There are constant rallies and events about Brexit and most of the time, UKIP is nowhere to be seen.
Last night I attended a full-to-capacity rally in Bournemouth for ‘Leave means Leave.’ It was also watched by 100,000 people on live streaming and the press were there. Nigel, the local conservative MP, a fabulous Labour Brexiteer, Tim Martin of Wetherspoons, as well as Richard Tice and John Longworth were all speaking – and even a fantastic DUP MP turned up. What a fabulous lot of speeches! What an atmosphere – and not just for Nigel who was in normal top form and had the crowd roaring.
The DUP speaker was also out of this world – and thank goodness May did not win an overall majority at the last election – the DUP have ten times the grit, determination and strength of May. They will never be pushed into accepting a deal which divides them from the UK and they are totally right.
There were over a thousand people waving Union Jacks, shouting, clapping, standing on chairs – making everyone realise why they got involved in this fight in the first place. Many of course would have been former UKIP voters, UKIP members and probably UKIP candidates but there was not a single UKIP sign and not a single UKIP MEP or senior member of the party involved except Nigel.
It was exactly the same at the fringe events at the Conservative party conference – The Bruges Group, The Bow Group, The Brexit Alternative conference, The Freedom Association and Leave means Leave all had big events – but apart from Nigel, one well known NEC member, myself and a young prominent activist UKIP member from London, there was not a sign of current UKIP leadership.
There were plenty of ex-Ukippers around. Indeed in the tea-room at the Bruge group event, I bumped into a man who told me he had got 10,000 votes for UKIP in 2015 in Cleethorpes. I also met Victoria Ayling from Grimsby.
But no UKIP MEP”s or leadership.
On a week that is absolutely critical to Brexit, yet again we have been talking about Tommy Robinson and today (Monday 15th October), whilst May said she would, in the event of a ‘no deal;, send Brexit back to the Houses of Parliament to vote on (with 70% of the MP’s being remain!), we end up talking about Pakistan!
We have plenty of issues here in the UK – the biggest of which is Brexit. If we do not get out of the EU, we can have no influence on anything – least of all in Pakistan. Whilst every day Brexit is being betrayed, we have posted articles on the website about a virgin being sold for 50 goats in some far away country which is of absolutely no significance to most people in the UK and then have defended the Muslim Rohingya in Burma – another complete irrelevance to people in the streets of British towns and cities, and it is not even consistent with the leaders world view on Islam.
And why do we not get involved in these Brexit events?
Because we have called a lot of these groups, a ‘pile of old Tories’. There is animosity between Gerard and Nigel and Gerard and many of the MEP’s. (I actually got told about a dispute in Strasbourg last week by a member of Democrats and Veterans, how they knew I do not know) – but that is not the only reason. The main reason is that no one is making any effort to be part of these Brexit groups, write for them, help them, realise that we are all fighting for the same thing. Instead we are nowhere to be seen.
It’s a disaster. Our enemy is not other Brexit groups.
Don’t tell me these groups will not have UKIP. This is blatantly untrue. It just seems with a few rare exceptions, most senior people seem to have completely forgotten that we are a Brexit party.
There are a few exceptions – Patrick O Flynn has written pretty regularly for Brexit central and is speaking at events and a couple of MEP’s have spoken at the Freedom Association but in general, cross party means cross party without UKIP.
I am sure it is not that these groups will not have us. It is that either we make little effort or in some cases actively go out to compete with other Brexit groups or have nothing to do with them. Fishing is a good example of this. Instead of working with Fishing for Leave, we do completely separate things.
There are plenty of other anti-Islamic parties out there but there is only one party that is solely a Brexit party and that is UKIP.
I am convinced we are not trying to open doors and deliberately not cooperating with other groups for purely petty ego issues. I have been working hard to open doors and surprisingly those doors just open.
How is it I started writing 6 months ago, having never written before and am not an MEP but contacted Asa Bennett, the Brexit editor at the Telegraph and he put an article in! Why cannot other members of the party, much more senior than me, do it – especially the leader, the deputy and the MEP’s?
How is it that I did a podcast with James Delingpole at Breitbart for Delingpole world on Friday in Oxford but he has never done one with Gerard or as far as I can see any UKIP MEP? Has anyone ever asked? And I mean asked like badgered him with 30 emails over six months!
We cannot take no for an answer and must take every media opportunity we can.
How is it as far as I can see only Patrick O Flynn and myself have published on Brexit Central and no one except myself on the Bruges group? Why is it the Bruges group asked me to come on ITV with them?
Why are we not working with Leave means Leave? I literally arrived at their office last week, on the doorstep, introduced myself, gave them a business card and yesterday morning, before Bournemouth, got up at 5am to go to Stratford to record a video for Brexit means Business: they had asked me if I would do it.
If we push on doors, they do open. If we simply want to compete with other groups, we will not only completely fail at our original purpose, Brexit, but become a complete irrelevance. They will just move on without us. That’s why there is now no purple anywhere – aside from the fact that we are considered by many to be toxic which is another issue altogether. (On a side note, I am being told that the Football Lads Alliance which were one of the great hopes is probably not doing any more marches.)
I am going to give one final example of our problem.
There might be new members but they are certainly not going to meetings, not forming branches, not standing as candidates and not raising money. Last week Waveney branch in Suffolk, to their great credit, tried to get Great Yarmouth branch going again – after the councillors left to go to the Conservatives and effectively collapsed the branch. Waveney sent out 60 letters – 50 were to old members ( in a branch that had 14 councillors and a Mayor!) and 10 were to new members. Three people turned up. That’s right, three people except for myself and the Waveney people and that is after they had booked an entire room and spent a lot of money and effort. One of those members was 90 and the other two were 70.
And even today, I had more emails in my inbox including another branch chair and a county chair, saying they were on their last legs and were about to leave.
I might get fired for this but I had to say it. Why doesn’t Tommy Robinson go and join Anne Marie and they can talk about Islam all day long together?
We do not need two anti-Islamic parties in Britain whilst we do not have a single party that is the only one dedicated to fighting for Brexit.
Catherine. I disagree with you about Tommy Robinson but you are entitled to your view and should not have been sacked. Gerard Batten has revealed himself as a weak man who cannot tolerate dissent.
