And so UKIP loses another member! And yet another damning resignation letter exposes Farage's inept and corrupt leadership!
95 St Leodegar’s Way
Hunston
Chichester
West Sussex
PO20 1PE
22nd August 2011
Dear Nigel
Many thanks for your letter of 18th August, thanking me for the hard work I have done for UKIP over the past 16 years. It has to be said that, until quite recently, I have enjoyed the full support and encouragement of my wife in this endeavour.
I have never forgotten the early morning telephone call we had from you, I think it was in 1999, thanking us for leafleting the whole of Arundel by ourselves. This, after we had covered several villages around Chichester – again, on our own. Back then I had full confidence in your ability to campaign for UKIP.
However, I am sorry to tell you Nigel that, over the years, that confidence has been eroded to the point, reached a few years ago, when I came to the conclusion that you were more of a liability to UKIP than an asset, and today you are a hindrance. Indeed, I was extremely disappointed when you stood for the leadership last year.
Over the years you have driven many talented people away from UKIP. To name a few, they include:
Bryan Smalley Chris Cook Rodney Atkinson Peter Davies Michael Holmes Christina Speight Cam Poulter Ashley banks Ron Dickenson Bruce King Simon Stoker Don Briggs Barrie Draper Robin Laming Mike Carter Janet Girsman Jose O’Ware Harold Green Lyn Riley Richard North Anthony Scholefield Marcus Stead L. K.Hansford M. Stringfellow D. Dixon J. Bolton O. Blackburn Richard Suchorzewski D. Matthews L. A. Harris C. Sparkes T. Greenaway David Abbott Delroy Young Robin Page Petrina Holdsworth John Petley Eric Edmond John West D. Bellobaba Ian Gillman Martin Haslam David Noakes
All the above had given generously of their time and money, and were in responsible positions within the party. In every case they mention your overwhelming influence (as leader or de facto leader) as the reason for their resignation from UKIP. No doubt others could add many more names. In some instances, I understand, whole branches have closed (West Dorset for example) following disputes which could, with care, have been avoided.
There have been several policy decisions, initiated by you, that have been highly questionable - the latest being the attempt to absorb our MEPs into a pan-European political party (PEPP). A letter I recently received from one of our most persistent and hard working campaigners included the following sentence, “I have not renewed my membership of UKIP. I shall write to tell them that I cannot possibly support Farage in his attempt to join the pan-European Group. UKIP was formed to come out.”
No doubt, had you won the argument on this issue, many others would have resigned from the Party.
As your bid to absorb our MEPs into a PEPP confirms - you have learnt nothing. I can understand those who say that you have ‘gone native’ in the EU. Your speeches in the EU parliament are most entertaining but have not, and will not, get UKIP one MP into our Westminster parliament.
Your attempts to be elected to Westminster have been, at best, an embarrassment, and at worst a disaster. I suspect that in the case of the Buckinghamshire/Bercow election a local UKIP candidate would, undoubtedly, have fared much better. Locals do not generally welcome candidates who have been parachuted in from outside their patch.
Nigel, you have worked very hard for the party but, I regret to say, on too many occasions, in a detrimental way.
Another minus is that you seem to have a penchant for spending party funds on litigation which, in many instances, I suspect, with tact and diplomacy, could have been avoided
In the early days you repeated many times that you hoped your period in politics would be the shortest job of your working career, and that you could make more money as a commodity trader.
As an overwhelming number of members voted against your PEPP initiative you should now do the honourable thing and resign as party leader. By so doing, in the eyes of many, you would mitigate some of the negative opinions held against you. In addition, you would be doing yourself, the party, and the country, a great favour. It is suggested that you make an announcement to this effect at the party conference next month, and invite Trevor Colman or Gerard Batten to act as caretaker leader until an election for your replacement can be held.
Personally, I would recommend that you do not stand again for the NEC or the EU parliament in 2014, and that you take a well earned break from politics!
Finally, Nigel, you must be thanked for the many positive contributions you have made to our cause. I wish you well in the route it is hoped you will now take out of politics.
Yours sincerely
(Sgd) D. Hunnikin
Derek Hunnikin
c.c. The Chichester Branch Steering Committee Members,
Trevor Coleman MEP, Gerard Batten MEP
Nigel Farage MEP
UKIP South East Region
The Old Grain Store
Church Lane
Lyminster
West Sussex BN17 7QJ
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