Here is Mr West's damning statement on the widespread corruption in UKIP:
Many of you will know by now that I was thrown out of UKIP by a Disciplinary Committee chaired by Derek Clark MEP, who is currently under investigation by OLAF.
The original complaint was made by Jeffrey Titford - Clark’s friend and colleague. Michael Zuckerman, the Party Secretary, even continued to handle the paperwork for this hearing after he informed me that he had withdrawn from the case. The result, in my opinion, was a Kangaroo Court and not an independent inquiry. The outcome was as expected.
My only crime was to report Jeffrey Titford to Essex Police based on the details of his former office manager, Ken Bennett, who told me of alleged financial irregularities involving Titford’s parliamentary allowance.
I was forced to do this after Nigel Farage - via a third party - refused my request for an internal investigation into the allegations that Titford had misused his parliamentary allowances.
I can only guess at the reasons behind Farage’s decision. However, I note that previous requests for an independent audit into the finances of UKIP’s MEPs were also refused. Also, it is interesting to note just how violent are the attacks on anyone who questions the validity of UKIP accounts. One can only draw the conclusion that there is something to hide.
It is an absolute disgrace that a British citizen can be disciplined by a political party for acquitting his duty and going to the Police and asking them to investigate a suspected crime.
That I can be condemned by Nigel Farage, Paul Nuttall, David Bannerman (and the grubby little clique that openly support them on this matter) for doing my civic duty tells you all you need to know about their complete lack of morality and sense of justice.
Farage, Nuttall, Bannerman and the rest of the clique are sending out a clear message to the members - if you are made aware of an alleged crime involving a UKIP member you had better keep your mouth shut or else!
I wonder if UKIP intends to put this very unusual law and order policy in their election manifesto?
I can confirm that the Police file on Titford has now been passed to OLAF for evaluation. Neil Thomson of OLAF has said that I may be called as a prosecution witness if they decide to proceed with the case.
I can also confirm that I have reported both Titford and Zuckerman to the relevant authorities. I have asked them to investigate the use of UKIP’s internal disciplinary process to discipline a potential prosecution witness (if any such case were brought against Titford at the behest of OLAF).
I can assure you that the matter is far from closed.
It is my view that Nigel Farage and many of the leadership of UKIP have been conning the British public for years. Their trumpeted Euro-scepticism is now no more than a cynical ploy designed to fool people into voting them back onto the EU gravy train.
When I first joined UKIP I actually believed that UKIP was sincere in its endeavour to extricate Britain from the European Union! I must now confess that I was conned along with thousands of other trusting members.
Some of UKIP`s MEPs are now part of the problem. Thanks to their love of the good life they have forgotten about why they were elected and who they are supposed to represent.
It is no wonder that EU officials now appear to regard UKIP as part of the EU establishment!That Farage ignored a number of UKIP’s own rules in order to get Marta Andreasen – who defines herself not as a Eurosceptic but an EU reformer - onto the MEP list illustrates the level of his so-called Euro-scepticism!
I find it laughable that certain UKIP members can suggest that I was supposedly waging a campaign against the likes of Stuart Gulleford in order to damage his chances of becoming an MEP list candidate!
I would suggest that these individuals get their facts right before making such remarks, indeed I suggest they locate some facts in their belligerent arguments.
In fact, if you ascertain the ‘time line’ with accuracy it shows that it was Mr Gulleford, Mr Titford and their supporters who were involved in a campaign to smear certain members who expressed an interest in becoming MEPs.
In late 2007 I received a threatening letter from George Curtis, the Eastern Counties Chairman.This was sent to me after I had organised a conference on immigration for UKIP!
In the letter I was told to watch my step or else.
I complained to John Whittaker and NEC about this but nothing was done. I was not even sent an acknowledgement. So much for Dr Whittaker representing the interests of the members!
In April 2008 Jeffrey Titford and Stuart Gulleford used UKIP’s Eastern Region membership email database to send out an email to hundreds of members. In this email Christopher Hudson and I were attacked for organising a UKIP conference on law and order.
According to Titford & Gulleford we had ignored the wishes of the NEC and were holding the conference in order to promote ourselves and our friends.This was totally untrue, a fantasy grounded on not one single substantive fact or shred of evidence.
Both Gulleford and Titford were aware that the NEC had given me authorisation and encouragement to hold the conference. Both were also aware that Christopher and I were thinking of putting our names forward for the Euro elections.
That both Titford and Gulleford abused their positions in order to attack fellow members is obvious and undeniable. That this was done in order to damage our chances of being selected MEP candidates is also obvious and undeniable.
I should add that Lisa Buckle, who works in Titford’s office, confirmed to me in 2008 that the email was sent out at the behest of Stuart Gulleford.
So please don’t insult the intelligence of members by suggesting that Stuart Gulleford and Jeffrey Titford are somehow the innocent victims of a smear campaign orchestrated by me.
