Alan Stone for NEC
For your information, I am standing for NEC election and, should I win a seat, I will do my utmost to push through the changes we have discussed.
Basingstoke Branch, for which I am Chairman, is having an EGM next week to insist the NEC holds a meeting to discuss reforms. We are not insisting reform is needed, but do insist reform is discussed.
Thank you all for replying to my “UKIP needs direction” e-mail. In all, some 500 members replied and although most were just short notes agreeing with my thoughts some of you brought some really positive ideas to the table. I will post some on my website later this week (alanstone.org)
Summary of replies:
1. The central party must produce an online database of leaflet, flyer and poster materials that can be adapted easily for branches to use. This database must include stock photographs that are UKIP copyright.
2. Complaints and disciplinary matters must be resolved quicker. Maybe giving the County Committee powers to administer some of these issues that clog the regional officers’ desks.
3. UKIP must de-select candidates that publicly disrespect Party or elected members. Criticism must be kept behind closed doors. The public face of any organisation must be of unity.
4. Branch officials need direct access to OUR N.E.C members, either directly or through the County Chairman.
5. N.E.C decisions should be made available to all members.
6. We need designated party spokespersons on specific policy areas (like education, NHS, Defence, etc) backed up by a team of the industry trained professionals that exist at Branch level. They must produce a regular “line to follow” email for ALL branch chairmen
7. There needs to be a robust member training program.
8. UKIP leadership must, with some urgency, provide a post BREXIT plan for the Party and the Country.
9. Very few criticisms of my policy ideas. (See original email) Branches must be consulted on policy planning.
10. Party management must be more businesslike and they must remember it is a PEOPLES PARTY not a private members club.
Thank you, again please feel free to reply and pass this email on to all your Branch members. We won a battle, the war is not yet over. UK needs UKIP.
Yours Sincerely
Alan Stone
Rob McWhirter for NEC
My candidacy website – www.rob4nec.info – is now live.
As an incentive for UKIP Daily readers to study it carefully, hidden somewhere within is regular author Sonya Porter, as well as possibly the oldest bit of Cable & Wireless kit in the world!
Happy hunting!
Rob McWhirter
Lee Harris for NEC
Do you want to see UKIP grow? Grow in membership size, grow our number of council seats held, grow our number of MP’s and AM’s? I do and I say let’s Go For Growth.
UKIP as a party already have millions of supporters the length and breadth of this green and pleasant land who like our excellent policies. We now need to create a credible party that is ready to govern at all levels. This will enable us to build upon the 4 million voters from 2015 and establish our own Westminster power base.
It has been said numerous times by the likes of Paul Nuttall MEP, Bill Etheridge MEP and Suzanne Evans to name but a few, that UKIP are at our best when we are at our most radical; and I wholeheartedly agree.
One radical proposal I would fight for and support if elected to our National Executive Committee is for a regionally represented NEC. There are two ways in how it could work in my eyes with the first being that each region has one representative elected to the NEC from a regionally held ballot. This would help to ease members fears that their voice, or their region is not being heard.
Taking into account the difference in membership sizes from region to region I came up with a second method. In this method each region is allowed to have one NEC representative for X number of members. Much like how council wards often have more than one Cllr depending on the size of the ward and the electorate, UKIP could do the same. Say that the South East has ten thousand members, it would be given two seats of representation where Scotland for example would only get one representative for having 5 thousand members.
Both methods I believe would encourage regions to not only retain its members, but to actively go out and recruit more new blood to the party.
All candidates wishing to stand in internal elections would also be required to have been a UKIP member in good standing for a minimum of three years. Each candidate would also have to pass a vetting process before being eligible to stand. We expect it of our elected parliamentarians, so why not for our NEC?
Keeping with the radical thinking, I believe that it is about time UKIP practiced what we preached. We believe in more direct democracy. If elected, I will campaign for the Party Chairman to be an elected position.
Further to this I also believe any and all internally elected positions should be open to recall by the membership. 51% of members, either regionally or nationally, depending on the position would be required to sign a document calling for the recall of an elected official. Said elected official would be automatically put on to the fresh ballot if they wished to be in order to make their case to their electorate.
With not only campaign management experience behind me, proof of which is in my appointment by GO! to lead the victorious North West referendum campaign, I also have life experience. From growing up on a council estate in the North East of England to serving on the front line in Afghanistan; to standing for political office. I believe that I am extremely well qualified and well suited to helping this great party forge a path to Westminster.
Go For Growth by voting for Lee Harris in this NEC election.
Lee Harris
Chairman, UKIP Bishop Auckland
In my ‘Personal Information’ text submitted for publication in INDEPENDENCE magazine ( out this week) I included my NEC dedicated website address: http://www.rhys4nec.co.uk and also reference to the fact that I posted regularly on http://www.ukipdaily.com .
For some reason ( I have asked but not yet received an answer ) those parts of my text were omitted.
Some other candidates do have their website addresses published.
And I had hoped that the reference to ukipdaily might increase traffic to this important site. Certainly I would suggest that an article about ukipdaily should go into the next printed INDEPENDENCE magazine.
Article on Breitbart London states that Nutall will not debate on Radio 5 Live with Rees Evans. Evans didn’t respond to their request for a comment. In the comments underneath someone said “UKIP fiddles while Brexit burns” – very apt I think
Alan Stone, re your Point 3: Better not make that retrospective, or quite a few heads would roll!
YI disrespecting leadership candidates, so abolish them, Lee? Interesting!
I’m thrilled that ukipdaily is receiving an increasing number of candidate statements. Seems as if the penny is dropping that many members are reached this way, the majority probably reading articles rather than posting comments. Are members who visit ukipdaily more likely than average to vote in UKIP elections? I should think so.
Hmm. 3rd edition has had 210 visits, out of 30-40K members… if there are at most 2K readers of this site, then most members will vote based on Independence News, so will comments here make much of a difference?
(Takes cynical hat off and starts listening to Cosi Fan Tutti…)
Cosi Fan Tutti
Is that the new “Tea Cosi Parti”?
I visit ukipdaily every morning and then at various times throughout the day. I will definitely make my election choices from those who have posted here, as they have shown that they want to reach out to the membership.
I do hope that the readership can be continually expanded.
It is unfair to be xclude candidates who have not posted here, as many will not be aware that this place exists…
Well they ought to be aware of UKIP Daily, and if not shouldn’t someone make them aware.
UKIPDaily is not an official publication, so who should be making them aware? Has anyone from the branch ditirial team asked for a plug on MyUKiP or UKiP.org?
Oops editorial team
Good to see NEC candidates posting their ideas here. Thanks guys.