UKIP

[admin]

Have received the following e-mail and been asked to post it on the forum.

Dear Perseus

As an official of the UK Independence party in the North East who is in a Civil partnership, I have noted your insulting and incorrect accusations of "homophobia" which you attribute to UKIP's total membership.

Clearly you are badly informed, or just ignorant, but I can assure you that homophobia plays no part in the thinking of UKIP's membership.
UKIP members are united in pursuing a common set of objectives and are motivated by a common bond of patriotism and not divided by petty irrelevances such as sexual preferences, colour or religion.

I would therefore request you withdraw this accusational slur on my colleagues and friends whom I work alongside to further UKIP's objectives.
Is that clear enough for you perseus?

Gordon Parkin

[admin]

This is David Riddle's reply to Eric Wilson who had queried the exclusion of UKIP from the English Martyrs 'Hustings'

Dear Mr Wilson

As you may be aware from comments that were brought to my attention on a local political forum, there was a 'hustings' style event held at our college last week, which UKIP were not invited to. This was an over sight on my part as I simply looked at the councils webpage and tried to ensure I gained representation for all the relevant political parties that make up the council in its current form.

Given that UKIP currently have no serving council members, this deviated my attention and I forgot that although this is the case now, you are submitting candidates on My 3rd.

Firstly, can I apologise for the over sight.

As for the event itself, I think one thing that became evident from the outset was that we were restricted in terms of time and there was insufficient time to take questions from the students.

Always keen to act of feedback, I am organising another event which will be held on Tuesday 12th June from 1pm-3pm. Essentially, the 2 hour slot will be very similar to Question Time. I intend to simply introduce the panel and immediately take questions from the floor (made up of our students). I will play the David Dimbleby role and attempt to keep you all in order!!

The questions submitted will be decided entirely by the students but you can anticipate them being on both local and national issues which are relevant to their age group.

The event itself is part of a 'Tolerance Week' where all of our students are off timetable and we have various organisations and speakers attending the college to promote the tolerance message. For example, HartGables the local LGBT group, Friends of Israel will be speaking followed by The Palestinian Solidarity campaign, somebody from MIND to champion the rights of the mentally ill and things of that nature.

As I consider your organisation to be politically active members of our towns community I am inviting you to the event to represent  UKIP (If there are too many of you who want to come to make up the panel at the very least you can be part of the floor and submit questions).

I look forward to hearing from you if you would like to be involved in the event.

Kind Regards

David Riddle

[Julie noted]

I would say, quite categorically, that those accusing HTH of 'bias' can see from the above posts, that the site is open to all issues and points of view.
They are even willing to 'advertise' labour and tory voting propaganda (which neither have bother to take up). 

Yes, there are people using this site that can't abide the labour/tory amalgamation in this town but that isn't the fault of HTH and is not necessarily their view either!

This is one of the best run sites in the UK, in my view and well done the team.

No, I have nothing to do with the site personnel...to my knowledge I've never even met any of them. 

[steveL]

I think we'd find that there are people in all parties who have uttered homophobic nonsense at some stage while at the same time having gay members. This is not a result of policy but of the biggoted views of individuals and all parties have their fair share of those.

I don't know about the BNP because I pay little attention to them but all of the other parties can legitimately claim to have moved into the 21st Century on this issue.

[mike1972]

I love the way some people will make comments about certain parties being this or that and then acting if butter wouldn't melt within their pary, however in the cold light of day this isn't really reality is it?
Lets start looking at each party - Labour, 'hail multiculturalism and we stand for the common man in the UK'. They introduced open door immigration to such a scale now our very own British are struggling to find employment. The big R word racism hmmm let me think Diane Abbott springs to mind. How could we not forget in Sunderland we had the IRA supporting Cllr and then the Cllr who was wanting HRH Prince Philip dead. Then we must not miss out the lovely RED KEN.  Livingstone – who is running in this year's London Mayor electoral race – refused to apologise after claiming that the Conservative party was "riddled" with homosexuals. Ken's refusal to apologise for embracing a fascistic cleric who supports the "right" of Islamic theocracies to murder their gay citizens. Several more anti gay remarks later and we find ken having a pop at the Jewish community in London too.

I don't want to make the Tories upset by leaving them out either. Let me think, back in the 80's there was this party who came up with something called Section 28. Now who recalls this ? I recall it being very homophobic but lets not dwell on the past and bring things back up to date. Theresea May, lets look at her voting record:
She voted against the following
Repealing Section 28 ( sorry to drag that up but liek abad smell in a lift that won't go away easy)
Against lowering the age of consent in homosexual realtionships to 16 making it EQUAL
Against Gay adoption Rights
Against human fertility rights - which could give lesbian couples the ability to receive fertility treatment.
Then there were other comments from MP's re the B&B situation and the couple turned away.

Ah yes one must not forget that lovely party called the Lib Dems. Simon Hughes, Mark Oaten and now David Laws – who have gone to considerable lengths over the last decade to conceal their homosexuality, Hughes I do nopt have any sympathy for, given the homophobic flavour of his by-election campaign against Peter Tatchell. David Laws has insisted that, despite his free market views, he is not a Tory at heart. But if he had defected a few years ago, I think he could safely have come out by now. Doesn't say much for the Lib Dems now does it ?

Do I need to go on ?  You get the picture all parties at some point have been /had homophobic tendencies. Re the comments on UKIP one can see that a few bad pennies are not the party as a whole. I do not truly support gay marriage myself, That doesn't make me homophobic in the slightest what I believe is that marriage is an out dated institution and  when I look around my friends and family I see it fail far more that it succeeds, having said that I am very much in favour of people having the choice regardless to choose for themselves. Just because I do not like the idea doesn't mean it is wrong or right. I would like to point out that I have been with my male partner for the past 13yrs and we both support UKIP in fact my better half is the current Branch Chairman for the local Middlesbrough Branch.

