ONE MAN’S SABOTAGE
OF A NOBLE CAUSE
OF A NOBLE CAUSE
Part Two
Part Three tommorrow.
Part One can be seen by clicking here
Prepared by Derek Hunnikin
UKIP Membership No. 1428
Prepared by Derek Hunnikin
UKIP Membership No. 1428
2. BRYAN SMALLEY
At the time he retired from the navy Bryan Smalley was a submarine commander. A man of the highest integrity, Bryan joined UKIP, and was voted by the membership onto the National Executive Committee (NEC), and held the post of Party Secretary for two years. Clearly, as a commander of many men, Bryan had an above average ability to judge a person’s character and trustworthiness.
In a letter to Roger Knapman, Bryan Smalley wrote:
It is now obvious to all members who know what is happening at the top of the organisation that the Party has been taken over by Nigel Farage and his acolytes.
I am sure you have heard me say before that the Party belongs to its members. We elect some members to specific offices to run the Party for us. Even then, for those elected to the NEC, we only permit members to act in accordance with policies laid down by the committee and not to act independently. It is the failure to run the Party on these lines which is causing its disintegration.
My concern is that those people who are running the Party are unchecked and are behaving extremely irresponsibly. I will make some comments about these individuals which you may think libellous. I assure you I can bring evidence, and witnesses if necessary, to prove that everything I write can be proven.
Nigel Farage is a member of the NEC and has no authority to make individual decisions about the Party.
He is dishonest and frequently makes untrue statements.
He acts independently without consulting the NEC and in doing so frequently gets the Party a bad press.
You will recall that when I drew your attention to Nigel Farage’s illegal copying of video tapes and his lies about his activities, you gave him your full support and permitted the distribution of a press release which was also untruthful. You failed to support me when I was the only person telling the truth. I expect to see Nigel brought under control, by means of a disciplinary hearing if necessary.
------------
On 4th September 2000 Bryan circulated the following letter to members:
Dear
I am writing to a number of friends to explain why I have resigned as the Party Secretary and as a member of the NEC. My main purpose in resigning is because I cannot work within an organisation which doesn’t respect the law. The report (below) on the sale of ‘pirated’ videos explains what I mean. I am concerned that my view is not shared by Jeffrey Titford who says that I should accept Nigel for ‘what he wants to be for the Party.’ But there is more to this than meets the eye.
I had hoped that the new NEC would start again with a clean slate, but there are six or seven people on the NEC who are seeking to settle old scores or who have their own specific agendas. Unless these people unite they are not a threat in themselves. The most dangerous threat is Nigel Farage, because he has an organised band of followers who work as a group and which is seeking to control UKIP from outside the NEC. In pursuit of their aim they totally ignore the Party Secretary and his position, and they do their best to denigrate the effectiveness of the operations at the Head Office. This is one of the factors which has led to strain between the elected NEC and Nigel’s supporters.
I do not want to be concerned with fights between opposing groups within the Party. I have therefore decided to resign as Party Secretary and from the NEC. I shall continue to work within my constituency to promote the anti-EU cause.
UKIP will not survive if Nigel Farage is allowed to impose his dishonest and impetuous will on the Party. He is an excellent speaker. His activities should be confined to what he is good at.
Yours
Bryan Smalley
Commentary and timetable on the sale of ‘Pirate’ videos by Bryan Smalley - September 2000
24th May. NEC meeting at which Nigel Farage put forward a motion that any NEC member who fell foul of the law should have their legal expenses paid by the Party. Nigel couldn’t get majority support and lost his temper and stormed out of the meeting. I wondered why this was so important to Nigel.
At some time after this I learned that Nigel was going to copy and sell a video tape. I made enquiries and was told that the box which contained the video would be sold for £5 but the video inside it would be given away at no charge. I realised that this was an attempt to circumvent the law.
9th August. Mosaic issued its first warning to Nigel not to sell the videos. I was not aware of this at the time
21st August. I issued a memo saying I would have nothing to do with the sale of ‘pirated’ video tapes. N.B. I said nothing about the BBC holding the copyright.
