UKIP

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UKIP Newsletter

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The UKIP campaign in Corby continues to go well and we are getting a great reaction on the doorstep.  The office is now open at 7 New Post Office Square, Corby, NN17 1PB.  This means that activists no longer need to wait for the next Action Day to come along and help out – come along any time, although we would appreciate it if you phone Lisa on 07890 110225 in advance to help with our planning.

With by-elections it's important to remember that traditional thinking needs to go out of the window – the worst mistake that we could possibly make is to wait until the by-election has actually been called!  Louise Mensch has already 'resigned' (been appointed as Steward and Bailiff of the Manor of Northstead) so we know that there will be a by-election.  The campaign is now essentially a race – can we get our message across before the other parties?  Momentum is also key – we need to be seen as a Party that has the chance to do very well in the election and included in all of the media coverage.  This won't happen if we wait until the last minute.

Even worse, if we wait too long there's a risk that our message won't be heard at all.  During the last few weeks of a by-election campaign frustrated voters have already had dozens of pieces of literature put through their doors and can switch off.  The best advice?  If you can get to Corby, go as soon as you can!

Some members have asked me what will be happening in the other Parliamentary by-elections which are due to take place on the same day in November.  By-elections are also expected in Manchester and Wales, and whilst Corby is clearly the target seat we do expect to select candidates for the other Parliamentary by-elections.

UKIP NEC member Louise Bours takes 27% in Council by-election

Louise Bours took 524 votes and 27% of the vote in Congleton East at a Council by-election last night, finishing just 90 votes short of winning in a ward which had not been contested by UKIP before.  The full results were as follows:

Conservative 614
Labour 533
Louise Bours - UKIP 524
Liberal Democrat 340

Gerard Batten comment in today's Daily Express

THE big problem with immigration is in sheer scale and numbers. The current level is simply unsustainable.  England is one of the most densely populated countries in the world. Our transport system, roads, health service, schools and public services are buckling under the unremitting tide of new people.

Before the General Election in 2010 the Tories promised to slow the rate of immigration to a few tens of thousands a year. Even this level would only return us to the situation in the mid-1980s. The Coalition has utterly failed to deliver any significant reduction and shows no sign of seriously addressing the problem.  Although the level of net population gain has decreased slightly, the Office for National Statistics describes this as "not a statistically significant difference". Parliament long ago made itself powerless to refuse entry to EU citizens, all of whom have an automatic right of entry, but 55 per cent of migrants come from outside the EU. The Government could do something about this if it had the will to do so.

The Labour Government engineered mass immigration in order to create an irreversible "multicultural society". The ONS figures show that 25 per cent of all births in England and Wales are to foreign-born mothers. In London that figure rises to almost 57 per cent. Has any of this benefited the British people?  The effect of mass immigration has been to drive wages and living standards down for those at the lower end of the economic ladder and to drive property prices up beyond the reach of their children.

Illegal immigrants should be deported where and when identified; work permits should only be granted where there is a genuine vacancy that cannot be filled by a British citizen; foreign students must leave when their visas expire or face a long ban on re-entry; and we must leave the EU to regain control of who can and cannot enter our country.

Euro collapse?

The Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico has told reporters that he sees the euro as having a 50% chance of surviving, and a 50% chance of splitting.  Of course, the euro 'should' split but so much credibility has been gambled on the euro that I am not yet allowing myself to get carried away with the thought that the euro is on the point of implosion.  These things take time.

When the euro was first launched, our standard argument was that to join a currency union which required different countries to share the same interest rates was absolute folly.  One-size-fits-all simply could not work, and therefore it would be utter madness for the UK to join such a currency union.  Indeed, for a single currency to have any chance of survival there would be the need to treat the entire eurozone as though it were a single country and for money to be moved about at the whim of the eurozone with all financial sovereignty being removed.

We argued of course that such a state of affairs would be completely unacceptable, but the pro-euro lobby kept promising that we could have the euro without major external control of our economy.  It was clear from the outset that the idea of a single currency without huge central control was economic naivete at best.

It's remarkable really that there were just two economic arguments in favour of joining the euro: saving money on currency exchange, and 'access' to a strong currency.  The first argument was true but pitifully small when compared to the overall issues affecting the whole economy.  No-one would try to sell a brand new car with the chief selling point being a £5 Marks & Spencers voucher as an inducement to buy, yet the pro-euro camp did the equivalent of that.  The second argument – access to a strong currency – can now be seen in its true light.  The pound was always a strong currency; the euro untried and untested.

History tells us that fixed exchange rates don't work.  The Exchange Rate Mechanism ('the euro without the notes and coins') devastated the British economy in the early 1990s as 100,000 businesses went bankrupt and unemployment doubled.  We were forced to leave.  Earlier, the Bretton Woods formula suffered similar collapse.  Even at the time of the euro's launch, Argentina was pegging its currency to the dollar and suffering the consequences.  Citizens were not allowed to withdraw more than $1,000 a month from their bank accounts.  When Argentina was eventually forced to allow its currency to float, the peso devalued overnight – the 'cost' of a dollar went from 1 peso to 1.40 overnight, and even hit 4 pesos soon after.

I wonder whether European leaders could really have failed to see that at the time.  Perhaps the intention all along was to take the euro to this point; economically a crisis had to happen eventually.  The only surprise was that it took so long.  The euro was never an economic project, although it was packaged as such.  It was a political project designed by those who wanted 'more Europe' and moves towards, in effect, a United States of Europe.  As a political project, European leaders have shown that they are committed to keeping the euro running – even when it is not in their own countries' interests to do so.  Whilst politicians are prepared to go to any lengths to keep the euro afloat, I expect to see a lot more hardship for the people of Europe before they are ready to recognise that the demise of the euro would actually be in the best interests of their own countries.

Best wishes,

Jonathan Arnott (UKIP General Secretary)

[admin]

The Party Conference this year will take place on Friday 21st and Saturday 22nd September, with a Training Day and other events also scheduled for Thursday 20th.  The theme of the Conference will be 'Beyond the EU – the Way Ahead'.  Tickets are selling well, but we need more members to sign up.  At a time when the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats are said to be about to have record low attendances at their Conferences, what better way to show the media that UKIP is an up and coming Party than to have our venue packed to the rafters?  Please book online today at www.ukip.org if you are able to attend.  Steve Crowther has released more details of what will be happening at Conference, featured later in this newsletter.

If you are planning to travel a long way to Birmingham, why not combine the trip with a visit to the Corby by-election campaign on the Sunday after Conference (or the Wednesday before)?  Getting more activists to the campaign will be absolutely critical to our chances of success – with indications already that we are taking votes in both Labour and Conservative areas of the constituency, could this be our best Westminster election result ever?

More UKIP publicity in the Daily Express

UKIP Leader Nigel Farage MEP was mentioned in the print copy of yesterday's Daily Express, with the comment that he pointed out just 11 of the 61 Cabinet and Shadow Cabinet members have any experience working in the private sector.  At least 24 had never held a proper job and 20 had worked for lobbyists or campaign groups.

On Monday, it was UKIP Deputy Leader Paul Nuttall MEP who featured in the Express – after pointing out that we are still giving foreign aid of £280 million to India, whose economy grew by over £1 billion in just three months.  Paul Nuttall was quoted as saying "India's unexpected increase in growth amounts to almost three times what the UK gives them in aid. Surely this just underlines why we have to cut our aid to them.  They are not a charity case."

UKIP Chairman Steve Crowther releases details of this year's Conference

The EU is in crisis, the Euro suffering a long slow death, and all over Europe political movements are arising to challenge the undemocratic European Project. But what comes next? What does the future hold for a UK, and a Europe, freed from the shackles of the 'great harmonisation'?  In a Conference speaker line-up of unprecedented quality, we will hear from some of the most influential economists and politicians, on their vision for the future.

The speakers will include.....

Two Treasury advisers

This year we have not just one, but two of the legendary 'Wise Men', former advisers to the Treasury and among the country's leading economists.

ROGER BOOTLE – THE FUTURE OF THE EURO  Fri 15.00

Winner of the Wolfson Prize for Economics, the world's leading award after the Nobel Prize, Roger Bootle is recognised globally as the expert on the future of the Euro, the Eurozone and how countries can escape it.

TIM CONGDON – BETTER OFF OUT  Fri 14.00

More jobs, more growth, lower debts, rising prosperity: what will life be like for the UK after we throw off the EU straitjacket? Prof Tim Congdon has spent ayear working on the figures, to unveil a startlingly different outlook from the one the Europhiles predict.

Two 'dangerous men'

Two of our speakers this year have recently featured in international lists – demonstrating their importance in the shaping of Europe's future.

