UKIP Branch Startups Support

AcidTrash · 28-09-2005, 08:51 PM

but the only point to a branch is to co-ordinate members.

Alex McKee · 28-09-2005, 08:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AcidTrash

but the only point to a branch is to co-ordinate members.

Yes but it's no point having 10 or a thousand members without a branch because the purpose of the party is to organise itself and fight elections!!!

Without co-ordination then it ain't gonna happen!

AcidTrash · 28-09-2005, 08:59 PM

A bit of a circular arguement I'm sure but you need to check with central office or whoever holds the membership data these days, if you have enough local interest to bother with a branch. If you're a remote constituency with only half a dozen members there isn't a great deal of point. you might as well just have a meeting in a pub.

steve allison · 01-10-2005, 01:39 PM

As a Regional organiser one of my jobs is to set up new branches. This is inevitably a hard slog and it can take months to get a branch off the ground. The only thing needed for a successful Branch is a keen, enthusiastic Chairman who appreciates that politics is a long game; Rome wasn't built in a day and any other clichés that give the message that you can’t expect anything quickly.

When you strip it all down to basics branches exist for only one thing, it's NOT to increase membership, it's NOT to raise awareness of UKIP, it's NOT to stand in Shopping Centres handing out leaflets, all these things are just a means to an end, and that end is........RAISE MONEY!

In 2009 we have Euro elections, local Elections and probably a General Election as well. If you want a UKIP Candidate in your Constituency then you will need to find at least £2,000. Inevitably the usual suspects will come out of the woodwork in October or November 2008 wanting to stand as UKIP Candidates. These people will be members of the party but most of them will have done very little or nothing since they last stood for UKIP in 2005. As Regional organiser in 2005 I had literally dozens of phone calls from UKIP Members wanting to stand as MP Candidates. The first question they inevitably asked me was “How much money will UKIP be putting INTO phpbb_my Campaign”. When the answer was “Hey it’s “your” campaign, how much money are you putting in? Because you’ll be lucky to get a single copper penny from the party!” then most of these dedicated, committed, Euro sceptics put the phone down and were never heard from again.

In 2009 those constituencies that have £2,000 in the fighting fund will have candidates queuing up to fight their seat. Those constituencies with no money will struggle to get anyone.

So the thing you need to set up a branch is simple. How are you going to raise £2,000 by April 2009? If you started in June 2005 then that worked out at about £500 a year or £10 a week. Every Branch which wants to fight in 2009 should already have a fighting fund account with about £160 quid in it!

PS If you want to fight local elections in 2006, support the Scottish parliament and Welsh assembly Elections in 2007 and also support the MEP election in 2009 then your fighting find need a damn sight more than £160 in it!!

B.A.Ware · 01-10-2005, 02:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by steve allison

When you strip it all down to basics branches exist for only one thing, it's NOT to increase membership, it's NOT to raise awareness of UKIP, it's NOT to stand in Shopping Centres handing out leaflets, all these things are just a means to an end, and that end is........RAISE MONEY!

I disagree yes you have to raise money to fight elections but a branch is far more than that,

It is to build up membership

Its a place where like minded people can meet up and discuss politics

It keeps people on board as they have a sense of belonging

It show the inactive members that Ukip is active in their community.

You can have a branch and not fight elections, just use it to promote the party.

mkpdavies · 01-10-2005, 03:06 PM

The closer a branch is to a social club the better as far as I'm concerned.

Woking fails miserably on that score.

steve allison · 01-10-2005, 03:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by B.A.Ware

I disagree yes you have to raise money to fight elections but a branch is far more than that,

It is to build up membership

Its a place where like minded people can meet up and discuss politics

It keeps people on board as they have a sense of belonging

It show the inactive members that Ukip is active in their community.

You can have a branch and not fight elections, just use it to promote the party.

If you are not going to fight elections then why build up membership?

If you don't ultimately want people to vote for you than why bother to keep them on board?

Why bother showing inactive people that UKIP is doing something in their community if you don't translate that activity INTO phpbb_political representation at some level?

