from here.

The text of the speech as circulated before the event will be posted on this blog later this evening.

posted by Martin |4:41 PM
 

BBC withdraws allegation against Damian Hockney

Those who read the BBC Online website will have seen a news piece called "Kilroy to reveal UKIP quit plan" earlier today, which is linked from our first posting of this morning, and might have noted that at the end of it, UKIP's Leader at the London Assembly Damian Hockney is quoted as saying that "if the leadership do not go, the party will go".

In the first version of this story, Damian Hockney's quote was followed by a quote from the UKIP leadership saying that Damian Hockney has been "predicting the demise of the party for a long time". Damian Hockney has done no such thing. In fact, he has been one of those who have been trying to reform the party and achieve a leadership election.

This typical leadership lie and huge distortion of the facts as evidenced throughout this blog was quickly exposed and reported by party members, and when the UKIP leadership could provide no proof of any such comment anywhere by Damian Hockney, the BBC pulled the leadership's lie from the end of the story. So if you look at it now, you will see the version without the leadership's false statement.


posted by Martin |4:30 PM
 

Tonight's meeting at Hinkley Golf Club

The address and venue for tonights speech by Robert Kilroy-Silk MEP, as widely requested by e-mails is as follows:

Hinckley Golf Club Ltd
Leicester Rd,
Hinckley,
Leicestershire
LE10 3DR

Tel: 01455 615124

Time: 7:30 pm

We hear reports that even CNN, as well as UK terrestial and Satellite channels, now plan to cover this event!

posted by Martin |9:30 AM
 

Facts on the Bolton Branch Suspension

In the absence of time to collate a fuller report on the situation in Bolton I am grateful to have received this communication from the Branch Secretary:

Hi Martin Cole,

Just to clarify the situation regarding the suspension of the Bolton Branch, first and foremost we had not called for an EGM, what we have done is to send a letter to ALL our members to ask the following two questions!

1. Do you want to call a EGM, YES or NO.
2, Do you want a leadership challenge, YES or NO.

The overwhelming response form the members indicates that they want BOTH, and the comments attached to some of the replies does not make good reading for the UKIP leadership.

Quite clearly the hierarchy have got wind of our attempt to find out the wishes of ALL the members of the Bolton Branch, and by the actions of the N.W Regional office, and I suspect, higher up, they have decided that they would not tolerate any dissent from their wishes.

When you consider that the Party was supposedly established on the principle of DEMOCRACY, I fail to see what the objection could possible be to finding out the wishes of the members, after all the members are the party.

However, to-day I have sent an e-mail to GREGG BEAMAN, N.W Regional organiser, pointing out that as far as the majority of the members of the committee are concerned, we will not accept the suspension handed down by UKIP, it is up to the members of the branch to decide if they want to carry on as UKIP members or not.

Further more, I have pointed out that without chapter and verse of the authority N.W.R purport to be using to effect a suspension, or a Court order, we will carry on as usual until such time as the members decide that they no longer wish to be part of UKIP, and on present form, from the top down, I am surprised that anyone wishes to be associated with the party.

David Jones.
Secretary Bolton Branch.

posted by Martin |9:25 AM
 

BBC Stirs the UKIP Pot.

The BBC website runs a major article on Robert Kilroy-Silk and the embattled UKIP leadership this morning, ahead of tonight's speech by their best known MEP in Hinkley. Those wishing to attend to hear first-hand what Kilroy has say about the disgraceful party which he, like myself before him, apparently fairly temporarily finds himself a part will be able to find the time and location of the public speech on this blog later today. Meantime the BBC article may be read from here.

icBirmingham picks up on our report of a few days ago that another major speech by Mr Kilroy-Silk will be at the conference of the Federation of Small Businesses alongside the Europe Minister (and liar par excellance see our post of last evening on Ironies linked here) Denis Macshane. That story may be read from here.

posted by Martin |8:01 AM


Wednesday, January 19, 2005 

Hockney to Quit - According to the 'Evening Standard'

NEWS IN BRIEF

UKIP assembly leader's threat to join new Kilroy-Silk party

The London Assembly leader of the UK Independence Party (UKIP) has hinted that he will join Robert Kilroy-Silk's breakaway party. Damian Hockney attacked UKIP leaders warning "If the leadership does not go then the party will". Former TV presenter Mr Kilroy-Silk' has threatened to form a new party, Veritas, to fight the General Election.........

posted by Martin |5:52 PM
 

John de Roeck Suspended from Party Membership

We had been hearing rumours that NEC member John de Roeck had been suspended from membership for the past coup[le of weeks or so, but have now received confirmation that this is indeed the case.

