As part of an overall effort to take a more
professional approach UKIP took on a new system for selecting potential
candidates for the Westminster and EU Parliaments from 2013 onwards.
In previous elections, UKIP parliamentary
candidates had been selected almost entirely on votes of the membership with a
minimal involvement from party officials. This changed when a new system was
devised in order to try to improve the quality of candidates.
As I have touched on previously, potential
future parliamentary candidates had to first go through an assessment centre
where they were tested and examined on their ability to handle the media, deal
with public speaking, retain policy and have a good level of general knowledge.
Only after they had passed this assessment could a potential candidate apply
for a hustings to take on a seat as a prospective parliamentary candidate. This
is a comparatively modest change but many of the longer serving members of the
party reacted to it almost as if it were the arrival of Big Brother in person.
The selection process for the prospective
candidates to be members of the European Parliament was even more
controversial. A long time coming after seemingly endless debate, redrafting
the process was a fairly simple one consisting of basic background checks,
personal interviews and a decisive element of democracy from the party
membership. As with the process for Westminster selection, which potential
candidates had to have passed before taking part, the system was a long way
from the authoritarianism of the old parties and had a huge amount of internal
democracy but it was still the subject of great drama and controversy.
The final results for the MEP selection
process were dictated by a vote of the membership who were asked to settle the
ranking of the prospective candidates for each area, a very important decision
in an election settled by Proportional Representation. The internal processes
of the party had whittled the candidates down to the correct number for each
region before inviting the membership to vote and settle the order.
The West Midlands region of UKIP was no
stranger to controversy even before this process began. Having got a very
creditable result at the last election in 2009 and returning two MEPs, it was
unfortunate that both of the representatives returned had a relationship with
the party leadership which was bumpy to say the least. Nikki Sinclaire left
UKIP and sat as an independent MEP before eventually forming her own party to
compete at the 2014 Euro elections. Mike Nattrass had removed himself from the
UKIP group in the European Parliament mid term but had appeared to effect a
reconciliation with the party in the months leading up to the candidate
selection process.
When the final seven people were selected by
the party to contest the Euro elections for UKIP, Mr Nattrass was omitted from
the list. This led to a predictably angry response. He attacked Nigel Farage
and the party leadership across the media in a series of ill advised and angry
outbursts before eventually resigning his membership. These outbursts were so
negative and in my view childish that many people who had previously respected
Mr Nattrass and had felt sympathy for him following his exclusion from the
party list changed their minds and saw the sense of the decision to remove him
as a potential UKIP candidate.
Other areas had their share of disappointed
candidates but few took the decision in such a churlish manner as Mike Nattrass
who turned his back on the activists who had helped him to achieve two terms at
the European Parliament and make a very healthy living from it.
The final UKIP Euro election lists across the
country showed a great cross section of the British people as our candidates
including a very high proportion of women in leading roles giving the lie to
the repeated accusations of mysogyny against the party.
from "The Rise of UKIP" by Bill Etheridge
Get your copy HERE
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Rise-UKIP-Bill-Etheridge/dp/1909698334/ref=sr_1_sc_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1406731670&sr=1-1-spell&keywords=rise+of+ukip+bill+etheridfe
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