The following is from a UKIP activist. If you read it objectively you cannot fail (IMHO) to see that the whole MEP selection process is at its core nothing but a massive deception upon ordinary UKIP members.

What you do about it is up to you. But all of you should seriously consider if this sort of thing is appropriate behaviour for party managers to act???

A.

PS: Note also that the upcoming Conference to be held in Telford was organised behind the back of the Regional Committee and before the selection process started!! Undoubtedly to back Nigel’s choices in the Region. Jill Seymour you’ve got a few questions to answer!!!

BEGINS:

I am totally shocked that my two local UKIP members from Derbyshire David Gale one of the best police commissioner results for UKIP, and Phillip Rose secretary of the East Midlands counties committee, has not made the list to be voted on for the MEP selections. As these are two hard working local activists, the fact that they have not made the final cut is dubious to say the least.

Several of the areas are being represented in the MEP selection process by people they do not want. All our candidates have come from two counties so we have no representation from Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Lincolnshire, and Rutland. This will impact on our vote at the ballot box. The down side of this is that instead of having four MEP’s in the next elections, we will probably only have one. It has been apparent that the list has been picked by Steve Crowther, Party Chairman, raising doubts about his suitability as future chairman of the party.

In the East Midlands these are the candidates we have been given are as follows:-

Barry Mahoney ~ this man has never done anything in or for the region in the last eight years. He did not campaign in the last European election at all, and was not re voted onto the east midlands committee because of his lack of attendance at meetings.

Roger Helmer ~ came over from the conservatives, supposed to be retiring through ill health. He has not been to an East Midlands regional meeting yet even though he has been in the party a year and a half. He has not contributed financially to the region either.

Margot Parker ~ stood against UKIP at the last European elections. She stood in Corby in the by-election which is a plus point for her. Unfortunately she did not bother to stand for UKIP in a previous council by-election a few months before leaving the seat uncontested. She also left the general election seat uncontested at the last general elections. Her profession is advising people how to get around EU law, so if she obtains the post of MEP we will be adding to her job CV and she will not be inclined to push forward for the UK to leave the EU.

Jonathan Bullock ~ has only been in the party 9 months, he should not be eligible to stand as the criteria is you have to be in the party 12 months.

Nigel Wickens ~ nobody knows who Nigel Wickens is.

The above does not make good reading for anybody in the party that wants to move forward. I thought the national selection process was a good idea and although, I was not in UKIP during the last European elections these results seem to suggest that the regions selection process was a far better process last time. The fact that concludes my thoughts is that Lincolnshire activist, Christopher Pain, has not made the list. He has worked hard for the party for years attained the positions of Branch Chairman, Counties Chairman, East Midlands Chairman, NEC member, County Councillor, organised conferences and had some of the best election results for the party.

We then have to look at Mike Nattrass MEP being told he was not worthy for selection in the West Midlands makes a mockery of the all system. He has been one of the most hard working MEP’s, after Nigel Farage, in the whole party. He has worked tirelessly and donating hundreds of thousands of pounds to the party.

Neil Hamilton has been deemed unworthy to stand for selection in the South West, but his silence has been bought by a high luxury job in the party.

All three of the following are not in the top 10, but 6 people who are not known in the area are above them, why?

In the south east Steve Harris their regional organiser was number 3 candidate on the last MEP list.

Andrew Montclies ex NEC member and policy writer for UKIP

Piers Wauchop NEC member long standing with 8 years plus as a County Councillor, a hard working kingpin in the south east.

In London Paul Oakley is top of the list an unknown character not been a hard working activist for UKIP, yet he has been deemed to be a higher calibre than MEP Gerard Batten.

Then we look slightly further afield Jonathan Arnott has been placed number 1 on the list in the North East. This has dismayed local activists as they have never seen Jonathan Arnott in the region at all, people do not know who he is.

David Coburn has been placed number 1 in Scotland the information coming from Scotland is that he has not been there for 30 plus years.

These are just a few examples of the bazaar selection process that appears to be riddled with corruption from UKIP.

I joined UKIP because I thought they were the party of the people and as an activist I am absolutely distraught at the way many good candidates across the country have been treated and bypassed…..

Fellow activists and I have decided that if this injustice is not addressed we will not be actively campaigning or donating to the European elections at all. I believed UKIP to be a democratic party yet it appears we are taking on the habits of the EU which I despise strongly

Regards