Anthony Butcher

This looks like it might become an issue. Bearing in mind that the EU elections will happen about a year before the likely date of the next General Election, should Bob Spink be placed on the MEP lists for UKIP? That would mean that he would, presumably, have to resign his seat in Westminster.

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Populist Lee

Ah, memories . . .

I think UKIP in Castle Point would regret such a desertion.

eublues

He he wants to be on the list, it's hard to think of a reason why he should be deliberately omitted. The members in the region he applied for would be the ultimate judges of how good his case was relative to others.

Mikeuk

The key strategy has to be to fight that seat with Spink and tie up the Tories there.

A UKIP candidate without his background would not achieve that effect.

Is it actually illegal for him to stand for Westminster if he became an MEP?

Anthony Butcher

The Suchorzewski situation showed that members are NOT trusted to make such decisions.

If he applies, then yes, in theory, it should just follow the normal selection procedure. However, it would be a naive person who thinks that if Farage wants him on the list he won't be on the list at the top.

But the question is: what do party members think of this? As long as he applies in his own region, it isn't technically carpet-bagging, but to join a party and then apply to be an MEP almost immediately.... isn't that exactly what the NEC voted to stop in RS's case (even though this was based entirely on assumption) and exactly what Gerard Batten bitterly attacked in his letter against RS?

Could one not rewrite Gerard Batten's letter thus:

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If you care about what's in your food and where it comes from, then get it labelled!
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eublues

I think that Gerard Batten was out of order. On the other hand RS has some explaining to do on why he should be readmitted to UKIP given the comments he made on his departure, and he would need to convince a selection panel that he has what it takes to be on a UKIP MEP candidate list (if that really is what he wants).

Anthony Butcher

Absolutely, but so would every other candidate. The difference is that everyone else had the chance, but RS was denied party membership just to stop him even applying... which suggests that the NEC felt that he had a strong chance of making it on to the list and wished to prevent it.

Back to Bob Spink though. Should he be encouraged to apply to be on the MEP list?

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If you care about what's in your food and where it comes from, then get it labelled!
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Martin Harvey

To suggest that Bob Spink become a UKIP MEP, is absurd and shows a total lack of understanding the strategy that is neccessary to return British control at Westminster. UKIP needs to maintain representation at EU level only to keep an eye on that corrupt and undemocratic institution. MEPs in whatever quantities will not get Britain away from EU Control.
UKIP has in Bob Spink its first foothold in Westminster, and the chance to build up a proper National leadership team, to help, advise and co-ordinate UKIP campaigning for all National elections and especially the next general election. With UKIP MEPs giving some money to the National effort, and UKIP representation at Westminster attracting big donors, we would then have the money and team in place to shake the establishment Nationally.
MEPs are part of the problem, Westminster MPs are the only people capable of solving the problem.
Martin Harvey.

charlie endell

A place on a list was a pre-condition of his crossing the floor. I wish it were not so, and I feel that raising his status in the party might be an incentive to concentrate on keeping Castle Point, an acheivable objective. But it is so...

steve fowler

Simple answer NO! we have a foot hold in the House of Commons now use it!!.

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When Labour won the 1997 General Election, Enoch Powell told his wife that the electorate had voted to break up the United Kingdom.