UKIP: The Nikkigate affair

The Nikkigate affair is generating a lot of interest.

From The Birmingham Post:

West Midlands MEP Nikki Sinclaire faces expulsion from UKIP

UKIP’s triumphant election of two West Midlands MEPs last year is descending into farce as the party considers whether to expel one of the victorious candidates.

MEPs will meet in Brussels next week to decide whether to throw out Nikki Sinclaire.

She was elected as UKIP’s second West Midlands MEP last June in a major coup for the party. It meant UKIP beat both Labour and the Liberal Democrats, which each returned only one MEP in the region.

But the celebrations were short-lived, and UKIP MEPs will meet in Brussels on Tuesday to consider expelling her from the party after her relationship with former UKIP leader Nigel Farage broke down.

She has already quit the eurosceptic group her UKIP colleagues have joined in the European Parliament, called the Europe of Freedom and Democracy group, which includes right-wing parties from across the EU.

Ms Sinclaire said in her resignation letter: “I have found it increasingly difficult to justify sitting alongside one or two of the European parties within the Europe of Freedom and Democracy Group who have a variety of extremist views which includes anti-Semitism, violence and the espousal of a single European policy on immigration.”

In response, UKIP’s national executive have sacked her as the party’s general election candidate in Meriden, Warwickshire, where she was due to stand against sitting Conservative MP Caroline Spelman.

And she now faces the threat of being expelled from the UKIP group in the European Parliament, forcing her to sit as an independent.

She said: “I wish to continue as a UKIP MEP and be a UKIP candidate in the general election.

“But that is a matter for the party to decide. If they remove my status as a UKIP MEP than in effect they will have thrown me out of the party.

“Whatever happens, I will continue to be an MEP and sit as an independent if I have to.

“I am not choosing to leave UKIP and I want to continue doing what I was elected to do, which is represent the West Midlands.”

The Europe of Freedom and Democracy group was formed in Strasbourg after last summer’s euro-elections, in which Nikki Sinclaire was one of 13 UKIP members who held or won seats.

Since then Mr Farage has stepped down from the party leadership to concentrate on fighting John Bercow’s Buckingham seat in the forthcoming general election, hoping to become UKIP’s first Westminster MP. Meanwhile, he remains an MEP and leader of Ukip’s members in Strasbourg.

Labour’s West Midlands MEP Michael Cashman said: “My sympathies go to Nikki Sinclaire. No-one should have to suffer such Neanderthal discrimination in the 21st century. However it’s proof that if you scrape away the gloss from these extremists they remain the same terrible bigots. They have never voted for equality or stood up for the rights of minorities.

“Out of her mouth, she condemns her British political colleagues who should have supported her and not undermined her.”

Ms Sinclaire surprised Ukip in 2004 when she “outed” herself as a lesbian in the gay newspaper The Pink Paper. She also claimed there was a “sizeable” secret, homosexual membership of UKIP.

At the time she said she wanted to show that UKIP was not an “anti-gay”, intolerant party.

Paul Nuttall, Chairman of UKIP’s National Executive Committee, said: “The National Executive Committee of the UK Independence Party is saddened and disappointed at the news that Nikki Sinclaire MEP has chosen to leave UKIP’s group in the European Parliament. UKIP leads the 31-strong ‘Europe of Freedom and Democracy Group’, which is the only true Eurosceptic grouping in the European Parliament.

“All UKIP candidates signed a declaration that they would agree to join the Group, and pool our resources in order to continue our fight against the European Union. Nikki Sinclaire has dishonoured that pledge. In a separate breach of party discipline, Ms. Sinclaire also failed to declare other relevant issues to the interview panel when she was selected as a UKIP candidate.

“As a consequence of these actions, the National Executive Committee took the decision on 11 January 2010 that Ms Sinclaire will not be permitted to stand as a UKIP candidate at future elections.”

To see the original: LINK

From the Conservative blog:

Don’t confuse party loyalty with being a self serving sycophant by Yaslin Akgun

Ever since I entered the world of politics formally I’ve noticed an attitude which I utterly despise. It manifests itself in various forms but boils down to one thing. Self serving pricks. Life is full of them but the area where life rewards them is politics. This article will do me no favours, people that I know will be paranoid that I’m talking about them specifically, some rightfully some wrongfully.

Tribal politics sickens me. Labour for life, Tories till I die, Lib Dem till the end etc. Bunch of hooligans. Political hooliganism. I’ve seen it in all the parties. Their party is the only option, they do no wrong and other parties are evil and only do wrong anything else is non existent. What irritates me is when I speak out about this sort of stuff I’m accused and slandered with comments like that I’m unloyal.

