The Llanelli Star has produced a report which throws more light on the firework night farce here.
___________
The mystery over what is going on in Ukip in Llanelli deepens.
First it was reported that the local branch had selected a candidate to stand in next year's general election and then promptly dumped him after it emerged that he had an unusually colourful past. However, it now seems that there were irregularities in the selection process, and that it may have contravened party rules.
The men in blazers (plus a sprinkling of what they would probably call members of the weaker sex) then re-convened in the Bryngwyn Suite of the Stradey Park Hotel on the evening of 5 November to try to resolve matters in what turned out to be a display of indoor fireworks.
Voices were raised in some very heated exchanges, and it emerged that 28 votes had been cast in the recent selection meeting, with James Cole attracting 18 of them. To be selected a candidate needs at least two thirds of the votes cast (i.e. 18). Unfortunately someone had challenged the validity of two of the votes cast for Mr Cole, claiming that the individuals who voted were not members of the Llanelli branch.
James Cole, who revels in the title of Deputy Chairman of Ukip Wales, was clearly not best pleased, having handed in his notice at work to stand in the election.
Barry Clark, the Chair of the Llanelli Branch, eventually stormed out of the meeting with various cronies shouting "I've had enough of this!"
More shouting ensued, with someone being told to sit down and take a drink of water after giving an emotional speech in favour of Barry Clark whom he described as "the best chairman in South Wales".
Coincidentally, normal service has resumed on the party's fanzine website for Nathan Gill.
6 comments:
This is sad and surprising news from a party renowned for the probity of its mmembers and the rigour of its selection processes. I am deeply shocked.
Mr Cole - let us remember - was second on the Ukip list in the May Euro elections, just behind the one and only Nathan Gill. Here is a link to an election video in which Mr Cole predicts that within 15 - 20 years the "native Welsh" will be a minority in Wales . . . due to "immigration levels". (Believe me, he ain't talking about the English.) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OKmPV96WtkU
Though it was uplifting to read the final paragraph. I'm sure we've all missed that source of jollity, the Ukip Wales website.
I bet they get more votes than Plaid in the next election.
Sorry to burst hour self satisfied tone !!
This was the meeting where a reporter from the Llanelli Star was thrown out, it was a public meeting.... http://www.llanellistar.co.uk/Fury-reporter-asked-leave-UKIP-Llanelli-meeting/story-24316265-detail/story.html
It's true that UKIP are extremely attractive to a lot of voters fed up with their lot and skeptical of the ability of the usual suspect parties to deliver.Many voters see something different in UKIP, people who look human and are definitely " none of the above", crystal clear of all blame for the sad, bankrupt and often corrupt state that we live in.
Believe me, as someone who was in a Welsh political party for 3 decades, candidate selection is often a sticky, tricky business, even with constitutions and proper procedures.
Its about time the major parties had open primaries and realised that its actually the people that matter, not the preferences of party elites. Even the fact that the UKIP members have clearly had a public bust up in their meeting will probably endear them to the fed up, right leaning voter.
I suspect that UKIP, with their poor discipline, questionable cohesion and lack of clear ideology will not do sowell when a they are elected in Westminster and placed under media scrutiny much greater than that of their European Parliamentary Group. However, with the 3 main other UK parties in meltdown there's an outside chance that even they might start to even look good compared to the others.
Politics is in flux as the old ways have led us to economic disaster. An organic crisis.Cuts and lower living standards are probably guaranteed for decades due to the recklessness of the old order.
Personally, I don't see UKIP as an answer to the problem. Its politics itself that has to fundamentally change.
Open primaries are a dreadful idea. The selection of candidates for any given party should be the business of members of that party. Nobody else.
Open primary produced Dr Sarah Woollaston in Devon - a local GP for many years - who became Tory MP for Totnes. She hoped to be appointed to the Health Select Committee and was told in no uncertain terms that the last thing they wanted was an expert on that committee and she was allocated to Transport, a subject she agreed she knew nothing about.
She has not toed the party line, criticised Dave and George, remaining always charming but determined. When the Chairmanship of the Health Select Committee came up she went for it and got elected.
It certainly worked for her constituency.
Post a Comment