At present the suspension is from all Party offices and Candidatures but is temporary pending a full hearing of the Disciplne Panel (which presently is in an unconstitutional limbo due to not having been reconstituted at the last conference!).

John de Roeck is of course somethiing of a veteran of UKIP party shenanigans. The saga of his dismissal and re-instatement as Party Treasurer makes amusing reading from the links on our side-bar.

posted by Martin |4:11 PM
 

David Lott, UKIP's National Campaign Manager goes on Holiday?

I first heard a rumour that UKIP's supposed General Election National Campaign manager was planning to take a five week holiday about now, which seemed so absurd in view of the much rumoured pending election that I discounted it entirely. To my amazement this morning I have been sent this e-mail which has been circulateing amongst UKIP's Prosepctive Parliamentary Candidtes:

Can anybody tell me why our so called "election supremo" David Lott should choose this time to go on holiday for 6 weeks, is this the actions of a man dedicated to our campaign ????

Many find the view of this blog - namely that UKIP mainly exists to thwart the anti-EU movement within Britain hard to believe. If the above e-mail is true I anticipate many UKIP members will now have less problem with such a theory!

posted by Martin |9:58 AM
 

UKIP Bolton Branch suspended for calling an EGM

The truly underhand and dirty tactics by the UKIP leadership are now being revealed. Yesterday the Bolton Branch was suspended after having moved towards a meeting to call for an EGM. A full account of what has been underway at Bolton has been sent to this blog and the presently resigned members are given as follows:


Resigned Bolton Branch Committee Members

Chairman Mike Ford , Vice Chair Tony Backhouse , Secrectary Dave Jones
Branch Press Officer Ian Upton also was Former Press Officer to John Whittaker MEP and 3 others one of whom is an Ex Tory Councillor and one a Prospective Parliamentary Candidate.

A brief description of what took place will be posted shortly.

posted by Martin |9:25 AM
 

Robert Kilroy-Silk to fight Geoff Hoon for Veritas - (Telegraph report)

According to this report in today's newspaper:

Robert Kilroy-Silk is to mount a high-profile move to unseat Geoff Hoon, the Defence Secretary, as he gears up to launch his own political party. The item is linked here.

Mr Kilroy-Silk is poised to turn his back on the UK Independence Party and launch his own political party named Veritas, the Latin for truth.

He will quit Ukip at a public meeting tomorrow and condemn the Ukip leadership for failing to mount a proper general election campaign.

Veritas is likely to be launched in a couple of weeks to make a real impact in the election, expected on May 5.

It has emerged that Mr Kilroy-Silk is considering standing as the Veritas candidate in Mr Hoon's Ashfield constituency in Nottinghamshire on a platform of truth and honesty against the Defence
Secretary's reputation for evasiveness.

Despite Mr Hoon's 13,268 majority, the Ashfield move would give him a high-profile seat to fight. Ukip has dismissed Veritas as a vehicle for Mr Kilroy-Silk and not a proper party.

posted by Martin |9:05 AM


Tuesday, January 18, 2005 

UKIP Members Outraged as their Chairman urges party's best asset to GO!

Has there ever been a party in the history of politics that publicly urges any of its members to depart. Never for sure has there been an instance when the same is urged upon the most high-profile and successful vote-gatherer in probably any parties' history.

Extraordinarily that is what UKIP's clearly floundering novice Chairman Petrina Holdsworth managed yesterday, both by broadcast and press release. Where were the leaders of UKIP in all this furore, particularly the two principal plotters whose own self-interest, personal ambition, ineptitude and complete lack of concern for the cause they supposedly espouse has brought their party to this sorry pass?!

Roger Knapman and Nigel Farage have yet to utter a single word, as far as I have been able to find, on the spectacle of their Chairman calling for the resignation of the party's best known member with neither authority or discussion within the party's governing body the NEC, nor support from across the country where growing numbers of branches and members are daily rallying to the cause of Robert Kilroy-Silk, if this blogs e-mail inbox is any kind of reliable guide.

What about the other MEPs whose seats in the Strasbourg Parliament can be directly attributed to the popularity and talents of Robert Kilroy-Silk? Silence.

I invite those MEPs and NEC members to use this blog to inform the broader membership exactly where they each stand in this tussle between the leadership cabal and the broader party membership. A dispute which is being wrongly portrayed in the media as a one man tussle between Robert Kilroy-Silk and the Party. This is a dispute, led by RKS against the corrupt leadership of UKIP who are betraying the cause for which the membership joined!

posted by Martin |11:03 AM
 

Telegraph returns to Veritas and Times letter

Another day of speculation over the intentions of Robert Kilroy-Silk looks on the cards for today.