TIMO SOINI – TRUE FINNS LEADER  Fri  14.40

One of the '13 People Who are Ruining the World's Economy' according to a recent media report, Timo is at the forefront of opposition to the Euro bail-out policy, within the Eurozone itself.

NIGEL FARAGE – 'LEADER OF THE OPPOSITION'  Fri 11.45

One of the '10 Most Dangerous People in Europe' (which also featured Timo), Nigel is now regarded not just in the UK and Europe, but globally, as the voice of opposition to the failed European Project.

Two challengers of orthodoxy

Religion and politics are inextricably – and potently – linked. This year we will hear from two outspoken people who have made a stand.

MAGDI ALLAM MEP – FROM ISLAM TO CHRISTIANITY  Fri 10.40

An Egyptian-born journalist now representing an Italian constituency in the European Parliament, Magdi Allam converted from Islam to Christianity. Now a member of the EFD, he's uniquely placed to give insight into the convergence of religion and politics in the new Europe.

REVEREND DR PETER MULLEN  Sat 10.45

One of the most outspoken Anglican priests of our time, the former Chaplain to the Stock Exchange is now the leading blogger for the Daily Telegraph, known for his uncompromising yet intellectually rigorous views on the issues of modern life – and especially politics.

Two giants of the media

The spectacular change in UKIP's fortunes over the past three years has been reflected and driven by the change in the view of the mass media. Two of ours speakers this year exemplify that change.

PATRICK O'FLYNN – NEWSPAPER VISIONARY  Fri 15.50

When the history of the UK's exit from the EU are written, one of the milestones will be the Daily Express's emergence as a fully-fledged campaigner for withdrawal. The architect of that policy, Chief Political Commentator Patrick O'Flynn, looks forward at how UKIP can achieve a breakthrough.

MIKE READ – ICON OF TV AND RADIO  Fri 10.10

One of the latest national figures to declare publicly for UKIP, former Radio One DJ and BBC TV presenter Mike Read is a seasoned political campaigner, now committed to our cause. He celebrates a golden year for the UK – and UKIP.

Plus the best line-up of UKIP speakers ever assembled

THE RT HON LORD HESKETH former Government Chief Whip
GODFREY BLOOM MEP candidate for Humberside Police Commissioner
ROGER HELMER MEP spokesman on Industry and Energy
MIKE NATTRASS MEP spokesman on Transport
MARTA ANDREASEN MEP spokesman on EU Budget
STUART AGNEW MEP spokesman on Agriculture
GERARD BATTEN MEP spokesman on Home Affairs
STUART WHEELER Party Treasurer
JEFFREY TITFORD former MEP and UKIP President
MARGOT PARKER UKIP candidate in the Corby by-election
LISTER WILSON UKIP Cambridge County Councillor
HARRY ALDRIDGE  chairman of Young Independence
and many more, including some surprise guests.

Don't forget to reserve your tickets for:

Chairman's Reception and EuroCrash! The Musical  Thur 19.00
Leader's Lunch – meet the guest speakers  Fri 12.45
Gala Dinner and Grand Auction  Fri 19.30

National Conference – Training Day (Thursday 20th September)

There's something for everyone at this year's new 'third day of Conference'.  For the first time we've added a full day of training prior to the main Conference business, 'Super Thursday' will see the launch of our much-anticipated Branch Revival Programme, workshops on key areas of policy and campaigning, and the chance to get onto the Party's Approved Candidates List.  Here's the full list of options for Thursday 20 September:

BRANCH REVIVAL PROGRAMME - a full-day programme of 3 sessions, starting at 11.00 and finishing at 5.30.

Session 1 (11.00–12.30):  Setting up and running a branch - Legal requirements/Job roles/Branch meetings/Support structure

Session 2 (2.00–3.30):  Campaigning workshops - Election campaigns/Political activity/Recruiting new members

Session 3 (4.00–5.30) :  Branch development workshops - Fundraising/Membership engagement/Branch auditing

POLICY & SKILLS WORKSHOPS

Health  and NHS Policy with Steph McWilliam  11.00–12.30
Financial Regulation Policy with Lucy Bostick  2.00–3.30
Children & Families Policy with Carol Lovatt  4.00–5.30
Social Media: Facebook & Twitter with Michael Heaver  11.00–12.30, 4.00–5.30
Effective Design and Print with Pete Walters of PrintBridge  2.00–3.30

CANDIDATE ASSESSMENT & TRAINING

Candidate Assessment Centres  2-hour sessions starting at 10.00, 1.00 and 4.00
Media Training  2-hour sessions starting at 11.00, 2.00 and 4.00
Public Speaking Training  2-hour sessions starting at 11.00, 2.00 and 4.00

Let us know your preference...decide which sessions you'd most like to attend, and let us know, so we can plan the resources to meet demand:

For Candidate Assessments & Training email partydirector@ukip.org; for Policy & Skills Workshops email training@ukip.org, and for Branch Revival Programme email brp@ukip.org.

Wind farm petition

In previous forum newsletters, a petition on windfarms has been circulated to forum members.  However, it may be that newer members might be unaware of this petition on the government e-petitions website.  I would encourage anyone who has not yet done so to sign this petition and to get like-minded friends to do the same.  The text of the petition is as follows:

PETITION  We do not want any more onshore wind turbines/farms in Norfolk or elsewhere in the UK.  We appeal to our MPs to represent our views and to vehemently oppose these projects. These plants are an uneconomical and inefficient way to produce electricity and are only pursued by the Government to secure the "green" vote and to keep the EU happy. Locally, they industrialise the landscape, have detrimental health, financial and other effects on peoples lives, destroy wildlife and have a negative impact on tourism. The billions of pounds wasted on these projects should be used in other areas to improve the lot of the British people.

To sign up please go to http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/22958.

Best wishes,

Jonathan Arnott (UKIP General Secretary)

[admin]

The annual Party Conference will of course be dominating this week's events in UKIP, but before I come to that some members may not yet be aware that Tim Congdon was recently featured on the front page of the Daily Express revealing new figures which show that every household in Britain pays nearly £6,000 a year for our membership of the European Union.  These figures are NOT the direct cost of EU membership (which remains far lower than that).  They reflect the total cost to Britain of our EU membership, such as the drain on our economy caused by the Single Market, the Common Agricultural and Fisheries policies, demands on the benefits system and EU legislation.  The membership fee is of course included in that overall figure.

Professor Congdon said "This study has established that, from an economic standpoint, the case for withdrawal is overwhelming.  My conclusion is that we are 10 per cent of GDP, about £150billion a year, worse off because we are a member of the EU instead of being an independent sovereign nation like Norway or Switzerland in our own continent, or like Canada or Australia in the wider English-speaking world."  The full article can be found at http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/346141/You-pay-6-000-a-year-to-be-in-EU.

The Corby by-election should not be put on the back burner (why not pop in on your way to or from Conference?) but this week is all about the Party Conference.  Please get there if you can (tickets can be booked online at ukip.org).  Why not come to EuroCrash! The Musical on Thursday evening at the Town Hall, before the Conference?  You could attend the Chairman's Reception at 7.00 and then the musical at 7.45, ticket price £30 to include a glass of fizz, a smoked salmon sandwich and some lemon drizzle cake to keep them going until dinner later.  Alternatively, just come for the musical at 7.45 (until 9.00), for £15 on the door. I'm told that it's a really fun performance, and deserves to play to a full house.

Leading Councillor Joins UKIP
Councillor Jonathan Bullock, a member of the Cabinet of Kettering Borough Council and former Conservative Parliamentary and European Candidate, has today resigned from the Conservative Party and joined UKIP.

Cllr Bullock said "After considerable thought over some time I have joined UKIP, as they are articulating the right policies for the future of our country, particularly on Europe, Defence and Home Affairs. I remain committed to the KBC conservative manifesto, of which I was the principal author, and on which I was elected at the Borough Elections in 2011. This manifesto is entirely consistent with UKIP policies, so I will remain serving as a Ward Councillor and will continue to represent my Ward, and the views in that manifesto, at the Council".

"It was a difficult decision to leave a Party of which I have been a member for many years, and for whom I have worked hard over the years. However, the integrity with which UKIP has held to its core convictions and its alignment with my own beliefs has been very influential. I have also been impressed with how the leadership of UKIP has developed UKIP as a party in recent years and its outstanding candidate in the forthcoming Corby By-Election. More and more of my friends and colleagues are turning to UKIP. I will be attending the UKIP conference later this week in Birmingham, and look forward to hearing its very interesting and highly qualified programme of speakers."

