Originally Posted by ryansoton

This will be a huge loss to UKIP but will hopefully be another parties gain hint hint

Originally Posted by ryansoton

UKIP have lost a number of active members over the past few years and I agree will be lucky to come away next year with 3 MEP's although I hope I am proved wrong as UKIP is needed for the cause.

Originally Posted by Alex McKee

I joined UKIP in 2004 after meeting members of my local branch in the town centre. I had been impressed with a UKIP leaflet that had come my way - the 5 Freedoms leaflet that appealed to my libertarian leanings. When I met the local branch I thought I would give the party a shot - I joined and threw my effort behind the party as much as I could.

I began to design websites for them, I designed campaign material and networked within the party. It was such networking that led me here, at the time called "UKIP Forum". The folks here were friendly, interesting and much more polite and intelligent than they are today with only some exceptions.

Some of these folks founded the Lechlade Group, which in my opinion represents the single greatest opportunity UKIP ever had to professionalize, organise and unite. Sadly small minded individuals in the party soured the relations between the Lechlade Group and the party and so most of the Lechlade Group no longer remains members of UKIP.

My individual efforts to help UKIP have led to me developing, in liason with other talented members (you know who you are), some useful stuff for the party. Whenever the party let me in from the cold, the results were very good. The websites I did for the party in the last few by-elections were very highly visited and attracted interest from Parliament and the media. I just wish that I could have used my skills to the party's benefit more often.

My local branch were well-intentioned but lacking. That description, incidentally, includes myself: I have put a lot of time and effort into the local branch but much of that has not had much lasting impact. Only the chairman, Mike, had/has a real clue of how to go about things and to actually get things done.

These past few years I have only remained a member of UKIP out of loyalty to my local branch and in hope that the party would improve.

I have watched these past years as the party has embarrased itself several times. I have watched as the fraud and the scandals have rocked the party and lost it many times more support than any I have won for it. I have watched as good people become disillusioned and leave. I have watched as the inept remain, the talented depart. UKIP's internal elections have been shams, it's external election results have been embarrassments.

UKIP is now utterly irrecoverable. It is a spent force and will be lucky to scrape enough votes for 3 MEP's in 2009.

To any that remain: Good luck. You'll need it. If you need websites or technical advice, feel free to get in touch. I will not be renewing my membership, however.