Brendan Carlin the paper's Political Correspondent returns to the story, claiming that a constituency speech by the former TV presenter in the East Midlands on Thursday will see the announcement of the MEPs resignation from UKIP, marking yet another new low in that party's management, reputation and effectiveness. The report may be read from here. The report includes this statement:

Mr Kilroy-Silk aims to use Veritas to tap into what he believes in widespread public disillusionment with the existing main political parties. "There is clearly a huge demand across the country, across people's background in ages and indeed, across the old parties, for something that is fresh and new, and which will represent them and Britain's interests," said Mr Kilroy-Silk.

The former Labour MP believes Ukip in its present form is failing to respond to that public mood.

The void that Robert Kilroy-Silk has identified and seems to be now aiming to try to fill is described in the following letter from the The Timeslinked here

Sir,

For the truly patriotic the main aim for Europe (letters, January 10 and 14) may be stated as the abolition of the dictatorial European Commission and Court and the impotent Parliament, and the proper use by European (and other) leaders of the existing organisations — Nato, the UN and the World Trade Organisation — to conduct military, political and trade affairs worldwide. The Conservatives, whose timid policy on Europe is to exit from the Common Agricultural and Fisheries Policies, argue that a vote for the UK Independence Party in the next election would let in more Lib Dems and defeat those voters’ aim, at the UK’s cost.

The impatient patriot can only vote UKIP. Those wiser but cautious can vote Conservative, or abstain. For whom can the wise, brave and patriotic vote?
Yours faithfully,
GEORGE CHAPMAN

posted by Martin |7:13 AM


Monday, January 17, 2005 

Times Online reports on deepening UKIP crisis

Jenny Booth reports on the growing rumours of a possible breakaway party from the UKIP. The report may be read from this link .

Epolitix.com from here, also reports on the story quoting extensively from a press release issued by the UKIP Chairman Petrina Holdsworth and its hoaxer press spokesman Mark Croucher. Are these the last two true Knapman supporters now to be found in the upper echelons of the party?

Things are reportedly so dire for the UKIP we hear that so few prospective parliamentary candidates booked for their training weekend just finished in Exeter (supposedly at the heart of UKIP's strongest support) that ordinary members from the surrounding districts had to be roped in to make the low numbers appear even slightly respectable.

posted by Martin |6:04 PM
 

UKIP Split summarised in The Scotsman

The newspaper that likes to be first with eurosceptic news items does it again with this comprehensive review of the latest UKIP developments which may be read from here.

(I wonder if they read this blog?)

In an apparent quote from the 'World at One' radio broadcast earlier today, although not quoting Kilroy the paper includes these comments from Petrina Holdsworth the UKIP Chairman:-

Miss Holdsworth said she had warned Mr Kilroy-Silk not to use party membership lists to canvass for support as this might breach the Data Protection Act, and not to use UKIP’s purple and yellow colours in any new party’s symbols.

She insisted UKIP was not afraid of a haemorrhage of support to a party led by Mr Kilroy-Silk.

“Obviously, nobody wants a rival party at this stage of the electoral cycle,” she said. “It would be very unwise in terms of getting the eurosceptic vote out.

“But we represent the proper eurosceptic vote. A new party would not be helpful to us, but I would doubt that it could really get off the ground and pose a real threat to us.

The BBC website also has a brief report which may be read from here.

posted by Martin |3:26 PM
 

Another attack on Knapman from an NEC colleague.

We have received yet another attack on the beleagured UKIP leader from the increasingly outspoken, clearly very frustrated NEC member, Tony Scholefield. The topic on this occasion is UKIP policy on the coming referendum on the EU Constitution as put forward by Roger Knapman on the recent radio programme 'This Sceptic Isle' a full trnscript of which is on this blog.

The latest message from Mr Scholefield is quoted below and as can be seen is obviously the most recent demonstration of a fairly longstanding disagreement :-


To: NEC, MEPs, AMs, Martin Cole, etc.
Re: The Referendum

DISCUSSION PAPER AND PARTY STRATEGY

Roger Knapman's radio comments on the Ruth Lea programme are a repeat of what he said, as did Nigel Farage, following UKIP's Press Release of 19th April.

It has been pointed out that saying such a referendum will be ultimately about Britain's membership aligned UKIP with Blair, Prodi, Kennedy, etc. and against the Tories and the NO Campaign. No wonder Trevor Kavannagh and Malcolm Pearson are so critical of UKIP's leadership.

After substantial criticism at that time, I thought the leadership has abandoned this attitude.

It is worth looking at Trefgarne's article in The Daily Telegraph 10/1/05.