Roger Helmer MEP, who joined UKIP earlier in the year, said "We are delighted to have attracted a politician of the calibre of Councillor Bullock to UKIP. I was a candidate alongside him in the 2004 European Elections and I campaigned for him at the 2011 Kettering Borough elections. He will be a great asset to UKIP, which continues to grow both locally in Northamptonshire and throughout the rest of the UK."

Post-Conference Reception
Winston McKenzie is hosting a post-Conference reception with special guests including the Consul General of Pakistan and the High Commissioner of Sri Lanka.  The Commonwealth Wine Tasting with champagne and mango reception will be held at the Burlington Hotel, Burlington Arcade, 126 New Street, Birmingham B2 4JQ on Saturday, September 22 from 6-9m.

Tickets for reception, along with open bar and Caribbean buffet, are priced at £32 and available in advance from Marianne Bowness on 07949 32 42 01 or emailmariannebowness@yahoo.co.uk.  Urging conference-goers to attend the unique event, Winston said: "It's the perfect way to round off what is going to be a fantastic conference.  There will be a selection of great wines from around the Commonwealth to accompany the delicious buffet and should be a brilliant event."

Conference Fringe meetings

In addition to the fringe meetings previously mentioned, Friends of Israel in UKIP will be hosting a fringe meeting on Friday 21st September. At the fringe meeting the rather pro-UKIP  Daily Telegraph writer Ed West will be giving a talk followed by Q &A.

The questions 'Do we need economic and monetary reform?' and 'Gay marriage: the great debate' will be held by Young Independence on the Friday and Saturday lunchtimes of Conference respectively.

Best wishes,

Jonathan Arnott (UKIP General Secretary)

[admin]

It's rare that I send out two forum newsletters with just 24 hours between them, but it is Conference week and there is a lot going on in the Party!  The big news of the day has to be the fact that UKIP gains another Lord; our voice in Westminster continues to grow stronger and stronger.  More details on that later.  With the Party Conference due to start, UKIP can expect more media publicity – and already, UKIP Deputy Leader Paul Nuttall MEP has a string of media engagements planned for this week.

Tomorrow (Wednesday) Paul Nuttall will be featuring in a round table debate on Radio 5 Live from midday to 1pm.  He will then be on the Daily Politics on Thursday, followed quickly by what promises to be a fascinating debate on The World At One . The debate, entitled 'The Future of UKIP', will be a clash between Paul Nuttall MEP and David Bannerman MEP.  On Friday, Paul Nuttall will also be on Any Questions from Stratford-upon-Avon.  A number of interviews not to be missed (unless of course you are too busy at the UKIP training day and Party Conference).

The full Party Conference schedule is now available online at http://www.ukip.org/page/conference-schedule.  I am told that, contrary to the date given in the last forum newsletter and shown on the schedule, the Friends of Israel in UKIP fringe event with Ed West of the Daily Telegraph will be on the Saturday lunchtime from 12.45pm.

UKIP gains another member of the House of Lords

UKIP Leader Nigel Farage has welcomed former top Conservative Lord Stevens into UKIP, saying "He's a giant of Fleet Street, an immensely respected member of the House of Lords and a huge asset to UKIP and to the cause of Britain's freedom".  Lord Stevens said "It's a wrench for me, to say I'm pro-UKIP and effectively anti-Conservative. That's why it's taken me eight years. But I have made up my mind. I'm taking the plunge.

"I had hopes of this Government but I finally got exasperated. My patience is exhausted because I don't think this Government is going to do anything. I delayed this decision because I was hopeful the Government would be more positive on sorting out the problems of Europe. They are just prevaricating. I don't regard it as disloyalty to the Conservative Party. It's loyalty because I'm pointing them in the right direction."

Lord Stevens also commented on the European Union, saying "We can operate perfectly effectively outside the EU. We want the freedom to have a free trade agreement. Our trade outside the EU is increasing more rapidly than within the EU and that's been the case for some time.  We have an EU with an ageing and declining population, now in serious economic trouble which we are helping to bail out."

"The bureaucrats in Brussels have nothing better to do than to dream up new regulations.  To get the UK economy moving we have to cut regulation and we can't do it under the present regime. We have to reduce immigration, which costs us a fortune, and we can't do that as long as we are part of the EU."

Lord Stevens will address the UKIP Party Conference this week – another reason not to miss out on what promises to be an incredible Party Conference in Birmingham!  The other huge positive is the way that the Daily Express welcomed the move, speaking in glowing terms about Lord Stevens' decision.  This is one of the most encouraging newspaper articles I have read for a long time, and I commend it to you: http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/346687/TOP-TORY-QUITS-TO-JOIN-UKIP.  The Express described the move to UKIP as a 'huge boost' for the campaign to leave the EU.

Nigel Farage: An EU referendum stitch-up?

The British establishment is quite prepared to doctor the record when it suits them - last week's Hillsborough revelations graphically showed that. It can be decades before the truth is dragged out of our political class.  There is no subject on which this is truer than Britain's membership of the European Union.  Whether it's Whitehall suppressing key papers or British governments of all stripes issuing misleading statements and using weasel words, we now know that the whole truth and key information has long been suppressed.

This matters particularly now, because EU Commission president Barroso has announced that he wants to see a new EU Treaty within two years. This Treaty would be to create a European Federation and would wrest control from the UK of a whole series of powers - powers that Brussels would never relinquish.  The polling evidence suggests that over half of us want to leave the EU. Even more want a referendum to give us the chance to have our say. The Daily Express has taken a courageous stand on this great issue, putting enormous pressure on the Government.

And in the end David Cameron is going to have to offer this country a referendum. But I want to make sure that we are asked the right question and I want you to help me. History warns us that this is far from certain to be the case.  For my sins I know how the political class operate – and co-operate – in both Brussels and London. They may offer us a referendum but on a question that suits them and is designed to produce the "right" result. I believe they are going to try to repeat an old trick.

To try to help remove the scales from our eyes I am publishing a pamphlet, 'A Referendum Stitch-Up?' into what happened back in the 1970s.  In 1975, my parents' generation was led to believe that they were voting to stay part of a "Common Market" or free trade area.  They were not. Harold Wilson's government publicly claimed, "no important new policy can be decided in Brussels". But, behind the scenes the Foreign Office had already told it that "Community law" would "prevail over conflicting national legislation".

Both statements could not be true. They were contradictory. We have learnt to our considerable cost, that it was the "censored" one - the one withheld from us - that was accurate. The Conservatives and Liberals of the time co-operated in the deceit.  What we were in fact voting for was to remain in what economists call a "customs union". In the EU, being part of a customs union means everything has to be "harmonised", i.e. made uniform. That is what the European Union has been busily doing for decades.

It gives rise to a whole range of laws from environmental regulation via common employment law to unrestricted immigration, with its resultant welfare costs.  In the last few days plans have been presented to create a federal state of Europe, with a Common Treasury and a single budget. Alongside this legislative overlordship come the practical costs. In trade we run a deficit of £50 billion with the EU when we run a surplus with the rest of the world.

Europe grows relatively poorer as each new member joins (just wait for Turkey: the coalition and Labour all want to add another 70million people), and becomes more of an economic backwater in terms of world trade as growth switches to such countries as Brazil, China and India.

Worse still, for the privilege of having to implement all these regulations, Britain has to pay the European Union a gross contribution of more than £50million per day. Yet the Prime Minister says we must stay in at any cost.  It is clear that the political class is trying to mislead us again.  They suggest that a straight "in or out" referendum question should be replaced by a complex question offering a third way: continuing as part of the Single Market without full political union. In short, we are being presented with a recycled version of what we thought we were getting in 1975.

But just like then, there is no third way. My research explains why any apparent renegotiation of membership terms can only be a mirage. With the design of the EU as it is meaningful renegotiation is neither possible nor credible.  In fairness to the EU elite, they have never tried to hide this. A binding commitment to "ever closer union" was there at the beginning and has been constantly repeated ever since.  But the same cannot be said of the British establishment: ever since the membership and referendum debate of the early 1970s it has tried to conceal this fundamental commitment. And the leopard is not about to change its spots.

We are committed by Treaty to make progress towards an ever-closer union. Until the Treaties are repealed by British law, this remains a statement of fact.

What I am afraid of - as we increasingly win the argument about how the UK's membership is damaging rather than beneficial - is that the British establishment will appear to renegotiate, come back claiming to have got "not all we want but enough", fix the wording for a referendum into a leading question giving them endless "wriggle-room" and win by fraud - all over again.  In contrast with nearly 50 years of lies and half-truths from successive governments, I believe you, the public, are entitled to hear the truth about what the EU is and where it hopes to go.

There must be no more EU stitch-ups. It is time for our political class to be honest with the people of Britain and for the people of Britain to have their say.

