UKIP MEP's to defect?
Rumours were sweeping Brussels this morning that almost all the remaining UKIP members of the European Parliament who had not already been expelled, resigned, gone to prison, or joined the Conserative party were about to defect en masse to the Conservatives.
UKIP has already suffered an astonishing number of losses from the MEPs elected in 2009 no less than 45% of them have gone - six out of thirteen.
The record is:
Nikki Sinclaire (expelled),
David Campbell-Bannerman (defected to the Tories),
Mike Nattrass (de-selected and then resigned),
Trevor Coleman (quit UKIP’s European grouping)
Marta Andreasen (defected to the Tories)
Godfrey Bllom (lost the whip after calling a roomful of UKIP ladies "sluts")
And when UKIP MEPs don't defect, the independent VoteWatch Europe website found that UKIP members of the European Parliament have the worst attendance and voting records of any political party from any country. (Footnote)
Now the Brussels rumour mill suggests that UKIP's remaining MEPS with the exception of the leader himself are about to jump ship to the tories too.
"UKIP policy doesn't allow us to cast our votes to fight for Britain's interests," said one of the defectors. "It's time for a change."
"UKIP can't deliver a referendum to give the Britsih people a say about Europe. Labour and the Lib/Dems don't want to. Only the Conservatives can and will - so vote Conservative!"
By the way, you do know what day it is, don't you? (This post was put up on the first of April.)
Footnote - amazingly, the list above about MEPS who have already quit UKIP's delegation in the European parliament isn't an April fool. Nor is the Vote Watch Europea report.
UKIP has already suffered an astonishing number of losses from the MEPs elected in 2009 no less than 45% of them have gone - six out of thirteen.
The record is:
Nikki Sinclaire (expelled),
David Campbell-Bannerman (defected to the Tories),
Mike Nattrass (de-selected and then resigned),
Trevor Coleman (quit UKIP’s European grouping)
Marta Andreasen (defected to the Tories)
Godfrey Bllom (lost the whip after calling a roomful of UKIP ladies "sluts")
And when UKIP MEPs don't defect, the independent VoteWatch Europe website found that UKIP members of the European Parliament have the worst attendance and voting records of any political party from any country. (Footnote)
Now the Brussels rumour mill suggests that UKIP's remaining MEPS with the exception of the leader himself are about to jump ship to the tories too.
"UKIP policy doesn't allow us to cast our votes to fight for Britain's interests," said one of the defectors. "It's time for a change."
"UKIP can't deliver a referendum to give the Britsih people a say about Europe. Labour and the Lib/Dems don't want to. Only the Conservatives can and will - so vote Conservative!"
By the way, you do know what day it is, don't you? (This post was put up on the first of April.)
Footnote - amazingly, the list above about MEPS who have already quit UKIP's delegation in the European parliament isn't an April fool. Nor is the Vote Watch Europea report.
Comments
Enter Nigel, Nigel is quite an insecure being, basically forcing out anyone who was any challenge to his leadership, so what we have now is a party leader who is a good showman, but a lousy leader, and a lot of "yes men". Its no way to run a party, and it certainly does not help the "out of the EU" campaign at all. It does not take much to figure out the above, its a party based around UK independence (though many members seem to have forgotten what UKIP stands for) it had well meaning, and very talented individuals outed by Farage, and his yes men instated. The whole thing really is a huge shame, as many well meaning grass roots Kippers are working out.
Farage has promised to quit if UKIP fail to win a seat in a 2015 parliament, so seems now to have adopted a scorched earth policy.
The only losers to this of course are we, the british public
Dr Sked, Professor of International History at the LSE founded what was then called the Anti-Federalist League in 1991 (it changed it's name to UKIP in 1993) and remained leader until shortly after the 1997 election However he then resigned and has since become one of UKIP's sternest critics.
Among his reasons for splitting from UKIP was that he disagreed with trying to elect UKIP Euro-MPs on the basis that people elected to a parliament they did not believe in were bound to either have to modify their principles, look like a joke, or both.
He would have agreed with a lot of what you wrote. He would also argue, however that the biggest success of UKIP is the fact that the Conservative party is no longer pro-EU.
Dr Sked is apparently planning to stand as a "New Deal" candidate against Ed Miliband in the 2015 general election.
The Referendum party was dissolved in 1997 shortly after Sir James Goldsmith's death. Many of its' members then joined UKIP.