More on UKIP & ELCOM
UKIP's appeal continues. But why is UKIP’s leadership still claiming in court that it was all a mistake?
Here are the facts:
Alan Bown makes several donations to UKIP. These donations are illegal because Bown is not on the electoral roll.
Farage, Zuckerman and Smith ignore multiple warnings from the Electoral Commission. They are advised that donations from Mr Bown are illegal under electoral law. They ignore these warnings.
Smith sends out an email advising his colleagues to mislead ELCOM.
A mistake it was not. For the full details see: LINK
Guillty as charged!
But at least Zuckerman is making a lot of money out of the case. But will UKIP be able to pay him?
Nigel’s novel still fails to impress
Nigel & Annabelle enjoy some 'quality time' together after reading 'Fighting Bullshite'.
From The Tribune:
Making plans for Nigel
by Paul Routledge
The revolution in Britain “will come one day soon” he says. The downfall of professional, self-serving career politicians and the return of people to Parliament – and Parliament to people – is nigh.
These might be gladsome tidings, had they not been uttered by that improbable fifth horseman of the Apocalypse, Nigel Farage, the leading light (if no longer the leader) of the UK Independence Party.
The revolution was due to begin in Buckingham at the general election with the ousting of the Speaker of the House of Commons, there being “no better place for it to start and no better head to throw over Westminster’s walls than John Bercows’.”
Unfortunately for the braying UKIP soothsayer, events intervened. Bercow was returned to the Commons with a majority of more than 12,500 while Farage came third behind an independent with only 17 per cent of the votes cast. What’s more, he escaped death by inches when the light plane from which he was flying a party slogan crashed on polling day.
An abashed Farage conceded: “I wasn’t to know just how popular John Bercow was with his constituents.”
But that’s the point about politics. These are the things you are supposed to know before you go around prophesying the end of the world as we know it. It’s classic UKIP to get it wrong, and finest Farage to miscalculate on such a grand scale.
However, he gets it wrong with such style and such breathtaking chutzpah that his autobiography is hugely entertaining. You don’t have to agree with him – in fact, please don’t be taken in – to enjoy the ride. Not that you could ever revel in it anything like as much as he has clearly done.
Nigel Farage was born in April 1964 in Kent. His father was a high-living stockbroker in the City, and their seven bed villa backed onto the grounds of Downe House, the home of Charles Darwin. Perhaps there is something prophetic in the air. A bright, restless boy at Dulwich College, with “a passionate loathing for received opinion,” he was marked out for a dazzling career in the City but, at the age of 21, was knocked down by a car outside Orpington station, drink having been taken. He survived, fell in love with his nurse and soon after discovered he had testicular cancer. As he puts it, he’s now monorchid, the only attribute he might be said to share with Adolf Hitler.
An ardent admirer of Margaret Thatcher, he found his true vocation in 1990 when Britain joined the European Exchange Rate Mechanism. City pals were incredulous. He was incandescent. “What sort of stupid, asinine moron is this Major? This cannot work.” He became a notorious ERM bore and prophet of doom, and was a natural recruit to Alan Sked’s fledgling anti-Europe outfit that eventually morphed into UKIP.
The importance of being Nigel, and his obsession with getting his way, bore fruit in 1999 when Farage was elected an MEP. Despite congratulating himself all the way to Brussels, he fails to mention that he only won a seat in the hated European Parliament because Tony Blair changed the rules and introduced the quasi-PR “list” system of voting in Europolls. Without that so-called reform, UKIP would be an even smaller footnote in British political history than it is today.
Farage is fascinating about the ups and downs (for him, it’s mostly ups) of life in his party. The personality battles, egregious errors, backstabbings and general bitchiness make Labour in the 1980s look like a quiet afternoon in the library. His vanquishing of Robert Kilroy-Silk – “able enough, just not humble enough” – makes particularly satisfying reading. He also discloses, I think for the first time, a cash/electoral pact approach from Michael Howard’s Tories.
