Tuesday 29 October 2013

Who is Steve Crowther?

I first ran into Steve Crowther at a meeting of the SWRC about 4 years ago. I did not understand why he was there but it appeared he had been invited by the late Malcolm Wood. He introduced himself to me and then attempted to ingratiate himself. I have met numerous people like Mr Crowther during my time in the civil service. They all wanted something. With Mr Crowther it was obvious he wanted to worm himself into the UKIP SW. I was polite but distant with him.

My reason? I had no idea who he was and I still don't. My career is a matter of public record. It is the same for all serious people in politics. But I can find no history of Mr Crowther. On the web he states he worked in London for 30 years as a journalist and busnessman. What business was he in? Where was he published? I would be grateful for any answers as I can find no record of Mr Crowther. Its the same as trying to trace details to support Farage' s claims of a successful and lucrative career in the City. Its dificult to find verifiable facts.

So Mr Crowther pops up and soon he is Party Chairman a post in the gift of the great leader. What fact checking did Farage do about this man. It is reported on the web that he was previously in the LibDems, a party known for its rabid Europhilia. It would appear that Mr Crowther has suffered a Pauline conversion on the road to the money  pots of Brussels. Has he beeen a success? Well it seems he made a complete Horlicks of entering UKIP candidates for the London Assembly elections but as long as he retains the favour of the Fuhrer that will all be forgotten.

Then we have the old Tories seeking to reinvent their political careers. Mr Helmer is a typical example. I met Mr Helmer at a West Coker. Alan Sked was also there. Alan, UKIP's founder, was a man of integrity, brains and principles. Me Helmer was just another old Tory looking for a new home which it seems he has now found. But at least Mr Helmer's history is verifiable.

Unfortunately so is Mr and Mrs Hamilton's history a matter of public record. UKIP's problem is that all these people come with a huge amount of political baggage. Fact checking a personal history is one thing but damaged goods is quite another.

The shame is that UKIP did not have to go down this route. There were lots of talented clean skins in UKIP of high integrity, Del Young & Martin Haslam and Alan Sked to name but a few. Integrity does not seem to come high on the list of requirements for preferement in UKIP.

If anyone can supply a checkable history of Mr Crowther I would be most grateful. Did he go singing in his youth in quiet villages like Mr Farage? Better to find out now than later.

10 comments:

ALAN WOOD said...

This is from the local paper in 2010;

STEPHEN Crowther will be the UK Independence Party candidate for North Devon at the general election.

The 53-year-old is a former trade journalist and writer who ran an advertising agency in London, which specialised in marketing technology.


Speaking to the Journal he said the 2010 general election would be the most significant election for 100 years.





and this in aother publication on the internet:-


Ukip’s executive party chair Steve Crowther came to the forefront back in 2010 with one goal in mind – to build the party into a professional force to be reckoned with.

Born in Devon, he spent 30 years in London working as a journalist and businessman before returning out west.

That Ukip is polling so well is, at least in part, down to him. But there are doubts about his leadership capacity, which makes him even more interesting for your radar.





I recall prior to the 2010 General Election where UKIP had little chance (contrary to Crowther's belief) that I gave a lecture on the best chance of UKIP winning a seat in the South West. Broadly speaking it was to concentrate on the Plymouth seat(s) where Labour voters could vote for UKIP and for all other candidates to support the Plymouth candidates financially and with publicity.

Pig-headed Crowther was adamant that he had a good following in his chosen seat. His result was pathetic.



I suspect that he had Malcolm Wood's ear as he was reasonably intelligent and the North Devon area was gaining UKIP support. The unsaid reason is to question whether he was a Freemason, as was Malcolm Wood. They had common ground as businessmen and may have shared the same view that the Conservative Party needed "bringing into line" but not destroyed by UKIP. Malcolm was good at recognising people useful to UKIP and Crowther looked useful.


He is naïve and out of his depth when it comes to elections and politics.

Ideal material for UKIP.

Eric Edmond said...

Alan,

Thx for this. It confirms my initial view of Mr Crowther. Like all Faragistas he won't listen to people like you who have actually won in fptp elections but listens to Farage a serial electoral failure in fptp UK elections.

The newspaper report will have no worthwhile checkable facts another Faragista defining characteristic. As you say naive and out of his depth in politics. I forgot to test his handshake at our brief encounter.

Expose Adolf Farage said...

I tried to help your electronic paper trail by googling Mr Crowther. I thought I was onto something, but sadly then it dawned on me that I was reading something about the late Leslie Crowther. I now realise why I mistakenly assumed I was reading about Farage's latest here-today gone-tomorrow brown-noser. it was the phrase "The Price Is Right".

Anonymous said...

There is a Steve Crowther listed as a Common Purpose graduate ( Google )

Anonymous said...

39 Steps

errol said...

Can anyone supply an email address for Crowther?

errol said...

Can anyone supply an email address for Crowther?

Anonymous said...

His email is sjcrowther@btinternet.com. And you should see what he has imposed in Scotland - he has destroyed UKIP north of the border, and treated the members there that have worked tirelessly for years with the utmost contempt. We have not been allowed to have an AGM for two years!!

Anonymous said...

His email is sjcrowther@btinternet.com. And you should see what he has imposed in Scotland - he has destroyed UKIP north of the border, and treated the members there that have worked tirelessly for years with the utmost contempt. We have not been allowed to have an AGM for two years!!

Anonymous said...

I would not agree with those who say Crowther is a Faragist he is a Crowtherist and will do anything to keep his position. He prefers to keep UKIP as an inflated pressure group staffed by his close friends and those who have failed in their positions in UKIP.