I have only just seen this news ( about Catherine’s sacking ) and I am shocked.
I very regretfully have to agree that Gerard B is showing himself to be very weak. But also, let us be honest, of not very high intelligence, sacking an economics spokesperson who clearly can argue articulately her ( and UKIP’s ) point of view.
And majoring now almost exclusively on TR.
Why is everyone still going on about a broken promise of £350 million a week for the NHS? The wording on Boris’ bus was: ‘We send the EU £350 million a week. Let’s fund our NHS instead’. There was never any promise by anyone to give the NHS this money. It was a suggestion – no more.
I agree, and my response to anyone who brings this up is that no promise has been broken because we haven’t left the EU yet, and if Theresa May delivers her vision of Brexit which sees us continue to pay this money to the EU, it will be impossible to keep.
The only promise that looks like it will be broken will be the promise that Britain will be leaving the EU, single market and customs union. 😉
Totally agree with your interpretation. However, my Brexit wrecking MP Sarah Wollaston continually drones on about ”the lie’ and cited it as the reason for her high profile flip flop from stating that she was in favour of leaving the EU to stating that she was supporting remain shortly before the referendum.
And what does she say now about having campaigned for Brexit in 2017 ?
Having begged people to vote for her and promising to uphold the Conservative GE 2017 election manifesto pledges re leaving the Customs Union and the Single Market she did no such thing. Westmonster came down to Totnes constituency to interview constituents about their feelings about our MPs Brexit wrecking. In the same week the Guardian newspaper did an article and the BBC SW Politics Today filmed UKIP out campaigning in support of the fishing industry.
Jake wrote:
“UKIP and Nigel were sidetracked during the referendum”
To be sidetracked is to cause them to be distracted.
I wager that’s not what you intended to say.
Instead, you meant “sidelined”, which we certainly were.
Without us there would neither have been a victory in the Referendum nor a Referendum in the first place. Vote Leave usurped credit for both and then went on to leave us with the blame for THEIR £350m a week for the NHS promise which was absurd. While our savings would be a lot more than £350m a week, how could we bind a future government as to what it would do with those savings?
Catherine, apart from probably your ‘take’ on Tommy Robinson, I agree with what you printed – and am now absolutely DISGUSTED to find that, indeed, you were ‘fired’ after this article. Having ‘worked like dogs’ to help sell the 1500 seats (and standing) at the Leave Means Leave Torquay event, my wife and I are blasting off similar protests to our ‘leaders’ over their blinkered attitude to other groups. I’ve already had the standard arguments and they just don’t hold water if we are not seen to STILL battle for Brexit.
UKIP should focus on Brexit – and Freedom of Speech.
Necessarily this should include some sort of defence of Tommy Robinson – but primarily on the grounds that the MSM should allowed people to hear directly from TR – instead of always being told by the presenter how “bad” TR is.
The same applies to Sky’s hatchet job last week of Germany’s AfD – framed by Sky as “Far Right” – without any definition or evidence.
Almost all of the 7 minute piece, was the Sky “reporter” giving an opinion piece – interweaved with a couple of tattoo sporting types (aren’t tattoos fashionable ??) – NOT AfD members or spokesmen.
Surely we can defend Freedom of Speech without appearing to side with “awkward” views ?
Spot on Jules 🙂
LEAVE MEANS LEAVE RALLY
RIVIERA CENTRE, TORQUAY ON 13TH OCTOBER, 2018
I attended this Rally on Saturday last, and have to say that it was absolutely amazing, the venue was ‘Full to capacity’, and the atmosphere electric.
The speakers included: Nigel Farage, Jacob Rees-Mogg, Tim Martin [Weatherspoons pub fame] and a local *fisherman, plus John Longworth & Richard Tice from the LML organisation doing an incredible job of chairing.
Standing ovations, flag waving and cheers were the norm and I have to say it was one of the best Rally’s that I have ever taken part in. If you had wished to be there and could not make it, you can see it all on YouTube, if you go to “Leave Means Leave Rally with Nigel Farage, Torquay UK 13th October 2018”, publisher ‘I am Spartacus’.
I would encourage you to watch the video if you possibly can, and suggest your friends do so as well.
*Fishing for Leave – some statistics:
English Channel and E.U. Quotas
Cod – E.U. controls 90% of the fish stocks and our
Fishermen are left to catch 10%
Haddock – E.U. controls 92% of the fish stocks and our
Fishermen are left to catch 8%
*Once we Leave the E.U.
Cod – E.U. will retain 30%
British fishermen’s catch increases to 70%
Haddock – E.U. will retain 35%
British fishermen’s catch increases to 65%
Britain’s fishing industry is worth £6.3 billion
Note produced by Elizabeth Curzon-Howe
We voted to remain in the uk then we voted to come out the Eu does it not mean thats it we leave we the people have voted leave so is our vote not worth anything now does that mean if you dont like anything you can ask for another vote again and again until you get what you want because to me thats what it means I didnt like some votes but had to accept so all these other people saying they dont like what has been voted should shut up other wise our democratic vote is finished in all aspects including law and parliment once again we the people voted leave with no deal they need us in europe not the other way around as Nigel has said we get what we want or we walk simple also does all these stupid mps think the people didnt know what they were voting for well we are educated people and we vote because Europe is bleeding us dry so people should wake up we have unemployment in our country young people have not got any hopes the tories keep saying there is lots of jobs but sorry not real jobs zero hour contracts are not jobs full time sick of all torie lies and goverments lies in the past maybe we the people should take it all back and sack them all after all we pay their wages with our taxes so we are their boss and they shouldnt ever forget this we have a great time now to take back our country
UKIP has a very poor press team and no strategy Catherine.
It’s not hard to get onto TV or the radio, but there is no way that UKIP can set the agenda. The Jo Coburn interview and subsequent whining from Gerard about BBC bias demonstrates UKIP’s inability to handle the media or understand the rules. Gerard even refuses to talk to SKY now; who does he think he is ? Jeremy Corbyn ?
The same goes for ‘strategy’ dealing with groups like LML / Bruges Group and so on. They will let UKIP into their meetings, but rightly don’t want UKIP rosettes and flags when the ONLY thing GB rattles on about is ‘death cults’ and ‘child rapists’ .
