What the NEC election means for us grassroots
First of all, I invite you to check out the announcement of the election results on the Party website. Congratulations to the winners – and well done for standing to those not elected, especially UKIP Daily’s own Deputy Editor Debbie Le May.
While this election may have been regarded as a routine event with ‘party politicians’ looking for positions, I think it’s a great boost for us grassroots activists: there are two new NEC members who have won handsomely because they’ve been seen to have worked hard in the dry months which followed the decline of the Party, especially D.B. (During Bolton): Richard Ford, Chair of UKIP Gloucester and the South West Region and Nathan Ryding, Chair of the Young Independents.
Many UKIP Daily readers will have seen the stream of reports coming from the South West Branches where there seems to be an Action Day somewhere every Saturday and how they were welcomed more and more by the voting public. This is no occupational therapy for activists – it is a vital ingredient to get us back into the pubic eye, especially after the dismal display of the Brexit negotiations, with the Chequers shenanigans, the White Papers, the resignations of various Tory politicians and the constant “non” from the EU and M Barnier.
We all remember that Cameron was forced to give us the Referendum in order to prevent the UKIP Fox entering the hen-house that is Parliament. We all remember that, against Cameron’s and indeed the Establishment’s expectations, ‘Project Fear’ notwithstanding, the people of our country voted ‘Leave’. We all remember that, after Nigel resigned, the nation – with the generous help of the MSM – and many members thought and said that UKIP’s job was now done and we all could go home. We all remember our two years in the wilderness, not least the dismal results in the by-elections and the snap GE in 2017, the leadership election a year ago and the dethronement of the then leader at that EGM in February this year.
It’s the grassroots which have kept the Party alive and gave Gerard the basis to go forth and speak and stand for Freedom of Speech, Tommy Robinson, and not be daunted by ‘party politics’. It is working because establishment politicians and the MSM are suddenly taking notice again. Just as Gerard keeps telling us: they are driven by the fear of losing where it counts: at the ballot box – and with UKIP rising in the polls, they know this fox ain’t dead by a long shot!
See for example this interesting article in The Spectator, dedicated to UKIP which would have been unthinkable even a few weeks ago. The accompanying cartoon is priceless, so go and have a look. This article is notable for a few reasons, the main one being that it still reflects the London- and Tory-Party-centric attitude towards UKIP, that it still focuses on the establishment’s ‘bete noir’ Nigel Farage, and that the sneers and the condescending denigration of Gerard, of the grassroots and of the new members, acknowledged stars on the social media as they are, are again creeping in. Sadly, this is helped by the utterances ‘on background’, unattributed, by “Party Insiders”, such as this one:
“But amid the favourable turn of events, Ukip also finds itself faced with some big questions. The most obvious is whether the party can exploit the current openings. Some insiders openly voice doubts about Batten, including his willingness to indulge toxic groups that would alienate the much larger audience of middle-class conservatives. Explaining the markedly different fortunes of the far-right BNP with the pre-2016 Ukip would not be a difficult essay question to answer. Some also voice anxiety over Batten’s reluctance to engage wholeheartedly with the media.” [My emphasis].
Note the cheap shot at Gerard’s alleged ‘reluctance to engage with the media’. You can’t ‘engage wholeheartedly’ with those who are intent on not taking notice except when it’s about smearing you from the sidelines.
I won’t speculate as to who precisely these ‘insiders’ are – I’m sure many of you will have an inkling. It is however interesting that these ‘insiders’, like the London Establishment, have missed the point, the point which Gerard most assuredly has not missed: UKIP is Brexit, no doubt, but it is far more! It is about the freedom of us, the people, a freedom which is most certainly being stomped on in the Establishment’s silent but powerful campaign of suppressing Free Speech. By standing up and defending this Freedom Gerard has attracted those new members. They joined before the Chequers Shenanigans and it is a fallacy – not an unexpected one – to assume that UKIP’s rise is simply due to Ms May’s treasonous Brexit sell-out.
