UKIP Leadership Election

For years UKIP has been run by its MEPs, largely for their own purposes and, in the case of Nigel Farage, purely as a means of securing a nice income and lofty position he would never achieve in the real world. Don't forget he was a disastrous employee in the City and ran the business his daddy set up for him into the ground.

So it's good to see that one of UKIP's founders and most generous donors has come out in support of Tim Congdon's leadership bid. Following is his letter to Gerard Batten pledging his support:

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

Sadly we believe that UKIP has so lost credibility that it can never actually achieve anything other than bringing the cause of withdrawal into disrepute. This is largely down to Nigel Farage but also to those others, regional organisers, MEPs, party secretary and general secretary, indeed all who have greedily pounced on the EU gravy train rather than sticking by their principles.

UKIP's Annabelle Fuller and Nigel Farage MEP

A couple of days ago we posted about Winston McKenzie, UKIP leadership candidate but listed as supporting Farage's bid to become head honcho on Farage's website. We thought it may have been mere eccentricity on the part of Mr McKenzie, but we have been contacted by people alleging that several people listed as supporters of Mr Farage on his website hadn't consented to be listed and are not, in fact, supporting him. We are currently looking into these accusations.

However Annabelle Fuller, who we also posted about recently, is also listed as still supporting her 'friend' Mr Farage, as are two other Fullers. Dr Eric Edmond, thrown off the UKIP NEC for being independent minded, also noticed her support and wrote the following excellent piece on his blog.

I scanned the long list of Mr Farage's nominating supporters published recently on his website. It contains most of the usual suspects and sycophants and is compulsory reading for those wishing to fully understand UKIP's often bizarre actions.

At the top, and his proposer, was Malcolm Pearson the former leader proposed and heavily promoted by Mr Farage as the outstanding candidate at our previous leadership election. A bit incestuous one might think and Yes, the same Malcolm Pearson who went around the South West urging UKIP PPCs to stand down in favour of his Tory candidate friends and even went out campaigning for other parties! A man is known by the company he keeps or even his supporters and proposers.

More interesting is that near the bottom of the list of supporters along with two other Fullers the name Annabelle Fuller appears. Annabelle Fuller is a long time close friend and associate of Nigel Farage. She it was who had a laptop holding confidential videos of prospective UKIP MEP candidates media test interviews done by Clive Page. Amongst those interviews was one done by John West that was posted from Morocco on YouTube, a public access web site, with the demeaning headline, 'How not to do politics'.

When David, Del and I found out about this we raised it at the NEC. The then chairman John Whittaker contacted Ms Fuller and read out a statement he had obtained from Ms Fuller that said, 'She had left the laptop in the back of a London taxi. It had been returned to her flat 4 days later by the taxi driver who she said had obtained her address by looking in some of the computer files.'

The story was that this taxi driver or one of his associates could have flown to Morocco, posted the video on YouTube, posted the denigrating caption, flown back to London and returned the LapTop to Ms Fuller. David, Del and I refused to accept this story and demanded the NEC investigate this damaging matter further. John Whittaker stated he was not minded to do this and that Ms Fuller had anyway resigned from UKIP. I have no idea if this in fact happened but it seems Ms Fuller is now back in UKIP.

John Whittaker's name appears high up in Mr Farages list of nominating supporters.

There were several obvious holes in Ms Fuller's tale. London cabbies are required to hand in property left in their taxis to the police within 24 hours. Why was only John West's interview out of the near 100 recorded chosen to be put up on UKIP? Did the taxi men view all these UKIP supposedly confidential interviews or did they choose JW's at random? Who was this taxi man?

I switched on breakfast TV this morning to find the Information Commissioner opining on the importance of safeguarding confidential personal information. He chose the example of a LapTop with people's confidential detail left on a train as an example of unacceptable practice for which the organisation responsible could be held liable for its employees negligence. Ho, hum.

I hope UKIPers will see through Nigel Farage and his associates and vote for the Tim Congdon/Gerard Batten ticket as the only hope of UKIP developing a credible and sustainable get out of the EU campaign here in the UK and get some UKIP MPs elected..

Winston McKenzie

Interesting to see that Winston McKenzie has learnt from previous UKIP leader 'Potty' Lord Pearson.

Although attempting to become leader of UKIP he is listed on Farage's campaign website as supporting Farage's campaign for the leadership. Click here.

Wonder if he appears at leadership hustings wearing a 'Vote Nigel for Leader' rosette?

They really are the lunatic fringe!

UKIP's Nigel Farage and Annabelle Fuller

Annabelle Fuller, long time 'friend' of UKIP MEP Nigel Farage, is reported to be back on the scene following her departure from UKIP a couple of years ago. Her departure prompted the following email from the party chairman to members of the NEC:

Dear NEC

We all regard the posting on youtube of the video of John West’s euro-candidate selection interview as unacceptable.

It has been argued that the source of this posting may have been Annabelle Fuller, who was involved in the interview and had possession of the relevant computer records.

I have received a statement from Miss Fuller in which she denies making this posting. She does, however admit to negligence, saying that she left a laptop computer containing the file in a taxi in London around 4 July. This was returned to her some 5 days later by the taxi driver who advised her that he had, in the meantime, passed it to a third party who had inspected the files in order to identify the owner.

Miss Fuller has not been working in the UKIP press office for some weeks. I understand she has now resigned from the party and from her post as press officer.

I am disinclined to take further action.

John Whittaker

The above appeared on the UKIP Bunker click here to read.

