mkpdavies

I think this is relevant to the leadership contest, as it is

a) On one of the candidates fan sites.
b) Is a statement made by one of the candidates.

http://www.intbel.com/nigel4leader/interview.html

Go down to the bit where Humphrys asks about expenses. Farage tells him that a declaration must be signed that only genuine expenses will be taken and they will all be put up for inspection after audit. He also says there will be a legal fund for the victims of the EU.

Where can I see evidence of all this. I haven't heard of the fund being used much (at all).

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Petrina

First I`ve ever heard of it .No one ever mentioned such a fund to me or to the NEC in my time ,nor have I ever heard of anyone helped by such a fund .

Got to be a question at the next hustings hasn`t it .That if the question ever gets passed the vetting !

Petrina

I am obliged to a member who has been a member longer than I have ( I joined just after the 1999 elections )for putting me in the picture re this non existent fund .

UKIP`s long standing determination not to take up any seats which it may win at the EU elections was reversed prior to the 1999 elections.However many members were not happy about it as it left us open to the charge of joining a gravy train which we openly despised .

As a result of this feeling within the party John Harvey was instrumental drawing up a declaration in which all candidates agreed to claim only expenses which were verifiable and to put any spare monies into a trust fund for groups of people such as the fishermen who had been hit by the EU regulations /directives .

Much was made of this declaration of intent not to become part of the gravy train at the time of the election .
Despite the hype the fund was NEVER set up which is why most of us have never
heard of it .

Holmes ,Farage and Titford were our elected MEPs.

The candidates interestingly also agreed to provide the NEC with full quarterly accounts of all monies received from expenses and all monies which were put into the fund .

Oh happy days !

Bluemerle

Perhaps if we get a Leader of integrity we can implement this.

BASILDON BOY

MEP = Massively Expensive Parasite living off the backs of the British Taxpayers. If the EU parliament was closed down tomorrow and the MEPs given proper jobs to do - then nobody would miss them apart from the restraunts of Brussels!

Mark Croucher

Money was set aside for this, and the European Parliament declared it illegal, forcing the MEPs (Nigel and Jeffrey, Holmes having chucked his toys out of the pram by then) to repay, IIRC, £11,000 which had been donated in this way - I believe from memory to the Metric Martyrs Defence Fund.

Rgds

Mark

mkpdavies

Thanks Mark.

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SponPlague

As a candidate, I signed that form too, so know a bit about it - but here's the answer from the man himself:

Petrina

That was probably because the funds were used for other "political purposes ",had the fund been set up properly after legal advice had been it may well have been able to get around the EU rules on this .

What is interesting is that the original candidates were only too well aware of the possibilty of being seen to be part of the gravy train ,they were keen ,apparently ,to be open about their finances .The recent outburst from Tom Wise at last night`s hustings, if it has been accurately reported to GLW and by GLW ,is a real eye-opener. Looks like it is a case of when in Rome do as the Rome does .

Anthony Butcher

That's true, but I have always wondered why they didn't just bank the money, pay the tax on it and then pay it out again to the fund. It would lose 40% of its value but 60% is better than nothing.