Germans want return of the Deutschmark?

To finish on a slightly different note, an opinion poll shows that two-thirds of Germans think they would be better off with the Deutschmark instead of the euro.  The cracks are certainly starting to appear!  More details can be found from the article online at http://euobserver.com/economic/117568, which also contains a number of other gems of information about German attitudes to the European Union – although sadly, they are not generally in favour of outright withdrawal.

Best wishes,

Jonathan Arnott (UKIP General Secretary)

[admin]

You may have seen some recent opinion poll figures showing UKIP on 12% of the vote; two recent polls have shown us ahead of the Liberal Democrats and two further polls from YouGov have shown us as tied.  All of this is certainly encouraging, not least because it has changed the political narrative in the country.  A number of times during the Lib Dem Conference, comments were made about UKIP – with one presenter pointing out the 'unfairness' of UKIP getting less publicity than the Lib Dems for our Conference!  Hearing UKIP's name mentioned throughout the Lib Dem Conference shows that we are having a sustained impact on the political scene.

But please allow me to be controversial for a moment.  Those opinion polls, however good they are for UKIP, are not what has really encouraged me this week.  It is the poll by ICM which put us on 6% of the vote.  ICM are the tried-and-tested traditional polling company. Their methodology is very 'conservative' (small c) and therefore highly unfavourable to UKIP.  One example is that they use what is known as a 'spiral of silence' adjustment – 50% of those refusing to say or saying they 'don't know' which party they will vote for are counted as planning to vote for the party they supported last time.  If people saying 'don't know' are counted as Con/Lab/LD then it will depress the UKIP share.

ICM have a pretty good record of predicting General Elections, but that's because General Elections have been fairly predictable in recent times.  In 2004, they failed to pick up UKIP's rise in the polls for the European elections.  In short, they are set up to fail to pick up on a UKIP rise in the polls.  For that reason, a 6% share of the vote with an opinion poll company like ICM shows that there really must be a rise in the UKIP vote – if even ICM are picking up on it, we must be making progress!

Statement from Steve Crowther about 'we demand a referendum' party

Many loyal and dedicated UKIP members have signed the petitions set up by Nikki Sinclaire and colleagues, and distributed their materials under the slogan 'We Demand a Referendum'. They have done this in good faith.  Now, however, Ms Sinclaire and her colleagues have made clear that We Demand A Referendum is to be regarded as a new political party, registered with the Electoral Commission, which aims to stand against UKIP in the 2014 European Elections.

Under the UKIP Constitution, anyone joining or remaining in membership of the new party will be unable to retain their UKIP membership. The new party is actively canvassing for new members among those who have signified their support for the campaign in the past.

This new party makes clear that it intends to reduce UKIP's vote in the future. Though it cannot hope to achieve the level of support that UKIP has built over 20 years – we are now acknowledged even by Nick Clegg to be above the Liberal Democrats in public support – it might, if it survives, pose a threat to our goal of coming first in the 2014 European Elections, and causing an earthquake in British politics. As we have seen with the English Democrats, UK First etc in the past, a small party taking a small number of UKIP votes can hand additional seats to the Conservatives.

We therefore urge all UKIP members and others who have supported We Demand A Referendum in the past to sever their links with it, and put all their efforts behind achieving a UKIP win in 2014.

28% in Council by-election for UKIP

On Thursday night, UKIP candidate Chris Browne took 28% of the vote at a Council by-election in the Chertsey meads ward in Runnymede.  The Conservative majority was slashed to just 138, providing a very real possibility of UKIP taking the seat next time around.  The full result was:

Conservative 450

UKIP 312

Labour 312

Lib Dems 34

OMRLP 10

This seat saw 30+ Labour activists campaigning in the seat, with a huge effort made by them in the ward which contains their constituency office.  The UKIP vote still increased from 22% to 28%, thanks to a highly-organised local campaign.

Across the country there were a few other Council by-elections held on Thursday, and it is an encouraging sign that the Party was well over 10% in all of them.  A UKIP candidate (Graham Wood) in the New Haw ward also in Runnymede (where the Party did not run a large campaign) took 18.5% of the vote.  A candidate in Dartford (Steve Wilders) took 13.5%, whilst a candidate in King's Lynn took 11.5% and 15.0% (Michael Stone) in District and County Council elections.

UKIP Leader Nigel Farage MEP in the Daily Express

After official figures showed that immigration to the UK from Poland is once again rising, UKIP Leader Nigel Farage MEP was quoted in the Daily Express as saying "Polish immigration to Britain ebbs and flows but at all times the movement is basically in one direction. There is nothing we can do about this because of our EU membership."  The full article can be found at http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/348758/Thousands-of-Polish-workers-flock-back-to-Britain-to-find-jobs.

UKIP in the Gibraltar Chronicle

As a one-quarter Gibraltarian (my grandmother was born on the Rock), I was delighted to see a UKIP article in the Gibraltar Chronicle.  We now have UKIP members attempting to get the Party going over there, and the article linked below from William Dartmouth MEP can only help.  William Dartmouth MEP was quoted on Spanish incursions into Gibraltarian territorial waters: "Now is the time for our Foreign Secretary William Hague to talk directly and firmly to the Spanish Government and warn them that no further incursions that threaten British sovereignty will not be tolerated." For the full article please visit http://www.chronicle.gi/headlines_details.php?id=26129.

Best wishes,

Jonathan Arnott (UKIP General Secretary)

[admin]

[admin]

http://www.hartlepoolpost.co.uk/files/Farage at Assembly Rooms.pdf

[admin]

I have just been informed of the good news that UKIP Deputy Leader Paul Nuttall MEP will be on next week's BBC Question Time programme from Slough against opponents including Vince Cable. Last time Paul was on Question Time, Paul Nuttall was for a time the top trend on Twitter in the UK and the fourth trend worldwide.

I apologise in advance if the frequency of forum newsletters goes down slightly over the next few weeks. As a candidate for Police Commissioner in South Yorkshire, I am finding my schedule becoming busier and busier very quickly. New candidates have still been coming forward even today (with nominations closing on Friday) and we hope to have most of the country covered with candidates. Like me, most members probably dislike the idea of politicising the police but if we must have political candidates, I'd rather members have the opportunity to choose a UKIP candidate!

As a candidate myself the experience has been an interesting one so far , and for the first time local radio has treated us exactly the same as other parties. Rather than being asked questions about the European Union, immigration and whether we're a single-issue Party ad nauseum, we're being asked the same questions as every other Party. That means we need to be on our guard and properly prepared for every discussion and interview.

On Monday, I had a 5-minute interview on Radio Sheffield in which as a UKIP representative there was no opportunity whatsoever to mention the European Union (and rightly so at this election)  I was asked about the Hillsborough disaster and public confidence in the police the interview can be found at http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Ig7l4bYEZ6U
if you are interested.

Report on UK Independence Party NEC Meeting 1st October

Present: Nigel Farage MEP (Party Leader) (NF), Steve Crowther (Party Chairman) (SC), Paul Nuttall MEP (Deputy Leader) (PN), Toby Micklethwait (TM), George Curtis (GC), Steven Woolfe (SWo), Gerard Batten MEP (GB), Louise Bours (LB), Neil Hamilton (NH), Michael McGough (MM), David Coburn (DC), Hugh Williams (HW), Douglas Denny (DD) (from 1.20pm). Also present: Jonathan Arnott, General Secretary minutes (JA), Michael Greaves (Party Secretary) (MG), Pete Reeve (Nominating Officer) (PR), Stuart Wheeler (SW) (from 2.00pm).

Apologies for absence were received from Lisa Duffy and Andrew Moncreiff. The meeting started at 1.15pm.

The minutes of the previous meeting were approved.

NF's Leader's Report commented on the huge increase in the UKIP share of the vote being shown by opinion polls. On November 15th we have a huge event there are about 90 elections of different kinds taking place. We must focus on the Police Commissioner elections and the Parliamentary by-elections. The one advantage that we have had in Corby is the really long campaign, and Margot Parker is doing great work her commitment is awe-inspiring. We have bitten into both the Conservative and old Labour vote. We have the right themes, the right office and the right candidate. Now we need more activists to come.

SC is pleased that we sold 859 tickets for Conference, a record number. The atmosphere was fantastic and the introduction of the new councillors and Lord Stevens was very much uplifting. NF felt that the 9-minute package on the Today programme was objective and very good.

The NEC discussed possible Conference venues both for the Spring Conference and for next year's Party Conference. SC will be investigating a very high-profile venue for next year's Conference. The Spring Conference is likely to be held in the South.