Note well that the author of that article is attempting again to equate UKIP with Nigel Farage, quoting ‘insiders’ about Nigel’s ‘comeback as Leader’, using the well-known media bugbear of Nigel to bash both Gerard and UKIP. He is not alone, see for example David Davis in an article in the Daily Telegraph today:
“If the public decides we have not met the requirements of the referendum and are delivering Brexit in name only they will punish us. The first step will be a regeneration of Ukip, with the return of Nigel Farage and a massive erosion of our vote. There will be a lot of disappointed Tories, it will cost us seats. In the longer run it will be corrosive to all politics.”
It’s the same pattern we remember from Cameron: use the spectre of UKIP and especially Nigel Farage to promote Tory Brexit policies (soft, hard, medium Brexit but not really OUT) while at the same time denounce UKIP as being a corrosive influence. That’s the common EU attitude to all patriots in EU member states: denouncing them as poisonous, far right populist parties which must be squashed.
And that is why the election of proven, successful grassroot activists and supporters like Richard Ford and Nathan Ryding is important. It indicates that our work at the coalface is more helpful, ultimately, than having someone ‘with media presence’, useful as that is. It shows that UKIP is indeed about us grassroots.The reports coming from Richard’s region show that enthusiasm is infectious. There’s nothing stopping us from going out and doing the same in our regions, constituencies and branches!
And just look at the last sentence in the Spectator article:
“Things are looking up for Ukip — it may well be that it is more of a wasp than a bee, and could yet deliver further stings to Britain’s increasingly volatile political system.”
Indeed – but wasps, to be squashed by the usual suspects? Certainly not! It’s foxes set to get into the establishment’s hen houses – lots and lots of them, everywhere! And remember: they cannot hunt us, that would be illegal!
So – onwards, upwards, outwards – and let’s recruit more foxes!
It’s very well to hear about bantering between colleagues, but we all have a job to do here, if we are trying to recruit more members to UKIP, we must restrict our comments to important issues facing the Party and all concentrate on expanding and expounding where we are heading for in the next few months, making hay whilst the sun shines, I.e. whilst our PM Theresa May is still on her walk-about, influencing Macron or selling our country down the Danube! We need to show we mean business and that each of us are here to make our Party… Read more »
Batten will have my vote when the time comes. Farage believes in Brexit but not in UKIP, whereas Batten is taking UKIP to a broader platform of free speech and meaningful democracy. Also I feel that appealing to the comfort zone of a “larger audience of middle-class conservatives” would prevent UKIP from establishing itself as being about more than Brexit.
I hope Nigel will come back to UKIP and head up the pro-Brexit campaign, but I don’t really want him as leader and I actually don’t think he wants to be leader either.
I will vote for Batten. Farage’s position on islam is about the same as Theresa May’s. They are both frightened of it and they both gravely misunderstand it. Farage achieved the almost impossible and I respect him and am thankful for that. But this is another fight we are entering into and Farage is not the one to lead it. Batten is.
When you are a leader , success comes from using all sorts of totally different people who frequently hate each other and fight if allowed. But brilliance comes from all sorts of directions and often, hatred becomes respect. Rarely love but hey. Nigel is unarguably charismatic and should be brought back into the front line, and I feel he would relish it but it would have to be a new sort of recognition and feathers would of course be ruffled. You can do what you like with goodwill or dare I say it ” common purpose” . Once you are… Read more »
Farage is soft on islam and does not understand it. On those grounds alone I do not want him as leader. By all means come back and do what he does so well but I will be voting for Batten as leader.
Badger, I also suport GB and believe he’s achieving his objectivess his way. Advice is different if not always helpful……The only thing is , one gets all sorts of advice much of which has already been factored in so it gets ignoredand not ( Purely because of volume ) acknowledged. But every leader desperately wants the best advice.
At an event regarding the closure of a service provided by a local hospital, I met 3 fellow district and borough councillors from nearby authorities , two of us were now Independents and two Conservatives. All were ex UKIP. First time we’ve been together for months. Naturally, once the main business was done and we debated the issue of the two new Tories, we talked about UKIP and it’s future. General consensus. You still have a future as a stick for the public to prod Westminster with, which may help us get a genuine Brexit. We wished you luck with… Read more »
Your choice to misrepresent an anti-Islam position as an anti-Muslim position speaks for itself. All Muslims have the choice not to follow the Koran literally and most do not. But any non-Muslim who is aware of what the Koran says should be against Islam itself, because it calls non-Muslims “the worst of creatures” (98:6-7) and calls for unending jihad until all worship is for Allah alone (9:5).