24th August. Memo to me from Jeffrey (Titford) saying that Nigel had permission to sell the videos and that he (Jeffrey) had seen the letter giving approval.
24th August. Nigel repudiated the statements in my memo and says that the BBC do not hold the copyright. He admits that he has consulted the Leader (Jeffrey Titford) and the Chairman on the matter but not the Party Secretary who is the office holder responsible for legal matters. He fails to mention that Mosaic have told him that he has no right to sell the videos.
25th August. Mosaic wrote to Nigel again asking him to stop selling the videos and send all unsold videos to them. They report that the Trading Standards Department have become involved. I was not aware of this letter at the time.
Weekend of 26th/27th August. Nigel ‘phoned me and told me that a Trading Standards Officer had visited the Redhill Office (a UKIP office at that time) and bought a video under the pretence that he was a member of the Southampton Branch. The conversation then became difficult to interpret. I got the impression that Nigel was suggesting that I had spoken to the Trading Standards Department. He told me that he had consulted Richard North and Christopher Booker who assured him that he had nothing to worry about. He asked me whether I was trying to get him to resign from the Party.
30th August. Mosaic wrote to me, the Party Secretary, with copies of all previous correspondence. I then became aware that Nigel had been in conflict with Mosaic since 9th August. They also spoke to Nikki Sinclaire as I was not available that day.
1st September. Mosaic sent a Fax to Nikki Sinclaire giving further information. They said that they had never given Nigel permission to duplicate and sell copies of the film. This means that no letter giving approval exists. They also said that they were aware that Nigel’s aim was ‘to create a scene with the BBC’.
2nd September. Nigel ‘phoned me and said that the Trading Standards Officer had visited the Redhill Office on Friday 1st September and found a number of videos that had not been sent to Mosaic as instructed.
Signed by Bryan Smalley
------------
3. WE HAVE HAD ENOUGH
Printed and published by Chris Cooke – UKIP West Midlands Regional Office.
Dear Friends
UKIP CONDEMNED TO THE FAR RIGHT
Now a new Party Leader has been elected. Jeffrey Titford won by 15 votes, the narrowest of margins, from Rodney Atkinson (who we felt would at least have given UKIP a fighting chance). We are convinced that this election result condemns UKIP to the far right. Mr Titford was supported by Nigel Farage. Nigel Farage may have a strident speaking style, which UKIP’s more aggressive members seem to admire, but his actions politically have been disastrous for UKIP. He has been instrumental in deposing UKIP’s past leaders and attacks potential leaders. As UKIP Party Chairman, his inaction and poor judgement allowed the extended leadership crisis, a lack of proper party procedures, bad decision making, a continuing lethargy within UKIP, and botched attempts at high level defections to UKIP.
While Mr Farage holds important positions within UKIP his well publicised links to the British National Party will keep sabotaging the efforts of other UKIP members.
Mr. Titford and other prominent UKIP members had been members of the far right New Britain Party. One of these, Mike Natrass, has now been offered the post of UKIP Party Chairman. It matters not whether they were naive or otherwise in past associations – only that they persist in defending these associations. In doing so they give ammunition to UKIP’s political opponents, damaging UKIP credibility. Their intentions are made clear by their abject failure to offer Rodney Atkinson any position at all, despite powerful support from half of UKIP members.
SO WE MUST GO
How difficult is it for us to tell you that we, the undersigned, are leaving the UK Independence Party. We tried. From the start we knew that UKIP had “teething troubles”. But we did not understand just how deeply entrenched and corrupting those troubles were. We “fought from within” but were undermined by undemocratic “in-fighting”. From our respective positions within UKIP we did constant battle to ensure fair play for all members, prevent extremism, give UKIP sensible policies and provide the honesty and integrity sadly lacking in much of politics today.
For our troubles many of us have been insulted, harassed, libelled, intimidated or otherwise abused by some rather unsavoury people. We wonder why such people are in UKIP and what they are really after.
