Silence is often the best policy

The Andreasen Farage split is obviously a private matter and one does not wish to intrude on the grief and pain this falling out and separation must have caused both parties.

It is sad therefore that Mr Knapman and Prof Congdon have elected to become involved for whatever reasons. It would have been better if they had both remained silent and given the two parties space and time to sort their problems out. Saying nowt is the most difficult thing for politicians or economists to do but it is often the best policy. Statements, emails etc simply opens the door for the McTrough's and Septic Finch's of this world to exacerbate the problem with their pathetic attempts at spin to the detriment of the principal players in this sad tragedy. Both are a persuasive arguments for the virtues of silence.

Mr Huhne is in similar difficulties following statements from his former economist wife Ms Price. Worst of all is the pickle the Third Musketeer, DKS, has got himself into in the land of the free. It must have been acutely embarrassing for the other passengers in first class to see one of their class bundled off the plane by the NYPD. What will the other two musketeers Sarkozy and Trichet think, although to be fair JCT was tried and acquitted of financial misdemeanours during his stewardship of the French Mayonnaise bank. That trial of course took place in France where courts understand these matters. DKS may not get such a careful hearing from the hated Anglo Saxons with their strange habeas corpus ideas and straight laced approach to sexual matters and women's rights.

I wonder how the accommodation at Chateau d'If compared with Sing Sing.

Since I wrote this I see on Junius that Steve Crowther another Farage appointee has waded in with an intemperate, threatening and ill judged letter in the public domain. I reproduce it below:

Dear Marta

As Chairman of the Party, I am writing to you to express my extreme disappointment at your actions over the past three days.

While it is not unusual for there to be disagreements within a political party, your public call for the resignation of the Party Leader is unacceptable.

Your comments were disloyal, not only to the Party Leader, but also to the Party itself, which put you where you are and which elected Nigel Farage as Leader only six months ago, with a 60% mandate.

You were also profoundly wrong in your analysis of our performance in the recent election campaign – a campaign to which your own contribution was not conspicuous. This is borne out by the detailed election results released yesterday.

Your press release stated that ‘Party members and supporters are justifiably angry’. You are right; they are absolutely livid at your behaviour. The overwhelming – I might say unanimous – reponse I have had over the past two days has been in support of the Leader, including from all three of the unsuccessful candidates in last year’s Leadership election.

The Party’s members do not deserve and will not tolerate such disruption, which can only undermine their hard work, especially from a senior member of the Party who is enjoying the fruits of their efforts.

Any further action of this kind will be treated very seriously.

Yours sincerely

Steve Crowther, Executive Chairman
cc National Executive Committee, Press Office

After such a dismal showing by UKIP in the recent local elections it is entirely reasonable to call for the party leader responsible to resign especially as it is the latest in a long line of local local and general election UKIP failures under Farage's non-leadership. The membership are livid not with Andreasen but with the complete lack of any coherent electoral strategy and plan. The Greens have done it, why can't UKIP? Answer Farage.