Bluemerle

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/new...cle1845227.ece

May 27, 2007

Leader of the UKIP accused of selling out
Daniel Foggo
THE leader of the UK Independence party (Ukip) has been accused by his predecessor of "selling out" its eurosceptic principles to secure a plush new office.

Roger Knapman said that Nigel Farage, his fellow member of the European parliament (MEP) who replaced him as party leader last September, has ignored the values that "prevent us getting dragged into the comfortable EU world that leads down the path to 'going native'."

"I cannot stand quietly and idly by forever if our basic principles are sold down the river," he said.

Knapman's criticism is contained in a letter to the party's ruling national executive committee (NEC) which was sent following Farage's decision to sign a declaration espousing the principle of "subsidiarity".

Ukip has always been in favour of total withdrawl from the EU, but accepting the principle of subsidiarity means accepting the authority of the union to take decisions which are not devolved to national or regional government.

The agreement containing acceptance of subsidiarity was signed in Bucharest last month between members of the European parliament's Independence/Democracy Group, (IndDem) to which Ukip belongs, and Romania's National Initiative party (Pin).

At the same time Ukip also signed up to the principle of "reforming" the Common Agricultural Policy, something which it has previously refused to recognise at all.

The IndDem group signed the declaration because it hopes to recruit the Pin's MEPs to its ranks later this year to keep its numbers sufficiently high and thereby ensure its status as a "group".

Most of the EU parliament's party funding is given to these groups, which must contain at least 20 MEPs. The IndDem group, which has 23 members, is precariously near the cut-off point.

Thanks to additional funding, the IndDem group, including Ukip, is set to move to new offices next month but such benefits would disappear if enough of its MEPs were to split off.

Knapman wrote in his letter on May 13: "I, and a number of my colleagues, cannot in all conscience accept something which represents a major departure from what we believed to be Ukip's policy — withdrawal from the EU, a complete rejection of its authority (and subsidiarity) and of the Common Agricultural Policy."

He also accused the party of sending its MEPs on "junkets" and employing their wives as assistants, apparently contrary to an internal Ukip agreement made in 2004. Farage employs his wife Kirsten as a £24,000-a-year home-based secretary using his parliamentary allowance.

Knapman wrote: "I am now very worried that this agreement is being ignored and that the attractions of the European parliament as a career may beckon to some; where the delights of plush new office suites, Brussels titles and internal parliament or IndDem Group politics are more attractive than our original purpose."

Farage, who as co-chairman of the IndDem group is entitled to a chauffeur-driven car which he says he has never used, said: "The fact that the Pin party platform calls for greater decentralisaton back from Brussels to Bucharest is one that we can fully endorse and I don't understand what Roger is talking about.

"Roger is saying in his letter that we shouldn't be supporting people who believe in subsidiarity. I would rather we weren't in the EU but we are all the while we are in it we would rather it was decentralised.

"Ukip votes for things if they reduce power at the centre. I think Roger was confused."

He denied any Ukip MEPs went on junkets and said there had been no agreement about not employing their wives.

"Roger's letter was put before the NEC and they thought the Bucharest declaration was exactly the right thing to have done."

He denied party members were "going native". Farage said: "My bank balance does not tell me that, in fact quite the reverse. It is an absolutely nonsensical idea.

"Roger is suffering from high blood pressure and is not well."

Letter from Roger Knapman

sean43

Oh Dear, not what UKIP needs.

Veelad

Oh Dear indeed, what a bunch of self serving clots :shock:

The Times has kindly provided the confidential letter

More damage to the eurosceptic movement, thanks to UKIP, yet again :evil:

C_steam

seems that Knapman is still looking for the excuse to distance himself from UKIP whilst remaining at the trough himself.

Pretty good from his point of view - won't need to sit and talk with the UKIP contingent, but can wander across when he likes and still maintain his earnings and pension level.

Petrina

God you lot get up early ! As I have indicated in a previous thread I don`t like what Nigel has signed us up to -an agreement to campaign to increase subsiduarity ,reform CAP and all the rest of the wish list ,just the sort of nonsense you would expect from the Tories who are always banging on about reforming the unreformable .

Others on the previous thread have indicated that the document was a "meaningless piece of paper " if so why was it plastered on the front page of the Ind Dem site ?
In a way it is meaningless because it will never come to anything and Nigel knows it ,it is a means to an end by the looks of Roger`s letter -better offices !
Lastly for NF to say that Roger`s blood pressure has taken his reasoning away is a bit cheeky isn`t it ?

Tony Bennett

This is the report on the Independence and Democracy Group site about the famous 'Bucharest Declaration'.

Why they all had to travel to Bucharest - at our expense - when they all meet up in Brussels anyway - is a question worth asking.

Did they all stay in B&B - or maybe a 3-star hotel?

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(English)

Ind/Dem Group signs a joint declaration with Romanian Party NIP

FOCUS ON18/04/07 - Ind/Dem Group signs a joint declaration with Romanian Party NIP

[Photo: from left to right Mr Gusa, Mr Bonde, Mrs Sandru.]