UNDERMINING UKIP SUCCESS
After the 1999 EU elections, at the very time when UKIP should have capitalised on its successes, when members up and down the country were aching to get on with recruitment, UKIP had no national recruitment leaflets, no newsletter was put out to members, and nothing was done. Perhaps more could have been done if the Party Chairman, Treasurer, and Secretary, had been less concerned with trying to depose the Party Leader.
In his short term of office party leader, Michael Holmes, successfully led UKIP into a doubling of its party membership and into winning three seats in the 1999 European Elections. Yet he has been hounded out of office by what seemed to be a conspiracy of members, mostly from London or the South East. Their defiance of the wishes of ordinary members (as expressed overwhelmingly at the Birmingham Conference and in a postal poll), and their outrageous attacks and vindictive behaviour has shocked many of us.
Even now they continue to harass Michael Holmes by attempting to divert his phone and mail and freeze his bank accounts. Michael is currently in hospital having suffered a mild stroke. Doctors attribute much of the cause to stress in dealing with his UKIP assailants.
We send him our good wishes and hope that he makes a speedy recovery.
STRANGE BEHAVIOUR AT LONDON HQ
Also infuriating to UKIP members was the ludicrous state of UKIP’s Head Office. The membership database was never correct. During the NEC elections some fifty members were ‘lost’ from the West Midlands alone. Despite strenuous efforts many of these people did not receive their voting papers until it was too late. One of the main workers inside the London HQ caused commotion and scuffles at the Birmingham Conference where he had to be restrained from molesting a young, coloured catering manager in a complaint about service. For that alone he should have been expelled from the party. Instead he continues in the London HQ. He and other London HQ workers vehemently denigrate the previous party leader – and made sure UKIP HQ was used to spread their message!
ACCOUNTABLE TO WHOM?
A cause for concern is that UKIP, with Craig Mackinlay acting as Treasurer, never produced properly audited accounts. Members’ money has been spent, although on what it is not always easy to see. UKIP now has very little of its own money and is effectively “bought” by a handful of people. Far from fighting for UK Independence it can’t even maintain the independence of its own organisation.
UKIP LINKS TO EXTREMISTS
Attempts to subvert internal UKIP elections (incidentally the UKIP returning officer, George Franklin-Ryan, has been receiving payments from Nigel Farage since last October – something members should have been told about), wanton disregard for the UKIP constitution or rules (as demonstrated in the case of the wrongful disqualification of a newly elected N.E.C. representative, Janet Girsman), continuing and clear evidence of UKIP links to extremist groups and individuals, are just some of the things that convince us that UKIP is no longer viable, nor is it proper to give it more of our time, effort or money.
Members should know of the dangers of their addresses falling into the hands of extremists. Rodney Atkinson’s recent circular refers members to Mr Farage’s links to an outsider. This person is a non-member who supports extremist groups. He obtained and used a stolen copy of UKIP’s membership database to try to ruin Rodney Atkinson’s leadership bid.
PUPPET ON WHOSE STRING?
Perhaps even more disturbing than Nigel Farage’s influence over Jeffrey Titford is the svengali-like power Tony Bennett (the person Mr Titford employs as a political assistant) seems to hold over him. Tony Bennett is responsible for the most vicious, and by far the most relentless, attacks on party members. Particularly nasty were his attacks on the last Party Leader, which continue despite an NEC request for him to refrain. Even now Mr Titford seems to do nothing about him. We believe that Jeffrey Titford, as UKIP leader, will be only a marionette dancing to the tune of his political puppet-masters.
UKIP NOW A BARRIER TO SUCCESS
When UKIP was formed it was helped enormously by being sucked into a political vacuum where no other moderate political party offered the honest policy of withdrawal from the EU. Now we fear that UKIP, through its tarnished reputation, bad organisation and structure, has become a liability in the fight for withdrawal from the EU. It cannot succeed and yet UKIP will act as a barrier to a more reasonable political force emerging. This is appalling for its members (most of whom are genuinely moderate and reasonable people) and for our country.
