Marcus Stead quits UKIP
I have decided to resign my membership of UKIP, and in doing so am also resigning from the UKIP Wales Committee and from my positionas Vice- Chairman of UKIP Cardiff & District Branch.
Below is my resignation letter in full:
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TO: Nigel Farage, Present UKIP leader, John Whittaker, UKIP Chairman, Michael Zuckerman, Party Secretary, Roger Knapman, former UKIP leader.
24-Nov-2006
Dear Mr Farage,
I am writing to you to inform you of my resignation, with immediate effect, from the United Kingdom Independence Party, my position as an elected member of the UKIP Wales Committee and from my position as Vice- Chairman of the UKIP Cardiff & District Branch.
After many weeks of deliberating, I have come to the conclusion that UKIP has become a hindrance to Britain's withdrawal from the European Union. UKIP professes to be the flagship Euro Sceptic pressure group in Britain (to describe it as a true political party, would, I believe, be a gross misrepresentation). This places a serious responsibility upon the shoulders of the party, one it does not take seriously enough. From the perspective of a pro- European, UKIP have become ideal opponents, a party led by useful idiots and therefore being a joke opposition.
The fight to regain control of Britain's sovereignty needs and deserves a serious political party with a mature core message, a clear strategy for getting that message across and must be led by political heavyweights. UKIP has failed on all these grounds. It cannot decide whether it is a political party or a pressure group, and as a result has not succeeded in being either. Your initial response during your short time as leader has been to treat UKIP as a Conservative Party splinter group, whilst still lacking any serious policies. If I had wanted to belong to the Conservative Party, I would have joined it.
These frustrations on my part are nothing new, and judging by the rapid decline in membership since 2004, this is a view shared by a large number of others.
Yet my principal reasons for resigning relate specifically to you, your controlling cabal and your unacceptable behaviour over recent months, most specifically, the series of events that began at the Exeter hustings of July 30th. Simon Muir, David Noakes, Richard Suchorzewski's solicitor and others have seen and verified the validity of a letter signed by a bona fide member of UKIP clearly stating Annabelle Fuller introduced herself as a member of the Press Office and clearly showed herself to be an 'intimate' of yours. She solicited the conversation with a stranger and stated unequivocally that Richard Suchorzewski had lied about his background and CV and that he was a BNP supporter.
Your employee Mark Croucher also made similar accusations on a public internet forum. Mr Croucher's twisted logic that Mr Suchorzewski's alleged links to Greg Lance- Watkins somehow make him a BNP plant is bovine in the extreme. Mr Suchorzewski and Mr Lance- Watkins are more febrilely connected as allies with the BNP than you are through your well publicised and close
association with Mark Deavlin.
I have given you and your clique several opportunities to substantiate these serious accusations, yet all I received from you was an ill- mannered and abusive response on one occasion and no reply at all on others.
During the past 18 months I have worked closely with Mr Suchorzewski and can have consistently found him to be a man of integrity and great talent who was willing to work long hours and without pay to help UKIP develop into a serious political force.
It appears that as soon as he became a threat to your control of the party you resorted to using the politics of the gutter to destroy him. The accusations you made against Mr Suchorzewski were especially absurd when one considers members of his family were killed in the Holocaust and he is in a stable relationship with a woman of Afro- Caribbean origin. Even I was surprised by how low you were prepared to sink to destroy him.
I concede you are a quite brilliant media performer, but I have come to the conclusion that this is where your talents begin and end. Your track record in all other areas has been truly shambolic. You have been convicted of misusing party funds. You have overseen a catastrophe at the Ashford call centre where just 15% of all money raised ever reached the party. Can you enlighten me and the many other concerned members as to which black hole the generous donations of ordinary members fell into?
And can you enlighten those of us on modest incomes just how much of your generous salary you have donated to the party? Or do you rely solely on us members and the naïve Alan Bown to fund ego- trips such as your campaign in the Bromley by- election in which every vote you gained cost £86 in campaign money?
