QUOTES ON UKIP (by members)
RICHARD NORTH, former Chief Researcher for UKIP and founder of EU Referendum website
"You are right and this makes a nonsense of any claims that UKIP is a 'right wing' party. It is, in effect, a one-man party... the Farage Party. Although he is lauded as the most prominent and effective of members, that is largely of Farage's making.
Having sat at the desk opposite him and worked very closely with him for four years, I have come to the view that the man has a complete inability to delegate and is also terminally insecure.
"This latter defect means he cannot tolerate anyone around him or in the party who he feels is or might be in a position to challenge him. He prefers to surround himself with incompetents and dead-beats and prevents anyone with talent developing. Anyone who emerges who might show an independent streak, he ruthlessly eliminates, to ensure that they cannot be seen as competition.
"He hold the reigns of power to himself - acting though surrogates whom he can control or marginalise - and spends the bulk of his time manoeuvring and scheming to keep himself in the dominant position, while presenting to the world his "boyish charm" that effectively conceals his utterly focused grip on that power.
"Thus, while he was just what UKIP needed in the very early stages, he has failed to develop with the party and now is the central reason why UKIP itself has failed to develop.
"Any attempt to develop structures and capabilities that do not revolve around Farage he has failed to support and, if it looks like being effective, moves heaven and earth to sabotage it.
In so doing, he has developed a singular expertise for diverting attention - and therefore blame - from himself, not least though exploiting his knowledge of the party to set people against each other, so that he can fade into the background while they fight each other. As long as he is in place, with his grip on the party, that will continue to be the case. The sooner the party wakes up to this, the better."
ALAN SKED, former Leader of UKIP, 2004
"I write this article more in sorrow than in anger. I was proud to found the UK Independence Party and I still avidly support the cause. However, since I quit the party in 1997, I have been disturbed by developments inside it and disagree on principle with its obsession with gaining seats in next month's elections in the European Parliament. The introduction of a list system of proportional representation has made it relatively easy for it to win seats (and huge salaries and expenses) in Strasbourg with votes that would just scrape past deposit-saving levels in Westminster elections. Meanwhile, the party has given up thinking about any policies and its active base is down to around 1,200 people, if internal voting figures are anything to go by.
"What possible purpose has been served by sending UKIP MEPs to Strasbourg? The European Parliament has no power to grant or further UK independence. And who has heard of the UKIP's MEPs? Their only monument has been the laughter occasioned by the maiden speeches of Michael Holmes, who called for greater powers for the European Parliament - not exactly UKIP policy - and Graham Booth, whose incomprehensible speech in Devonian even managed to insult his Cornish and Somerset constituents. (He later apologised.)
"Worse still, the extra-parliamentary behaviour of the party's de facto leader, the MEP Nigel Farage, led UKIP's research director, Dr Richard North, to resign, saying: "I am not and was not prepared to be a bag-carrier. Nor would I fetch and carry for Farage, or write his letters, or be available to pour him into a taxi when he was so blind drunk that he could no longer stand, or cover for him when he failed to turn up for morning appointments because he had been out on the tiles all night long. I am almost old enough to be his father, but I am not in the business of being his nanny. I am a professional researcher and that, in my mind, was what I was employed to do."
BRYAN SMALLEY, UKIP Party Secretary for two years:
"It is now obvious to all members who know what is happening at the top of the organisation that the Party has been taken over by Nigel Farage and his acolytes.
"I am sure you have heard me say before that the Party belongs to its members. We elect some members to specific offices to run the Party for us. But even then, for those elected to the NEC, we only permit members to act in accordance with policies laid down by the committee and not to act independently. It is the failure to run the Party on these lines which is causing its disintegration.
"My concern is that those people who are running the Party are unchecked and are behaving extremely irresponsibly. I will make some comments about these individuals which you may think libellous. I assure you that I can bring evidence, and witnesses if necessary, to prove that everything I write can be proven.
"Nigel Farage is a member of the NEC and has no authority to make individual decisions about the Party.
- He is dishonest and frequently makes untrue statements.
- He acts independently without consulting the NEC and in doing so frequently gets the Party a bad press.
"You will recall that when I drew your attention to Nigel Farage’s illegal copying of video tapes and his lies about his activities, you gave him your full support and permitted the distribution of a press release which was also untruthful. You failed to support me when I was the only person telling the truth.