UKIP MEMBERS DESERVE BETTER
Nothing is gained by continuing to work in such a disabled party. UKIP has given us experience and good friends. We are grateful for that. UKIP members are undoubtedly the best of any political party. Their energy, imagination and commitment has done much to turn the tide of public opinion in Britain even if their election efforts continue to be sabotaged. They deserved better.
Other party members will also soon decide if UKIP’s disease is no longer worth the fight. But staying with UKIP tars us with an extremist brush. We must move on – many of us to work in other organisations with similar aims.
OUTSIDE INFUENCES
It may be – as some suggest – that UKIP was never meant to succeed; it may have been set up as some sort of “sponge” organisation – to soak up opposition to the EU in Britain without allowing it to become an effective force. There is ample evidence to suggest agents provocateurs have been active in UKIP stirring up trouble as the opportunity arises. Without doubt extremists have infiltrated. UKIP structures are incapable of preventing such things (i.e. there has never been a Party Rule book!).
FUTURE SUCCESS
As the door to UKIP closes windows of opportunity will surely come our way. Whether we work within other already established groups or set up a new one (as 1997 UKIP National Agent, Cam Poulter, has done with Reform) we are determined that where UKIP has failed us others must succeed. We have had enough and leave with but few regrets – and much hope for the future.
SIGNED
Rodney Atkinson UKIP NEC Member. 2nd in UKIP leadership election – 2000. Lead UKIP candidate & UKIP Election Campaign Committee – 1999.
Peter Davies Hemsworth (1997) & South Yorkshire (1998) - By Elections candidate.
Carolyn & Michael Holmes UKIP Party Leader 1998 – 2000. UKIP MEP (South West).
Christina Speight Editor: Facts, Figures and Phantasies. Former Chairman Ealing. Cam Poulter Who was Acting Party Chairman in 1996/97
Ashley Banks General Election candidate Battersea 1997. EU Election - Eastern Region 1999.
Ron Dickinson NEC ’95-’97. Former Salisbury Office Administrator. Political Assistant to M. Holmes (MEP).
Bruce King Former Organiser UKIP Devon.
Simon Stoker UKIP Independence News Editor, Website, Derbyshire.
Don Briggs Chairman: Tatton (UKIP NW).
Barrie Draper Founder Organiser for UKIP National & Devon.
Robin Lamming Hull & East Yorkshire Committee.
Mike Carter Former Regional Organiser Cornwall. Chairman Falmouth Cambourne
Janet Girsman UKIP NEC member. Former UKIP National Media Adviser. Eastern. Jose O’Ware General & EU election candidate (London).
Chris Cooke UKIP NEC member. National Conference Organiser. Founder – Truth about Europe Campaign.
Harold Green Chairman: Epsom & Ewell.
Lynn Riley Secretary – British Housewives League.
And more than 200 other UKIP members who want to be associated with this statement.
------------
4. ANTHONY SCHOLEFIELD
A founder member, and Party Secretary for three years, wrote:
Nigel Farage is a reasonably competent and hard working salesman, but he is also the alpha and omega of UKIP’s problems because of his widespread manipulation, poor judgement, and poor choice of associates. His manipulative political style suffocates development of Party structures and policy development and drives away many activists. His judgement of personalities and staff is notoriously poor and appears to be based solely on their sycophancy. He is the exemplar for, and the inspiration for, the MEP problem, their self-centredness and lack of subordination to the Party members.
Apparently the membership of UKIP is estimated to be less than 12,000, including those signed up to long term membership and unable to get out. The party lacks cash although the MEPs are well remunerated and many don’t contribute financially to the Party. Press reports of widespread alcoholic consumption, and Farage’s sexual misadventures, steadily drove away supporters who back the Party with their sacrifices of time and money. Many will not abide this abuse of Party support.
A disturbing new feature is the revelation that Mark Croucher, the UKIP Press Officer, shows details about UKIP’s membership to Communist and Socialist Workers via Searchlight and ‘Unite Against Fascism’. Croucher reports to Farage.