Of course the NO Campaign has not developed its thinking very clearly, and there is a case for energizing the voters by putting forward clear cut policies, but AT THIS STAGE, securing the perceived status quo is the key aim. To make the vote an invitation to leave the EU is to abandon the status quo advantage. The importance of retaining the status quo position has
again been emphasized by the result in the NE referendum. What happens after the referendum is another matter and no-one can forecast the future or the personalities and policies of 25 different countries in two years' time.Winning this referendum is vital before anything else.

What concerns me for UKIP once again, is Roger Knapman is speaking off the cuff without having written any analysis or his policy being approved by the NEC. The NEC was urged by me on 5th May to take charge and to have analysis done. It has failed to do so. No analysis, no agreement, just a quick and highly controversial news bite.

Can we continue in this amateurish way?

Regards,
Anthony Scholefield

Memo of 5th May attached and copied below:-

To : Roger Knapman
cc : NEC
From : Anthony Scholefield
Date : 5 May 2004

UKIP’s Referendum Policy

Blair's decision to call a referendum on the proposed EU Constitution has created a new political situation on EU matters.

UKIP's Press Release of 19th April, together with Roger Knapman's interviews, seem to align UKIP with the Blair, Prodi, Kinnock, Patten, etc. spin, that such a referendum will be ultimately about Britain's membership of the EU (although all these politicians have qualified their comments). On the other hand, the Tories and the forming NO Campaign and other eurosceptics
see the referendum as being about the specific issue of whether or not Britain
accepts the EU Constitution.

DECISION MAKING INSIDE UKIP

The sudden change in Blair's position means a careful analysis of the new situation is required. UKIP needs to do an analysis of the political implications or the way forward for UKIP.

The NEC must take charge of policy, analyse the new situation and consult widely in the Party. Careful thinking, analysis and wide discussion are required.

UKIP ALIGNS WITH THE BLAIR, PRODI CAMP

The danger of what has happened is that the leadership is pushing UKIP into the same camp as Blair, Prodi, Kinnock.

There is a danger that UKIP could become a 'spoiler' to a forming NO movement. It has already been pointed out by europhiles, who wish to widen the argument from the Constitution, that UKIP thinks a NO vote will mean an early exit from the EU.

UKIP AND THE NO CAMPAIGN

The forming NO Campaign wishes to keep the subject of the referendum solely to the EU Constitution. Their position will be like in the euro campaign, to keep such a lead that Blair will never have a referendum. According to Richard North, it wants nothing to do with UKIP because it regards the UKIP position as shallow, opportunistic and, ultimately, destructive. To get the referendum based on an 'in or out' vote could backfire badly.

WHAT ARE THE FACTS?

UKIP's Press Release stated that 'it is inconceivable that the UK could reject the Constitution and yet still remain an equal member with 24 other states which had accepted it'. There is no rationale for this statement, nor was such an outcome suggested in the ads and the petitions the Party ran requesting a referendum. It is perfectly conceivable that the UK could reject the
Constitution, which would then fail. Look at what has happened in Cyprus.

The leadership's line is thus the same as the Prodi, Kinnock spin, which asserts that the referendum vote is meaningless as a vote to determine whether or not Britain accepts the EU Constitution. I am very concerned about this line of thinking. The British people should, and will, have the right to reject the Constitution.


EFFECT OF THE LEADERSHIP'S RESPONSE:

1. To turn the referendum into one on EU membership AT THIS STAGE is to invite defeat. In any referendum, securing the perceived status quo is the main advantage (look at Cyprus). To reject the EU Constitution is to maintain the status quo. To make the vote an invitation to leave the EU is to abandon the status quo advantage. The referendum will be about the Constitution
- that will be what is on the ballot paper and is easy to win at present. This could change if all 24 other countries approved the EU Constitution before the UK referendum. The europhiles could then present it as a (nearly) done deal. The YouGov Polls show clearly the different outcomes
likely between a referendum on the Constitution and membership of the EU.

2. The effect, if the Party approved the leadership's proposals, will mean a division of the ways between UKIP and the NO Campaign and wider eurosceptics. UKIP will align itself with the false claims of Blair, Prodi and Kinnock.

What will happen at the next General Election? Should UKIP put up candidates against MP's who state they will vote against a Constitution since the election could return a majority of MP's against a Constitution?

Regards,
Tony Scholefield



posted by Martin |2:52 PM
 

Robert Kilroy- Silk on the 'World at One'

The programme broadcast at lunchtime today may be heard by clicking here. The item comes just before the end of the programme after about twenty-five minutes airtime.

