UKIP: Anthony Scholefield backs Tim!

Picture by Andrew Edwards. Nigel's official court photographer.

UKIP ready to drive forward? Not if you let Farage keep his stranglehold on the Party!

Consider:

The battle for Britain will be won in Britain.

Nigel became Party Leader in 2006 yet UKIP still hasn't won a single seat in Westminster.

Since 2006 the number of councillors elected - at any level -has been pitifully small.

In recent council elections UKIP's vote has not even reached three figures. UKIP can't even beat the BNP in many council seats.

Here are a few election results from last week:

Crawley Borough - Tilgate: Lab 764, C 656, Ukip 79, Justice 6. (May 2008 - C 725, Lab 627, BNP 274, Lib Dem 137). Lab gain from C. Swing 6.3% C to Lab.

Lancaster City - Harbour: Morecambe Bay Ind 287, C 161, Ukip 86, Lib Dem 68. (May 2007 - Three seats Lab 531, Morecambe Bay Ind 505, Lab 492, 472, Morecambe Bay Ind 463, 429, C 296, 252, 230, Green 89). Morecambe Bay Ind hold.

West Sussex County - Maidenbower: C 1036, Lab 417, Lib Dem 82, Ukip 61, Justice 12. (May 2009 - C 2192, Lab 425, Lib Dem 415). C hold. Swing 9.9% C to Lab.

Since 2006 Nigel has ignored the domestic scene in order to grandstand on the EU stage with is sycophants.

Since 2006 UKIP has lost an untold number of talented members. With a new, truly independent Leader, many of them may well return.

Since 2006 UKIP has been dying. We need a new leader based in the UK. A leader untainted by corruption. A leader willing to listen to the membership. A leader who will make UKIP truly democratic. A leader who puts the welfare of the British people before everything else. A NEW leader for a NEW UKIP.

Vote Congdon for this to happen. More and more UKIPPERS now realise that Mr Congdon is UKIP's last hope.

The letter below, from one of UKIP's founding members, now an ex-member, is indicative of that actually happening.

Letter from Anthony Scholefield - former Party Secretary - to Gerard Batten on his decision to stand down from the 2010 campaign for the leadership of the UK Independence Party:

Dear Gerard,

I thank you for your letter of 24th September, announcing that you have decided to stand down in the UKIP leadership election and support Tim Congdon.

Your action reflects credit on yourself.

I believe that the view expressed by yourself, and also by Tim Congdon, that the leadership of UKIP must be in the UK is correct. The MEP wing of UKIP has its own sphere of activity and can be useful as similar parties to UKIP are growing in other EU countries, but it must be incorporated into and directed by the national party in the UK.

As you know, up to 2001 the party was based either in my offices in London or in offices funded by myself when I was Party Secretary. I was also a substantial contributor to the risk-capital of UKIP to get the party started in its early years. However, after the election of UKIP MEPs in 1999, I immediately became aware that some of the new MEPs had different and unconstitutional ideas of the role of the MEPs in the party.

At this point I ceased any funding to the national party, but continued to contribute to your own and other campaigns in London and elsewhere.

If Tim Congdon is elected Leader and in accordance with the published agreement between you and him carries out 'a commitment for the party to abide by its own Constitution, with a fair and impartial application of the rules', I look forward to rejoining, and to injecting some funding into the national party. I would expect to see commitment and action by the MEPs to make substantial financial contributions to the national party.

The current political situation in the UK and the rest of the EU offers immense opportunities to UKIP with a wide field of action. However, the turnover of members and activists has been far too high over the last few years and is linked in most cases to lack of confidence in the constitutional behaviour of the party, its officers and executives. For progress to be made, this confidence must be restored.

Regards,

Anthony Scholefield