"I expect to see Nigel brought under control, by means of a disciplinary hearing if necessary.
ANTHONY SCHOLEFIELD, UKIP Party Secretary for three years and founder of Futurus think tank
"Nigel Farage is a reasonably competent and hardworking salesman but he is also the alpha and omega of UKIPs problems because of his widespread manipulation, poor judgement and poor choice of associates.
"His manipulative political style suffocates development of Party structures and policy development and drives away many activists. His judgement of personalities and staff is notoriously poor and appears to be based solely on their sycophancy. He is the exemplar for, and the inspiration for, the MEP problem, their self-centredness and lack of subordination to the Party members.
"Apparently the membership of UKIP is estimated to be less than 12000 including those signed up to long term membership and unable to get out. The party lacks cash although the MEPs are well remunerated and many don’t contribute financially to the Party. Press reports of widespread alcoholic consumption and Farage’s sexual misadventures steadily drove away supporters who back the Party with their sacrifices of time and money. Many will not abide this abuse of Party support.
"A disturbing feature is that Mark Croucher, the UKIP Press Officer, shows details about UKIP membership to Communists and Socialist Workers via Searchlight and Unite Against Facism. Croucher reports to Farage.
LYNDDA ROBSON, British Democracy Forum, 21 October 2008
"Apparently the UKIP leadership has caved in on the withholding of Lynnda Robson’s deposit.
"After being sued in the Court for the return of the £250 deposit, they first agreed to return it, then refused to return it, and now have paid her the money plus costs, etc. so the saga cost UKIP £500 instead of £250.
"This apparently happened after Lyndda Robson requested the disclosure of documents including a copy of Marta Andreasen’s application form and a copy of her £250 cheque and CRB documentation. It is thought these did not exist in a form which satisfied the Electoral Commission and the UKIP Constitution and this fact was too embarrassing to show to the Court.
"It is thought that Tim Worstall’s application form would also have to be examined and should prove interesting reading since he is a tax exile in Portugal and, therefore, cannot be a full member of UKIP or legally pay his £250 donation or get a CRB check.
"It seems that Paul Nuttall is disinclined to be the fall guy for the unconstitutional and illegal process in UKIP."
"You are right and this makes a nonsense of any claims that UKIP is a 'right wing' party. It is, in effect, a one-man party... the Farage Party. Although he is lauded as the most prominent and effective of members, that is largely of Farage's making.
Having sat at the desk opposite him and worked very closely with him for four years, I have come to the view that the man has a complete inability to delegate and is also terminally insecure.
"This latter defect means he cannot tolerate anyone around him or in the party who he feels is or might be in a position to challenge him. He prefers to surround himself with incompetents and dead-beats and prevents anyone with talent developing. Anyone who emerges who might show an independent streak, he ruthlessly eliminates, to ensure that they cannot be seen as competition.
"He hold the reigns of power to himself - acting though surrogates whom he can control or marginalise - and spends the bulk of his time manoeuvring and scheming to keep himself in the dominant position, while presenting to the world his "boyish charm" that effectively conceals his utterly focused grip on that power.
"Thus, while he was just what UKIP needed in the very early stages, he has failed to develop with the party and now is the central reason why UKIP itself has failed to develop.
"Any attempt to develop structures and capabilities that do not revolve around Farage he has failed to support and, if it looks like being effective, moves heaven and earth to sabotage it.
In so doing, he has developed a singular expertise for diverting attention - and therefore blame - from himself, not least though exploiting his knowledge of the party to set people against each other, so that he can fade into the background while they fight each other. As long as he is in place, with his grip on the party, that will continue to be the case. The sooner the party wakes up to this, the better."
ALAN SKED, former Leader of UKIP, 2004
"I write this article more in sorrow than in anger. I was proud to found the UK Independence Party and I still avidly support the cause. However, since I quit the party in 1997, I have been disturbed by developments inside it and disagree on principle with its obsession with gaining seats in next month's elections in the European Parliament. The introduction of a list system of proportional representation has made it relatively easy for it to win seats (and huge salaries and expenses) in Strasbourg with votes that would just scrape past deposit-saving levels in Westminster elections. Meanwhile, the party has given up thinking about any policies and its active base is down to around 1,200 people, if internal voting figures are anything to go by.
