Tag Archives: ukip

Flying Free: Nigel Farage’s take on his own life

By Mark Pack | Published 5th January 2012 - 10:25 am

Events and the political calendar are likely to keep UKIP as one of the most prominent ‘other’ political parties in the UK over the next few years, making this newly revised and expanded autobiography of its most high-profile and flamboyant personality, Nigel Farage, timely not only for the party’s own fans but for anyone else interested in British politics.

It is a well written, lively book, full of the sort of pugnacious language that has helped give Farage his high popularity. It is also rather kinder to some of his opponents that you might expect if you had only come across Farage through his headline grabbing strings of insults aimed at others, though when it comes to the EU and its main functionaries he doesn’t hold back. He even has some kinds words to say for the man who threatened to kill him – and rightly so given the person’s mental health had fallen apart.

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Posted in Books | Also tagged | 9 Comments

The weekend debate: Are Lib Dems too pro-European?

By Carl Quilliam | Published 12th November 2011 - 8:45 am

Here’s your starter for ten in our weekend slot where we throw up an idea or thought for debate…

With the looming debt crisis in the Eurozone and Eurosceptics from across the political divide baying for blood, the LDV weekend debate couldn’t resist the pressure any longer.

So, with people openly talking about the possibility of the end of the Euro as we know it, and Europe seemingly in crisis, are Lib Dem Ministers taking the right decisions for the party and the country as a whole?

The party has long been …

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Posted in Europe / International, Op-eds | Also tagged , | 59 Comments

Opinion: One good reason to vote Lib Dem

By Richard Clare | Published 9th January 2011 - 12:50 pm

With the looming by-election in Oldham East & Saddleworth and each candidate eager to win, with each of their respective parties hoping to be able to boast about the win for years to come, I’d imagine the people of OE&S are probably scratching their heads. A Labour party that endorsed the Phil Woolas who combined pretty much everything we hate about politicians in his lies intended to stir racial tensions? A Liberal Democrat party that, let’s be honest, is not the most glamorous of groups at the moment, still reeling from scandals and broken pledges? A Conservative party barely even …

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Posted in Op-eds, Parliamentary by-elections | Also tagged , , | 49 Comments

Nigel Farage to stand for UKIP leadership (again)

By Iain Roberts | Published 3rd September 2010 - 1:49 pm

According to the BBC, former UKIP leader Nigel Farage is to throw his hat into the ring and attempt to get his old job back.

The position became vacant last month when Lord Pearson stood down, admitting with surprising honesty that he wasn’t up to the job. Farage’s decision may have been prompted by suspicions that none of the other likely candidates are up to the job either.

Farage, an MEP, failed in his attempt to unseat the Commons Speaker, John Bercow, at the General Election, finishing a disappointing third. An election day aircrash had left him injured and …

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Posted in News | Also tagged | 10 Comments

UKIP leader Lord Pearson stands down

By Mark Pack | Published 17th August 2010 - 8:34 am

The BBC has the story about Lord Pearson standing down as UKIP’s leader following his less than successful general election performance (with that TV interview):

In his resignation statement, Lord Pearson said he was “not much good” at party politics and UKIP “deserved a better politician… to lead it”.

The outgoing leader had a difficult general election campaign, telling one interviewer he could not remember his own manifesto in detail.

An interim leader will be chosen at UKIP’s annual conference next month.

I must admit I’m a little impressed with his departure – it’s a rare person who admits they aren’t up to …

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Posted in Opposition watch | Also tagged | 7 Comments

By slimmest of margins Supreme Court overturns UKIP donations ruling

By Mark Pack | Published 15th August 2010 - 9:20 am

A quick update on our previous coverage of the court case over more than £350,000 of impermissible donations accepted by UKIP. Last month the Supreme Court ruled in UKIP’s favour, reducing the amount UKIP has to repay to just under £15,000.

Although on a strict narrow literal reading of the legislation wording all impermissible donations have to be forfeit, by a 4-3 ruling the Supreme Court decided that the word “forfeit” is  used in an unusual way in the wording of the legislation and that the wider context shows that the total of impermissible donations is the maximum that …

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UKIP donations case set for Supreme Court

By Mark Pack | Published 12th June 2010 - 5:42 pm

Left Foot Forward has reported:

The United Kingdom Indpendence Party’s dispute with the Electoral Commission over its refusal to forfeit more than £350,000 of impermissable donations has this week escalated to the Supreme Court…

A spokesman for the commission told Left Foot Forward that there had been 67 instances of UKIP not adhering to the laws on donations by failing to check whether donations of more than £200 were from people on the electoral register, over a period of a year, despite repeated warnings from the commission.

You can read the full piece here.

Posted in Election law, News | Also tagged | 4 Comments

Opinion: The linked vote shares of UKIP and the BNP

By Antony Hook | Published 10th May 2010 - 11:20 am

The 2010 General Election was a failure for Britain’s two openly xenophobic parties.

UKIP stood in 556 constituencies and lost their deposit in 459 (83%). Their vote share varied between 0.65 and Nigel Farage’s 17.3 in Buckingham where none of the three main parties contested the Speaker’s seat. No other UKIP candidate hit double digits.