Guess what, I know that but it’s not a burning issue in the public mind. See Mr Bav’s comments too. Brexit is, though sadly a lot of people are bored to death with even that now. Politic anoraks tend to forget just how uninterested so many people are in our favourite subject.
Exactly.
I have to say I think you’re wrong. I’m feeling more Kippery now that I have for years.
Nothing succeeds like success and 2019 is going to be a breakthrough year for “populism” in Europe. Combined with the sick sense of betrayal a hige number of people are going to feel when we reach the Brexit deadline I think we could start to see the LabCon lose their grip.
Commiserations, Debbie. Do you by any chance have the turnout numbers?
Don’t have the turnout numbers, Rob, but the voting numbers are shown on the party’s website https://www.ukip.org/national-ukip-news-item.php?id=32
Turnout figures were not published for 2016 either. I can understand why.
However, I tracked the 2013, 2014 and 2015 NEC Elections and developed a simple mathematical model.
On the basis of that model, I estimate that the average person who placed at least one valid vote in the 2018 NEC election voted for a total of 5.2 candidates.
Given the total valid votes cast was 29,043, I estimate the turnout to have been about 5,600.
I didn’t even know there was an NEC election…
Commiserations to Debbie, I think you would have been a valuable member of the NEC. Maybe next time?
But of course congratulations to those who were elected. Now is the time to start getting this party in shape, with a revised manifesto and some core policies, and make sure they’re prominent on the new website!
Thank you for your kind words Stuart. Yes, there’s always a next time.
I agree with Stuart’s comment, keep on battling D-LM and thanks for the work expended in fighting for the post.
Congratulations to the newcomers! Here’s the NEC list, as compiled by me (since I can’t seem to find it anywhere): * Statutory Members BATTEN Gerard – Leader FAIRWEATHER Sebastian – Treasurer McINTYRE Tony – Chairman REID Julia – MEP Representative * Elected earlier BOWN Alan FANNING Katie JONES Elizabeth MCGOUGH Mick MILLS Fiona WAUCHOPE Piers * Elected 2018 FORD Richard KING Marietta MACKAY Donald MONCREIFF Andrew RYDING Nathan WALKER Ben We are at an historic moment, and very seizable it is too. We mustn’t muck it up. Getting the balance right now – the Overton Window is shifting faster than… Read more »
Excellent points Viv. Good for you Debbie for giving it a go. The commenters in the MSM do not understand, or maybe do not want to understand. Patriotic activists want more than just Brexit. There is a purpose beyond that. If the Conservatives want to be frightened by Farage then so be it. However are they playing games? They would perhaps much prefer him than Gerard Batten. Farage is a known quantity, whose anti-EU stance has already been factored into the political equations. They can cope with that. Batten is new and dangerous and he seriously must be worrying the… Read more »
> At that point UKIP will be morally far superior to the Conservatives
?
I’ve been morally far superior to the Conservatives for a bloody long time, Hugo… and they know it.
Freddy, yes you are of course morally superior to them. However the current party policy supportive of non-stun is just as bad as LibLabCon. Fingers crossed for the NEC meeting, that they at last, after the party being three years in the wilderness regarding this, will implement a good and decent policy.