People are getting embarrassed by association now. I certainly will not canvass or support anyone unless their primary subjects are Brexit, the economy and the standard of living.
Tommy Robinson and the DFVA have had it. Robinson is going to go to jail in a few weeks because he can’t keep his trap shut and the DFLA have so many rabid Nazis and morons in their ranks they will find their marches banned. That Gerard supports them will doom UKIP.
UKIP must re-identify as a party of serious speaking people, not one-issue bigots. We need more of the Patrick O’Flynn and Suzanne Evans types who have media savvy and less of the Ernst Rohm types who hide their crooked crosses behind a Union Flag.
KB.
There it is. A word I haven’t seen from anybody. I’m getting excited. Could someone actually be saying something. “It’s the ECONOMY stupid”. Not you Kev… There are two Spokespersons for Business . This is the Economy. I have sat through two speeches and read three Articles here from them since they were appointed . I do not remember a single word or utterance about any thing to do with business or the economy.
Is it because nobody realises things are happening but because some pratt at the BBC says Britain is booming, it ‘s accepted and no one worries. No hint of a question mark…
NOW about Nigel etc
Could it be the problem with UKIP that it is short of heavyweights?. so no one listens.Could it be that LmL having 50+.MPs somehow upsets us. I understand they are a protest grpup not a party etc..But Except for our interest in politics we’re hardly one either. Others may be interested in drains and potholes. I know there’;ll be howls of protest. But I’m not either. Could it be that our leaders are so blooming pleased with themselved, They can’t have rivals.
LmL and others have often used ukip asfellow travellers, and done us the courtesy of respecting us. I am sure there have been numerous advances made. And What do we do ? I have no idea. Their flags and attendance has always been welcome. But they’re not quite up to our standards you know. We probably have more lawyers than you. Could we not have some sort of honorary membership for TR and LmLetcCould we not think of something.
Enough. ranting for one day.
No heavyweights indeed. When GB can only put himself up to speak on the TV and he refuses even to speak to some of the networks …. and then to cap it all has a post-interview video Twitter- rant at the BBC , UKIP will simply disappear into irrelevancy
O’Flynn and Evans ( both with journalistic backgrounds ) have a rapport with the press / media which allows them not only to understand the way it all works but also can actually establish working relationships and networks.
But I don’t think they are popular with TPTB anymore…..
Hi Kevin
I wasn’t going to bother posting anything but as you mention Suzanne Evans I was wondering if you’ve seen the following article:
https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/1033043/Brexit-news-UK-EU-latest-deal-vote-Theresa-May-referendum-Chequers-today-Dominic-Grieve
The short video clip within the article is of Suzanne Evans, just a couple of days ago, showing how it should be done.
Cheers.
Brenda
Brenda, good clip. Yes, UKIP greatly misses people like this. She can still get better media appearances than anyone in the party hierarchy, well you might say that is because she came from the BBC and is a luvvie like the rest of them, but at least she gets air time and she can make the same points but in a way that is acceptable to more people. You’ll note this is a link from the Daily Express which is Patrick O’Flynn’s old paper. And note Evans has been a very strong anti-burka campaigner, very strong anti-immigration, but she can do it in a way which is not seen as threatening. Frankly I didn’t think I’d ever say this but we would be in a much better position if she was in charge. Farage feared her, but that moment has passed and we should be begging her to take over – if she would ever want to.
She’s a friend of Iain Dale’s and was a radio journalist at the BBC for a decade. If you notice she gets her point across, Dale allows her time to speak and the atmospherics are not hostile.
Patrick O’Flynn is also very good and was at the Express for some time before UKIP.
What’s he doing now??
I agree to a certain extenr.
Some branch chairman and reps prefer to be a big fish in a small pool.
They’ll complain that no one has turned up then do their best to keep it that way by turning away supporters because they belonged to a street protest group a decade ago.
Honorary memberships all round, I say.
SO, he’s going to jail because he can’t keep his trap shut? Apart from being one of the most disgustingly cold and callous statements I’ve ever witnessed, the thought processes behind it make me wonder about the writer’s Social Conscience – or lack of it.
Are you against Free Speech, or particularly against speech that is hammering away at the incredible cover-up which has been going on for many, many years with regard to the horror of these Muslim Rape gangs?
And, with world-wide support, in what way has he ‘had it?
Apart from ‘not keeping his mouth shut’ about these barbaric rapists and paedophiles, has he not shone a light on the depths to which our once great country has sunk? You are entitled to not be one of his supporters, but are you quite sanguine about the way in which the State shot itself in the foot by trying to shut him up – possibly permanently! That, on appeal, his handling by Police/Judge/Prison authorities, from start to finish, was totally trashed as ILLEGAL by our highest judiciary? Are you not concerned about the fact that probably the greatest state scandal this century, when such authorities have been shown to have acted OUTSIDE THE LAW, is exacerbated by there not having been any suggestion of a Public Enquiry?
Just sweep all that under the carpet and get on with a Brexit which, going either way, will in the end mean NOTHING if we close our eyes to issues such as this? Huxley, Kafka, Orwell, C.S.Lewis and Machiavelli could have found little to add to what is now going on.
What if, during his ‘Wilderness Years’, In face of built in Fascists in this country and the masses who simply did not WANT to see, Winston Churchill had ‘kept his trap shut?’ Would he still have been chosen as the leader who undoubtedly was so instrumental in the Allied victory? And please don’t be childish enough to lash out that I am daring to line up Tommy Robinson with Churchill. Should Andrew Norfolk and Julie Bindell also have kept their traps shut? They originally exposed a hideous State cover-up, Robinson i is carrying on that exposure and no matter Who, What, When or How, ‘right is right’ – and your comment was sickeningly wrong!
You are very right to say this. It is apparent that the country is in a very deep state of rot and that too many are not aware of the prejudices that they allow to submerge good sense and right thinking.
I have learned over the last six months that, as example, a lorry driver can be more aware of the true state of things than those more politically immersed. They have time to sit and think and ponder. They know what is going on and the dangerous state we head towards without action soon.
These are the people who march for Tommy, angry and heartbroken that the country for which their sons and brothers and fathers serve or have served is awash with the sort of corruption, hypocrisy and cover ups worthy of the former Eastern Bloc. Illegal incarcerations and kangaroo courts? It is possible that Tommy Robinson is not the only victim of inconvenient penchants for truth either. Happy to live in such a country?