The NEC discussed the Motions considered at Conference; the one motion which passed called upon Nigel Farage and the NEC to lead a tour de force in Scotland in advance of the independence referendum. Progress made by the Party recently in Scotland was noted, and the NEC agreed to come back to this matter at a future meeting. DC in particular wishes to help in Scotland. Some concern was noted about ensuring that any assistance does not appear to be an ˜English takeover of the debate, which could backfire.

The upper age limit for Young Independence was reduced from 35 to 30.

The Party's finances continue to improve. There will be a high-level meeting on policy within the next fortnight.

Rob Burberry updated on progress in the Police Commissioner elections. Funding is an issue with some candidates but we expect to stand in more than half the seats. Three regions have been particularly helpful with funding.

NF was determined to have as many candidates on the ballot paper as possible.

There was a discussion about the proposed Manifesto text, about how much general detail of UKIP policy should be included and how much must relate specifically to what a Police Commissioner can achieve.

LD had submitted a written report on the Corby campaign. Every household in E Northants has had a personal letter from Nigel Farage and we have just received another £1500 donation today. We are targeting the business, hand-delivering the letter to Corby which is time-consuming.  We have 4 public meetings planned. The ‘what we stand for booklet is being well received. We are working on postal voter letters, election addresses and the pub campaign.

The NEC gave permission for the opening of new branches in East Hampshire, Bosworth and Swansea. The meeting closed at 5.40pm.

UKIP Remembrance Day wreaths
If you would like to order a UKIP Poppy Wreath for Remembrance Sunday, please contact Sue Ransome on 01205 311 373. The price is £25 including post and packaging.

Remembrance Sunday is marked by ceremonies at local war memorials in most cities, towns and villages, attended by civic dignitaries, ex-servicemen and women (principally members of the Royal British Legion), members of local armed forces regular and reserve units (Royal Navy and Royal Naval Reserve, Royal Marines and Royal Marines Reserve, Army and Territorial Army, Royal Air Force and Royal Auxiliary Air Force), military cadet forces (Sea Cadet Corps, Army Cadet Force and Air Training Corps as well as the Combined Cadet Force) and youth organisations (e.g. Scouts and Guides).

Wreaths of remembrance poppies are laid on the memorials and two minutes silence is held at 11 a.m. Church bells are usually rung "half-muffled", creating a sombre effect. Some people may wish to lay a UKIP wreath in remembrance on behalf of your branch officials, elected councillors etc. You will need to speak with your local council to arrange the laying and allotted time etc.

Fascinating piece by John Rentoul in the Independent

An article by John Rentoul in the Independent (I'm not sure whether it's in the paper or just the online edition) is very interesting. The article comments about the lack of UKIP media coverage, and begins by saying The UK Independence Party has the support of 8 per cent of voters on average, while 9 per cent say that they intend to vote for the Liberal Democrats. Yet UKIP is given much less than eight-ninths of the attention given to the junior government party. The full article is well worth a read at http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2012/10/16/a-shocking-case-of-media-bias/#comment-685079295.

Calling all students

If you're at Warwick University please get in touch with Nathan Peck who is trying to get a society going and would like to know if he has any 'friends' there. His email is N.Peck@warwick.ac.uk so people can contact him directly.

Similarly Miroslav Jahoda at Canterbury Christ Church University is also keen to find allies to help set up a society and he would appreciate any help that can be given, his email is jahoda.miro@gmail.com

Sheffield University already has a thriving UKIP society, which is always looking for more members and has more members than the Lib Dem society! Anyone interested in getting involved should contact Sam Launder at samuel.launder@hotmail.co.uk.

If you're at Portsmouth University please get in touch with Thomas Brett,tom@kbsquared.co.uk and help him to get a Society going there.

Attending Birmingham City University or a indeed a YI member in the Birmingham area? Then do get in touch with Laura Howard who's keen to start the process of setting up a University Society. Her email is doodicle.lawha@hotmail.com

Studying at Greenwich University? If so, give Rob Comley an email at cr223@gre.ac.uk and let's hope to see a UKIP Uni branch set up in London. Incidentally, if you're living/studying in London there are a number of events coming up including thier next social which will be held on 5th Nov, venue TBA.

To the other end of the country now though, if you're a UKIP member at Aberdeen University you might be interested to know that a society is just starting up. So if you haven't come across it yet please 'Like' their Facebook page - www.facebook.com/AUUKIP - and email Sam Dyer at srdyer@btinternet.com.

Similarly at Hull University they are close (hopefully) to getting enough members to be a properly ratified society with the Union, so if you're studying there and yet to get in touch then please do so! Liam Porter, Vice-President of Young Independence Hull University (UKIP), can be contacted via his email liamp93@hotmail.co.uk

Finally one of our established Societies at York University is keen to for any UKIP members studying at York University or indeed York St. Johns to get in touch. The contact here is the Chairman of the Society, Curtis Sinclair, cjgs501@york.ac.uk

And now for something completely different!

Not Monty Python but James Bond actually. A London Evening Standard review of Skyfall, the new James Bond film, mentioned UKIP in summing up the film. In short: this is the UKIP take on Bond. A sign of the times, then.

Perhaps James Bond would be a UKIP voter; very British with a clear sense of duty. Either way, it's good to see the Party's name being mentioned in unusual places.Don't believe me? See http://www.standard.co.uk/comment/comment/skyfall-is-a-snapshot-of-the-way-we-are-now-8213550.html for proof.

Best wishes,

Jonathan Arnott (UKIP General Secretary)

[admin]

STOP PRESS: UKIP Leader Nigel Farage MEP will be on BBC Any Questions tonight (19th October) at 8pm on Radio 4.  When I point these things out in newsletters, often members complain that I don't give more notice.  In this case, I found out 5 minutes before sending out the newsletter.  I try to give as much notice as possible.


Finally!  The nominations have now closed for the Police and Crime Commissioner elections across the country.


Out of the 41 'seats' up for grabs, UKIP will have 24 candidates in place.  I owe our co-ordinator for these elections, Rob Burberry, an apology.  In a previous newsletter I blithely announced that UKIP would be standing in 'most' of the areas, but apparently that was a lot more touch-and-go than I realised.  Anyway all's well that ends well.  We're still not sure whether we have more candidates than the Liberal Democrats or not.  I counted 22 a couple of hours ago, but the Guardian claims that it's 23.  The BBC reckons they might have 24.  The Lib Dems' website is less than illuminating, as they had a story showing they had 13 candidates towards the end of September.  If UKIP have managed to get more candidates than the Lib Dems (or even equalled), then it will certainly make it difficult for the media to pigeonhole us as a 'minor party' at these elections.  That would be a major news story, and yet another nail in the coffin of Nick Clegg's leadership of that Party.


UKIP's National Co-ordinator for the PCC elections, Rob Burberry said: "Party activists have worked very hard over recent weeks to make sure that we have high-calibre candidates standing in the majority of areas across the country."


Party Leader, Nigel Farage MEP, said that these elections demonstrate a significant step forward for UKIP: "We will not be contesting these elections on a 'withdraw from the EU' ticket, but on a better, more responsive policing ticket.  We are talking to people about their problems, listening to their concerns and proving once and for all that we are a party that has transformed itself into a serious player, with a broad range of interests."


Later on in this newsletter you will find a list of all our 24 candidates.


Call for potential candidates for Middlesborough by-election



The Party is now seeking for applicants to stand at the forthcoming by election in Middlesborough.  The closing date for applicants is 4pm on Wednesday 24th October.  Any member can apply for selection but you will need to pass an Assessment Centre and get on the national Approved List of candidates.  If you are interested in standing, please contact Lisa Duffy for further details on 07890110225 or apply to partydirector@ukip.org.


UKIP NEC Elections 2012 - extra time to return ballot papers



Copies of Independence News have taken longer than expected to arrive in some areas.  Consequently, the deadline for return of ballots has been extended by 1 week and must now be received by 5pm on Wednesday 31st October.  Please let all UKIP members know, especially those who do not receive this newsletter.  The count will therefore begin on 1st October.


All Forthcoming UKIP media dates



Godfrey Bloom MEP will be on the Sunday Politics (Yorks & Lincs) on Sunday – BBC 1, 11.00am.


Paul Nuttall MEP will be on Question Time from Slough on Thursday – BBC 1, 10.35pm.


Nigel Farage MEP will be on Question Time from Corby on 15 November – BBC 1, 10.35pm.


All Louise Bours Police Commissioner interview



Louise Bours, candidate for PCC in Cheshire was interviewed on October 11th by Stuart George on BBC Radio Stoke. You can hear the whole interview at http://ukipeastcheshire.org.uk/interview-on-bbc-radio-stoke-louise-bours-ppc-candidate-cheshire/.