The average vote share per UKIP candidate was 3.54.

The BNP stood in 338 constituencies and lost their deposit in 267 (80%). Their vote share varied between 0.4 and Nick Griffin’s 14.6 in Barking. Only two other BNP candidates hit double digits.

Eight out UKIP’s …

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Posted in General Election, Op-eds | Also tagged | 15 Comments

Bits of election fun you may have missed

By Mark Pack | Published 21st April 2010 - 11:20 am

The best leaflet correction so far; you’ve got to love the biro work.

Phil Willis shows his moves (but just skip over 1 min 48 sec, ok?).

Ben Goldacre edges close to saying “Vote Lib Dem” here and here.

Esther Rantzen takes to removing Liberal Democrat posters in Luton South.

Not heard the David Cameron song? Hear it here. (Hat tip: Jonathan Calder)

And the prize for the worst campaign interview goes to UKIP leader, Lord Pearson (clip via Left Foot Forward):

…

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Posted in General Election | Also tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

Racist comment not such a problem for UKIP after all

By Mark Pack | Published 9th April 2010 - 8:51 pm

I’d previously blogged about UKIP Parliamentary candidate for Ilford South and London chair Paul Wiffen being suspended by the party after the Community Care site reported, “A senior UK Independence Party member has posted a racist comment”. Not just a brief comment, but a multiple-sentence rant about Romanians, Muslims and Africans, with an extra general insult thrown in at the end.

Now however UKIP has decided to reinstate him. As the local newspaper reports:

Mr Wiffen, who is chair of UKIP London, was reinstated after saying sorry for the email and following an internal party inquiry.

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UKIP caught by Sunday Times investigation into hiding donations

By Mark Pack | Published 4th April 2010 - 3:22 pm

The Sunday Times reports:

Stuart Agnew, a UKIP MEP, and Lord Pearson of Rannoch, the party’s leader, have told undercover reporters how a real donor’s name could be kept secret by passing tens of thousands of pounds through intermediaries. If carried out, one or more of the suggested methods could have been illegal.

Our disclosures will embarrass UKIP and Pearson, who also told the undercover reporter that some UKIP members were “neanderthals” and described Agnew, 60, as “one of our only really sane MEPs”.

The report goes on to detail how UKIP explored a range of ways for a donor to hide their …

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Posted in Election law | Also tagged , | 1 Comment

UKIP candidate suspended over racist comments

By Mark Pack | Published 4th April 2010 - 10:20 am

Community Care reports:

A senior UK Independence Party member has posted a racist comment on Community Care.

In response to a post by Community Care‘s Outside Left blogger on asylum, Paul Wiffen – who is chair of UKIP London and a parliamentary candidate, said:

“You left-wing scum are all the same, wanting to hand our birthright to Romanian gypsies who beat their wives and children into begging and stealing money they can gamble with, Muslim nutters who want to kill us and put us all under medieval Sharia law, the same Africans who sold their Afro-Caribbean brothers into a slavery that Britain was the first to

…

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Posted in Opposition watch | Also tagged , | 5 Comments

Why Vote … – the other books reviewed

By Mark Pack | Published 22nd March 2010 - 11:15 am

I’ve already reviewed two of the titles in the new seven book series from biteback: Why Vote Liberal Democrat and Why Vote. But what to make of the other fives titles – covers Labour, Conservative, Green, SNP and Plaid? (Although a UKIP book was also publicised, it never got published as UKIP failed to produce the necessary copy.)

Both the Labour and Conservative books are ‘unofficial’ in the sense that they are by prominent party members, but ones who have no official role in the party’s policy or campaigning decisions – Rachel Reeves, Labour …

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Posted in Books | Also tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Teachers, Thatcher, tax and troops: Nick Clegg Q&A

By Helen Duffett | Published 13th March 2010 - 7:26 pm

Nick Clegg answers questions at Spring Conference, Birmingham

In this afternoon’s Q&A from the Conference hall, Nick Clegg tackled questions from the floor with a relaxed and confident manner that bodes well for the upcoming TV Leaders’ Debates.

He took questions from party members in the hall, before taking supplementaries.

First up was education and whether schools should use the Pupil Premium to reduce class sizes. Nick said that the Pupil Premium seeks to give back trust to teachers and headteachers. Smaller class sizes are important for instilling a sense of self-confidence and …

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Posted in Conference | Also tagged , , , , | 7 Comments

UKIP expel MEP in dispute over ‘extremist’ links

By Mark Pack | Published 7th March 2010 - 10:20 am

This week The Times reported of Nikki Sinclaire:

The UK Independence Party has expelled one of its MEPs after she refused to sit with its right-wing Italian allies in the European Parliament and fell out with former leader Nigel Farage…

Ms Sinclaire, 41, an MEP for the West Midlands, insisted that she wanted to stay with the party but would not join UKIP’s alliance in Strasbourg with the “extremist” Northern League of Italy. She has also said that she lost faith in Mr Farage because of his “personal animosity” towards her…

UKIP has a track record for losing MEPs, having entered the

…

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Posted in Opposition watch | Also tagged , | 2 Comments