Note from DH: From time to time, Anthony Scholefield writes excellent articles published in eurofacts.
At the time he retired from the navy Bryan Smalley was a submarine commander. A man of the highest integrity, Bryan joined UKIP, and was voted by the membership onto the National Executive Committee (NEC), and held the post of Party Secretary for two years. Clearly, as a commander of many men, Bryan had an above average ability to judge a person’s character and trustworthiness.
In a letter to Roger Knapman, Bryan Smalley wrote:
It is now obvious to all members who know what is happening at the top of the organisation that the Party has been taken over by Nigel Farage and his acolytes.
I am sure you have heard me say before that the Party belongs to its members. We elect some members to specific offices to run the Party for us. Even then, for those elected to the NEC, we only permit members to act in accordance with policies laid down by the committee and not to act independently. It is the failure to run the Party on these lines which is causing its disintegration.
My concern is that those people who are running the Party are unchecked and are behaving extremely irresponsibly. I will make some comments about these individuals which you may think libellous. I assure you I can bring evidence, and witnesses if necessary, to prove that everything I write can be proven.
Nigel Farage is a member of the NEC and has no authority to make individual decisions about the Party.
He is dishonest and frequently makes untrue statements.
He acts independently without consulting the NEC and in doing so frequently gets the Party a bad press.
You will recall that when I drew your attention to Nigel Farage’s illegal copying of video tapes and his lies about his activities, you gave him your full support and permitted the distribution of a press release which was also untruthful. You failed to support me when I was the only person telling the truth. I expect to see Nigel brought under control, by means of a disciplinary hearing if necessary.
------------
On 4th September 2000 Bryan circulated the following letter to members:
Dear
I am writing to a number of friends to explain why I have resigned as the Party Secretary and as a member of the NEC. My main purpose in resigning is because I cannot work within an organisation which doesn’t respect the law. The report (below) on the sale of ‘pirated’ videos explains what I mean. I am concerned that my view is not shared by Jeffrey Titford who says that I should accept Nigel for ‘what he wants to be for the Party.’ But there is more to this than meets the eye.
I had hoped that the new NEC would start again with a clean slate, but there are six or seven people on the NEC who are seeking to settle old scores or who have their own specific agendas. Unless these people unite they are not a threat in themselves. The most dangerous threat is Nigel Farage, because he has an organised band of followers who work as a group and which is seeking to control UKIP from outside the NEC. In pursuit of their aim they totally ignore the Party Secretary and his position, and they do their best to denigrate the effectiveness of the operations at the Head Office. This is one of the factors which has led to strain between the elected NEC and Nigel’s supporters.
I do not want to be concerned with fights between opposing groups within the Party. I have therefore decided to resign as Party Secretary and from the NEC. I shall continue to work within my constituency to promote the anti-EU cause.
UKIP will not survive if Nigel Farage is allowed to impose his dishonest and impetuous will on the Party. He is an excellent speaker. His activities should be confined to what he is good at.
Yours
Bryan Smalley
Commentary and timetable on the sale of ‘Pirate’ videos by Bryan Smalley - September 2000
24th May. NEC meeting at which Nigel Farage put forward a motion that any NEC member who fell foul of the law should have their legal expenses paid by the Party. Nigel couldn’t get majority support and lost his temper and stormed out of the meeting. I wondered why this was so important to Nigel.
At some time after this I learned that Nigel was going to copy and sell a video tape. I made enquiries and was told that the box which contained the video would be sold for £5 but the video inside it would be given away at no charge. I realised that this was an attempt to circumvent the law.
9th August. Mosaic issued its first warning to Nigel not to sell the videos. I was not aware of this at the time
21st August. I issued a memo saying I would have nothing to do with the sale of ‘pirated’ video tapes. N.B. I said nothing about the BBC holding the copyright.
24th August. Memo to me from Jeffrey (Titford) saying that Nigel had permission to sell the videos and that he (Jeffrey) had seen the letter giving approval.