Of course if these sort of people want to offer their version of loyalty to me then disloyal I certainly am. My loyalty to a political party is conditional, not unconditional. The day I believe that my party isn’t serving the interests of the people at heart is the day I turn my back on that party. Simple. Country before party. I’m no party till I die, this isn’t football. This is people’s lives and well beings. There are so many people out there whose loyalty lies at heart and exclusively with their party and what worries me the most is seeing young people groomed to be this way.

A great example of someone in politics who puts country before party, a slogan incidentally which her party claims to do, is Nikki Sinclaire MEP. Earlier this week Nikki Sinclaire resigned from her party’s European group; Europe of Freedom & Democracy. I’m not going to waste time going in to why she resigned, the reason is obvious once you look in to who is part of this group; Liga Nord et al. Islamophobes, homophobes, anti-semites and xenophobes.

Nikki Sinclaire stood up to this and resigned from the group, knowing very well that she would be maligned by her own party. I applaud her for this. She’s one of the few politicians out there that exist to serve the people, not her own party and certainly not herself.

People in politics need to remember that they are there to serve the people. It’s almost ironic to note that the ones who need be reminded the most of this, are the same ones making similar comments about bankers or the police.

The purpose of this article is to highlight the level of sycophantism going on in politics, especially with younger members. I hope on reading this you’ll be able to identify these people. Distance yourself from them. Unless you have a thing for self serving pricks.

End of statement. To see the original: LINK

Mr Akgun used to be a member of UKIP's Young Independence. He was formally a staunch supporter of Nigel Farage. He woke up!

And from The Express:

UKIP MEP quits Eurosceptic group

UK Independence Party MEP Nikki Sinclaire is quitting the eurosceptic group her Ukip colleagues have joined in the European Parliament - citing the breakdown of her relationship with former Ukip leader Nigel Farage.

A resignation letter on her website also attacks the "variety of extremist views" of other right-wing parties in the Europe of Freedom and Democracy grouping - including "anti-Semitism, violence and the espousal of a single European policy on immigration".

The EFD group was formed in Strasbourg after last summer's euro-elections, in which Nikki Sinclaire was one of 13 Ukip members who held or won seats.

Since then Mr Farage has stepped down from the party leadership to concentrate on fighting John Bercow's Buckingham seat in the forthcoming general election, hoping to become Ukip's first Westminster MP. Meanwhile, he remains an MEP and leader of Ukip's members in Strasbourg.

Ms Sinclaire said she would still support Mr Farage in his Westminster bid, because of its importance to the party.

And she insists she has not left Ukip - just moved out of the EFD group, of which Ukip is one of nine national political parties, to sit with the so-called "non-attached" MEPs who have joined no particular grouping.

Her letter says she will leave the EFD on January 18: "I have decided to move to this non-attached group as I have found it increasingly difficult to justify sitting alongside one or two of the European parties within the EFD group who have a variety of extremist views which includes anti-Semitism, violence and the espousal of a single European policy on immigration."

She names in particular Liga Nord, the right-wing party which is part of the Italian governing coalition. Liga Nord and Ukip are the two biggest factions in the EFD and hold the EFD presidency jointly.

On Mr Farage, Ms Sinclaire's letter says: "My working relationship and trust with EFD co-president, Nigel Farage has broken down since his personal admittance to me recently that he wished I had not been elected. The comment 'I wish I had only 12 not 13 MEPs' was made to many people in the aftermath of the European elections. I have found this personal animosity difficult to work with."

To see the original: LINK

And finally from Dr Edmond's blog:

Back from Zermatt to the same old UKIP & the dog that does not bark

I returned yestreen from a weeks ski-ing at Zermatt with its spectacular views of the Matterhorn but it was as if I had never been away. Nikki has left Farage's sordid EDP group and is immediately smeared by Farage as sitting with the BNP's Nick Griffin, the usual knee jerk response from the Fuerher. Anyone who disagrees with Farage is so smeared with the BNP label plus a bit or their irrelevant personal history, in this case Nikki's bankruptcy, thrown in for an extra bit of character assassination. All done on national TV with Nikki not there to defend herself!

I then switched on the Politics show today to see the great media star making very heavy weather of defending UKIP's latest policy viz ban the face covering by Islamic women in public places in a debate with the young female Islamic leader of the Respect party. The policy is perfectly defensible on security and legal identification grounds but the great media star got himself ambushed. Farage never learns.

But where was our great new leader Lord P? Could he have been snow bound on Rannoch Moor? He is usually very strong on such Islamic issues so why was he not there defending UKIP's new Islamic policy initiative?

Come to think of it what part did Lord P play in the Nuttall announced UKIP NEC decision to deselect Nikki as a UKIP candidate in future elections. When and where was this NEC meeting held. Was Lord P there? Was Lord P even consulted?

Cabal antics are all very well in the Farage worshipping NEC but when they start to leak out into a General Election sensitized media they will be portrayed for what they are, sordid, self serving, idiotic actions of a talentless group of sycophants who have no integrity or moral credibility whatsoever.

To see the original: LINK