All the UKIP Police and Crime Commissioner candidates



Cambridgeshire - Paul Bullen

Cheshire - Louise Bours

Derbyshire - David Gale

Devon & Cornwall - Bob Smith

Durham - Michael Costello

Essex - Andrew Smith

Greater Manchester - Steven Woolfe

Hampshire - Stephen West

Hertfordshire - Marion Mason

Humberside - Godfrey Bloom

Kent - Piers Wauchope

Lancashire – Rob Drobny

Merseyside - Hilary Jones

Norfolk - Matthew Smith

Northamptonshire - Jim MacArthur

Northumbria - Alistair Baxter

North Wales - Warwick Nicholson

South Yorkshire - Jonathan Arnott

Suffolk - Bill Mountford

Surrey - Robert Shatwell

Sussex - Tony Armstrong

Thames Valley - Barry Cooper

West Midlands - Bill Etheridge

Wiltshire - John Short


For those wishing to know the breakdown of how each region has performed in terms of getting candidates to stand, it has been as follows:


South East -5 (5) – 100%

Eastern - 5 (6) – 83.3%

North West - 4 (5) – 80%

North East - 2 (3) – 66.7%

Yorkshire & North Lincolnshire - 2 (4) – 50%

East Midlands - 2 (5) – 40%

South West - 2 (5) – 40%

West Midlands - 1 (4) – 25%

Wales - 1 (4) – 25%


Best wishes,



Jonathan Arnott (UKIP General Secretary)

[admin]

Labour's Gisela Stuart MP has come out in support of British withdrawal from the European Union, which can only be good for the country as a whole.  We desperately need Labour, Conservatives and Liberal Democrats to recognise the threat that the European Union represents.  Meanwhile, the London Evening Standard recognises today that the Conservatives are losing large numbers of votes to UKIP.


In the meantime, the election campaigns continue to go well.  In Corby, activists have reported dirty tricks being used by our opponents, which is a sure sign that they are running scared.  One positive feature of the Police and Crime Commissioner elections is that all candidates, of whatever party label, are being treated equally by the BBC.  Therefore UKIP candidates are enjoying far more publicity than, say, at a General election.  Here in South Yorkshire as a candidate I have already done three radio interviews, with at least three more debates to be broadcast on radio, and two further television appearances planned.  This will give us a real opportunity to get our message across to voters.


UKIP NEC elections to be re-run: Statement from Steve Crowther



As you may know, there have been some difficulties with the conduct of the NEC election this year. With the unusually late date of the Conference, we had the task of carrying out the whole process, from issue of ballot papers to closing the poll and conducting the count, in quite a tight timescale.  Feedback suggested a fortnight ago that delays in delivery of the magazine, with the ballot papers, were hampering the process, and we therefore extended the closing date by a week. Last week, I commissioned the Head Office Call Centre to survey all regions and establish whether the ballot had been conducted satisfactorily.


The results of that survey showed that a significant proportion of the membership were potentially hampered from taking part in this ballot. Many of the magazines arrived too late for the original closing date; and many members were unaware of the extension, and so had not voted. It is impossible for us to notify all members of an extension by any means other than a full mailing.


Consequently, after lengthy consultation, the Returning Officer has recommended, and the NEC has agreed, that we should void the current voting process and re-run the election.  The NEC's decision is that the election should be re-run in the next edition of the magazine, to be published in January for a February ballot.  This will allow us to ensure the enfranchisement of all members, with an ample voting period. It is becoming clear that neither the Post Office nor third-party delivery services can now be relied upon to carry out full delivery, within the timescales we have expected in the past.


It will also enable us to ensure that the fullest possible details of all candidates are both published in the magazine and displayed on the party website. Some candidates have been unhappy with the level of detail carried in this year's election material.  We could run the election as a stand-alone activity, but this would cost us around £7000-8000, not including the cost of Freepost responses. By combining the ballot with the next magazine we can remove that cost, enabling us to offer Freepost returns to voters.


Paul Nuttall's Question Time appearance



Did you miss Paul Nuttall's appearance on Question Time on Thursday?  Don't want to have to listen through the hot air of the LibLabCon representatives?  If so, this YouTube clip of Paul's performance will enable you to catch up: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QtroDfznjjk.

UKIP candidate Chris Cassidy in the Manchester Evening News



For those who have asked about the Manchester Central by-election which is taking place on the same day as the Corby by-election and the Police Commissioner elections, candidate Chris Cassidy was in the Manchester Evening News today.  When asked "What is the single biggest issue facing Manchester and what would you do to fix it?", he responded as follows:


A major problem in Manchester is crime, from organised crime involving drugs, guns and gangs, right down to low level crime such as graffiti, vandalism and shoplifting.  Crime is something that impacts every person in Manchester at some point and causes untold pain and anguish.


As an MP, I would be a community champion, not a politician.  Someone who can bring local communities together so we can start to tackle the root causes of crime. Someone who can bring together the local organisations that work to end knife crime and drugs amongst our young people, through education and awareness. I can campaign for tougher sentences, more funding for local charities and more support for the victims of crime. Being young and growing up in Manchester gives me the ability to act as a role model to young people who are so often trapped by crime.


UKIP in the Daily Express



First, Gerard Batten MEP was quoted in the Daily Express today after experts predicted a surge in immigration from Bulgaria and Romania.  This was chosen as the 'Quote of the Day' by the Express.  Gerard Batten said that "Mass immigration has had a detrimental effect on British living standards. Opening the door to Bulgarians and Romanians will just make it worse."


Then, UKIP Deputy Leader Paul Nuttall MEP was quoted after it emerged, bizarrely, that the European Union plans to 'ban hairdressers from wearing high heels'.  Paul Nuttall said that "These plans will just raise costs to consumers and make life that little bit less fun for us all.  The sensible things in the proposals are already covered by British regulations, the rest is classic Euro micro-management."


Two more defections to UKIP



Experienced County Councillor Alan Pote, who has represented Rothwell on Northamptonshire County Council for the last two terms  has joined UKIP  after serving recently as an Independent. Cllr. Pote is the second councillor in Northamptonshire to join UKIP after Cllr. Jonathan Bullock of Kettering Borough Council joined the Party in September.


Councillor Pote said, "I have been very impressed by the policies and personalities in UKIP. Their parliamentary candidate in Corby, Margot Parker, is running an impressive campaign on the issues that matter to people. Meanwhile their candidate for the Police and Crime Commissioner in Northamptonshire, Jim MacArthur, has the exact experience necessary for the role, being both a former member of the SAS and a former Police Special Constable. As a former serviceman myself I appreciate his qualities. I will also enjoy working again with Cllr Bullock. He and I were on the Cabinet of Kettering Borough Council together a few years ago and we worked well together".

Cllr Bullock said, "I am very pleased that such an experienced councillor as Alan Pote has joined UKIP. He is an excellent county councillor and was a hardworking borough councillor for 12 years, including having a very successful year as Mayor of Kettering Borough. He will contribute to the development of UKIP policy both locally and, I'm sure, nationally.  He will be a valued addition to UKIP".  Cllr Pote was also welcomed by Roger Helmer MEP who came over to UKIP earlier in the year.  "This just shows how UKIP is growing locally - membership is up and our votes are up at Elections we contest." Mr. Helmer said.


Meanwhile, a former Conservative councillor and Deputy Mayor in Kings Lynn has defected from the Tories to UKIP after 46 years in the Conservative Party.  Bill Daws is the latest in a string of defections from the Tories who cite a blatant disregard for selection rules and nepotism in their branches amongst their reasons for leaving.


All The EU is bad for your health



New reports point to the EU as a key the reason behind closures of maternity units and casualty departments.  UKIP Health spokeswoman Steph McWilliam said: ""All three of the other main parties are determined to sacrifice the NHS to keep us in the EU. Do none of them understand that we cannot stay in the EU and keep the NHS as we know it? Do any of them understand the impact a rising population is having on demand? Or the EU Cross Border Health Directive? Do they realise the effect of not just the Working Time Directive but procurement rules, EU licensing of medical devices and drugs, free movement of people who may not have adequate English language skills as staff or patients?

"The bottom line is that from training to research, from comprehension to basic patient care, the EU harms the Health Service. How many times must the BMA, the GMC and other independent health bodies point this out before out political masters do something? The EU is not to blame. It is our Westminster politicians from the Conservatives, Labour and the Liberal Democrat parties who have allowed this. If the public think the NHS is a price worth paying, they will keep voting for the same. If they value the NHS and wish to keep it, they need to consider voting UKIP."