24th August. Nigel repudiated the statements in my memo and says that the BBC do not hold the copyright. He admits that he has consulted the Leader (Jeffrey Titford) and the Chairman on the matter but not the Party Secretary who is the office holder responsible for legal matters. He fails to mention that Mosaic have told him that he has no right to sell the videos.
25th August. Mosaic wrote to Nigel again asking him to stop selling the videos and send all unsold videos to them. They report that the Trading Standards Department have become involved. I was not aware of this letter at the time.
Weekend of 26th/27th August. Nigel ‘phoned me and told me that a Trading Standards Officer had visited the Redhill Office (a UKIP office at that time) and bought a video under the pretence that he was a member of the Southampton Branch. The conversation then became difficult to interpret. I got the impression that Nigel was suggesting that I had spoken to the Trading Standards Department. He told me that he had consulted Richard North and Christopher Booker who assured him that he had nothing to worry about. He asked me whether I was trying to get him to resign from the Party.
30th August. Mosaic wrote to me, the Party Secretary, with copies of all previous correspondence. I then became aware that Nigel had been in conflict with Mosaic since 9th August. They also spoke to Nikki Sinclaire as I was not available that day.
1st September. Mosaic sent a Fax to Nikki Sinclaire giving further information. They said that they had never given Nigel permission to duplicate and sell copies of the film. This means that no letter giving approval exists. They also said that they were aware that Nigel’s aim was ‘to create a scene with the BBC’.
2nd September. Nigel ‘phoned me and said that the Trading Standards Officer had visited the Redhill Office on Friday 1st September and found a number of videos that had not been sent to Mosaic as instructed.
Signed by Bryan Smalley
------------
3. WE HAVE HAD ENOUGH
Printed and published by Chris Cooke – UKIP West Midlands Regional Office.
Dear Friends
UKIP CONDEMNED TO THE FAR RIGHT
Now a new Party Leader has been elected. Jeffrey Titford won by 15 votes, the narrowest of margins, from Rodney Atkinson (who we felt would at least have given UKIP a fighting chance). We are convinced that this election result condemns UKIP to the far right. Mr Titford was supported by Nigel Farage. Nigel Farage may have a strident speaking style, which UKIP’s more aggressive members seem to admire, but his actions politically have been disastrous for UKIP. He has been instrumental in deposing UKIP’s past leaders and attacks potential leaders. As UKIP Party Chairman, his inaction and poor judgement allowed the extended leadership crisis, a lack of proper party procedures, bad decision making, a continuing lethargy within UKIP, and botched attempts at high level defections to UKIP.
While Mr Farage holds important positions within UKIP his well publicised links to the British National Party will keep sabotaging the efforts of other UKIP members.
Mr. Titford and other prominent UKIP members had been members of the far right New Britain Party. One of these, Mike Natrass, has now been offered the post of UKIP Party Chairman. It matters not whether they were naive or otherwise in past associations – only that they persist in defending these associations. In doing so they give ammunition to UKIP’s political opponents, damaging UKIP credibility. Their intentions are made clear by their abject failure to offer Rodney Atkinson any position at all, despite powerful support from half of UKIP members.
SO WE MUST GO
How difficult is it for us to tell you that we, the undersigned, are leaving the UK Independence Party. We tried. From the start we knew that UKIP had “teething troubles”. But we did not understand just how deeply entrenched and corrupting those troubles were. We “fought from within” but were undermined by undemocratic “in-fighting”. From our respective positions within UKIP we did constant battle to ensure fair play for all members, prevent extremism, give UKIP sensible policies and provide the honesty and integrity sadly lacking in much of politics today.
For our troubles many of us have been insulted, harassed, libelled, intimidated or otherwise abused by some rather unsavoury people. We wonder why such people are in UKIP and what they are really after.