I have also been criticised by some members for complaining about the way the MEP selection process was handled.
But if you were made aware of rigged panels, grubby little deals between UKIP members and broken rules would you stay silent?
And let us also not forget a breach of contract with each and every candidate who paid £250.00 to be listed as candidates!
Even UKIP’s own Returning Officer has said that the process was flawed and should have been rerun.
That Gill, as the appointed party officer, failed in his duty, as did the NEC in refusing to even acknowledge the numerous complaints by members, suggests that they have much to hide.
If the selection process had been fair and the rules had been followed I would have happily campaigned for the lead candidates.
What I cannot accept is a selection process that was rigged in order to get the likes of David Bannerman - a man who has been accused of lying about his supposed close relationship to a former PM - elected as lead candidate.
Members will be aware that shortly after I complained about the MEP selection process my MEP video interview was posted on the internet in a direct breach of trust by an employee of UKIP and the IND/DEM Group.
That it was placed on You Tube by Annabelle Fuller, an employee of the Party and the IND/DEM Group, was confirmed to me by Clive Page who phoned me on 19th July 2008 at 6.50pm to deny his personal involvement in the sordid business.
That Miss Fuller placed the video on You Tube at the behest of Nigel Farage - her very ‘close friend’ - in order to defame me was also confirmed to me by Clive Page.
Members may also be interested to know that John Whittaker threatened to resign over the video leak if Farage refused to sack Fuller.
For 48 hours Farage refused to do so. However, Whittaker would not back down and Farage was forced to terminate her employment.
Farage then tried to persuade Lord Pearson and Bob Spink to employ her. To their credit both refused to do so. He then contacted the Taxpayers Alliance. They also refused to employ her.
I have been told that Fuller has now been re-employed on the sly by Godfrey Bloom MEP.
In two newspapers ( the Independent and Daily Mail) Fuller has claimed that she was forced out of UKIP due to sexism. That Farage was prepared to support Fuller’s sordid little fantasy in one of these articles clearly illustrates the man’s dishonesty and immorality.To this day I have never received an apology from anyone in UKIP’s leadership for the video leak.
We have all witnessed UKIP’s collapse since 2004 and the sharp decline in membership numbers due to Farage’s inept and talentless leadership.
High profile members have left and Bob Spink, UKIP`s former MP, now seeks to put a distance between himself and the party.
I personally feel saddened that our party has been reduced to a cult where the cry is seemingly ‘the Leader is always right!’
A true leader listens to his members. He does not ignore them.
Under the current leadership UKIP will be lucky to get more than a couple of MEPs elected in June.
UKIP should be bounding ahead by now, but they are short of funds and are now dependent on donations from Alan Bown and Stuart Wheeler.
Many of us have not forgotten that it was Farage who promised at the Leadership election that he would bring many large donations into the party. Another failed promise.
Over a five year period UKIP`s MEPs could have quite legitimately paid a percentage of their earnings into the party, as other parties do, to fund future election campaigns. However, they decided not to.
If they will not put the party first why should the party support them ?Under Farage UKIP’s internal dealings have been lacking in openness and integrity.
Farage is egotistical, paranoid and lacking in integrity. He sanctions the ambushing and expulsion of decent members and supports kangaroo courts. He condones harassment , threats and verbal abuse. He conducts witch-hunts against his assumed enemies and gets his cronies to smear his opponents as BNP supporters. His behaviour and actions would make Robert Mugabe proud!
UKIP has been led to destruction by a leader and a compliant NEC that appears to seek to destroy anyone who displays talent and initiative and thus threatens their position.
UKIP is now finished as a force in British politics and deservedly so.
A vote for Farage and UKIP is now little more than a vote for the betrayal of the British people.
Clearly a man who, it is rumoured, can’t even keep his marriage vows can never be trusted to keep his word to the British public.
However, I know that many UKIP members believe that the Party can somehow be saved if Farage is forced to resign after June 4th.
I applaud their optimism but sadly I know that their efforts will come to nothing.UKIP is now beyond help as it is not just Farage who would have to go. Many others would also have to walk the plank.
A UKIP led by Nuttall or Bannerman would still be unelectable.
It may interest members to know that I possess documents on UKIP that conclusively prove that UKIP‘s leadership is corrupt. Some of these documents have never been made public.
I regard it as my duty to release these to the public prior to June 4th.I will be doing this in order to give the voters the chance to see how UKIP’s leadership lied, rigged the MEP selection process and smeared decent members in order to maintain control of UKIP and thereby keep their grubby little snouts in the EU’s trough.
In conclusion, I would suggest that Nigel Farage and the rest of his clique would do well to heed the words of Oliver Cromwell who when faced with a corrupt and dishonest clique of self-serving MPs used these famous words:
“You have sat too long here for any good you have been doing. Depart, I say, and let us have done with you. In the name of God, go!”
End of statement.
And yet another decent member forced out by a corrupt leadership!
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