UKIP's (somewhat hidden) hall of shame
There has been more recent news about UKIP foolishness recently, particularly when a UKIP councillor offensively and absurdly claimed that the passing of same-sex marriage legalisation was responsible for the recent floods in Britain.
Even looking through UKIP's past, before it rose to the prominence it has today, you can see that it was able to attract disgraced politicians, almost always ex-Conservative, from the party's beginnings. Here are just a few prominent examples of the disgraceful politicians that inhabit UKIP's membership list that you may not know are part of UKIP:
Jonathan William Patrick Aitken, the Conservative MP for Thanet for 23 years who later infamously launched a libel trial that failed-he was jailed for 18 months for perjury and ended up bankrupt. His contribution to UKIP seems rather unclear...
John Ernest Douglas Delavalette Browne, the Conservative MP for Winchester from 1979 until 1992, when he had the whip withdrawn for failing to declare crucial business interests. He stood initially as an independent Conservative, doing quite badly on three occasions (1992,1993 and 1997). He has stood for UKIP twice, saving his deposit on each occasion, and his current business background shows he is just as ardent a neoliberal Thatcherite as most 'Kippers'.
Christopher Gill, the Conservative MP for Ludlow from 1987-2001, who is in all likelihood just as old-fashioned and neoliberal as he was when he was in Parliament, notably voting against equal rights and against removing hereditary peers from the House of Lords.
Mostyn Neil Hamilton, arguably the most infamous of this 'hidden' list. He was MP for Tatton from 1983-1997 and was one of the nastiest Conservative MPs of the Thatcher era, and his involvement in corruption with Mohammed Al-Fayed led to his famous defeat by Martin Bell. He was later declared bankrupt after failed libel action, and faded into obscurity until he was elected to UKIP's executive committee three years ago.
Roger Knapman, former leader of UKIP (from 2002-2006) and Stroud's MP from 1987 to 1997. In all fairness, he is not as bad as the others on this list of shame, but still....
Winston Truman McKenzie, a flittering and unsuccessful career politician who switched parties many times in the space of a few years before he joined UKIP. His campaign in the Croydon North by-election was notorious for his homophobic comments.
Piers Rolf Garfield Merchant (deceased), who just after uncomfortably holding on to his seat of Beckenham in 1997 ended up resigning after being caught in a sex scandal; the resulting by-election nearly saw Labour taking the seat.
There are others I could name of course, but it highlights the fact that UKIP has been disgraceful almost ab ovo -no wonder its first leader, Alan Sked, left it only a few years after its formation.
It is clear that UKIP's dangerous,racist,xenophobic message must be countered, in this year's European elections and beyond, and shining more light onto what it really is will help in our goal of halting UKIP's rise and showing people the real alternative to the LibLabCons,I believe.
Even looking through UKIP's past, before it rose to the prominence it has today, you can see that it was able to attract disgraced politicians, almost always ex-Conservative, from the party's beginnings. Here are just a few prominent examples of the disgraceful politicians that inhabit UKIP's membership list that you may not know are part of UKIP:
Jonathan William Patrick Aitken, the Conservative MP for Thanet for 23 years who later infamously launched a libel trial that failed-he was jailed for 18 months for perjury and ended up bankrupt. His contribution to UKIP seems rather unclear...
John Ernest Douglas Delavalette Browne, the Conservative MP for Winchester from 1979 until 1992, when he had the whip withdrawn for failing to declare crucial business interests. He stood initially as an independent Conservative, doing quite badly on three occasions (1992,1993 and 1997). He has stood for UKIP twice, saving his deposit on each occasion, and his current business background shows he is just as ardent a neoliberal Thatcherite as most 'Kippers'.
Christopher Gill, the Conservative MP for Ludlow from 1987-2001, who is in all likelihood just as old-fashioned and neoliberal as he was when he was in Parliament, notably voting against equal rights and against removing hereditary peers from the House of Lords.
Mostyn Neil Hamilton, arguably the most infamous of this 'hidden' list. He was MP for Tatton from 1983-1997 and was one of the nastiest Conservative MPs of the Thatcher era, and his involvement in corruption with Mohammed Al-Fayed led to his famous defeat by Martin Bell. He was later declared bankrupt after failed libel action, and faded into obscurity until he was elected to UKIP's executive committee three years ago.
Roger Knapman, former leader of UKIP (from 2002-2006) and Stroud's MP from 1987 to 1997. In all fairness, he is not as bad as the others on this list of shame, but still....
Winston Truman McKenzie, a flittering and unsuccessful career politician who switched parties many times in the space of a few years before he joined UKIP. His campaign in the Croydon North by-election was notorious for his homophobic comments.
Piers Rolf Garfield Merchant (deceased), who just after uncomfortably holding on to his seat of Beckenham in 1997 ended up resigning after being caught in a sex scandal; the resulting by-election nearly saw Labour taking the seat.
There are others I could name of course, but it highlights the fact that UKIP has been disgraceful almost ab ovo -no wonder its first leader, Alan Sked, left it only a few years after its formation.
It is clear that UKIP's dangerous,racist,xenophobic message must be countered, in this year's European elections and beyond, and shining more light onto what it really is will help in our goal of halting UKIP's rise and showing people the real alternative to the LibLabCons,I believe.
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