UNDERMINING UKIP SUCCESS
After the 1999 EU elections, at the very time when UKIP should have capitalised on its successes, when members up and down the country were aching to get on with recruitment, UKIP had no national recruitment leaflets, no newsletter was put out to members, and nothing was done. Perhaps more could have been done if the Party Chairman, Treasurer, and Secretary, had been less concerned with trying to depose the Party Leader.
In his short term of office party leader, Michael Holmes, successfully led UKIP into a doubling of its party membership and into winning three seats in the 1999 European Elections. Yet he has been hounded out of office by what seemed to be a conspiracy of members, mostly from London or the South East. Their defiance of the wishes of ordinary members (as expressed overwhelmingly at the Birmingham Conference and in a postal poll), and their outrageous attacks and vindictive behaviour has shocked many of us.
Even now they continue to harass Michael Holmes by attempting to divert his phone and mail and freeze his bank accounts. Michael is currently in hospital having suffered a mild stroke. Doctors attribute much of the cause to stress in dealing with his UKIP assailants.
We send him our good wishes and hope that he makes a speedy recovery.
STRANGE BEHAVIOUR AT LONDON HQ
Also infuriating to UKIP members was the ludicrous state of UKIP’s Head Office. The membership database was never correct. During the NEC elections some fifty members were ‘lost’ from the West Midlands alone. Despite strenuous efforts many of these people did not receive their voting papers until it was too late. One of the main workers inside the London HQ caused commotion and scuffles at the Birmingham Conference where he had to be restrained from molesting a young, coloured catering manager in a complaint about service. For that alone he should have been expelled from the party. Instead he continues in the London HQ. He and other London HQ workers vehemently denigrate the previous party leader – and made sure UKIP HQ was used to spread their message!
ACCOUNTABLE TO WHOM?
A cause for concern is that UKIP, with Craig Mackinlay acting as Treasurer, never produced properly audited accounts. Members’ money has been spent, although on what it is not always easy to see. UKIP now has very little of its own money and is effectively “bought” by a handful of people. Far from fighting for UK Independence it can’t even maintain the independence of its own organisation.
UKIP LINKS TO EXTREMISTS
Attempts to subvert internal UKIP elections (incidentally the UKIP returning officer, George Franklin-Ryan, has been receiving payments from Nigel Farage since last October – something members should have been told about), wanton disregard for the UKIP constitution or rules (as demonstrated in the case of the wrongful disqualification of a newly elected N.E.C. representative, Janet Girsman), continuing and clear evidence of UKIP links to extremist groups and individuals, are just some of the things that convince us that UKIP is no longer viable, nor is it proper to give it more of our time, effort or money.
Members should know of the dangers of their addresses falling into the hands of extremists. Rodney Atkinson’s recent circular refers members to Mr Farage’s links to an outsider. This person is a non-member who supports extremist groups. He obtained and used a stolen copy of UKIP’s membership database to try to ruin Rodney Atkinson’s leadership bid.
PUPPET ON WHOSE STRING?
Perhaps even more disturbing than Nigel Farage’s influence over Jeffrey Titford is the svengali-like power Tony Bennett (the person Mr Titford employs as a political assistant) seems to hold over him. Tony Bennett is responsible for the most vicious, and by far the most relentless, attacks on party members. Particularly nasty were his attacks on the last Party Leader, which continue despite an NEC request for him to refrain. Even now Mr Titford seems to do nothing about him. We believe that Jeffrey Titford, as UKIP leader, will be only a marionette dancing to the tune of his political puppet-masters.
UKIP NOW A BARRIER TO SUCCESS
When UKIP was formed it was helped enormously by being sucked into a political vacuum where no other moderate political party offered the honest policy of withdrawal from the EU. Now we fear that UKIP, through its tarnished reputation, bad organisation and structure, has become a liability in the fight for withdrawal from the EU. It cannot succeed and yet UKIP will act as a barrier to a more reasonable political force emerging. This is appalling for its members (most of whom are genuinely moderate and reasonable people) and for our country.