"What possible purpose has been served by sending UKIP MEPs to Strasbourg? The European Parliament has no power to grant or further UK independence. And who has heard of the UKIP's MEPs? Their only monument has been the laughter occasioned by the maiden speeches of Michael Holmes, who called for greater powers for the European Parliament - not exactly UKIP policy - and Graham Booth, whose incomprehensible speech in Devonian even managed to insult his Cornish and Somerset constituents. (He later apologised.)
"Worse still, the extra-parliamentary behaviour of the party's de facto leader, the MEP Nigel Farage, led UKIP's research director, Dr Richard North, to resign, saying: "I am not and was not prepared to be a bag-carrier. Nor would I fetch and carry for Farage, or write his letters, or be available to pour him into a taxi when he was so blind drunk that he could no longer stand, or cover for him when he failed to turn up for morning appointments because he had been out on the tiles all night long. I am almost old enough to be his father, but I am not in the business of being his nanny. I am a professional researcher and that, in my mind, was what I was employed to do."
BRYAN SMALLEY, UKIP Party Secretary for two years:
"It is now obvious to all members who know what is happening at the top of the organisation that the Party has been taken over by Nigel Farage and his acolytes.
"I am sure you have heard me say before that the Party belongs to its members. We elect some members to specific offices to run the Party for us. But even then, for those elected to the NEC, we only permit members to act in accordance with policies laid down by the committee and not to act independently. It is the failure to run the Party on these lines which is causing its disintegration.
"My concern is that those people who are running the Party are unchecked and are behaving extremely irresponsibly. I will make some comments about these individuals which you may think libellous. I assure you that I can bring evidence, and witnesses if necessary, to prove that everything I write can be proven.
"Nigel Farage is a member of the NEC and has no authority to make individual decisions about the Party.
- He is dishonest and frequently makes untrue statements.
- He acts independently without consulting the NEC and in doing so frequently gets the Party a bad press.
"You will recall that when I drew your attention to Nigel Farage’s illegal copying of video tapes and his lies about his activities, you gave him your full support and permitted the distribution of a press release which was also untruthful. You failed to support me when I was the only person telling the truth.
"I expect to see Nigel brought under control, by means of a disciplinary hearing if necessary.
ANTHONY SCHOLEFIELD, UKIP Party Secretary for three years and founder of Futurus think tank
"Nigel Farage is a reasonably competent and hardworking salesman but he is also the alpha and omega of UKIPs problems because of his widespread manipulation, poor judgement and poor choice of associates.
"His manipulative political style suffocates development of Party structures and policy development and drives away many activists. His judgement of personalities and staff is notoriously poor and appears to be based solely on their sycophancy. He is the exemplar for, and the inspiration for, the MEP problem, their self-centredness and lack of subordination to the Party members.
"Apparently the membership of UKIP is estimated to be less than 12000 including those signed up to long term membership and unable to get out. The party lacks cash although the MEPs are well remunerated and many don’t contribute financially to the Party. Press reports of widespread alcoholic consumption and Farage’s sexual misadventures steadily drove away supporters who back the Party with their sacrifices of time and money. Many will not abide this abuse of Party support.
"A disturbing feature is that Mark Croucher, the UKIP Press Officer, shows details about UKIP membership to Communists and Socialist Workers via Searchlight and Unite Against Facism. Croucher reports to Farage.
LYNDDA ROBSON, British Democracy Forum, 21 October 2008
"Apparently the UKIP leadership has caved in on the withholding of Lynnda Robson’s deposit.
"After being sued in the Court for the return of the £250 deposit, they first agreed to return it, then refused to return it, and now have paid her the money plus costs, etc. so the saga cost UKIP £500 instead of £250.
"This apparently happened after Lyndda Robson requested the disclosure of documents including a copy of Marta Andreasen’s application form and a copy of her £250 cheque and CRB documentation. It is thought these did not exist in a form which satisfied the Electoral Commission and the UKIP Constitution and this fact was too embarrassing to show to the Court.
"It is thought that Tim Worstall’s application form would also have to be examined and should prove interesting reading since he is a tax exile in Portugal and, therefore, cannot be a full member of UKIP or legally pay his £250 donation or get a CRB check.
"It seems that Paul Nuttall is disinclined to be the fall guy for the unconstitutional and illegal process in UKIP."