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Members & staff of UKIP past & present. Committed to reforming the party by exposing the corruption and dishonesty that lies at its heart, in the hope of making it fit for purpose. Only by removing Nigel Farage and his sycophants on the NEC can we save UKIP from electoral oblivion. SEE: http://juniusonukip.blogspot.co.uk/2013/05/a-statement-re-junius.html

Saturday 28 November 2009

UKIP offered to disband. Lord Pearson confirms proposed deal with the Tories




We told you so.

Remember this from June?

http://juniusonukip.blogspot.com/2009/06/ukip-is-just-another-tory-pressure.html

We revealed that Farage wanted to do a deal with the Tories and thus betray the membership of UKIP. He didn't even bother to consult the membership or even all of his MEPs before making the offer!

We were attacked for spreading lies.

But Lord Pearson now confirms it.

Taken from The Times:

Cameron rejected UKIP pact on EU referendum

Alice Thomson, Rachel Sylvester Suzy Jagger and David Charter

Lord Pearson of Rannoch: did not hear back from David Cameron

The UK Independence Party offered to disband if David Cameron agreed to hold a referendum on the ratified Lisbon treaty.

Lord Pearson of Rannoch, UKIP’s newly elected leader, says in an interview with The Times today that he proposed the deal after the party’s strong showing in the European elections.

He reveals that he approached Lord Strathclyde, the Tory leader in the Lords, six months ago and asked him to tell Mr Cameron that if he guaranteed a referendum and gave the Conservative Party a free vote then UKIP would disband and its members stand down. He received no answer. Several months later Mr Cameron announced that the Tories would not hold a referendum.

Lord Pearson adds: “A referendum on a ratified Lisbon Treaty would have become about in or out, which is why the political class wouldn’t do it.”

Lord Pearson says that he was acting on behalf of his predecessor, Nigel Farage, when the overture was made.

Last night Mr Farage confirmed that the meeting took place with his blessing, although he argued that the offer was to withdraw the party from the general election rather than to disband. Lord Strathclyde also confirmed that the meeting took place.

“We made that offer but we didn’t get an answer,” Lord Pearson said. “I’m so angry with them now.”

UKIP — which has no MPs in Westminster but has 13 MEPs — wants to pull Britain out of the European Union, boost the UK’s defence budget by 40 per cent and bring back grammar schools.

Speaking after yesterday’s result, the peer, who hopes to cost the Tories at least 50 seats, said: “My ambition is for UKIP to do well enough at the next general election so that we can force a hung parliament and a realignment in British politics.”

Mark Francois, the Shadow Minister of State for Europe, said: “We don’t make policy on the basis of secret deals with other parties. We decide our policies on the basis on what is right for the country. As we have said, a made-up referendum after ratification would be pointless.”

UKIP is understood to be preparing to try to re-focus its appeal by attacking Islamic fundamentalism in an attempt to shore up its right flank against the BNP. It is planning to put a heavyweight candidate up in Barking to take on Nick Griffin, the BNP leader, in the next general election campaign and prevent him from claiming a Westminster seat.

The favourite for the UKIP nomination is Paul Wiffen, the party chairman in London.

Lord Pearson takes over immediately as party leader from Mr Farage, who had said that he wanted to stand down to fight the seat of the Commons Speaker, John Bercow.

The party intends to field 550 candidates in next year’s general election, many of whom will pay their own campaign costs. Mr Farage — who had spearheaded the party’s fundraising efforts, estimates that UKIP needs £1.5 million to fund an adequate election campaign, but about £4 million to compete properly against the bigger parties.


And taken from The BBC:

The UK Independence Party says it offered not to fight the next general election if the Conservatives agreed to hold a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty.

New UKIP leader Lord Pearson of Rannoch told the Times he offered a deal after its strong European elections showing.

He told the BBC he thought a referendum would have gone against the treaty - meaning Britain would have effectively left the EU and UKIP could disband.

The Conservatives said any mention of a deal had been rejected "straight away".

Lord Pearson was chosen as UKIP's new leader on Friday, replacing Nigel Farage, who stood down to focus on running for Parliament at the next general election.

'So angry'

The ex-Tory peer told the BBC: "Well, the version in the Times is slightly paraphrased and condensed.

"We offered that if we got a clear, written promise with an agreed wording for a referendum on whether we stayed in or left the European Union... then we would stand down for the general election, providing we had this absolutely clearly in writing.

"And then when we had the referendum - which we believed we would win - we would then be out of the European Union and then at that point UKIP, well it would have been up to UKIP, but it would probably have disbanded because its major point would no longer be in existence."

Lord Pearson said he had taken the proposed deal to Lord Strathclyde, the Conservative leader in the Lords, after UKIP beat Labour into third place in this year's European elections.

He said he was acting on behalf of Mr Farage and told Lord Strathclyde to relay the offer to Tory leader David Cameron.

Lord Pearson told the BBC: "We made this offer to Tom Strathclyde, who was going to see David Cameron two days later. He said I'll talk to David."

However Lord Pearson said in the end he did not get an answer. He told the Times: "I'm so angry with them now."

We don't make policy on the basis of secret deals with other parties

Shadow Europe minister Mark Francois

The Times said both Mr Farage and Lord Strathclyde had confirmed the meeting did take place.

Earlier this month, the Conservatives said ratification of the Lisbon Treaty by the Czech Republic - the last EU country to do so - meant their campaign for a referendum had come to an end.


The decision prompted UKIP, as well as Eurosceptics in Mr Cameron's own party, to accuse him of reneging on a "cast-iron" guarantee made in 2007 to hold a vote.

But Mr Cameron said that to press ahead with a referendum post-ratification would be "simply to have one for the sake of it".

Shadow Europe minister Mark Francois said of Lord Pearson's comments: "We don't make policy on the basis of secret deals with other parties; we decide our policies on the basis of what is right for the country.

"As we have said, a made-up referendum after ratification would be pointless."

Lord Pearson gained nearly half of the approximately 9,900 votes cast by UKIP members in the leadership contest.

Following his victory, he said the Lisbon Treaty was "the last nail in the coffin of our democracy" and his objective at the next election would be to force a hung Parliament and a "realignment" in British politics.

UKIP does not have any MPs but has 13 MEPs and among its key aims is pulling the UK out of the European Union.

To see the originals: LINK & LINK

So now you know the truth. Farage holds UKIP's membership in total contempt.

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