On the programme UKIP's Chairman Petrina Holdsworth said that there will be no UKIP leadership election following Mr Kilroy-Silk's remarks in a telephone interview with the programme.

posted by Martin |2:31 PM
 

UKIP - A statement by Damian Hockney

IF THE LEADERSHIP DOES NOT GO, THEN THE PARTY WILL GO

I am writing to party members about the crisis in UKIP and to warn that the party faces the deepest split in its history. Behind the scenes, senior party members have been trying exhaustively over Christmas and the New Year to stop the party dividing, and to try and make the party leadership respond to the members' concerns.

Most specifically, the demand for a leadership election and the ending of the attacks and smears being made by the party leadership on anyone who privately criticises or asks inconvenient questions.

A BRIEF OUTLINE OF THE CONCERNS

1 At the Party Conference in October, the leadership tried to force through a motion allowing them to make shabby electoral deals with other parties. Although this was resoundingly defeated, the leadership immediately declared its intention to ignore the vote. Rumours abound of a deal with the Tories.

2 The Party Secretary has written to those organising an Emergency Conference (EGM) making clear that even if they meet all the requirements of the disputed and onerous new rules he will still only call one if they go to court. This is an abuse of members' rights of the highest order. An EGM is designed for emergencies and the leadership has designed a structure to stop the membership speaking or acting. Over 30 branches have so far called EGMs on the motion of No Confidence in the Party Leader.

3 From last June onwards, the leadership have set themselves against using our electoral star Robert Kilroy-Silk. They have done everything possible to sideline him, creating a further situation of alienation and antagonism to add to the others.

4 The failure to stand in Hodge Hill by-election last July was inexplicable and the leadership told one thing to the NEC, and another to Robert Kilroy-Silk, who would probably have won the seat for UKIP.

5 There is a complete failure nationally to commit to researched policies and a full manifesto and spokesmen, using all the talents in the party. Instead, a woeful and disastrous "draft manifesto" had to be hastily pulled from the website just before Christmas after provoking a furore, and members of the party like myself looked on in horror as the party appeared to be saying that it will abandon its committment to immediately leaving the EU if it were elected. Instead the leadership were planning some tortuous and bureaucratic "road map to independence" which looked more liked a one way street to disaster.

6 A complete failure to consult on policy or statements has meant that the party is mocked for inept and incorrect information and press releases. A letter was sent to all London borough councillors last week by the Party Leader without consultation with anyone in London: it made incorrect assertions about the regional assembly here, misunderstood what has happened
in local government in London and damaged our own campaign, based on facts and research, to highlight the nature of the London Assembly. Policy appears to be made on the hoof, with no research, no proper briefing and no grasp of the bigger picture.

7 There has been a public campaign of smears and vilification against any member who speaks out (even privately and internally) against leadership actions. I myself have been described as a "Tory mole". "BNP mole" and "MI5 troublemaker". As you probably know I had to take legal action to stop the worst of these smears.

8 The leadership refuses to speak to members they do not approve of. My colleague on the London Assembly, Peter Hulme-Cross, was elected in June and has yet to hear a word from any of the party leadership. My own attempts to put the past behind us and work with the leadership were rebuffed and never answered last June and July. Not once have my letters, e-mails and telephone calls been returned, even about serious matters like policy and politics.

9 And in another insult, the Party Leader three weeks ago sanctioned sending out hoax e-mails, an admitted series of lies and frauds by the leadership and its staff, involving the party in a scandal which reached the press and which has sullied its reputation and made it look deceitful, dishonest and in the hands of insecure and second rate liars. I ask you to consider the state we are in when the Party Leader sanctions lies and hoaxes arranged by Nigel Farage and his staff, in their arthritic and divisive bid to attack half the party's NEC, of which they are both members. Their claim that they had NEC backing in their hoaxes to smear NEC members is also a lie.

10 The party leadership is now also once more starting discipline cases against members, using underhand and deceitful tactics in pursuing them. False and fraudulent cases which have not been properly brought, but which the leadership hopes will be simply rubberstamped by a cowed discipline panel. A kangaroo court packed with the leadership's employees, a disgraceful undemocratic and shameful situation which the leadership refused to resolve at the recent conference.

There are now rumours on a leadership-sanctioned website ind-uk that the reason for these cases is a belief (erroneous) that if the party expels elected members, these members will lose their seats (at the European Parliament or indeed at the London Assembly where I sit as Leader of the party's group).

11 Similarly, when I wrote privately to ask why the leadership secretly set up false ghost branches in London against party rules, the only reply I had was from Deputy Leader Mike Nattrass who writes, in capital letters, that I am "a wrecker, an MI5 agent and a Tory mole".