Yesterday, April 17, Ind/Dem Group and NIP have agreed on a common political platform regarding several European policy topics.

The political declaration was signed during a bureau meeting held in the capital of Romania on behalf of the Ind/Dem Group by Ind/Dem co-president Mr Jens-Peter BONDE, Vice-Presidents Mrs Kathy SINNOTT, and Mr Nils LUNDGREN, and by the other present members of the group Mrs Hélène GOUDIN, Mr Patrick LOUIS, Mr Derek R. CLARK.

The document has been signed on behalf of NIP by the President Mr Cozmin GUSA and the Vice-President Mrs Lavinia SANDRU.

The two groups agreed in combining their efforts against the ratification of the EU Constitution and stressed the necessity of a referendum for any text that will be presented in the future.

Ind/Dem and NIP found a common view also on other European policy aspects like subsidiarity, fiscal policy and common agricultural policy.

Ind/Dem and NIP are political groups based on the respect of human rights, democracy and transparency.

JOINT DECLARATION IND/DEM - NIP

By: M. Elena Murru
Email: elena.murru@europarl.europa.eu

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P.S. This was an earlier article on their website:

(English)

Meeting in Bucarest for Ind/Dem Group

FOCUS ON12/04/07 - Meeting in Bucarest for Ind/Dem Group

Next week the Independence/Democracy Group in the European Parliament (IND/DEM) will hold major political meetings in Bucharest, the capital city of Romania, from Monday to Wednesday, April 16-18, 2007.

This is the first political visit of the Group to Romania, although preliminary contacts were established over the past months between IND/DEM and the National Initiative Party (NIP) :

As part of their programme of meetings, IND/DEM Members will exchange views with representatives of the counties of PRAHOVA and ARGES and hold a conference in Bucharest entitled "Romania's Accession to the EU - From Totalitarism to Loss of Sovereignty" on Tuesday, April 17, 2007 from 11:00 to 13:00 at hotel Crowne Plaza - Ball room A.

By: Jolana Mungengova

Email: jolana.mungengova@europarl.europa.eu

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P.P.S. The criminal trial of Ashley Mote M.E.P. at Portsmouth Crown Court, scheduled to last for four weeks, begins in July - his long-running attempts to get the institutions of the European Union to give him exemption from prosecution having failed

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brian lee

Does this mean UKIP is now quadri-Partite? (To say nothing of Mote, Wise and Kilroy).

Nigel's MEPs; Roger's MEPs; The NEC; and the members, most of whom keep fighting the fight in blissful ignorance of what their 'leaders' are up to?

Andrew Constantine

I think this well sourced story is very damaging to the euro-sceptic cause. The UKIP leadership need to make very clear now that they are 100% against the EU and will re-dedicate themselves to fight against continuing membership of it every working day.

In the fight against the EU, the English Democrats will stand in the European Parliament elections in 2009 (it is odd, isn't it, how just about every nation and even supra-national institution has an English invented Parliament, but the English are not allowed one). But any English Democrat elected as an MEP will work every day for England and our democrcay. That is what they will be elected to do by the people of England, and not to take part in euro junketing.

Why aren't the UKIP MEPs spending all their energy, time and money to get the UK out of the EU? That is why they were voted there in the first place, wasn't it?

I typically refer to the political elites in this country as corrupt. To date, I have not intended this insult to cover the UKIP leadership. But I think they will need to show rather more integrity, spirit and ability in the fight against continued EU membership to prove that they really are patriots and democrats. (I should say here that I have always respected GB the MEP from London - these bad news stories I am glad to see never include him).

If UKIP's leadership have been compromised by being MEPs, I would welcome other members of UKIP moving to the English Democrats. You will not find the English Democrats on the gravy train. We may not be flush with cash, but I am confident that we will always have an intact reputation for serving England honourably.

There is of course a very good reason why the English Democrats will never be corrupted, while the unionist political elites always tend to be.

If you love your nation, you will never betray her. For English nationalists glory in the name of England.

In contrast, the UK is not a nation. I know that all too many British servicemen have died for the UK while serving in the armed forces: just as I know all too many of our political elites have betrayed the UK.

Does anyone really think that Blair, Campbell, Brown or Cameron love the UK? Would one of them be prepared to fight and to die for the UK? Nope: not one of them. So what should we call them? How about: ambitious, self-obsessed, egocentric timeservers just after wealth and fame, everyone of them.

Our political and media elites have failed us: we active citizens need to work together to clear the lot of them away.

But the basis of our appeal to our fellow citizens, of our beliefs and of our stength is that we work for England and not for ourselves. I would like to see the MEPs - elected by the people of England - now working for England, and not for the EU.

Do other members of this forum agree?

Andrew Constantine

stathan

No.


In fact I almost puked up over the pitiful terminology used in your post.

Bluemerle

There are over 500 small parties all fighting their corner. What is needed is an umbrella for them all to come and stand together. The problem is each and every one is led by a Leader with a huge ego, not prepared to give way on anything. What is needed is a charismatic Leader!!