Why promote a party that will never be anything more than a talking shop?

If you want a place where like minded people can meet and discuss politics then join a debating society or spend your time on UKIPForum where you can "talk" 24/7.

Unless UKIP wins elections then it may as well just give up now. In order to win you must fight and in order to fight you need money. All things are possible with money, very little is possible without it.

A Branch social event is very good at all the things you mention but unless it also raises a few quid and uses this money to fight elections then ultimately the Branch will be useless. A lone member going to a monthly car boot sale and raising £20 a time for fighting funds is more use to UKIP then a dozen people going to a Branch meeting to talk about it!

mkpdavies · 01-10-2005, 03:19 PM

Money is very important.

To attract money, you have to have something to sell.

Credibilty, fun, success all will bring in members and money.

UKIP do not have an image of fun or credibility. We did have success for a while, but that's gone for now, might be back at the next election.

Credibility needs to be started off on a national level, before the local level can work on their side.

Fun is down to the local level. Tough to get started, but once it is it can snowball. Boston and Skeggy looked like they were getting something going on that front.

steve allison · 01-10-2005, 04:08 PM

Of the three criteria you quote "Credibility, fun, success" then the key one is success since that will bring credibility and maybe even fun. I disagree totally that credibility needs to be started off on a national level, look at the Lib Dems; they have huge local credibility which they are translating INTO phpbb_national success. If Boston and Skeggy were getting something going on the fun front then look at how much money they had to spend to do so.

Being a member of UKIP is like living in a small town with a lower division football team, it is hard, grim work being a supporter and keeping the flame alive, I know, I'm from Hartlepool, lol, you live for tiny, tiny victories and hope that one day it will all come right and we will win the Premiership, but in order for that to ever happen will require huge amounts of ......MONEY.

All these people who are now leaving UKIP because the results are not going our way at the moment are like the fair weather fans who want instant fun, success, credibility, when the going gets tough then they give up on the local team and give their support a team who have bought their place at the top, Chelsea for example.

To continue the football theme, when the going gets tough then the fans howl for the manager's head, just like certain people in UKIP are blaming Roger Knapman for all our problems. Roger is a decent, hard working manager who is doing his best with the players he has available. A football manager denied funds to go INTO phpbb_the transfer market will always struggle to keep a top flight team on the pitch, once again, it all comes down to money!!!

Anyway, back to work........ trying to write a wrap up report for Livingston........ success and fun are two phrases not figuring very high in this.........

Anthony Butcher · 01-10-2005, 04:41 PM

The problem is that we are also hampered by the number of managers and shareholders who don't want to play full football at all, they just want UKIP to play keepy-uppy in the EU league.

01-10-2005, 03:06 PM	#16 (permalink)
mkpdavies Uber Member Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Woking Posts: 31,182 Party: Libertarian Party	The closer a branch is to a social club the better as far as I'm concerned. Woking fails miserably on that score. __________________ http://brits4ronpaul.blogspot.com/ http://wokinglibertarians.blogspot.com/ http://lpuk.org My ignore list Labour, Blue Labour, Lib Dems

01-10-2005, 03:19 PM	#18 (permalink)
mkpdavies Uber Member Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Woking Posts: 31,182 Party: Libertarian Party	Money is very important. To attract money, you have to have something to sell. Credibilty, fun, success all will bring in members and money. UKIP do not have an image of fun or credibility. We did have success for a while, but that's gone for now, might be back at the next election. Credibility needs to be started off on a national level, before the local level can work on their side. Fun is down to the local level. Tough to get started, but once it is it can snowball. Boston and Skeggy looked like they were getting something going on that front. __________________ http://brits4ronpaul.blogspot.com/ http://wokinglibertarians.blogspot.com/ http://lpuk.org My ignore list Labour, Blue Labour, Lib Dems

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28-09-2005, 08:51 PM	#11 (permalink)
AcidTrash Junior Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Posts: 81	but the only point to a branch is to co-ordinate members.