The UKIP spokesman on this subject is Missing In Action, but it is my understanding that party policy as approved by Gerard is that all non-stun slaughter to be carried out in the UK is to be banned. No exceptions. Neither Jews nor Muslims living in the UK will need to compromise on their religious beliefs, even on Nisan 14-15 (Jewish Passover) when lamb killed around sundown on N14 outside the UK can be transported, refrigerated but unfrozen, to the UK in time for roasting and consumption by dawn on N15. It’ll cost, but… tough. To the misguided who go… Read more »
Freddy, “all non-stun slaughter to be carried out in the UK is to be banned. No exceptions.” I hope so. However my own opinion is that it must be strictly the most humane available approach that is implemented. With of course ongoing research to keep up with best available scientific knowledge and technical capabilities. At the current time there are several different methods of stunning available. Broadly categorised as “stun to stun” and “stun to kill”. If stunning is used then I believe it has to be “stun to kill”. In his conference speech last year Stuart Agnew described stun… Read more »
Hugo, while I concede you perhaps know more about this than I do, neither of us is a medical expert or a vet. I have argued the issue with scientists (or wannabes) connected to the Chief Rabbi’s Office and Shechita UK. I think it is wiser, having first, via the ban, removed the special exemption for “religious” slaughter, to leave our adequate animal cruelty laws to determine what forms of slaughter are acceptable. Else, it gets too technical and the electorate is turned off. Mr Bav is largely right. You’re too uni-focus on this, IMO. That’s your prerogative; UKIP won’t… Read more »
Freddy, If UKIP were to adopt a robust animal welfare policy, would you support it? Even if it discriminates against Judaism as well as Islam? In Feb 2015 Stuart Agnew made a laughing stock of himself and the party by trying to defend Judaism while opposing Islam. Quite rightly there was widespread ribaldry in the press. Will history repeat itself? We will soon find out. Agnew was still speaking absurd nonsense at the party conference last year, so he evidently had not learned lessons from the 2015 embarrassment. https://www.ukipdaily.com/conference-speech-stuart-agnew/ “UKIP won’t win elections or influence as a result of this… Read more »
> Freddy, If UKIP were to adopt a robust animal welfare policy, would you support it?
? ? ?
I am an architect, and possibly the main driver, of such a policy within UKIP. It would apply equally to halal and shechita. I have taken on, one by one, each of those within UKIP who had opposed such a policy.
How could you forget?
You must be having a senior moment, Hugo, notwithstanding being a mere stripling (by comparison to me :p) I recommend a bacon sarnie.
Freddy, I did not forget. I merely was checking your firmness of stance. My elderly uncle does stand firm, but is in need of a Zimmer frame now to assist.
I am not your uncle.
Well said Hugo. I totally agree with you about Farage, despite having a perfect outlet with his own LBC talk show he fails to support UKIP or Gerard. He left the Party in a mess and then supported Bolton despite denials when asked, the Party was also bankrupt when he left. Gerard and his team are doing a great job and I hope he can be persuaded to carry on as Leader for more than a year. Farage needs to decide what he is going to do in the future to help UKIP, a good start would be to recognise… Read more »
Totally agree,my thoughts entirely
You speak my thoughts Alec.
Congratulations to the new NEC members.
Those that missed out this time need to continue their good work by assisting our new NEC to implement polices to represent the majority of Britons.
You never know, the increased exposure across UKIP sites and social media may be rewarded with an NEC post next time.
No flouncing off please like that ex-Labour Irish lesbian.. (It shows you were in it for yourselves).
Yes, congratulations to those who were elected.
There is no way I’m going to ‘flounce off’, Bryan. I’m in this for the long haul, whether on the NEC or not, and I shall do my best for the party in any work I do for it.
Debbie, I can tell you’re not a flouncer! ;p
The electorate comprises many people who do not go online and who do not attend meetings or participate in campaigns. Almost their only interaction with UKIP is voting in internal elections. They make the decision on the basis of face and name recognition, whether they recognise the name of the proposer, and the photo.
Paul Oakley came a cropper because voters thought he was Paul Oakden.
?
How did Nigella Fromage do?
A nice distinction which may have eluded some; however, Oakley does kick off his pitch by announcing who he is not! Perhaps, even inviting Oakden to be his proposer was enough of a taint. On the other hand, many will not know what Oakley’s role in party was and they were not reminded. Whether we like it or not, we are, de facto, an online party because the MSM largely starves us (as was with the IRA) of the oxygen of publicity and using print media to distribute full information is unaffordable. That being so, the case for moving the… Read more »
Publicity is soooo important! It pushes the name of UKIP firmly into the public eye. And with the right policies and spokesmen, we CAN do it. I hope the new NEC gets on with it now.