We may take with a vat of salt his protestation that “I had no desire to lead UKIP” because that is precisely what he went on to do for several years, with some élan, before handing over to the throwback hereditary Lord Pearson of Rannoch last year to concentrate on toppling Bercow and beginning the revolution. He remains, though, the grinning, garrulous face of the party, an adept performer on Question Time and unputdownable on the Today programme.
This autobiography comes to an end just before the general election, but the story isn’t over or, to use his words, “the war goes on.” Farage believes the euro is doomed (well, he would, wouldn’t he?) and argues that the EU itself cannot hold because it doesn’t have the wholehearted consent of its constituents. He concludes: “I only pray that we can break it up intelligently and calmly now rather than wait until our children must once more fight for freedom at terrible cost.”
With the eurozone in turmoil, wiser counsel is prevailing, and fingers are crossed for the success of the trillion dollar operation bailout. But what if fanatical Farage is right?
To view the original: LINK
Farage’s novel is possible the worst piece of fiction since David Bannerman wrote his last film script.
We can assure you that the novel was not written by Farage. Those of us familiar with Nigel’s office, letters and emails can tell you that he can barely write an email without getting help.
And our verdict? The biggest load of self-serving drivel since Tony Blair’s memoirs!
Don’t expect any revelations about Farage’s long-term affair with Annabelle Fuller, his drunken outbursts, why he really resigned as UKIP leader, rigging the MEP selection process, the quarter of a million paid into a private account in the Isle of Man, what happened to the £211,000 that vanished from the UKIP's SE regional accounts, the statement by Bannerman that less than 15% of the money raised by Ashford ever reached the party, etc, etc.
Farage also admits to being a fan of lap dancing. But that is hardly a revelation. We all know about his weakness for visiting establishments where the women are more than happy to help ease your tension.
And why does Farage claim that he called for a full enquiry into the allegations that Tom Wise was misusing his staffing allowances? He also claims to have threatened to resign in order to try to force the hand of the NEC. He puts the blame squarely on the shoulders of the 'leader at the time' who suppressed an inquiry into the matter due to 'overzealous loyalty'.
More lies!
Here is what Anthony Butcher - a member of the NEC at the time of the original investigation- had to say:
Piers Merchant and Trevor Coleman presented the findings of their initial investigation into Tom Wise (but they had only limited access to bank statements).
In what is surprisingly normal behaviour for the UKIP NEC, the NEC weren't allowed a copy of the written report. Instead, Piers Merchant read it out aloud (we assumed all of it but had no idea). Several of us requested copies so that we could make an informed decision but were refused. Our questions at the end were fobbed off, and Trevor was largely prevented from speaking.
It became very clear that Trevor Coleman, the former Police Inspector, was advocating that we should begin a second stage of investigation into the finances of Wise after they discovered a couple of potentially dodgy looking payments. Piers Merchant advised against further investigation on the grounds that they hadn't uncovered any fraud.
The NEC was split on this and a compromise was reached, proposed by Douglas Denny that the internal investigation would resume after the OLAF investigation had completed and we could retrieve the documentation needed from them.
A couple of months later the OLAF investigation had finished and Roger Knapman informed us (wrongly) that Tom Wise had been found completely innocent. We then had a vote on continuing our own internal investigation, and the majority voted against it (Douglas Denny included).
It should also be noted that Tom Wise had the whip withdrawn only from the UKIP group within the Ind Dem group after his boasts were exposed in the NotW and NOT in relation to this fraud as UKIP is trying to make out. He didn't have his UKIP membership revoked, still sat with the UKIP MEPs, was still and Ind/Dem MEP and still worked with them in Brussels, including co-signing documents. In reality UKIP took no action against him in relation to this fraud.
End of statement.
And here is a list of all those NEC members who voted to end the investigation:
Roger Knapman
Gerard Batten
Nigel Farage
Douglas Denny (switched his vote)
Elizabeth Burton
Alan Bown
Rachel Oxley
John Whittaker
Michael Zuckerman
And would Farage care to explain why he allowed Tom Wise to remain a UKIP member after he became leader? Indeed, Tom Wise remained in UKIP until he allowed his five-year membership to lapse in March 2009!