Best wishes,



Jonathan Arnott (UKIP General Secretary)

[admin]

Tonight's EU budget vote may reek of political opportunism, but at least the government has been defeated and a clear House of Commons vote has called for a cut in the EU budget.  The vote is non-binding, so of course David Cameron and the European Union could easily perform the usual euro-trick of ignoring the vote and proceeding regardless.

Over 50 Conservative MPs rebelled, leading some to suggest that perhaps they should join UKIP!  On a day when the Conservatives seem to have done a U-turn on wind farms as well, perhaps at last a modicum of progress is being made.

UKIP North West rally in Liverpool

Just days remain until the UKIP North West autumn rally in Liverpool, which boasts an impressive line-up of speakers.  With those to speak including Nigel Farage MEP, Paul Nuttall MEP, Roger Helmer MEP, Jon Gaunt, Lord Monckton and Dr. John Whittaker you won't find a more impressive array of UKIP speakers outside the annual Party Conference!  The day features  a Leadership Q&A session and I'm also looking forward to taking a day off my Police and Crime Commissioner campaign to speak on education.  Tickets are priced at just £10 and the venue will be the Britannia Adelphi hotel in Liverpool.

If you're interested in attending, I believe there are still some tickets available from the North West regional office on 01524 387690.  The full day's programme can be found at http://ukip.org/page/north-west-autumn-rally-in-liverpool-full-programme.

UKIP Police Commissioner candidates in the media

The list below is certainly incomplete – could candidates please let Rob Burberry know of any forthcoming media commitments not listed here?

I (Jonathan Arnott, South Yorkshire) will be on the Sunday Politics (Yorkshire) – programme starts 11am on Sunday morning.  I will then be taking part in a debate on BBC Radio Sheffield on Sunday at 7pm.  On Tuesday, I have a 'minute manifesto' being aired three times on Radio Sheffield – on breakfast time, the mid-morning show and the drive time show.  I will then be on BBC Look North on Tuesday evening after 6.30pm, with other radio debates planned later that week.

I believe that Godfrey Bloom MEP (Humberside) will be on BBC Look North on the following Tuesday (Nov 13th) but have not yet had any confirmation.

Tony Armstrong (Sussex) was on BBC Radio Sussex on Monday at 8:50am

David Gale (Derbyshire) was on BBC Radio Sheffield this morning [for anyone who is astute enough to spot that Sheffield isn't in Derbyshire, BBC Radio Sheffield covers a wider area than just Sheffield - all of South Yorkshire and some of Derbyshire]

Hilary Jones (Merseyside) will be on BBC Radio Merseyside, tomorrow morning (Thursday 1st November) during the breakfast show.

Bill Etheridge (West Midlands) will be on Radio WM tomorrow morning at 7:30am

Louise Bours (Cheshire) will be on BBC Radio Manchester taking part in a live on-air debate tomorrow from 3-4pm

Marion Mason (Hertfordshire) is due to appear in the Watford Observer in this week's issue

Anti-EU sentiment rising in Czech Republic

Peter Mach, leader of the Czech Free Citizens Party, has pledged to leave the European Union if his party is elected at this year's elections.  He is an advisor to the well-known figure of Vaclav Klaus, who was recently quoted as saying that Nigel Farage is the only UK Party leader who speaks sense.

He has recorded a New Year's message which will be circulated in the event that his Party is in power.  Fortunately, there are English subtitles: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JR1BZ9zNhrg.

Nigel Farage speech in Newcastle

Over 300 people turned up to hear UKIP Leader Nigel Farage MEP speak in Newcastle.  The Northern Echo reported the meeting in positive terms: http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/10013999.UKIP_leader_speaks_in_Newcastle/.

Young Independence Christmas Party

Young Independence will be having a Christmas drinks party on Tuesday 11th December 19.00 - 23.00 on HMS Belfast. UKIP Deputy leader Paul Nuttall MEP will be the keynote speaker. Tickets are priced at £25, which includes 2 complimentary drinks. A cash bar will also be open.  YI also intent to hold a raffle and an auction, so if anyone can be kind enough to donate something please email Sean Howlett at seanhowlett@hotmail.com.  Tickets can be purchased online at http://www.eventbrite.co.uk/event/4585098152.

Best wishes,

Jonathan Arnott (UKIP General Secretary)

[admin]

UKIP Leader Nigel Farage MEP will be on Have I Got News For You tonight (9th November) at 9pm.


My apologies that the frequency of newsletters has dropped off somewhat during the campaign for the Police and Crime Commissioner elections. Since the last newsletter, we have had three by-elections called for 29th November – in Croydon North, Middlesbrough and Rotherham.  All three of these seats could potentially see good UKIP results, with Rotherham particularly of note.  Croydon North was of course anticipated and our candidate will be Winston McKenzie.  In Middlesbrough, Richard Elvin is to be the candidate.


The NEC has the final say about all Parliamentary by-election candidates, but in Rotherham there will be a hustings for members within the constituency to have their say first.  The candidate has not yet been selected, but a strong field of potential candidates have put their names forward.


Every UKIP candidate for Police and Crime Commissioner elections up and down the country has received a huge amount of publicity.  By polling day I'll have been on 3 television programmes and 11 local radio programmes.  The same level of publicity is true of every one of UKIP's 24 Police and Crime Commissioner candidates across the country, although naturally attention on polling day will be on Godfrey Bloom's campaign in Humberside, widely predicted to be our best chance of actually winning.


There is so much going on for the Party at the moment – I haven't yet even mentioned the key by-election in Corby which will also be held on Thursday.  I urge all members to get over to Corby or Humberside to help the local campaigns.



Rob Burberry on the Today programme



Rob Burberry, the Party's Campaign Director for the Police and Crime Commissioner elections, represented the Party on the Today programme this morning.  The interview can be heard again on the BBC iplayer from 48 minutes 18 seconds into this programme: http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b01nq2sd/Today_09_11_2012/.  Rob has done a fantastic job under difficult circumstances to prepare UKIP for these elections.



Nigel Farage to be on Question Time



On Thursday 15th November, UKIP Leader Nigel Farage MEP will be on the BBC's flagship Question Time programme.  Following Paul Nuttall MEP's successful performance, it is great to see another UKIP representative on the programme quickly.



Message from Party Chairman Steve Crowther



I hope you will all have seen that Nigel Farage's questioning of Chancellor Merkel in advance of her visit to David Cameron was the news item on both BBC and Channel 4.  Effectively, the impression was given that the discussion about the UK's future in the EU was being conducted between the Prime Minister, Angela Merkel and Nigel Farage MEP.


Keep an eye on your media, especially in the Midlands, for our Corby candidate Margot Parker. She is inundated with interviews, including BBC TV deputy political editor James Langdale. A couple of days ago Bloomberg TV arrived in town to talk to the Labour candidate, spotted our shop across the road and interviewed Margot instead.


BUT WE MUST HAVE MORE PEOPLE ON THE GROUND FROM NOW TO NEXT THURSDAY. PLEASE GET AS MANY PEOPLE AS POSSIBLE TO GIVE US HALF A DAY/A DAY OF THEIR TIME. THIS IS MASSIVELY IMPORTANT.  IF WE DO WELL NEXT THURSDAY IN CORBY, WE WILL DO WELL IN MIDDLESBROUGH, ROTHERHAM AND CROYDON NORTH ON 29 NOV.



UKIP North West rally a huge success



The North West UKIP rally in Liverpool on Saturday was a resounding success.  More than 300 people attended the day long event in the city's Adelphi Hotel, which had an impressive card of speakers including Party Leader Nigel Farage, his Deputy Paul Nuttall, local MEP and media personality Jon Gaunt.  Nigel Farage pointed out that at the last such North West rally five years ago there were just 32 people present but the Party has since gone from strength to strength and locally is polling 14% - double the LibDem figure.


"We are on the verge of something very big and very historic in British politics," he said.  He pointed out that while UKIP is no longer a single issue Party the Parliamentary debate last week on the proposed EU budget would not have happened but for UKIP driving the European Union up the agenda.


Paul Nuttall told the audience that UKIP is confident of coming first in the 2014 Euro-elections and the North West should be sending three MEPs to Brussels: "Opinion polls show 60% want out of the EU and 80% want a referendum on our membership."



Young Independence Christmas Party - reminder



Young Independence will be having a Christmas drinks party on Tuesday 11th December 19.00 - 23.00 on HMS Belfast. UKIP Deputy leader Paul Nuttall MEP will be the keynote speaker. Tickets are priced at £25, which includes 2 complimentary drinks. A cash bar will also be open.  YI also intent to hold a raffle and an auction, so if anyone can be kind enough to donate something please email Sean Howlett at seanhowlett@hotmail.com.  Tickets can be purchased online at http://www.eventbrite.co.uk/event/4585098152.