I voted for you too. I suppose its all about increasing your personal profile. I think from what I have read on this site, you would have made an excellent NEC member. There is always next year, and there are one or two existing NEC members who are on thin ice I would have thought. So I am sure you will not be deterred. Do you give talks to branches at all, that would be one way of upping your profile. If you already do this, I would like to invite you to address our branch in Kent.
Hi Colin, many thanks for your kind words – and your vote. I’ve never given a talk at a branch but of course I’ve been out on the stump many times so although thinking about it I’m a bit apprehensive, I’m sure I could do it.
Ah Debbie – gutted that you weren’t elected, delighted you are not a flouncer. Talks to branches!!?? My committee opted to arrange more speakers for branch meetings to encourage attendance. I have the pleasure of being Russell Hicks’ branch chairman so you know that we in E. Surrey understand the importance of communication (why do you think I voted for you?)
Perhaps you might consider a little trip to Surrey in the autumn to educate us – assuming that we don’t find ourselves cancelling branch meetings to focus on electioneering.
Contact me at [email protected].
You assume the average ‘Kipper bothers to read the blurb ?
According to Freddie, the average kipper didn’t vote. Perhaps if the average kipper were to be given the basis for an informed choice, he (or she) might be encouraged to take the election more seriously, especially if he (or she) did not have a particularly high opinion of those whose names they recognised.
If the party could now get some good policies together and appoint some spokesmen to promote them, we’d all know where we stand.
I totally agree Debbie.
We now need a solid foundation of competent speakers, one mirroring every government department.
The more often we hear or read their UKIP views the more confident the rest of us will be to spread UKIP policies.
We need reps that will not react to journalists baiting them and that are all strong enough to stay on script.
All obvious I know but it doesn’t hurt to keep reminding them
Freddy (spelling) merely does pseph.arithmetic.
There are about 22K members.
Those who do vote in NEC elections tend to use up almost all their votes (average almost 90%). So the total of 29K individual votes cast on ballot papers each allowing up to 6 votes, means about 5.6K submitted valid ballot papers. That means about 16.4K did not.
And 16.4K / 22K is about 3 in 4. Three-quarters of members didn’t vote, whether due to apathy, forgetfulness or a reluctance to vote for people they didn’t know well enough.
Maybe they didn’t know about the election?
Yes, I did consider that remark within his allotted paragraph within the Independence magazine to be rather inappropriate in the circumstances. It was also disrespectful to Paul Oakden to be honest who in my view was a very capable person, and not very funny if indeed it was supposed to be just that. Also, a waste of a line or two, which he could have devoted to explaining how he could have bettered the governance of UKIP. Just saying……………
Colin – I won’t comment on your opinion.
But an added twist is that Oakley’s stated Proposer was… wait for it… Oakden!
Well,said Debbie,I voted for you…..but as it now seems very popular not the to except the verdict of the ballot box I should demand a second vote….seriously though what comes out of all the renewed interest is in UKIP is the constant sniping at the party and its supporters. The political class are worried as they have seen what has happened in autopsy,especially Italy where parties which were ignored and derided are now in power. We are in in a media guerilla war,we cannot use the traditional methods to garner support from the mainstream newspapers/ TV but to chip away… Read more »
Thanks Grumpy. KBO!
Sorry..autopsy should say Europe….there has always been talk of changing the logo over the years….maybe a fox would be a good one…
Next time Debbie. We will not give up on you so please stand again.
Well done Debbie.
As with all groups, one or two will have a change of commitments, health problems or realise the NEC is not what they thought it was.
Keep up the good work.
?
Bryan, ad hominem attacks are indicative of poor arguments.
My comment was a statement not an argument.
If you wish to argue in favour of an opposing political party leader please fire away.
Copying policies is the sincerest form of flattery between political parties. However I am getting indications today that the UKIP policy on non-stun is likely to be somewhat limited, and missing key ingredients. I hope not. I do in fact want UKIP to be a bold and honest, and thorough in its campaigning, for truth and for righteous causes.
If you are concerned too, then you have less than a day to persuade the members of the UKIP NEC to get this policy right. I am doing my bit, what are you doing?
