chikrodah

Just one question:

As the rules clearly state that UK MEPs have to be resident in either the UK or Gibraltar, can somebody please confirm prior to the hustings that Marta Andreasen's permanent and main abode is at a UK or Gibraltar, and that evidence has been provided, in terms of utility bills, etc. (standard practice for confirming addresses) that she has resided there for a minimum period of time before applying to be an MEP.

Marta has upset a lot of high ranking British europhiles. They will be digging deep to find reasons to complain about her. UKIP cannot afford to get this one wrong.

On another point, will Philip Van der Elst be promoting Selsdon Group policies if selected as an MEP? Will his wife, Rachel Tingle, be promoting similar policies in the South West if selected? Will they both be promoting strongly right-wing Christian views?

Anthony Butcher

Well, that is largely my point too.

UKIP picked up every available swing vote last time, after the stars aligned. I would say that at least half of UKIP's 16% average was due to the massive media coverage, Kilroy, a large advertising campaign etc. Without those factors, those precious few swing voters who aren't set on voting for a particular party are going to be influenced by many other issues.

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harryaldridge

1. Thanks for the well wishes

2. I think we would need to up our vote share by about 5% points in the South East to gain a 3rd seat. My current prediction is we will return 2 MEPs (although things have a habit of changing in politics!)

3. I think there is a strong liklihood that the BNP will get substantial media attention this time round, at the expense of UKIP, and there is a serious danger of the buzz from 2004 not being repeated. We need to work very hard indeed!! We will unlikely be able to repeat the 'Kilroy factor'.

My gut feeling is that in the present environment we will be fighting to retain our standing. Winning more seats will require a significant leap forward. We cannot be the protest vote party this time round. The BNP will soak up protest votes. We have to be the vision party.

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Jim Smith

We have to be realistic and expect that UKIP will be down to 1 Seat in the South East and even that is under threat from the resurgent Conservatives and the uplift in the BNP vote that overtook UKIP in recent elections such as the GLA and Henley.

UKIP really need to stay above 8% to retain just 1 seat. Last time it was 19.5% and in 1999 it was 9.7%. 9.7% was at a low point for the Conservatives.

The fact that UKIP dropped so many votes in the GLA elections for London and went from 2 to zero seats does not look good for 2009.

People on here have called for the Leader of UKIP not to be an MEP. They may get what they wish for.

Aardvark

..but, psephology aside, we need to make sure that the candidates are listed in an order that will ensure that we don't end up this time with MEPs who are immediately suspended from the party for forgetting to mention that they had been interviewed by the police.

Allowing for the fact that Nigel retains first place, and allowing for the fact that Marta might not be a sensible choice of candidate, and allowing for my own prejudices based on what I have seen in terms of activity, presentability, age, qualification etc, I'd put the next few places in the following order:

Drew BELOBABA
Steve HARRIS
Ray FINCH
Harry ALDRIDGE

The rest become irrelevant in real terms, but we have to offer a combination of experience, enthusiasm, qualification, age and sheer common sense. I have only met Steve, but have taken sufficent interest in the forum and other matters to think that the 4 names listed offer a chance of presenting the image we might wish to convey.

Apologies to any of the other guys watching who are on the list, but I don't know enough about you yet (I hope to be at the Aylesbury hustings).

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Bob FM

It's all a matter of how hard we are prepared to work UKIP in Swindon is constantly in the news and we will build on that. Wiltshire also has the new Unitary Authority Elections which will give us an ideal platform just before the EU elections, and in fact in our area will make it effectively a 10 week campaign. It is better to have played and lost than not to have played at all. I think those who abound negativity could well learn that truth. As someone once said, if we had adopted that view in WW11 we would now be speaking German. Are we prepared to concede that option politically.

Aardvark

Bob, I think you mean WWII, WW11 is a long way off.

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When in Woking do as the Wokes do.

"I do not wish to form my opinions by thoughtlessly quoting others; I wish others to support their opinions by sensibly quoting me." Paul Wesson (Aardvark) 13th April 2008

prober

As the shortlists come out from the regions , several of the candidates will have got there on what looks on paper as impressive credentials in terms of offices held in the party. Some of these may be impressive individuals who have showed initiative inspiration energy and vision in taking UKIP forward in directions they have identified themselves as needed either in capability raising or political impact. At the other extreme are timeservers doing with various effectiveness the mechanics of admin with no ideas in their head and also some younger ones with bull.... not ability who use office only as a self game plan stepping stone. Too often in NEC elections candidates have just listed their posts and said how rotten the EU is and expect to get elected with no statement of aims. Too often they ARE elected by the lay passive mmebrship!

Good managers in Industry appoint or encourage subordinates with potential as successors. Other managers make sure their subordinates are effectively batmen quality so as to present no future threat. Where do UKIP bosses ft in that pattern ? For 2009 UKIP desperately needs high quality MEPs not ....... We cannot afford fogey timeserver MEPs like some we have at present. For me I would go for youth energy and vision over list of UKIP posts held unless there is convincing evidence that the candidate built something in those posts.

chikrodah

Interestingly, two candidates appear to have no detailed UKIP experience. They are:

Philip Van der Elst, husband of Rachel Tingle, ex-Editorial Director of the Selsdon Group (membership restricted to practising Tories) and (presumably) ex-editor of the Freedom Association journal, parachuted into UKIP Witney in May 2008.

Mazhar Manzoor, with no apparent links to UKIP at all. There is, however, a series of links to an individual with the same name, who is CEO of FSA Compliance Consultants Ltd (FSA Compliance Consultants Ltd) who are happy to have an advertising page in FSA Compliance Consultants with a prominant EU flag. Same guy? I think we should be told...

Mikeuk

Who is Drew BELOBABA and from which part of the UK do the BELOBABAS hail?

I'd back Steve HARRIS 100%