I am not. It was stated on here last year that problems facing the UK are too numerous for one person to tackle. We have our own swamp. How about suggestions for bolstering tbe leadership on all fighting fronts?
Well said Catherine. I have been a member of UKIP since December 1995 and at 76 have done my bit. I would support branch activities but there are none! Something is missing and we need energising across the land. We should be knocking on every door in sight right now but we are moribund. Something is wrong.
Catherine – I am sorry but it is very much a case of LML and other disparate Brexit campaign groups wanting nothing to do with UKIP and not the other way round as you would have it. Here is a response I sent to NF back in August, following his invitation to attend the LML launch event in Bolton:
Dear Nigel
How very interesting that you have chosen the final day of the UKIP Conference in Birmingham upon which to hold your first “Leave means Leave” Rally in Bolton. Not a coincidence, I suspect!
As one of your long-standing supporters (I joined UKIP in 2009 and have been a Branch Officer since 2014), I must express my disappointment and dismay that you now seem to have disassociated yourself from the party – the party which you helped to found; the party which you led to a successful outcome of its very raison d’etre in 2016 – and which you still represent as an MEP.
As someone who yourself suffered from being ‘cold-shouldered’ by the monstrous egos of Messrs Elliott and Cummings during the EU Referendum campaign, I am surprised that you cannot see the importance of presenting a united front to our ‘Remoaner’ opponents. That divided, unedifying and counter-productive approach cost the “Leave” campaign probably 2-3% of the vote in 2016 and it will cost us dearly again. There is an old adage, “My enemy’s enemy is my friend” and I urge you to remember which party helped you to achieve the national prominence you now enjoy and to work with us – not against us, as it appears – in order to achieve our common goal.
Please do not allow yourself to become yet another politician who fails to learn the lessons of history. We may all come to regret it. Meanwhile, I must decline your kind invitation below as I have a prior engagement. Thank you.
Regards
Geoffrey H Lazell
Branch Treasurer & Communications Officer, UKIP South Norfolk.
Needless to say, he did not reply and LML have not communicated with me since. Whether for reasons of personal enmity with GB or for those put forward by one of your other correspondents (i.e. personal ambition), NF has distanced himself from UKIP – to the point where I now question his right to still represent the party in the European Parliament.
Geoffrey You make an excellent point and many of us have sad memories of how UKIP and Nigel were sidetracked during the referendum. But, lets face it was UKIP, its thousands of committed activists and Nigel who got the referendum on the table in the first place. But, we needed to work side by side with Vote Leave to win the referendum. If it had been UKIP leading the national referendum campaign we woiuld have lost it. Elliot and Cunningham were the back office gurus who brought together the cross party support needed to win the referendum.
We need to undermine the party politics of Brexit once more and work with all groups that want to get a clean Brexit in the bag.
Nigel has done his bit for UKIP and he is now long gone. We need to turn a new chapter for UKIP and if we can get treble the number of Brexit activists on the streets working alongside LML then all well and good. We are on red alert for a general election and with UKIP literature being popped through the door equally along with non-party Brexit literature this has got to be a good thing.
Vote Leave was a disgrace.
They focussed on the “air war”, showed disdain for the “ground war”.
Nationally, they failed to challenge easily rebuttable Remain lies.
They failed to ask the Bruges Group, with their hundreds of well-researched papers and spokesmen.
They gagged other “experts” who knew their stuff about the EU through years of direct experience.
Instead they deployed recently evolved, unrehearsed Eurosceptics with insufficient knowledge.
Locally, they ignored hundreds of established campaigners (e.g from UKIP and the Tories) in favour of their dozen or so, inexperienced newbies.
With one exception, V L leaflets were rubbish.
So locally the Tories and UKIP spent a few hundred pounds on 50,000 of independently designed leaflets – including a window posters – which along with one excellent Leave.EU leaflet were all in demand.
Result ?
A couple of solid Leave voting Constituencies only outweighed by the Remain part of the Borough – in which VL had zero presence.
@ Jules Having said that – we won!
GL,
Am in complete agreement.
Bryan -A plague on both houses. We should not fall out over this and I agreed with you totally that the anti- Tommy side is also guilty of trolling. Fact is not opinion, or, dodgy application of statistics so here goes – last week there was 1 person out of a room of more than 10 (so that makes >90% to <10%) who thought Tommy should join UKIP. Yes, not representative of the branch, whose meeting it was, as a whole; you would need a ballot for that. That is why SE is looking at how we can best reflect our members' views.
Let's not forget that Anne Marie Waters came second to the EU plant, Bolton, last year. I have members who voted for AMW who were rightly insulted at Bolton & Farage's slurs the day after. I also encourage you all to read Alan Craig's excellent article yesterday. This is a policy issue, not a rally round Tommy, or any other single person for that matter. Tackling the criminal rape gangs is about proper policing, so sadly lacking for decades, GB behaving like 3rd world despots/USSR oppressives with prisoners on trumped up charges for political expediency is part of our policy on free speech and democracy. My personal view is that this is how UKIP should approach these issues. Happy to accept a challenge from those who think a political party is about the cult of an individual if you put your case properly, after all, Nigel got us our referendum even if he did let us down later. Just be aware that when it comes to worship of dear leader I am heartily sick of Oooh Jer-emy Coor-byn!
@Helena,
Please do not treat fellow members as though we have just fell out of a tree. It undermines your argument and leaves us questioning your honesty and integrity.
A couple of days ago you told us that in a show of hands 5 were anti-TR and 1 was pro-TR. No mention of 10 present as the 4 that abstained didn’t suit your argument.
Now you say that 1 was pro-Tommy out of 10. You have counted the abstainers as anti-TR. In a branch of say 28 members that means only 1/7th or 14% of your branch are confirmed as anti-TR in a show of hands.
You cannot count the views of non-voters as being in agreement with you.
Only 14%, not 90%.
