UKIP: Godfrey Bloom betrays the membership

The EFD group in the European parliament - the hotch potch of pro-federalist misfits and convicted right-wing thugs to which UKIP belongs - has been busy again this week. Oreste Rossi, the Lega Nord MEP who is so proud of his role as "the rapporteur who steered the Lisbon Treaty through the Italian parliament", has tabled an interesting written declaration on 'defining essential healthcare standards in Europe'.

Signor Rossi calls on the Commission and the member state governments to "adopt measures designed to define essential healthcare standards common to all Union countries". He also wants to "encourage the development of common criteria and strategies".

Hmm.. is this really the type of harmonisation that UKIP members want to be supporting?

And remember - the EFD group is to become a fully-fledged pan-European political party, legally obliged to support the aims and founding principles of the EU.

The UKIP membership, quite rightly, rejected the idea of UKIP signing up to any such party without a ballot being held.

But it appears that the membership has been betrayed, because Junius can reveal that Godfrey Bloom has just become the first UKIP MEP to sign-up to the party. Godders, of course, employs Sharon Bonici, the nominal chair of the party, who is currently working hard to sign up elected members in the EU and in member states in order to meet the all-important threshold to qualify for generous funding opportunities.

Godfrey Bloom has embarrassed the party consistently with his drunken, obnoxious swaggering, and through the continued employment of a family member whilst deny that he employs relatives. His business practices have led to censure (and a large fine) from the FSA, and he has been barred from hotels for his vile drunken antics.

Bloom, who refers to the party members in his region as "my gibbons" has now betrayed the membership by going against their wishes. If he were an honourable man, Bloom would resign. But we rather suspect that he won't.

Once the leadership election has been decided, whichever way the membership votes, we are also told to expect some movement from Farage and and at least one other MEP on this front.