I am an out gay man and I vote for UKIP because I believe in them, I have seen how the other 3 parties time and time and again have let down the good people of this country.
People are often very quick to say UKIP are just like the BNP well these people have obviously never looked into what UKIP are about or read the T&C's
Members shall be considered to be fully paid-up until the end of the month of expiry. Membership shall be considered to have lapsed if not renewed within a further two months.

The Party may refuse or rescind an application for membership if the National Executive Committee considers that the application does not fulfil the criteria for membership as set out in the Party Constitution.

The Party Secretary has the right to suspend or expel members who clearly bring the Party into disrepute by association with or membership of an organisation, membership of which the NEC has declared to be incompatible with membership of the Party.

Membership is not available to anyone who is or has previously been a member of the British National Party, National Front, British Freedom Party, British People's Party, English Defence League, Britain First or the UK First Party. Any applications made from people who are or have been members of these organisations will be refused, and any subscriptions collected will be refunded. By applying for membership you certify that you are not and have never been a member of any of these parties.

[The Shadow]

Membership is not available to anyone who is or has previously been a member of the British National Party, National Front, British Freedom Party, British People's Party, English Defence League, Britain First or the UK First Party. Any applications made from people who are or have been members of these organisations will be refused, and any subscriptions collected will be refunded.

Well I know of at least one UKIP candidate here in Hartlepool who was a founding member of the Hartlepool branch of the National Front. Can he have all of the subscriptions he's paid over the years refunded?

Shame really as he's probably one of the best guys you have.

[mike1972]

Well if that is correct ( we only your word to go on ) feel free to provide your evidence of this to the party, then they can deal with it and hopefully get tot he bottom of this matter as people with those sort of views are not welcome within UKIP.

Head Office
PO Box 408
Newton Abbot
Devon
TQ12 9BG

FREEPHONE 0800 587 6 587
mail@ukip.org

[The Shadow]

LLTA - I agree with you fella. I like the man and as I said he's probably the best UKIP have.

Mike, it ain't my job to do that my friend, they are your rules. Not mine.

Incidently... Ever notice how many posts on twitter with eht #UKIP hash tag also have #BNP and #EDL in the same tweet?If you haven't anything to do with these organisations Mike, your party seriously needs to do more to give that impression.

[mike1972]

I wasn't looking for him on google at all, I was actually in the middle of my tea and I have no idea who is he is. I am not familiar with every UKIP member. Now I do believe that everyone should have a second chance but if this person still has the same views then that is not the type of person UKIP really wants. 

[for fawkes sake]

I know this thread is about UKIP, but why not start another thread, Perseus and give us your thoughts about the number of Labour politicians both local and national who were signed up Communists in their youth? Carl Richardson, for example, is reputed to have a picture of Stalin hung on his office wall at the Civic Centre; Stalin being the one responsible for killing millions of his own people though executions and starvation.
Labour has long been the traditional hiding place for communists and I suspect we have a few in the council chamber; there's certainly one or two who could pass for Russian shot-putters.

[Julie noted]

That is a lot of hard work, perseus. It made thoughtful reading.
However, with regard to the LOCAL elections, I don't care about the national party, or parties. 
We are about to vote for the people we hope will consider Hartlepool FIRST in every decision, and not where they and their associates can, allegedly, procure jobs and council taxpayers cash.
If you think the local UKIP people are like some of the people you mention in your post...don't vote for them.

I'm a little tired of people focusing on the 'Lilley's' or the 'Allison's' with regard to Putting Hartlepool First. 
People's perception of them may be correct but Putting Hartlepool First is not just about those two families.
There are some strong characters in the 'ranks' of PHF and they will not be the pushover, some people appear to think.
Although Fred Corbett hasn't been on HTH during the last couple of weeks (to my knowledge), he is going to be a fighter for the people of his ward.

Likewise a number of others standing for PHF.   If Lilley & Allison think they will have it all their own way...they are in for a shock. 

That said, I may be making a big, big mistake by voting PHF.
In which case I will simply accept the blow and think at least I voted for a change in Hartlepool, even if it didn't come to fruition. (But it will  ).
The proof is in the pudding...speaking of which...must go, the oven's on!!

[Julie noted]

LlTa; I did respond this afternoon to your querying my Fred Corbett comment but for some reason it isn't on the board.
I've no idea if Fred is on here.
It appears you have him sussed but I don't recognise anything that 'gives him away'. Not that it would bother me either way. 

I like Fred from his snake pit encounters and 'Mail' letters, simple as that.
Once again, that is why I'm voting Putting Hartlepool First.

I'm not a candidate, nor am I related to any candidates but I would like to see some fresh blood (and fresh air) in the den of iniquity they call the council chamber. 

If I have made a mistake I'll hold my hands up and say so..but I'm willing to give the new guys and gals a try. 

[Micksmate]

I think intelligence wise we're in different divisions mr LLTA.

I pity people like you.

Going by your comments, I take it that you have a Master's degree in everything?

[notinshadow]

Who is Mike?

[Micksmate]

.....(Persues glances at framed document on his office wall).

Judging by your answers and your choice of grammar it seems you are the one to be pitied, you are so far up yourself you will shortly be kissing your a***e thinking it's your face, it's because of people like you that a lot of other people have stopped using the site.  P.S. I don't belong to a party, I am intelligent enough to make my own decisions.