I did read rightly didn’t I … That those who were ‘rightly’ slagged off by Fararge for voting for Anne Marie. I am still waiting for Mr F to give me a personal apology. Let him carry on with his group for Brexit, it can only do good, surely. But I’m sick of him slagging off and alienating Ukip and Members. He is purely a Brexit machine. Can’t and won’t look outside the box to anything else, he’s a very poor judge of character and loads more. However, Ukip are still holding stalls etc all over the country, even if it is now official that BATH is a disgusting place to be associated with. I’m still reeling from the attitudes, behaviour and criminal damage we Members experienced) we don’t need any more slagging off from Mr F. Thanks all the same
No you didn’t read it right, sorry if it was ambiguous, I meant that my members were right to feel insulted by those totally out of order comments.
And to reply to Catherine’s point about new members, I admit that while I did not join the party until April this year, I did not receive any contact from my local branch (Birmingham) until June, and for various reasons I was unable to attend branch meetings held in July or August (there was no branch meeting in September due to the conference), but I will be attending the meeting due to take place this Thursday. At this point I do not know what to expect, but I believe I’ll have a better understanding of what is happening with my branch after that. I do not have bags of money to donate, nor loads of free time to give up, but I will certainly do what I can to assist.
I think you’re way of beam on this one Catherine. Three quick points:.
Tommy Robinson has managed to fight on several different fronts at the same time for the last ten years. If he can do that, then I think UKIP should be able to fight on more than just the one if we want to be considered a substantive political party for the future.
I accept that Patrick O’Flynn is working hard for Brexit. But this is the same Patrick O’Flynn who, along with Douglas Carswell and Suzanne Evans, backed and supported Vote Leave, an organisation whose Chief Executive (Matthew Elliott) described one of their ‘3 big battles’, in the referendum campaign, as ‘fighting UKIP’. Hmmm…
Also you say we ‘must take every media opportunity we can’. Well, personally, I would describe Tommy Robinson’s 1,030,937 Facebook followers as a ‘media opportunity’. But you obviously think differently.
@ UKIP got the referendum on the table but it was Vote Leave that won it. Yes, we were sidetracked and Nigel got his nose rubbed in the muck but give Elliot his due it was his tactics that won it. The Electoral Commission set the rules of who would represent each side Vote Leave and Britain Stronger in Europe. Most Branches and activists chose to put party politics to one side and throw all of our weight behind Vote Leave – it worked.
The UKIP executive may not have liked having its nose put out but Ellliot knew what he was doing.
If Brexit activists from LML want to join with us in fighting the common cause of getting a clean Brexit through then it may be wise to let them as every Branch welcomes foot soldiers when it comes to leafleting.
By no means rally around a LML managed campaign or use only their literature. When campaigning together UKIP literature MUST have equal prominence and then only when LML activists are activiely engaging in leafleting as a group. If they will not agree to that reasonable compromise then sod them – we campaign alone.
I can’t agree with you about Vote Leave Jake. They were mainly the Tory party in the Westminster Bubble and apart from the last few weeks, when they started making ‘UKIP’ speeches, they were an absolute disaster, Cummings and Elliott particularly.
They formed in October 2015 and proceeded to spend the next 6 months squabbling amongst themselves (in London), printing some leaflets (in London) and phoning people (from London). They antagonised many people on the leave side, including Kate Hoey and John Mills of Labour Leave, and even managed to antagonise the Treasury Select Committee.
The referendum was won out in the rest of the whole of the UK in the 9 months leading up to June 2016 by Nigel Farage, UKIP’s nationwide organisation, the Grassroots Out organisations and backers, Leave.eu and many, many other supporters, who may have worn Vote Leave shirts at times but mainly belonged to the other groups.
Catherine begins her article with an opening line of “UKIP is nowhere to be seen”.
Apart from UKIP’s “Mr Brexit” Nigel Farage of course.
Now I admit I have not been to any of these Leave Means Leave rallies, nor have I seen any of the speeches.
But my question to Catherine is how much promoting or supporting of UKIP is Mr Farage actually doing at these events?
Gerard Batten made a strong point in his speech at conference about the relevance of “pressure groups”. I agree they do serve a purpose but that is all they are. The problem for UKIP is that they do not have any “bums on seats” in the House Of Commons. If a general election gets called, will Leave Means Leave (LML) be standing any candidates?
Pressure groups need to be allied with political parties. The problem with LML as I see it is they are very much a Tory-affiliated pressure group, and the signs are there that Nigel Farage is possibly about to deliver the ultimate betrayal to UKIP.
I have a worrying suspicion that he has affiliated himself with LML in order to ‘curry favour’ with the Tories, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he was to defect to them and stand as a Tory candidate at any future GE.
His message would then be to his followers and UKIP supporters to vote Tory, giving a false hope that he could somehow become Tory leader, then Prime Minister and then “save Brexit”. That would obviously be a devastating blow to UKIP’s prospects at the GE, which would be very satisfying for the Establishment, as well as ensuring a Tory victory.
I obviously hope I am very wrong, but a pattern seems to be emerging and the signs are becoming ever more obvious, that dark forces are at work to undermine and destroy UKIP as an electoral threat, not just from within but from outside.
To conclude, before anyone tries to shoot me down for being ridiculous, just stop and think for a second about things…
Good morning Stuart.
I don’t believe that Nigel will be allowed anywhere near the pro-EU, pro- mass economic migration and self serving parasitical House of Commons.
The Establishment so dislike him and us that they ordered the theft of ballot forms, the replacing of UKIP votes to Tory votes sent state agitators and Santa and fiddled election expenses leading to a court case for the Tory candidate (One day).
They underestimated how many votes they had to swap so a constituency that usually called their result by midnight had to delay until 10.30am the following morning.
It was so important for “dark forces” to send an anti UKIP message that South Thanet was the all day news on the msm. The message being that even in a constituency polling 75% for Nigel, the Establishment have the power to crush opposition.
I do agree that Nigel will be repaid for joining LML and helping nullify UKIP.
A nice ineffectual independent seat in the Lords would do it to add to his well paid radio slots.
Funny that saboteurs turns into Santa on predictive text.
But that does explain who sprayed Nazi Scum on my chimney breast on Christmas Eve.
SJ,
Mr Frage certainly allied himself with the tory party when appearing along with aaron banks on the tory recruitment poster.
It is really not fair of Ms Blaiklock to say that it is Gerard who is “obsessing over Tommy Robinson”.
