As a dog returns to its vomit so a fool returns to his folly

So it says in the Bible and so it is with UKIP requesting funds from its largely impoverished membership to fight the hopeless cause of the Oldham East and Saddleworth by-election.

Former leadership contender Alan Wood, one of the few UKIPers who has won a fptp election, all be it for a District Council seat emailed me this quote,

 "UKIP do not stand a chance at this election. It is not an issue about the EU. It is about a corrupt practice by Labour, and UKIP do not have a clean bill of health in that department. They are not strong enough to take on the massed battalions of the 3 major parties in a by-election. UKIP should save their money for the local elections in May 2011 where their best candidates have a better chance of winning a seat with good financial support. History is laden with bad generals like Nigel Farage who take on unwinnable battles."

 

I suspect one motivation is that the BNP may well put up a candidate and that man may be Nick Griffin MEP for the North West. It would be far better to let the BNP make a fool of themselves than risk them beating UKIP in a constituency which is far more BNP territory than UKIP.

All good leaders never choose to fight on ground favourable to the enemy.

UKIP would do far better to follow Alan Wood's strategy of only contesting parliamentary seats where UKIP had done the groundwork and built up their vote in local government elections. This was AW's strategy when he was SW Counties chairman stupidly scrapped by Steve Crowther, UKIPs latest Farage national supremo appointee with some grandiose job title. Whoops, expect more of the same electoral disasters. Only a fool keeps on doing the same thing expecting a different result but I have no doubt some UKIP Farage groupie like Whittaker or Nuttall will be selected as the UKIP sacrificial lamb unless Biggles Farage is up for another wizard prang.