Does the government want to destroy our pubs?



If the Government does not want to destroy our pubs then it has a very funny way of showing it, said UKIP Deputy Leader Paul Nuttall today.  By rejecting any thought of holding a review into the Beer tax escalator they are condemning many more pubs into financial ruin and closure.  "In the last six months alone in my region 44 pubs have closed and that is after years of damage to the industry caused by a range of reasons including the continual ramping up of taxes, unfair competition from supermarkets, pubco intransigence and of course the smoking ban", said Mr Nuttall, UKIP pub campaign spokesman.



"Without our pubs, what are we? They are an essential part of our culture, and in towns and villages across the country they provide a public service, uniting their local communities.  I wholeheartedly support the work of CAMRA, the British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA) and the Society of Independent Brewers (SIBA) and the over 100,000 people (including myself) who signed a petition calling for a review.  I also fully back the CAMRA rally at Parliament on the 12th of December.  If we do not fight for our pubs, we will lose them, and we will all be the poorer for it."



And finally...



You can't have failed to notice that the EU has failed to have its accounts signed off for the 18th year in a row.  This means, of course, that there are people who are eligible to vote on Thursday who weren't even born the last time they were signed off!


Best wishes,



Jonathan Arnott (UKIP General Secretary)

[admin]

The Thin Purple Line holds firm

UKIP have reinforced our position as the country's third political force with an impressive performance in the Police & Crime Commissioner elections. There were great performances all over the country, but the top-line data is:

- All deposits retained (hooray!)

- Lib-Dems beaten in 10 out of 18 contests and in first-preference votes

- A top share of 18.74% by Jim MacArthur in Northants

- 3rd places in Cambridgeshire, Derbyshire, Durham, Lancashire and Northumbria

- A top score of 29,327 votes by Tony Armstrong in Sussex

Congratulations are in order to all our candidates, namely Paul Bullen, Louise Bours, David Gale, Bob Smith, Michael Costello, Andrew Smith, Steven Woolfe, Stephen West, Marion Mason, Godfrey Bloom, Piers Wauchope, Rob Drobny, Hillary Jones, Matt Smith, Jim MacArthur, Alistair Baxter, Warwick Nicholson, Jonathan Arnott, Bill Mountford, Robert Shatwell, Tony Armstrong, Barry Cooper, Bill Etheridge and John Short.

Also my grateful thanks to Ron Burberry, Peter Reeve, Lisa Duffy, Damian Wilson and Chris Adams for all their hard work, and to all of you who have raised money and delivered leaflets to achieve these results.

Now on to Rotherham, where we could really cause a shock. The Campaign Office location is: 24 Wellgate, Rotherham, S60 2LR and is a short distance from the Rotherham Central train station. See you there on Saturday!

[admin]

Well, what a week it's already turning out to be for UKIP!  Enquiries about joining the Party are coming at an incredible rate and the Party membership will surely soar.  The news that 8 Conservative MPs have had talks with UKIP about defecting is certainly very encouraging.  The Rotherham fostering scandal has ensured that we have our best-ever chance of success at a Parliamentary by-election.


Election campaigns have come thick and fast over the last couple of months, and I'd like to start by paying tribute to the hard-working branches and activists who are making everything happen.  I spent a couple of hours with the Middlesbrough campaign this afternoon after my daily campaigning in Rotherham, and I've been struck in both campaigns by just how much work branches are actually doing on the ground. Although I've not been able to get down to Croydon North, I've heard encouraging reports of the effort that has gone in there as well.


Today (I'm writing this late on the 26th), with dozens of flood warnings across the North and a number of A-roads closed, the UKIP spirit showed through as no-one stopped campaigning until soaked to the skin and/or leaflets had turned to soggy pulp by the driving rain.  Let's also remember that these by-elections come just a fortnight after Corby and the Police Commissioner elections across the country.  Our activists have had no break, and launched themselves straight into intense by-election campaigns.  Later in this newsletter, Nigel Farage will urge everyone to get to Rotherham to help for 'one last push' before the election on Thursday.  If there's any chance at all of a victory on Thursday, it could change the UK political landscape forever.


One remaining reason that millions don't vote UKIP is that they don't see us as potential winners, or being able to take seats.  Way back in 1999, before my involvement with the Party, I didn't vote UKIP at the European elections for that exact reason: even under PR, I didn't expect UKIP to take seats.  In my defence, I was a naïve teenager at the time!  But once I saw UKIP take 3 seats in that election, my mind was immediately made up as to how I would vote at the next European elections in 2004.  Just one by-election success is all it takes for a further UKIP surge in the polls, and that would lead to a rapid re-alignment of British politics.


I'm certainly very optimistic about the future of the Party at present.  But I'm also appalled that as many as 8% of the voters in this Sheffield Star online poll agree with Rotherham Council about fostering: http://www.thestar.co.uk/news/local/vote-should-ukip-couple-be-able-to-foster-children-1-5169082.


Meanwhile, UKIP councillor Julien Parrott has tabled the following question to the Mayor in his local area, asking: "If he will join me in condemning the decision by Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council to remove three foster children from their home because their foster parents are members of the UK Independence Party, and thereby reassure foster carers and prospective foster carers and prospective adopters in Torbay (where there are currently some 256 children in care) that they will not be discriminated against on the grounds of which political party they may belong to or for whom they may vote?" A good question, and nice to know that UKIP councillors are standing up for the people that they represent.


UKIP Leader Nigel Farage MEP – personal message to UKIP members about Rotherham by-election



Andrew Gilligan, The Telegraph: "In a low-turnout by-election with big protest vote potential, the fostering decision by a Labour council could just be the kind of issue UKIP might use to pull off an upset. It's still much more likely that Labour will win, of course. But if I was them (UKIP), I'd pile everything I have, and more, into Rotherham."


Dear UKIP Supporter,


UKIP is facing one the biggest opportunities in our history. You will all have seen the massive coverage of the Rotherham 'fostering' story over the past two days.  We've been phoning voters in Rotherham all weekend. This is not a scientific survey, but look what people told us:


Voting Labour.............................36%

Voting Conservative...................0% (1 person)

Voting UKIP.................................25%

Would consider voting UKIP.....26%

We have 4 days to persuade the people of Rotherham to do something extraordinary, by voting for liberty, voting for freedom of speech - voting for UKIP.  Will you help us change the face of politics in Britain? Will you help us to tell these bureaucrats that we're not going to put up with their nonsense any longer?  We need YOU in Rotherham this week.  Come to our town-centre Campaign HQ at 24 Wellgate, S60 2LR  or ring 07890 110 225.


Sincerely,


Nigel Farage MEP (UKIP Leader)


UKIP response to the Conservative 'deal' proposed by Michael Fabricant



You will, of course, have seen the news that Michael Fabricant suggested a 'deal' between the Conservatives and UKIP.  The Party has been quick to distance itself from any such suggestion, and Gawain Towler in the UKIP Press Office has briefly outlined the Party's thinking:


1) No deal is on the table

2) The deal offered by Fabricant seems to be for Nigel Farage to get a Cabinet post, and UKIP can go hang.  Nigel Farage will not be bought.

3) UKIP is a broad church and up to 30% of our members come from Labour background.

4) UKIP have no problems with ordinary members and activists - Tories, or members of other parties ¬ who share our desire for the repatriation of democracy from Brussels to the UK.

5) David Cameron has shown himself to be entirely untrustworthy, particularly over his behaviour on Saturday when he provided a retraction followed by a retraction of a retraction, and finally another retraction of his claims that UKIP are 'racists mostly'. At the present he claims some of us are racists.  He has been slippery on the EU issue on many occasions in the past (that cast iron guarantee).  We cannot trust him, and we would be letting down our members and supporters if we did so. This we will not do.

6) UKIP will be fighting all Westminster seats at the next General Election.

7) Those who, in the past, we have stood down against must make a decision. Do they support their leader's position, on Europe, on UKIP and on a whole range of other issues?  Or do they support this country?  If so they have to consider their position.


Incredible UKIP publicity


UKIP Leader Nigel Farage MEP and Deputy Leader Paul Nuttall MEP have been swamped with media interviews all day, and Alexandra Swann was on Sky News. 
At the time of writing, all of the main political stories on the Daily Telegraph are related to UKIP: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/.For me the most interesting story was the news in the Telegraph that there are 8 Conservative MPs considering defecting to UKIP.  Our Party Treasurer Stuart Wheeler has been heavily involved – for more information please see http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/9703678/Exclusive-Eight-Tory-MPs-in-talks-about-defecting-to-Ukip.html.

Best wishes,



Jonathan Arnott (UKIP General Secretary)