Tom Wise threatens to spill the beans
UKIP’s leadership are somewhat uneasy after hearing the news that Tom Wise is planning to publish a book about his former UKIP colleagues. We understand that you can expect a lot of interesting revelations.
From Parliament.Com:
Jailed MEP will 'point the finger'when he comes out of prison
Shamed former MEP Tom Wise plans to "point the finger" at those he says were culpable in his fall from grace when he leaves prison.
According to a well-placed source he will "pull no punches" in a book he plans to write when he is released from prison later this month.
Wise is expected to be released from jail on 29 June having served just six months of a two-year sentence for fiddling his parliamentary expenses.
The 62-year-old, a former UK Independence Party MEP, was jailed in November 2009 for false accounting and money laundering.
At his trial, the court was told he spent parliamentary money on cars and wine.
Wise, a former policeman, is currently working as a trustee and prison carpenter at Ford Open Prison in the south of England.
He has also been working with young inmates who have drink and drug problems.
According to a close friend, the former deputy will start work on a book when he is released outlining details of his downfall.
"It will pull no punches and he will not hesitate to point the finger at those who were culpable in what has happened to him," he said.
Wise has been allowed out of prison to spend time at this home with his family in Leighton Buzzard.
The source said Wise had been "bowled over" by the response from his former constituents to his imprisonment.
"People have been coming up to him in the street saying how much they are pleased to see him.
"He says the worst part of it all is that, even when he comes out of jail, he will not be able to visit his grandchildren who live in Luxembourg due to the terms of his release."
News of his release, however, has not met with universal approval.
Ukip MEP Gerard Batten said, "I regarded Tom Wise as a friend. He consistently maintained his innocence to me up until a week before his trial, at which point he changed his plea to guilty.
"He could have saved himself and UKIP a great deal of trouble by admitting his guilt at the beginning. If he had anything to say about his colleagues he could and should have said it at his trial.
"If a book ever appears, I shall not be buying it."
To see the original: LINK
Here are the facts:
Alan Bown makes several donations to UKIP. These donations are illegal because Bown is not on the electoral roll.
Farage, Zuckerman and Smith ignore multiple warnings from the Electoral Commission. They are advised that donations from Mr Bown are illegal under electoral law. They ignore these warnings.
Smith sends out an email advising his colleagues to mislead ELCOM.
A mistake it was not. For the full details see: LINK
Guillty as charged!
But at least Zuckerman is making a lot of money out of the case. But will UKIP be able to pay him?
Nigel’s novel still fails to impress
Nigel & Annabelle enjoy some 'quality time' together after reading 'Fighting Bullshite'.
From The Tribune:
Making plans for Nigel
by Paul Routledge
The revolution in Britain “will come one day soon” he says. The downfall of professional, self-serving career politicians and the return of people to Parliament – and Parliament to people – is nigh.
These might be gladsome tidings, had they not been uttered by that improbable fifth horseman of the Apocalypse, Nigel Farage, the leading light (if no longer the leader) of the UK Independence Party.
The revolution was due to begin in Buckingham at the general election with the ousting of the Speaker of the House of Commons, there being “no better place for it to start and no better head to throw over Westminster’s walls than John Bercows’.”
Unfortunately for the braying UKIP soothsayer, events intervened. Bercow was returned to the Commons with a majority of more than 12,500 while Farage came third behind an independent with only 17 per cent of the votes cast. What’s more, he escaped death by inches when the light plane from which he was flying a party slogan crashed on polling day.
An abashed Farage conceded: “I wasn’t to know just how popular John Bercow was with his constituents.”
But that’s the point about politics. These are the things you are supposed to know before you go around prophesying the end of the world as we know it. It’s classic UKIP to get it wrong, and finest Farage to miscalculate on such a grand scale.
However, he gets it wrong with such style and such breathtaking chutzpah that his autobiography is hugely entertaining. You don’t have to agree with him – in fact, please don’t be taken in – to enjoy the ride. Not that you could ever revel in it anything like as much as he has clearly done.