How can I tell journalists that the Party Leader will not speak to the Leader of the UKIP Group on the London Assembly? Or indeed to an increasing swathe of the party? How can I tell journalists that the Party leadership will not tell the Leader of the UKIP Group on the London Assembly or any of the staff what the party's policies are? How can I explain to journalists
that the Party Leadership is sanctioning hoax e-mails to find out who might give information to the party's elected representatives, in an attempt to discipline all parties? How can I tell the press that the Party Chairman has now admitted passing information on to a hostile website, informing them in advance that the party was planning to take discipline cases against me
(strictly against all party rules)?


I have fought for three months to prevent a split, through support for staging an EGM and leadership election where all involved would accept the outcome, and shake hands at the conclusion. I have publicly stated that I would abide by the result of any leadership election and Robert Kilroy-Silk gave me his assurance that he would do so also. I relayed this to the Party
Leader and NEC. I also made this clear on Radio 4 Today programme in November.

Irrespective of one's views on Robert Kilroy-Silk's suntan or tv programme, the reality is that it was his influence with the media and his status which ensured that the party's increase from 8 per cent public recognition to something in the region of 80 per cent.

Possibly the worst error of judgement that has been made is to have sidelined him so forcefully and so ineptly. Robert Kilroy-Silk genuinely believes that the Party Leader planned to stand down after the European elections and that there would be a leadership election. Others also say
they were present when such matters were aired.

I cannot stand by and watch the disintegration of the party in this way without putting this on record to you and to appeal to you to write to the Party Leader now asking for a leadership election. I am also asking you to write to him and to make the leadership confirm that they will plan to fight in every seat and that they have done no deals with the Tories.

I have no firm evidence for this, but I believe a deal has been done. And I am very angry. I will only believe the party leadership if they write confirming their intention to honour the conference decision and that they will aim to fight every seat.

If this is not done, then I believe that we face the inevitable split and launch of a second Eurosceptic party. A second party would HAVE to be launched in order to capitalise on what has been achieved already. If the leadership of UKIP is planning a low-key general election, resting on its successes at the European Elections, then a large number of UKIP members will look for another party: only by success at Westminster will we achieve what we want. To get Britain out of the EU.

If UKIP under its present leadership is planning to duck a major battle to win seats at Westminster, then I have to put on record that I cannot support that stance. I believe that UKIP would suffer a grievous blow from the launch of a new party.

Please write to the Party Leader and express your concerns.

Damian Hockney
Leader
UK Independence Party Group
London Assembly
City Hall
LONDON

posted by Martin |11:46 AM
 

How Kilroy-Silk might affect the coming election

When editorials of broadsheets turn to personal attacks based upon the colour of a person's skin, it is clear they fear for the future of the political movements they have historically doggedly and slavishly supported.

Enough on Telegraph leader writers. More constructive analysis of the likely affect of Robert Kilroy-Silk's supposed new party (rumoured to be named Veritas) was posted on www.politicalbetting.com on 13th January, linked from here (which to date has attracted 81 comments) and titled 'Who'll lose from Robert Kilroy-Silk's new party plans'. The following are some quotes:

A populist right-wing grouping appealing to the Cs and Ds could affect all the main parties - syphoning off the protest vote that the LD might have been hoping and eating into the core support of both Labour and the Tories.

An early loser could be UKIP which looks set to suffer by not having their publicity and vote magnet who showed his worth by attracting the most votes for UKIP in the East Midlands region at the Euro Elections. The idea that it could win at least one Westminster seat now looks very remote and the party will not command anything like the same degree of attention.

But how big a figure is Kilroy-Silk?

What impact can he have in a General Election campaign?

We’ll know soon enough.

One thing seems sure, today's Daily Telegraph leader writer certainly seems concerned! One must presume it is for the Tories.

posted by Martin |11:08 AM
 

Telegraph reports Robert Kilroy-Silk to form New Party

The Daily Telgraph this morning carries a report by its Political Correspondent Brendan Carlin titled ' Kilroy-Silk ready to quit Ukip and set up his own rival party' which may be read in full by clicking here. The following are some quotes from the article:-

Mr Kilroy-Silk, who joined Ukip only last spring, plans to form a party called Veritas (Latin for truth)......

Last night Mr Kilroy-Silk's supporters said that only the firm offer of a leadership contest within Ukip would dissuade the former television presenter and Labour MP from quitting.

Ukip immediately rejected an appeal from Damian Hockney, the leader of the party's Greater London Assembly group, to stage such a contest and a party spokesman laughed off Mr Kilroy-Silk's plans......

Mr Kilroy-Silk was not available for comment last night.