On the contrary, it is the media, in particular the BBC, who call him to a round-table debate “to talk about Brexit”, and then when they have him at the table, go at him hammer and tongs about Tommy Robinson and nothing else. Just as previously, as soon as he became leader, the only thing they asked him about was whether he stood by his definition of Islam as a “death cult”. It is the MSM who have put about the false idea that after the referendum Brexit is assured, and UKIP’s role is over. It is unfortunate that Nigel’s resignation did not help in this regard. The series of leaders we have had since then, up until Gerard took the leadership, have not helped either.
It is also not true that “no one except myself” (herself) from UKIP has published “on the Bruges group”. If you go to the Brugesgroup.com/blog you will find two articles published there by me in August. One of them is about the European Arrest Warrant and how it could be dismantled in court, the other is, on “EU militia on British streets?” and has had more hits than any other article published on the blog pages of that website..
Derek Bennett, a long-standing UKIP stalwart and candidate in Walsall, has also published on the Bruges group website.
I have also had a number of articles published on the Campaign for an Independent Britain website, and last year I was asked by them to make a speech at a conference on “Alien legal systems” that they had arranged in the House of Lords.
For years we were told that UKIP was a “one-trick pony” aiming at Brexit and nothing else, and that to be elected and have any influence we had to have a full range of policies on all subjects that were of interest. The continual calls for us now to focus on Brexit and nothing else would be acceptable if we were just a pressure group, but UKIP is a political party.
Well, is the rape of thousands of children across the country, committed by gangs whose religious ideology allows them to do this, not of general interest? And is not the refusal, for decades, of local authorities and police to do anything about this, for fear of being called “racist”, not something that is worthy of attention of a political party?
The calls within the party for us to “stop banging on about Islamisation” is rather reminiscent of Cameron’s calls on the Tory party to “stop banging on about Europe”. Luckily Cameron failed.
I have supported UKIP since the last century, and have been a card-carrying member since 2007. UKIP has published two booklets by me, and a cover story in the Independence party magazine, and I have spoken from the platform at a number of party conferences.
Spot on.
Very well said Torquil.
Torqull Correct me if I am wrong but I cannot find the quote “obsessing over Tommy Robinson” you attribute to the author of the article.
Yes, the establishment cover up is an absolute disgrace but It is getting us nowhere and who can blame members dumping UKIP and jumping on the Leave Means Leave bandwagon. They feel they can make a real difference and get Brexit in the bag which is the most important issue of the day.
Catherine Blaiklock is doing the Party a great service by saying what has needed to be said for some time.
But only if “the Party” is listening to her,,,
It’s a YES from me.
TDE,
Seconded.
Myself and a few other kippers were at the Leave Means Leave rally in Torquay on Saturday. We didn’t make a big fuss as we were respectful of the fact that the rally was organised by LML, not UKIP!
I like to work cross party because, at the end of the day, my aim is first and foremost, to leave the EU. I stood for UKIP in the last General Election and intend to do so at the next. I mix with leavers from The Bow Group. Leave means Leave and The Bruges Group in London as well as many other London groups that have leavers as members. A few of us from our branch once attended a Chartists’ march, only to be told off for displaying UKIP signs. An apology was given as we were unaware it was not allowed. I can confirm that there are UKIP members involved in many such groups and there are many non UKIP members that think exactly as we UKIP members do.
I have been known to stand up and say that I am a UKIP candidate at meetings but most of the time I do not because the subject is the focus and the particular group running the event. I do not keep my membership a secret and it is accepted. It does not need to be constantly mentioned in discussions or even at all, if it is likely to be a barrier to open discussion.
Personally, I do not like division of leavers, as together we are more likely to be successful in our aim. I understand that there are legal and moral restrictions that have to be taken into consideration.
Oh dear, such shortsightedness. There’s a dangerous internationalist and supremacist ideology that’s on the rise in the UK which would, by command of its ‘Holy Book’, and protected by those who rule over us, would sweep away our Christian culture and subject our descendants to a fate far worse than EU membership. Yet you would rather avoid that Islamic long-term threat that’s coming down the road and focus purely on Brexit and the now.
People such as yourself have clearly failed to learn from very recent events where UKIP suddenly went into decline, thanks to the perception that its raison d’être had been achieved through the EU referendum. It’s a strong, well organised political organisation that will be needed to take on the next stage of national survival, not groups on the margins.
My response was supposed to be in reply t0 Geoffrey Bastin below. I don’t know how it got here.
Wise words anyway Cranky.
Dear Cranky,
I cannot be considered short sighted as my eyes were lasered at least ten years ago (but not my brain yet)! I am a global citizen as well as a British citizen. I have scuba dived around the world with divers of many nationalities and I was sent by The British Council to teach young Muslim children in a remote Gambian village school and I also went to research citizenship in Mauritius and attended a Hindu religious pilgrimage there.
I am aware of many of the challenges ahead and I get where you are coming from but I try to keep a balanced view and have no wish to alienate the percentage of people from other cultures that we do have a chance of integrating. My focus for now still has to be Brexit.
Well said Catherine. I have been saying the same myself and have been highly critical of the current leadership and his obsession with Tommy Robinson.
The problem with talking about Islam, grooming gangs and soldiers on disciplinary charges can only mean some people as looking for a punch-up.
I watched the latest TR video and he only seems to concentrate on how is telling lied about him, other victims of abuse or in his words creating a “sh*tstorm”. It is the language of revenge that impresses no one except a few with a grievance and will not attract one single floating voter to UKIP.
Alas I feel that this is just one more nail in UKIP’s coffin following the James, Nuttal and Bolton fiascos resulting in many more of us will leaving very shortly.
Geoffrey
I agree with your last paragraph, I will be (officially) leaving UKIP in a few month’s time when my membership expires. UKIP’s leadership, having produced a manifesto, appear to have no vision for the future of the UK after Brexit. UKIP reminds me of the EU, it exists to serves the leadership, it is them and us (the troops). Us (the troops) must not be allowed any voice that questions the leadership.
D.Turgoose
@dturgoose Where will you find an agreeable political home David?
Jake.
A good question. Until recently I thought that UKIP would be an agreeable post Leave home. What is lacking in the UK is a middle of the road political party that believes in the UK. UKIP could be that party if the UKIP leadership had a vision for the future. Labour definitely has a vision, the Conservative might have a vision, the LibDems are still in a ‘remain in the EU’ cul-de-sac vision whilst UKIP still has its ‘leave the EU cul-de-sac’ vision.