Since then John West, the wronged party, has been hounded and smeared by senior UKIP members. Although why Ms Fuller would still want to associate with UKIP, apart from her 'friendship' with Nigel Farage, we can't work out, after all here is her side of the story of her departure:

Terrified: Annabelle Fuller says she was forced to quit her UKIP role following a two-year smear campaign

A former top aide to UK Independence Party leader Nigel Farage broke down in tears yesterday after revealing she had received ‘threatening’ telephone calls accusing her of being ‘a whore’.
Distraught Annabelle Fuller, 26, claimed that she was the victim of a vicious two-year smear campaign aimed at undermining Mr Farage.
Ms Fuller said the phone calls and an ‘irrevocable breakdown in working relationships with my closest colleagues’ had led her to quit as Mr Farage’s spin doctor.
She told The Mail on Sunday: ‘I have been terrified. Absolutely terrified. I’ve had years of people writing abuse about me and saying abusive things – purely because I was loyal to the leadership of the party. People tried to get at Nigel by attacking me.’
Mr Farage defended Ms Fuller yesterday, saying: ‘She is a bloody good writer and a very good press officer. She decided to move on because she got p***** off with politics. I don’t blame her.’
His defence comes after UKIP’s annual conference in Bournemouth was tarred by a feud between Mr Farage, leader since September 2006, and his critics in the party.
In his main conference speech to delegates, Mr Farage vowed to root out ‘half a dozen people who wish us ill’.
Ms Fuller joined UKIP in Brussels as a researcher in October 2004. She said she joined because she was passionately committed to its key aim of pulling the UK out of the EU.
UKIP leader Nigel Farage defended Ms Fuller, calling her a 'very good press officer'
She said it was after she moved in June 2006 to handle press inquires for Mr Farage and his party at Westminster that the abusive calls began.

On one occasion an anonymous caller phoned her at 3am and accused her of being ‘a whore’.
‘I don’t know who that was,’ she said. ‘I never reported it to the police because I was told that’s what happens in politics and these people were doing it not to get at me, but at Nigel.’
The calls continued even after she left her job at UKIP in July this year.
‘It’s like trying to stab a dead person,’ sobbed Ms Fuller. ‘I could have made a big deal about it but I have my career in front of me.’
Ms Fuller said she decided to go public because she thought the calls were part of a wider plot to undermine Mr Farage.
‘I heard they were trying to overthrow Nigel and I thought I’d let people know what they are really like,’ she said. ‘You know what respect I have for Nigel. He has been a good boss and a good friend.’

To read the original click here.

They really don't sound like very pleasant people in UKIP do they?

If you would like to read some of the delicate Ms Fuller's ramblings click here where you get ladylike pearls such as:

It really does fuck me off when I read about women who sue their employers because they get knocked up and want the world to revolve around them.

UKIP, such a lovely group of people.

UKIP Leadership Election

Nigel Farage looks set to continue taking UKIP into a terminal nosedive. After the first hustings meeting of the latest leadership circus none of the other candidates appear capable of stopping his leadership gravy train. Oops, that should be leadership juggernaut.

Rather good picture shamelessly lifted from the excellent Junius on UKIP.

UKIP; Doing What It Does Best: Smearing.

Nikki Sinclaire stands up to Farage (pictured trying to look like 'a bit of a character') and leaves the racists and homophobes in UKIP's group in the European Parliament and she is forced out of the party. We are still unclear why Mike Nattrass MEP, who has also left their group, is still bumbling along in the party but that's another issue.

UKIP's smear operation is now into overdrive and reports are surfacing on the internet, and in a Sunday newspaper, that Miss Sinclaire is being investigated by OLAF (the EU's very own financial investigation service) and the West Midlands Police. The claims are being strenuously denied by Sinclaire.

It seems that a 'disgruntled former employee' of Miss Sinclaire's has been making the allegations. If so he should be a little circumspect as we believe there are some very serious questions that he my have to answer. But I'm sure we will all be reading about those soon.

Following is a statement issued by Miss Sinclaire:

I am told that there are claims been made and have read on Internet blogs that it is alleged by a disgruntled ex aide that I have put in a false claim for travel. In January, John Ison was responsible for my travel and related paperwork.

I have no idea whether the error was accidental or malicious as shortly after that I withdrew his access due to discrepancies I personally had identified.

I have contacted OLAF, the EU's fraud office and have arranged for a meeting to instigate a full and independent investigation as to whether I have been fraudulently set up or this is a genuine error.

One of the beauties of being independent and publishing open and transparent accounts as I do as this is obviously not a deliberate exercise in fraud on my part.

In the murky world of politics you don't get much murkier than UKIP. The problem with eccentric cults is that when the brainwashed eventually become sane again, the cult has to protect itself by demonising them.

And there are those in UKIP who still wonder why they are an electoral disaster. They probably think it's the Bilderbergers or some other shadowy group conspiring against them.

For a bit more info about 'disgruntled former employee' Mr John Ison, click here.

UKIP Chairman Paul Nuttall MEP

Hating the European Union is one thing, hating the cash to be harvested from the European Union is another it seems:

Picture the scene. I'm driving Islington yesterday and notice in front of me a big Land Rover Discovery.

It's all black with tinted windows. Then I notice the number plate EU06 0UT.

At the next set of lights I pull up and there is none other than UKIP MEP Paul Nuttall in the driving seat.

So while Liberal Democrat Colin Eldridge wears his parliamentary ambition on his sleeves, Mr Nuttall displays his politics on his plate.

From the Liverpool Daily Post.

It seems that thousands of people are making a packet out of the EU and they are all evil according to UKIP, unless of course they hate the EU enough to want withdrawal from it, then it's OK.

Landrover Discoveries start from £34,000. Check prices here.

Mr Nuttall was a researcher in the European Parliament, for UKIP, before becoming a very well paid MEP. Before that he was a PhD student.

Nice work if you can get it!