Since you became leader many decent people at every level of the party have resigned, and, after a period of reflection, I have decided to do likewise.
My own personal experience of you has taught me a lot about your character. On an occasion during the 2005 conference you personally assured me a Youth Movement would be set up in the near future. A long conversation, followed by a period of email correspondence with your Personal Assistant of the time persuaded me you were serious about this, whereas in reality it was a ploy to turn me against the successful “Youthkip” movement set up by younger members of the Lechlade Group.
Then, in December of last year, the last time we met in person, you once again assured me that the launch of the Youth movement was “imminent” and likely to occur in February of this year. Your PA then refused to answer emails written by myself or any other younger members of the party who wanted this to be set up.
How is it possible to come to any conclusion other than that the only purpose of this exercise was to turn me against a then- thriving “Youthkip” Movement, favouring the “official” Youth movement which, in truth, you never had any intention of launching?
How can I have confidence in a leader who behaves in such a way?
Your short period as leader so far has fared little better. On day one of your leadership you referred to myself and others who have dared question you as, “A small number of malcontents”, thereby implying we were in some way trouble makers rather than people merely revealing the truth about you and your conduct. You then went on to attack those of us who subscribe to the “Democracy Forum” during your conference speech. It seems you simply dislike those who dare to question you or your conduct in any way.
It also seems you have learnt nothing from past mistakes when it comes to celebrity endorsements. You stupidly invited the mock shock jock James Whale to represent UKIP as the party’s London Mayoral election candidate. Mr Whale is clearly using this as a ploy to draw attention to himself and increase ratings for his radio show- he has no intention of joining UKIP or representing the party at any level, yet you have allowed him to use the party as a self- publicity tool. Does this remind you of anyone?
Finally, I turn to the state of the party in Wales. Following the resignation of Mr Suchorzewski as UKIP Wales Chairman, John Pratt, a decent and honourable man, was elected to take his place.
Whilst I hold Mr Pratt in high regard, the notion that he would make a good Chairman is frankly laughable. How can an elderly man, who has numerous commitments outside politics, as well as having no access to the internet and who admits to seldom watching television possibly be a suitable Chairman?
I fear he will be used and manipulated by you and your controlling cabal as so many others have been, and then chewed up and spat out if he dares to challenge you in any way. I am therefore calling on him to resign from the post, and indeed as a member of the party, with his dignity and reputation in tact and find better uses of his time and resources to contribute to the campaign to get Britain back.
What remains of UKIP is a shipwreck of a party, consisting of a Dad’s Army of largely well meaning, patriotic and generous people who have no idea about the corrupt nature of those at the top, such as yourself, Mark Croucher, Annabelle Fuller, Tom Wise and Douglas Denny to name but a few. Indeed, with their track records, I would consider all of them suitable candidates to become European Commissioners. The way you are lining your pockets, you would be in good company in the current Commission.
I no longer wish to remain in this increasingly autocratic party, led by a corrupt leader who must be obeyed by all at all times.
With your dreadful professional and personal track record, you can be sure you will be found out soon enough, and I doubt it will be very long before you cause UKIP and yourself embarrassment in the press, killing off UKIP once and for all in the process.
I also wish to call upon the many, many decent ordinary members I have had the privilege of knowing and working with to resign their party membership, as they are doing the euro- sceptic cause far more harm than good remaining in a party led by you and your cabal.
I therefore call on all ordinary members to abandon this sinking ship led by a rogue Captain, and to confront head- on the tragic conflict of loyalties with which I have myself wrestled for perhaps too long.
The campaign to restore Britain’s sovereignty requires a serious political party led by people of integrity. Instead, we have a joke party led by a two- faced philandering drunk, who enjoys the wealth and trappings his role brings, yet in reality has contributed very little towards the goal getting Britain out of the European Union and restoring British sovereignty.
Yours Sincerely,
Marcus Stead.
Vice- Chairman, Cardiff & District Branch.
Wales Committee member with responsibility for Youth Development.
Membership number: 135349
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