If the LibDems decided to support the UK instead of supporting the EU the LibDems could be that party as its non EU views are similar to UKIP’s. The LibDems could occupy the ground that, in my view, UKIP should be occupying.
D.Turgoose
You fail to mention that Tommy’s ‘sh*tstorm’ is all about protecting our soldiers? What are you doing to protect our soldiers Geoffrey?
Guess things must be different down your way. Gerard is coming to Barrow in Furness on Thursday, on Party business, and every venue we book so peopl can hearvhim speak is targeted by local left wing abusers, the new fascists. That’s free speech being targeted. Cross-Party Ukip. Not Brexit.
Alan You are right to point this out – yes, indeed, the new fascists – and I think every member in the Party would support UKIPs engagement in challenging this anti-democratic scum. But not everyone wants to engage in the demonisation of the Islamic religious ideology and it is not a vote winner on the doorstep in much of Britain however real is the threat of Islam on the horizon.
Anyway, I hope your events run to plan and productive in promoting UKIP up in the Barrow area.
The biggest problem I currently find is the obnoxious way stupid people tell us how we’re losing members, supporters etc etc, then stand in their moral cesspit telling us who should join and who shouldn’t even when millions of people know who TR is and hardly anyone knows who Catherine is.
Why doesn’t the author join the liberal elite, she talks their anti-working class dross.
Stick to economics eh ??
Mr Tomlinson,
Certainly the most disgusting comment I have read on UkipDaily.
I wonder who you are and who you represent.
My name is at the top of my comment. I represent my views and my views only.
I’ve been a UKIP member for years and have served my apprenticeship. I’ve stood as a candidate, done streetstalls and leafletting and stick my hand in my pocket when asked.
I am not here to please you and if you honestly dislike the education I’m offering, that’s a bonus.
To repeat;
Why do the Tommy haters tell us we shouldn’t talk about TR before they slag off TR while disliking any replies.
Catherine is our Economics Spokesman.
Stick to that eh.
I would certainly like to have the education, but cant find it among the verbiag.
Verbiage.
You can start your education with that.
Actually Rob, I agree with mr Thomlinson.
I attended conference and don’t know whether its a north/south thing or an age thing but there is a level of complacency, even within Ukip, that is frankly incredible.
Do you really have no idea what Islam intends ? What the Tory globalists and labour Marxists are using that to achieve? What inspired Tommy Rob to fight against them?
Frankly the future frightens the fk out of me so I stand as a PPC, at now 65, on behalf of my kid who is 15 and female. Does she understand? no not much. But she seems to have a hell of a lot more grasp of current events compared to some here.
We cannot find a venue where Gerard can speak here because the (anti) fascists ( !! ) Keep threatening the venues and the (common Purpose) plod don’t/won’t intervene to protect the venues, thus freedom of speech, thus democracy itself.
Rant over. But FFS wake up and open your eyes.
Isn’t it about time our leaders make a formal complaint to the police about the continuing refusal to allow free speech?
Better still, invite the nice football chaps to speak at the meeting.
One, you’ll have a nice crowd to fend off the useful idiots and secondly, the police will definitely turn up.
If it’s really exciting you’ll have a bigger crowd and more publicity at the next one.
The idea of free speech is so we can have a debate thats how you get the results sometimes good some bad but at least you have your opinion to share we dont have to all agree thats whole idea but they have taken this off us now that we the people should have been out in the millions protesting not the goverment or the police its us who have the power we pay their wages with our taxes we allow by consent thats the law after all look at the livepool debacle over 20 years to get the truth and all the goverment lied so why should we trust them
AP,
Completely agree.
No no no. Bryan is an annoying sod sometimes. But he’s OUR annoying sod. His points are valid, if uncomfortable. May I suggest Rob that we all stick together the best we can?
Or get a Momentum/Corbyn government…………..???
Our (unique UKIP) skill , is to have a punch up and a drink after our debate.
Let’s stick to that my friend !.
Together we win…
A Haa. There’s that word . The second time since the conference. ” economy “
Catherine With you all the way on your observations. Time to muck in with the Leave Means Leave and others. Yes, few will ever join UKIP and only temporarily if that and I can understand long serving Kippers possible thinking these groups rode on the shirtails of UKIP for the referendum and then stupidly vanished (including our past illustrious leader) falling right into the trap set by the political establishment.
Lets get stuck in with these groups, cast off the anti-Islam dalliance and win Brexit.
I firmly believe it is not so much about getting people to join UKIP – though that would obviously be a big help – but getting people to put their cross next to the name of the UKIP candidate at the next election is what will get UKIP MPs into the House of Commons.
Pressure groups are great, but when it comes to election time you can’t vote for a pressure group (unless they are a political party and are standing candidates).
I am in complete agreement with your comments. How can this Party be so quiet amidst all this mayhem that is now afflicting our country? Treacherous May’s antics in the House of Commons yesterday, was so painful to watch, and listening to all those imbecilic politicians with their self-important “questions” was farcical. This morning I expected to see that Gerard Batten and the higher-ups in UKIP would be all over this debacle, like a rash. Instead, there is silence. Where are they? What are they doing? Two weeks ago, I tried to send an email to Ukip head office, wanting Batten to be aware of general feelings amongst Party members. The response from the Party Chairman (Toby McIntyre) was that I had to go through Branch Chairman, then it gets passed up through the ranks. For God’s sake. It was just a simple comment on his obsession with Tommy Robinson, when we will get more votes for UKIP by concentrating on Brexit, and all the other issues that matter to the general public. Frankly, I thought why was I bothering with this Party, when now I am not deemed worthy of a comment being passed upwards, without so much fuss. My local branch are not exactly keeping on top of events. We could really do with a weekly update, but the chairman doesn’t contact anyone. It isn’t as if I could email current news to members, to make sure that members are aware of happenings. I just wish that my branch would be shown to be doing more. I’m not trying to force party policy, but rather wanting this Party to concentrate on the main points. All these other matters are diluting our force. We can’t enforce any mandate, without being elected in the first place.
