UKIP: Steve Morson on John Ison

Nigel Farage has promised John Ison an MEP seat in the West Midlands in exchange for conducting a smear campaign against Nikki Sinclaire

John Ison: Wannabe MEP. Too stupid to realise that Farage will drop him like a hot brick when he has served his purpose

Steve Morson is a former UKIP activist in the West Midlands. Here is what he has to say about John Ison.

Personally, I've never had much of a problem with what's posted on Junius. It is what it is, and I've never met the vast majority of the people they comment about, so I form no opinions. As a one-time, highly-valued friend of mine used to say, "It's all good, clean politics!". However, with some individuals - in my acquaintance - they are bang on the money. So what do we have of 9:08am this morning?

This. To be honest, it's a bit of a rehash, but there is a line which is my inspiration to start this thread, and places much of the last 18 months of my life in context. And maybe that of Jill Seymour, who was also viciously 'stabbed in the back'.

This is the line: "We note that Nigel Farage has promised him an MEP seat in the West Midlands." This answers an unbelieveble amount of questions, if true. And as Junius has chosen "We note..." rather than "We hear...." or "We understand...." etc., why wouldn't it be?

1) I was told some time ago, from an unimpeachable source, he'd been going around the West Midlands, telling everyone he "wanted to be an MEP". I found this hilarious, given his knowledge and awareness of politics in general.

2) There had to be a reason why - for 2 people he regarded as "friends", he betrayed both with a nastiness that indicated a somewhat disturbed mind.

3) In my case, he poisoned my relationship with my employer, Mike Nattrass MEP, resulting in the loss of my job. Part of his motivation was to try and get my job!

4) I then found out, as a "close friend", he'd been undermining me on (and several other members of) the regional committee which I chaired (he was Secretary). He was behind a county committee initiative to destabilise Lord Pearson as Leader (see 10).

5) He has a hand in trashing 5 branches of the West Midlands region - the opinion abroad the region is that he's as much to blame for the catastrophic collapse here (the strongest region of the party in the European Parliament elections of June 2009) as anyone. With such an impaired party infrastructure (less branches and fewer motivated activists), who's going to turn out campaigning?

6) Rather than help "a friend" struggling in sub-zero snow for 2 important local elections (1 district and 1 county) here, he went to Oldham. But Junius indicated a very likely reason why. And also, why he manned Paul Nuttall's stand at Scarborough Spring conference.

7) His maligning of Jill Seymour was absolutely awful. A universally-liked and respected member of the party and it's NEC, he started nasty rumours from day 1 of her employment with Nikki Sinclaire, as he he did with Nikki Sinclaire's media representative Simon Williams. Both lost their jobs within weeks.

8) Then the "Nikki" stuff started. No more on that until "the dust settles", but it will need publishing in volumes. That will all end in tears. For many.

9) Then the libel. Personal e-mails from him to me, containing the most deranged and bizzare allegations, which he "never sent to anyone other than me". Except they found their way to Greg Lance-Watkins. I was told it would have been a good case, under the Defamation Act; I was just short of about £80,000 that's all. Because of course, there was more than one act of potential libel - Ison had passed them around; if you get a text message or e-mail from Ison, maybe another dozen people have it also.

10) So that's my "9-point plan" (An A4 list of 9 suggestions for the party leadership for top-to-bottom reform (post-2010 gen. elec.), a sore point in the West Midlands - it was handled very badly, and Malcolm Pearson wasn't interested because the regional committee had been undermined and subverted!) The 10th point, by the way, was for Lord P to resign - and then Ison writes this on here!:-

"...and have famously said "If Malcolm Pearson and Paul Nuttall don't resign then I WILL!!" Wow who do you think you are?"

Ison recorded the regional and county committee meetings - now we know why. As with personal emails, they probably went all over the place.

The personal betrayals, the damage to the party infrastructure, the laziness at elections and other times of high activity, this individual isn't fit to clean the toilets of the EU parliament, much less occupy it's chamber.

And this is what Richard Allen - leading UKIP activist - had to say in reply:

A very interesting post from Steve Morson. Much of it requires no further comments but the idea that John Ison has been promised a high place on the MEP list is one that requires comment. If this is true it would be utterly catastrophic for the party for at least two reasons.

Firstly Ison has done little or nothing for the party in the West Midlands since the 2010 general election and some might say that what he did before then was less than helpful. Many of the region's dedicated activists would no doubt be seriously affronted at the prospect of someone who has done so little being placed high on the MEP list. Secondly Ison being placed in a high profile position would no doubt lead to considerable media scrutiny which would have the potential to cause serious damage to the party.

To read this very interesting thread: LINK

And read the John Ison blog: LINK