Nigel Farage was born in April 1964 in Kent. His father was a high-living stockbroker in the City, and their seven bed villa backed onto the grounds of Downe House, the home of Charles Darwin. Perhaps there is something prophetic in the air. A bright, restless boy at Dulwich College, with “a passionate loathing for received opinion,” he was marked out for a dazzling career in the City but, at the age of 21, was knocked down by a car outside Orpington station, drink having been taken. He survived, fell in love with his nurse and soon after discovered he had testicular cancer. As he puts it, he’s now monorchid, the only attribute he might be said to share with Adolf Hitler.
An ardent admirer of Margaret Thatcher, he found his true vocation in 1990 when Britain joined the European Exchange Rate Mechanism. City pals were incredulous. He was incandescent. “What sort of stupid, asinine moron is this Major? This cannot work.” He became a notorious ERM bore and prophet of doom, and was a natural recruit to Alan Sked’s fledgling anti-Europe outfit that eventually morphed into UKIP.
The importance of being Nigel, and his obsession with getting his way, bore fruit in 1999 when Farage was elected an MEP. Despite congratulating himself all the way to Brussels, he fails to mention that he only won a seat in the hated European Parliament because Tony Blair changed the rules and introduced the quasi-PR “list” system of voting in Europolls. Without that so-called reform, UKIP would be an even smaller footnote in British political history than it is today.
Farage is fascinating about the ups and downs (for him, it’s mostly ups) of life in his party. The personality battles, egregious errors, backstabbings and general bitchiness make Labour in the 1980s look like a quiet afternoon in the library. His vanquishing of Robert Kilroy-Silk – “able enough, just not humble enough” – makes particularly satisfying reading. He also discloses, I think for the first time, a cash/electoral pact approach from Michael Howard’s Tories.
We may take with a vat of salt his protestation that “I had no desire to lead UKIP” because that is precisely what he went on to do for several years, with some élan, before handing over to the throwback hereditary Lord Pearson of Rannoch last year to concentrate on toppling Bercow and beginning the revolution. He remains, though, the grinning, garrulous face of the party, an adept performer on Question Time and unputdownable on the Today programme.
This autobiography comes to an end just before the general election, but the story isn’t over or, to use his words, “the war goes on.” Farage believes the euro is doomed (well, he would, wouldn’t he?) and argues that the EU itself cannot hold because it doesn’t have the wholehearted consent of its constituents. He concludes: “I only pray that we can break it up intelligently and calmly now rather than wait until our children must once more fight for freedom at terrible cost.”
With the eurozone in turmoil, wiser counsel is prevailing, and fingers are crossed for the success of the trillion dollar operation bailout. But what if fanatical Farage is right?
To view the original: LINK
Farage’s novel is possible the worst piece of fiction since David Bannerman wrote his last film script.
We can assure you that the novel was not written by Farage. Those of us familiar with Nigel’s office, letters and emails can tell you that he can barely write an email without getting help.
And our verdict? The biggest load of self-serving drivel since Tony Blair’s memoirs!
Don’t expect any revelations about Farage’s long-term affair with Annabelle Fuller, his drunken outbursts, why he really resigned as UKIP leader, rigging the MEP selection process, the quarter of a million paid into a private account in the Isle of Man, what happened to the £211,000 that vanished from the UKIP's SE regional accounts, the statement by Bannerman that less than 15% of the money raised by Ashford ever reached the party, etc, etc.
Farage also admits to being a fan of lap dancing. But that is hardly a revelation. We all know about his weakness for visiting establishments where the women are more than happy to help ease your tension.
And why does Farage claim that he called for a full enquiry into the allegations that Tom Wise was misusing his staffing allowances? He also claims to have threatened to resign in order to try to force the hand of the NEC. He puts the blame squarely on the shoulders of the 'leader at the time' who suppressed an inquiry into the matter due to 'overzealous loyalty'.
More lies!