UKIP MEMBERS DESERVE BETTER
Nothing is gained by continuing to work in such a disabled party. UKIP has given us experience and good friends. We are grateful for that. UKIP members are undoubtedly the best of any political party. Their energy, imagination and commitment has done much to turn the tide of public opinion in Britain even if their election efforts continue to be sabotaged. They deserved better.
Other party members will also soon decide if UKIP’s disease is no longer worth the fight. But staying with UKIP tars us with an extremist brush. We must move on – many of us to work in other organisations with similar aims.
OUTSIDE INFUENCES
It may be – as some suggest – that UKIP was never meant to succeed; it may have been set up as some sort of “sponge” organisation – to soak up opposition to the EU in Britain without allowing it to become an effective force. There is ample evidence to suggest agents provocateurs have been active in UKIP stirring up trouble as the opportunity arises. Without doubt extremists have infiltrated. UKIP structures are incapable of preventing such things (i.e. there has never been a Party Rule book!).
FUTURE SUCCESS
As the door to UKIP closes windows of opportunity will surely come our way. Whether we work within other already established groups or set up a new one (as 1997 UKIP National Agent, Cam Poulter, has done with Reform) we are determined that where UKIP has failed us others must succeed. We have had enough and leave with but few regrets – and much hope for the future.
SIGNED
Rodney Atkinson UKIP NEC Member. 2nd in UKIP leadership election – 2000. Lead UKIP candidate & UKIP Election Campaign Committee – 1999.
Peter Davies Hemsworth (1997) & South Yorkshire (1998) - By Elections candidate.
Carolyn & Michael Holmes UKIP Party Leader 1998 – 2000. UKIP MEP (South West).
Christina Speight Editor: Facts, Figures and Phantasies. Former Chairman Ealing. Cam Poulter Who was Acting Party Chairman in 1996/97
Ashley Banks General Election candidate Battersea 1997. EU Election - Eastern Region 1999.
Ron Dickinson NEC ’95-’97. Former Salisbury Office Administrator. Political Assistant to M. Holmes (MEP).
Bruce King Former Organiser UKIP Devon.
Simon Stoker UKIP Independence News Editor, Website, Derbyshire.
Don Briggs Chairman: Tatton (UKIP NW).
Barrie Draper Founder Organiser for UKIP National & Devon.
Robin Lamming Hull & East Yorkshire Committee.
Mike Carter Former Regional Organiser Cornwall. Chairman Falmouth Cambourne
Janet Girsman UKIP NEC member. Former UKIP National Media Adviser. Eastern. Jose O’Ware General & EU election candidate (London).
Chris Cooke UKIP NEC member. National Conference Organiser. Founder – Truth about Europe Campaign.
Harold Green Chairman: Epsom & Ewell.
Lynn Riley Secretary – British Housewives League.
And more than 200 other UKIP members who want to be associated with this statement.
------------
4. ANTHONY SCHOLEFIELD
A founder member, and Party Secretary for three years, wrote:
Nigel Farage is a reasonably competent and hard working salesman, but he is also the alpha and omega of UKIP’s problems because of his widespread manipulation, poor judgement, and poor choice of associates. His manipulative political style suffocates development of Party structures and policy development and drives away many activists. His judgement of personalities and staff is notoriously poor and appears to be based solely on their sycophancy. He is the exemplar for, and the inspiration for, the MEP problem, their self-centredness and lack of subordination to the Party members.
Apparently the membership of UKIP is estimated to be less than 12,000, including those signed up to long term membership and unable to get out. The party lacks cash although the MEPs are well remunerated and many don’t contribute financially to the Party. Press reports of widespread alcoholic consumption, and Farage’s sexual misadventures, steadily drove away supporters who back the Party with their sacrifices of time and money. Many will not abide this abuse of Party support.
A disturbing new feature is the revelation that Mark Croucher, the UKIP Press Officer, shows details about UKIP’s membership to Communist and Socialist Workers via Searchlight and ‘Unite Against Fascism’. Croucher reports to Farage.
Note from DH: From time to time, Anthony Scholefield writes excellent articles published in eurofacts.
Part Three tommorrow.
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