Unfortunately to stun or not to stun is not a major issue.
The major issues are migration & Brexit (linked) , the standard of living, housing , the NHS , defence and law & order.
We should be like a good restaurant, very few things on the menu but cooked perfectly.
“Unfortunately to stun or not to stun is not a major issue.” It is a bigger issue than perhaps you realise. Yes of course the humane aspect is important. If we are to pretend to be a modern, decent society then we have to treat animals as humanely as possible. The other aspect, which is absolutely key to everything (including the items you list) is whether or not we want a democratic system to exist or not. Do you want all your property taken from you? Do you want to be a second class dhimmi? Do you want everything you… Read more »
It’s not something I would waste time on 3 or 4 months before a probable general election. It’s just a matter of priorities. It also could be taken as anti -semitic, as it affects Jews too. I’d rather have those 350,000 Jewish votes than ban kosher slaughter. They won’t go to Labour anymore. The main reason some members give this subject so much importance is less because of their concerns for animal welfare but more because they believe its a way to upset Muslims. Well, it’s not, because its not going to happen. The reason? Because Labour and the Tories… Read more »
“I’m concentrating on the upcoming war” We have to win this battle, or we will lose the war.
@Ego Junks,
Run to safety soldier, ad hominem attacks are coming in.
Regards,
Bryan not Brian.
Mr Bav How can we claim to be the party of democracy and the rule of law if there exists one law for one and one law for another?
Kosher and Halal slaughter is already legal. There is no conflict regarding one law for one etc…Unless the abattoir regulations are not being followed then there are no legal reasons it can’t continue. Its unsavoury perhaps, and i would PREFER all slaughter to be stun-only, but strategically I don’t think its a good policy to pursue at the moment. It will take all focus away from more important issues. That may sound cynical and two-faced , and to an extent it is. However we have to win before we indulge in side – issue politics. At the moment we are… Read more »
Bryan is right, which means nervous waiting for Ernie Warrender… ?
Rob, I may be being a bit slow. Which of several points is Brian right about, and in what way does that connect to Ernie?
People have always left the NEC for various reasons – declining health, failure to see eye-to-eye with certain polices or colleagues, finding out what they can’t do, or have to do as directors, being idiotic on Twitter, etc. etc.
Someone WILL, maybe sooner than later, leave the NEC, and when they do, Ernie is next on the list to be invited to fill the vacancy – I held that “Buggins’s Turn” slot, through attrition, before this election, so I should know…
At times, Rob speaks in tongues; it is a Bernese Oberlander dialect, AFAIK.
Transl. via babelfish:
Warrender was #7 on the list where the top six got through.
We don’t have any policies at the moment, so assisting in their implementation ain’t going to happen. Please show me a single, valid policy.
Did you not fill in your policy proposal form and send it in? The members, democratically have been asked to find five on top of five put forward by UKIP leaders and then to rate them in order of importance in their own opinion. The adopted policies will be announced at Conference. Beginning to think you are not a member.
OK, so you can’t show me a single policy, thanks for the implicit admission. It would be impossible for you, because there aren’t any. As for the piece of paper sent around in Independence with the top 5 request, I have never seen a more random way for a political party to operate which is less likely to result in good policy. Anyway, conference motions are not binding on the party, see rule book d17, any conference motion passed has to be taken up by a vote of the NEC. Beginning to wonder if you know what you have actually… Read more »
Tacitus
Number one policy as ever
Out of the EU
Were you missing in action during 2016?
Read the 2015 manifesto, plenty of policies but most can’t be bothered (you are now in that group) and see the many policies for true democracy, meritocracy and the people.
Gerard is platforming for free speech not political correctness are you afraid of something?
There was a GE in 2017, you may have missed it, whereas I stood as an MP. Did you stand in one of the many seats where we couldn’t find candidates I wonder? There was certainly plenty of opportunities to stand as a paper candidate, did you take one? There was a manifesto, so that should be the most recent set of ‘policies’, along with the integration agenda. But Henry Bolton declared both void and rolled back to GE 2015. However, he did not have the right to do this, the leader has to get approval from the NEC. So… Read more »