Gerard Batten in that Channel 4 (?) Brussels programme, was adamant that he would not talk to certain newspapers, because they twist his comments, or delete answers that don’t suit their narrative. But he must talk to all and every media source. To get our UKIP message out there. That we are the only Party guaranteeing a Full and Complete Brexit from the E.U.
God help us, if he doesn’t get on with it soon. Otherwise, we will be overtaken by a General Election, and we don’t have enough Candidates. So how can we get votes? Publicity is the only way to do it.
Firstly, why bother talking to media outlets that demonise us ?
Talking to them loses us support and votes. Look at the TR debate as proof. A vindictive msm meets a gullible audience. Or creeps meet sheeps if you prefer.
We also have an Interim manifesto with a variety of policies chosen by our members. But you want only one topic to be discussed. That doesn’t make sense.
When you tried to pass on your views to GB, why do you think your views are better than say……..mine.
I didn’t bother emailing GB because I don’t suppose that everyone agrees with me and GB has to listen to me me me me me me.
Honestly Liz, why should your views be promoted to the leaders office ?
Bryan. I sent an e-mail to the UKIP party leader and I received a reply from his press secretary who did no even address one of the issues that I had raised. The result is a continuing lack of faith in the UKIP leadership. Because of other problems with the branch chair I no longer attend branch meetings and I doubt if I will renew my membership. I was hoping that UKIP would become a post Brexit political party, unfortunately it is still has the ‘I want to leave the EU’ mentality. If UKIP decides to become a Post Brexit party I might renew my membership.
One of UKIP’s failings is the lack of a an effective communications system for its members. This problem was clearly stated by most all of the leadership candidates in 2017 and the problem has yet to be addressed.
D.Turgoose
Elizabeth which area are you? In SE region and Surrey we are working to ensure the chain from grassroots up and vice versa works, the leader & chairman get a large amount of mail and don’t have the staff of a large party.
The policy survey was an initiative by the then chairman and NEC to engage with us over policy priorities. Yes, BREXIT.
In the SE we are looking at how we can best get our members views on Tommy & our constitution. Currently it looks like maybe 90% or more do not think Tommy should be a member & that apart from support over injustices we should stop obsessing on this and focus on Brexit right now. Like Catherine I shall now get trolled by the vocal group who take a different view
Catherine is doing her job- brilliantly, pestering for interviews. As economics spokesman TPTB should be expecting her to comment on the economic issue of the day every day. Are there still some of the ‘kill UKIP by a thousand incompetencies’ Tory plants in the system?
When you say trolled do you mean fellow members that disagree with you ?
Sorry to burst your egotistical bubble but we can have different views to you, and sit safely now, you could be wrong.
Trolled means what it says on the packet, rude and uncalled for comments. There should be room for differences between us and an acceptance of the democratic outcome – exactly what we ask the Remoaners to do. I see my task as pushing to get us a fully functional grassroots democracy.
I am most certainly not a Tommy hater, I doubt if many of those who are wary of waiving our rules to admit him are.
It’s a shame this has been so divisive, we should be able to put our case for our view calmly and cogently on this forum without insults – no trolling, from either side please ( you anti TR trollers know who you are)
Hello Helena,
I’m all for unity, calmness and an insult free debate. That’s what I was hoping for when I returned to UKIP Daily. I didn’t realise I’d see as much pretentious snobbery on here as I found on CiF.
Firstly, as you well know, the rules state that GB and NEC can admit anyone they wish, even those that you or i may dislike.
I’ll give you a typical example of anti-TR and anti-free speech comments we are ‘treated’ to on a daily basis. Here goes;
“At this time of crisis we should only be fighting for Brexit. Nothing else. Other debates should be ignored and we shouldn’t discuss anything else except Brexit and Brexit only. TR. should not be discussed. Definitely not. No way. Not a sausage. Ignore the pint sized punch bag from Oikville”
“But since i mentioned him, TR should not be discussed because I don’t like him. TR is bad. If TR joins it will be bad. TR has done this. TR has done that. TR’s followers are bad. UKIP will be finished. I’ll leave. My children will be bullied. I’ll lose social respectability. Thugs. Louts. Five sixths of a small meeting agreed with me which means 90% of total membership agrees (my favourite).Plague of locusts.Etc.”
If the Tommy haters wish to move on from the TR debate it would be a good idea if they moved on themselves.
Helena,
I’d rather not say my area, as the troll on here, sees fit to interject his comments onto everyone else’s. I did not expect a reply from Gerard Batten, as I am well aware that he would receive a large amount of mail. The things I said in my email, did not really entail going through the palaver of the five (?) stages up to our Leader. It was just general information on public mood locally. I just thought there would be a generalised “thanks for your comments” response. Until we achieve a full Brexit, our country is actually in no state to change anything else. We need to have Ukippers elected to Parliament, then we will have a public voice, and will have to be included in more media events. For any Leader to turn down any media is a big mistake. We have to engage with the msm, even though we know things get twisted, and distorted. It is the msm that most of the public use for news. There just seem to be so many disagreements amongst party big-wigs, and the bigger picture is ignored. Too many egos at work. It is dispiriting. All Leave groups need to be united, otherwise, we will cease to be effective. Elizabeth
Elizabeth – I had to look to see if I hadn’t written this comment in my sleep! Every word you typed could have been written by me and I share your obvious sense of frustration. I write almost weekly – and almost alone among local UKIP members – to my local paper edited by Remainer / LibDems. We have almost disappeared off the radar though it has to be said the media, locally and nationally, is almost solidly remain so we continue with an uphill struggle. However we must not give up.
Hello Stan,
Thank you for your comment. It is so frustrating, especially as I long for my local branch to be doing more. Maybe there is more going on behind the scenes, but we just don’t know about it. I have tried contacting them, but the chairman is not available. Even though there is a local facebook page, there needs to be more out in the streets. The trouble is, it all costs money, which is in short supply. One of my local papers is definitely Remain, and Labour-supporting, with a dash of LibDems in the mix. And the Conservative MP has his own column every week. It cheers my spirits whenever I see a UKIP letter on the letters page. Just have to continue on, though as you say, it is an uphill struggle. Elizabeth
I believe that UKIP, among other necessary things, should be for Brexit, anti-Islam and anti-establishment. Of course there is a hierarchy of those things and Brexit must come first for now.