But rumours of his plans have gathered pace within the past few days, with one Ukip branch chairman openly referring to it on an internet forum last Friday. Using a pseudonym, he wrote: "Robert Kilroy-Silk asked me to come over to his new party and I have accepted his offer."




posted by Martin |8:01 AM


Sunday, January 16, 2005 

An NEC Member rips apart Knapman's New Year Message

This damning critique of the UKIP Leader's ignorant New Year's Message has been brutally assembled by one of the party's longest standing NEC members. The writing must be on the wall for Roger - it seems if he will not go quickly then only Farage can now call 'TIME'. (Once again this message seems to have taken an age to reach this blog - apologies to all):

To: Roger Knapman, NEC, MEPs, AMs, etc.

CERTIFIED NOT TO BE A HOAX NOR CONFIDENTIAL

Re: Roger Knapman's New Year Message

This message has been received very poorly. Among some of the criticisms are:

1. We cannot have the Party Leader indulging in vulgarity. It is simply not acceptable to put into a public New Year greeting, by a Party leader, the words 'the excrement hit the ventilation system'. Please study the messages of the other party leaders. They are dignified.

2. The message is a peculiar mixture of somewhat antique language such as 'plaudits' and 'copious' together with lapses into demotic such as 'sneaky', 'a la Tony Blair' and 'a la Michael Howard'. The whole message is then liberally sprinkled with cliches such as 'not on the hoof'; 'eating lotuses'; 'scales falling from the eyes'; 'clutching at fig leafs'. Nobody speaks in Knapmanland - they always 'spout'. Cliches are generally regarded as substitutes for thought.

3. Then there is what was described, by a leading MEP, as the Stalinist threat, 'the untrustworthy are to be purged'. So the Leader thinks there are 'untrustworthy assistants and experts'. Thank goodness he is not talking about the NEC but about the people he and the leadership have recruited - who are these untrustworthy assistants and experts he and the
leadership has recruited?

4. The only concrete policy in the whole message, apart from opposition to ID cards and winding up Regional Assemblies, is - the restoration of the House of Lords!

5. Plus, of course, some referendums on undefined subjects and on undefined terms. Perhaps a referendum on the restoration of the House of Lords!

6. Roger's speechwriter must be replaced but why did Roger approve this concoction of the rococo and the vulgar. It is a personal document - not a Party one - but it is highly damaging.

Regards,
Anthony Scholefield

Sorry once again that we are late with this titbit - apologies to all - New sources needed? Or are the blog's days numbered ........ Mission Accomplished perhaps?


posted by Martin |7:55 PM
 

UKIP Kaput - Knapman Kaput

I made one of my infrequent visits to the UKIP forum this afternoon and enjoyed this early report from the UKIP Exeter Candidates weekend posted by Algypug (they use strange names over there!):

Quote
Dick Morris - Appears like an American evangelical preacher. Much of what he says makes perfect sense, however, he got it horribly wrong on friday, when he was waxing lyrical about taking Tory votes. He never mentioned us taking votes from Labour or LibDem ! I personally voiced my opinion on this, and noted he changed his tune on Saturday ! Whether i had anything to do with this or not, i don't know. However, for a person with such high credentials, this catastrophic mistake can not be forgiven. He does not consider RKS setting up another party as a threat !!!!!! I fear he has again got this horribly wrong.

Nigel Farage - Was scathing of RKS, and understandably so ! Wink After all, RKS stole the limelight from him ! Laughing Nigel is a very good orator, but as one observer stated, he lacks warmth. He thrives on adulation, the more he gets, the more his chest puffs out ! RKS would have seriously thwarted Nigel's ambitions, and i therefore suspect that personal ambition has seriously interfered with logical thinking in this case.

Roger Knapman - What can you say ? Here is what i consider to be an extremely nice man. But, nice is not good enough ! We need someone with all-consuming presence, and unfortunately, Roger doesn't have this. In his final speech yesterday, there was little content, he looked tired, and to be quite frank, he looked defeated.

For those of you who do not consider the RKS alternative as a threat, then you are going to regret your current position in the fullness of time. RKS is a massive threat, and my guess is, that UKIP members are about to leave in droves !
Unquote

posted by Martin |3:39 PM
 

UKIP in The Sprout

I have been informed that there is a long interview with Nigel Farage in the latest edition of The Sprout, the Brussels based satirical magazine. Any who consider Farage still has any relevance to eurosceptics, other than being one of the many now advancing the cause of the EU under false colours, should be able to find here and there. All that I can find regarding UKIP in the limited content available on the web, linked here, is this biting but accurate observation:
-

UKIP playing the numbers…?

