Friday 20 March 2015

Janice Atkinson looks like Marta Andreasen revisited by Farage.

It says in the Bible as a dog returns to its vomit so a fool returns to his folly. Marta Andreasen was pushed by Farage into no 2 on the SE MEP list in 2009. I spoke at UKIP's NEC against her ever going on a UKIP MEP slate as she breached 6 of UKIP's and the Electoral Commissions candidate requirements. She was waved on by old failed Tory Gill, a man not known for his perception. She turned against Farage around 2013 and joined the Tories in time to lose as Tory MEP candidate in 2014. She was Farage's top pick for 2009.

Roll on 5 years and the folly repeats itself with old Tory Atkinson, Nigel's top pick in the SE region for UKIPs 2014 MEP slate. Here is a brief history of La Atkinson from Wikepedia.

"Janice Ann Atkinson (born 31 August 1962) is a Member of the European Parliament for the South East Englandregion for the UK Independence Party. She was elected in 2014, second on the list for the region behind Nigel Farage.

Political career[edit]

Atkinson is a former member of the Conservative party and ran a marketing business for two decades prior to becoming an MEP. As Janice Small, she was a press officer for the Conservatives in the south-east during the 2005 general election. In the 2010 general election, she was Tory PPC for Batley and Spen, finishing second, 4,406 votes behind Labour incumbent Mike Wood.[2] She was also director of Conservative Action for Electoral Reform.[3]
Atkinson joined UKIP in 2011, citing David Cameron's failure to produce a referendum on European Unionmembership.[4]
She was selected as the UKIP candidate for Folkestone and Hythe for the 2015 general election.[1]

Controversy[edit]

During the 2014 campaign it emerged that despite Atkinson's claims - and status as a champion of state selective education - her alma mater Blackheath Bluecoat School is not and has never been a grammar school.[5]
It was also reported that, before she joined UKIP, Atkinson was dropped from the 2011 alternative vote campaign following a meeting with undecided Conservativesin which she mentioned "her support for elements of" the British National Party's platform.[6] A few days later Atkinson swore at anti-racism campaigners. The incident followed her call for 'abusive' anti-UKIP protestors to be arrested by the police. A photo capturing the moment was widely reported and went viral on social media.[7] Atkinson, who has described towns in Kent as 'no-go areas' as a result of Eastern European immigration, has defended her position, claiming she marched as part of the Anti-Nazi League in her youth.[8]
In August 2014 she issued an apology after being recorded by a BBC news crew referring to a British Thai constituent and UKIP supporter as "a ting-tong from somewhere" a term used in Thailand about insane people. The woman and her husband threatened to withdraw from UKIP membership but changed their mind after a personal apology from UKIP leader Nigel Farage.[9][10] Interviewed on camera later at their home, the woman and her husband said that Atkinson hadn't apologized to them & was quite belligerent. Whilst speaking of Atkinson Farage said "99% of UKIP member's aren't like that and don't hold those views."[9]
In December 2014 it was revealed that Atkinson, whose annual salary as an MEP was around £79,000 per year, owed more than £2,000 in unpaid child support.[11]Her ex-husband claimed this had "caused major hardship for her son and for her family".[11] Atkinson was singled out for particular criticism as she had previously attacked "feckless families" who have more children than they can afford.[12][13]
In March 2015 she was suspended from the party following "allegations of a serious financial nature."[1]"

Much of that information on Atkinson was in the public domain but nobody it seems in 
UKIP's NEC bothered to check. Nigel does not encourage that sort of due diligence.

Most worrying is her reported support of elements of the BNP's platform. I have seen innocent people who had never had any contact with the BNP or supported the BNP in any way  vilified and kicked out of UKIP. Why this woman was put on the 2014 UKIP MEP slate and then selected as a PPC for a very winnable seat in the coming 7th May, 2015 general election?

By selecting candidates like Atkinson UKIP is pissing away the best chance we will ever have of leaving the EU

6 comments:

The Double Event said...

"Atkinson looks like Andreasen revisited by Farage". Quite true, but in fact it's even worse than that!

Look at like this:

2004 - Farage hijacks the selection processs to ensure his personal choice Ashley Mote is parachuted in as No.2 on the UKIP South East list.
Mote is revealed as a benefits fraudster, loses the UKIP whip to leave Farage as UKIP's only South East MEP and eventually goes to jail.

2009 - Farage hijacks the selection processs to ensure his personal choice ex-Tory Marta Andreasen is parachuted in as No.2 on the UKIP South East list.
Andreasen, as you say, eventually hops it back to the Tories to leave Farage as UKIP's only South East MEP.

2014 - Farage hijacks the selection processs to ensure his personal choice ex-Tory Janice Atkinson is parachuted in as No.2 on the UKIP South East list.
Now Atkinson's alleged financial fraud has caused her to lose the UKIP whip to, er, leave Farage as UKIP's only South East MEP.

Quite a pattern there, sadly, and the common denominator running through it all is Farage and his fatal mix of megalomania, rotten personal judgment and contempt for due process.

Atkinson is not just an ex-Tory of recent vintage promoted after five minutes in UKIP by Farage, as Andreasen was, but someone now alleged to be a fraudster to boot. Thus she looks not just like Andreasen revisited by Farage, but Andreasen and Mote combined and revisited by Farage.

What's that old Oscar Wilde quotation about once being a misfortune, twice looking like carelessness? How does that leave the Dear Leader's great skills looking now, thrice exposed?

And let's spare a thought for the voters of the South East region, who have now voted to be represented by two UKIP MEPs at three consecutive elections, but have actually been represented by two UKIP MEPs for a grand total of less than five years in all that time - a situation for which the one-man selection committee called Nigel Farage is entirely to blame.

Greg_L-W. said...

Hi,

as with the previous poster - it is indeed very easy to forget Ray Finch and probabluy not such a bad idea for Ukip to do so.

However you will remember Nigel Farage employed his wife @ around £30K pa. claiming she was willing to work unsociable hours for him and often worked in her bed attire, so also we understand was Annabelle Fuller!

After the rule changes in the EU that precluded immediate family beimng employed by MEPs Nigel Farage's other placement as an MEP in the South East was Ray Finch who now employs Kirsten Farage - could it be on the same terms as Nigel Farage employed Annabelle Fuller?

Regards,
Greg_L-W.

Eric Edmond said...

Thank you DE for completing the picture. As you say its Faraage's contempt for due process in which he is supported by his paid sycphants that is doing huge damage. When Del, Dvid and I were on the NEC we were acutely aware of this but any attempt we made to support due process was shouted down by Farage worshippers like Gill andTory moles like Bannerman.

L fairfax said...

Who is Gil?

Eric Edmond said...

Christopher Gill was a very undistinguished Tory MP for Tewkesbury who in 15 years as far as I know held a government job. I think his family owned a sausage factory in Ludlow. He became a Maastricht rebel and lost his seat in the 1997 Labour landside.

I heard the other Tory MPs used to call him sausages. ( Esther Rantzen at thar timed used to feature on her show a talking dog that could say one word, "Sausages")

He joined UKIP and was elected on to the NEC. He was besotted with Farage.

Eric Edmond said...

Sorry Gill was MP for Ludlow.