28-09-2005, 08:59 PM	#13 (permalink)
AcidTrash Junior Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Posts: 81	A bit of a circular arguement I'm sure but you need to check with central office or whoever holds the membership data these days, if you have enough local interest to bother with a branch. If you're a remote constituency with only half a dozen members there isn't a great deal of point. you might as well just have a meeting in a pub.

01-10-2005, 01:39 PM	#14 (permalink)
steve allison Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 125	As a Regional organiser one of my jobs is to set up new branches. This is inevitably a hard slog and it can take months to get a branch off the ground. The only thing needed for a successful Branch is a keen, enthusiastic Chairman who appreciates that politics is a long game; Rome wasn't built in a day and any other clichés that give the message that you can’t expect anything quickly. When you strip it all down to basics branches exist for only one thing, it's NOT to increase membership, it's NOT to raise awareness of UKIP, it's NOT to stand in Shopping Centres handing out leaflets, all these things are just a means to an end, and that end is........RAISE MONEY! In 2009 we have Euro elections, local Elections and probably a General Election as well. If you want a UKIP Candidate in your Constituency then you will need to find at least £2,000. Inevitably the usual suspects will come out of the woodwork in October or November 2008 wanting to stand as UKIP Candidates. These people will be members of the party but most of them will have done very little or nothing since they last stood for UKIP in 2005. As Regional organiser in 2005 I had literally dozens of phone calls from UKIP Members wanting to stand as MP Candidates. The first question they inevitably asked me was “How much money will UKIP be putting INTO phpbb_my Campaign”. When the answer was “Hey it’s “your” campaign, how much money are you putting in? Because you’ll be lucky to get a single copper penny from the party!” then most of these dedicated, committed, Euro sceptics put the phone down and were never heard from again. In 2009 those constituencies that have £2,000 in the fighting fund will have candidates queuing up to fight their seat. Those constituencies with no money will struggle to get anyone. So the thing you need to set up a branch is simple. How are you going to raise £2,000 by April 2009? If you started in June 2005 then that worked out at about £500 a year or £10 a week. Every Branch which wants to fight in 2009 should already have a fighting fund account with about £160 quid in it! PS If you want to fight local elections in 2006, support the Scottish parliament and Welsh assembly Elections in 2007 and also support the MEP election in 2009 then your fighting find need a damn sight more than £160 in it!!

01-10-2005, 04:08 PM	#19 (permalink)
steve allison Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 125	Of the three criteria you quote "Credibility, fun, success" then the key one is success since that will bring credibility and maybe even fun. I disagree totally that credibility needs to be started off on a national level, look at the Lib Dems; they have huge local credibility which they are translating INTO phpbb_national success. If Boston and Skeggy were getting something going on the fun front then look at how much money they had to spend to do so. Being a member of UKIP is like living in a small town with a lower division football team, it is hard, grim work being a supporter and keeping the flame alive, I know, I'm from Hartlepool, lol, you live for tiny, tiny victories and hope that one day it will all come right and we will win the Premiership, but in order for that to ever happen will require huge amounts of ......MONEY. All these people who are now leaving UKIP because the results are not going our way at the moment are like the fair weather fans who want instant fun, success, credibility, when the going gets tough then they give up on the local team and give their support a team who have bought their place at the top, Chelsea for example. To continue the football theme, when the going gets tough then the fans howl for the manager's head, just like certain people in UKIP are blaming Roger Knapman for all our problems. Roger is a decent, hard working manager who is doing his best with the players he has available. A football manager denied funds to go INTO phpbb_the transfer market will always struggle to keep a top flight team on the pitch, once again, it all comes down to money!!! Anyway, back to work........ trying to write a wrap up report for Livingston........ success and fun are two phrases not figuring very high in this.........

01-10-2005, 04:41 PM	#20 (permalink)
Anthony Butcher Administrator Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Long Ashton, Bristol Posts: 10,208 Party: None	The problem is that we are also hampered by the number of managers and shareholders who don't want to play full football at all, they just want UKIP to play keepy-uppy in the EU league.