Friday 5 December 2008

More tales from the NEC

It seems only fair to talk about members of the NEC who have so escaped my mention. Mr Gill was formerly Tory MP for Ludlow for around 15 years. He appears never to have held government office even as a Parliamentary Under Secretary, Pussy for short, but I am happy to be corrected on this point. This former luminary of the Tory party was charged with overseeing the UKIP MEP selection process and seeing the rules were obeyed. As referee he reported not to the NEC but to the Farage appointed Political committee. He it was who waved (or should I say waived) through Ms Andreasen's MEP application which clearly breeched a number of UKIP rules that were rigoursly applied to lesser mortals. Worse, when the complaints from those lesser beings started to roll in on the MEP selection process, Mr Gill was on holiday, sailing around the Med and I was unable to contact him. I found this passing strange as only 3 weeks previously I had sailed for two weeks on a very small yacht round the Eastern Med and had been able to access my emails every evening at the local Tavernas. I also add I narrowly avoided the Taverna frequented by Russian oligarchs, former EU commissioners and ex Bullingdon club members now on the Tory front bench. I plead poverty for this omission. To use a football metaphor Mr Gill refereed the first half but then failed to appear out of the tunnel for the second half and as we all know its a game of two halves Nigel.

Ms Duffy I recollect demanding to know what my agenda was. I replied, "To get the UK out of the EU in my lifetime." This obviously came as a surprise to Ms Duffy. She returned to the attack however when David, Del and I had the temerity to burst into laughter at one of the great leader's more outrageous statements. My fate was sealed.

Ms Seymour and Mr Bown both wax eloquent about UKIP's problems when the leader is not present but alas their courage deserts them when faced with the great man and their hands go up in support in the best comradely tradition.

Last week I watched Question Time. There was a strong feeling from the audience and the panel, except for Douglas Alexander the minister, that it would have been far more effective to cut VAT on Gas and Electricity to zero. This would also benefit the poor and needy most. The answer from Mr Alexander was it was against EU law to cut VAT below 15%. This was a god sent opportunity for UKIP to seize an issue of real importance to ordinary people but I am afraid our leadership seems more pre-occupied with BNP witch hunting. To parody Oscar Wilde, the unspeakable in pursuit of the uneatable.

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