Here is what Anthony Butcher - a member of the NEC at the time of the original investigation- had to say:
Piers Merchant and Trevor Coleman presented the findings of their initial investigation into Tom Wise (but they had only limited access to bank statements).
In what is surprisingly normal behaviour for the UKIP NEC, the NEC weren't allowed a copy of the written report. Instead, Piers Merchant read it out aloud (we assumed all of it but had no idea). Several of us requested copies so that we could make an informed decision but were refused. Our questions at the end were fobbed off, and Trevor was largely prevented from speaking.
It became very clear that Trevor Coleman, the former Police Inspector, was advocating that we should begin a second stage of investigation into the finances of Wise after they discovered a couple of potentially dodgy looking payments. Piers Merchant advised against further investigation on the grounds that they hadn't uncovered any fraud.
The NEC was split on this and a compromise was reached, proposed by Douglas Denny that the internal investigation would resume after the OLAF investigation had completed and we could retrieve the documentation needed from them.
A couple of months later the OLAF investigation had finished and Roger Knapman informed us (wrongly) that Tom Wise had been found completely innocent. We then had a vote on continuing our own internal investigation, and the majority voted against it (Douglas Denny included).
It should also be noted that Tom Wise had the whip withdrawn only from the UKIP group within the Ind Dem group after his boasts were exposed in the NotW and NOT in relation to this fraud as UKIP is trying to make out. He didn't have his UKIP membership revoked, still sat with the UKIP MEPs, was still and Ind/Dem MEP and still worked with them in Brussels, including co-signing documents. In reality UKIP took no action against him in relation to this fraud.
End of statement.
And here is a list of all those NEC members who voted to end the investigation:
Roger Knapman
Gerard Batten
Nigel Farage
Douglas Denny (switched his vote)
Elizabeth Burton
Alan Bown
Rachel Oxley
John Whittaker
Michael Zuckerman
And would Farage care to explain why he allowed Tom Wise to remain a UKIP member after he became leader? Indeed, Tom Wise remained in UKIP until he allowed his five-year membership to lapse in March 2009!
Tom Wise threatens to spill the beans
UKIP’s leadership are somewhat uneasy after hearing the news that Tom Wise is planning to publish a book about his former UKIP colleagues. We understand that you can expect a lot of interesting revelations.
From Parliament.Com:
Jailed MEP will 'point the finger'when he comes out of prison
Shamed former MEP Tom Wise plans to "point the finger" at those he says were culpable in his fall from grace when he leaves prison.
According to a well-placed source he will "pull no punches" in a book he plans to write when he is released from prison later this month.
Wise is expected to be released from jail on 29 June having served just six months of a two-year sentence for fiddling his parliamentary expenses.
The 62-year-old, a former UK Independence Party MEP, was jailed in November 2009 for false accounting and money laundering.
At his trial, the court was told he spent parliamentary money on cars and wine.
Wise, a former policeman, is currently working as a trustee and prison carpenter at Ford Open Prison in the south of England.
He has also been working with young inmates who have drink and drug problems.
According to a close friend, the former deputy will start work on a book when he is released outlining details of his downfall.
"It will pull no punches and he will not hesitate to point the finger at those who were culpable in what has happened to him," he said.
Wise has been allowed out of prison to spend time at this home with his family in Leighton Buzzard.
The source said Wise had been "bowled over" by the response from his former constituents to his imprisonment.
"People have been coming up to him in the street saying how much they are pleased to see him.
"He says the worst part of it all is that, even when he comes out of jail, he will not be able to visit his grandchildren who live in Luxembourg due to the terms of his release."
News of his release, however, has not met with universal approval.
Ukip MEP Gerard Batten said, "I regarded Tom Wise as a friend. He consistently maintained his innocence to me up until a week before his trial, at which point he changed his plea to guilty.
"He could have saved himself and UKIP a great deal of trouble by admitting his guilt at the beginning. If he had anything to say about his colleagues he could and should have said it at his trial.
"If a book ever appears, I shall not be buying it."
To see the original: LINK
Gerard may not buy it, but will that stop him from looking for his name in the index when he spots it in his local bookshop?
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