Trying to shore up party leader, Roger Knapman, UKIP launched a consultation exercise with their branch chairmen. Over a period of three days this is how many they officially stated they had spoken to. 233 (Press release 23rd Oct); 237 Nigel Farage MEP (23rd Oct), 224 Farage again Radio 4 (22nd); and the official figures of how many branches that they have according to the Electoral Commission? 182.

posted by Martin |1:48 PM


Saturday, January 15, 2005 

More theorising from Mr Boxall on UKIP's plight.

The following are part of further thoughts posted on the same internet forum from which we earlier quoted this gentleman's earlier statement calling for a leadership change which may be found further down this page.

Quote
**** said he thinks the other Nigel is working for others outside UKIP. I think it is far less complicated than that. I stress that what follows is only my personal opinion.

Nigel Farage wants UKIP only to be a lever to shift the Tory party to adopt our agenda - in fact he has hinted as much in private conversation. Presumably he would rejoin the Tories the day that happened. Dick Morris expressed similar opinions in a BBC News interview yesterday. This approach is justified with statements like "only the Tories can get Britain out of the EU".* Lord Pearson also expressed this opinion on Ruth Lea's BBC R4 programme This Sceptic Isle. Nigel F is I believe very close to Lord Pearson.

In the early years of UKIP most of us believed this approach was in fact our best chance of success and although not entirely happy, we were prepared to put up with it. However it became clear some time around 1999 that the Tory party was in terminal decline, making the tactic completely useless. In any case events had moved the political agenda forward and we saw that the EU was symptomatic of a greater milaise in the body politic - one which I believe only a party like UKIP can repair.

But Nigel has not deviated from his original position. In practice for Nigel this policy now means exercising a very tight control over UKIP - to make sure that we do not undermine the Tories chances of success in UK politics, i.e. become so successful that we replace them. For instance he is not above backing a UKIP candidate against a euro-sceptic Tory in a marginal seat. And I am sure he accepts that in order to maintain the appearance of a proper political party (essential to maintain motivation and keep the whole show on the road) he may have to take the occassional casualty - e.g. Hartlepool. But he has been very careful to make certain that in UK elections we do not really stand much chance of success. That is why after 10 years we have no spokesmen, why talented people are disposed of, why promising people are not brought on and given experience, why the NEC is sidelined, why the party finances are kept outside the visibility of members, why the foundations of a proper political party have not been built, and most importantly, why there is no real attempt to participate in UK politics. To allow these things would risk UKIP becoming a real threat.

And Nigel has up to now succeeded brilliantly. You have to realise that it is only in the last 2 years that he has been able to tie the Party leader in so closely, because whether he understands the full implications or not, it is Nigel's agenda which Roger is following.

I have previously used the analogy that UKIP is like a football team where the manager refuses to allow the players to cross the half way line. We have been held back and the time has come to decide how we want to go forward.
* If that was really the case we may as well give up now.
Unquote

posted by Martin |6:27 PM
 

More anti-democratic and deplorable tactics

The UKIP leadership are now reported to believe that they can expel elected members and seize their seats - new attacks are under way on Hockney and others.

The leadership's plans to expel senior members critical of their disastrous leadership were spelled out on an officially sanctioned website yesterday and today.

The ind-uk website manager, Simon Muir, has publicised the leadership intention to expel elected members like Damian Hockney and Robert Kilroy-Silk and to try to seize their seats on elected assemblies.

ind-uk removes anyone critical of the party leadership and only debates matters which suit the party leadership. It is sanctioned to a degree by the party leadership, and its manager is an associate of Greg Lance-Watkins, who functions as an informal PR for Nigel Farage.

In an e-mail exchange of 13th January 2005, Simon Muir states that if the leadership expel these troublesome members, "the seat reverts"...,ie if the leadership start kangaroo court discipline proceedings, they can seize the seats for UKIP and for those more malleable to the leadership.

The exchange made the claim that the leadership could NOT seize the seats if the members left the party voluntarily, but could do so if they were expelled.

This therefore would mean there would be an incentive for the party leadership to "discipline" those in elected positions like Damian Hockney, RK-S and Gerard Batten, whose seats they might wish to seize and give to more compliant members.

This statement by leadership apologist Simon Muir ties in with the move by Nigel Farage and others to bring "discipline proceedings" against party members, including the UKIP Leader in the London Assembly Damian Hockney. So desparate are they to push these proceedings through that Mark Croucher was uncovered sending a backdated e-mail after lawyers ruled out the discipline proceedings he started against elected representatives on behalf of his employer Nigel Farage. This is a direct re-run of what was attempted last year on more than one occasion and when they tried to smear their opponents as BNP moles.

On that occasion, Damian Hockney sued and won costs and damages against the leadership.

posted by Martin |8:57 AM
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