A flurry of activity in UKIP-world following the ‘appointment’ of eleven new members to the party’s National Executive Committee has raised some intriguing questions which may enliven the first meeting of the new NEC at London’s Union Jack Club this weekend.
Only a few days ago no fewer than seven of the new batch of eleven NEC members were also appointed as directors of UKIP Ltd, and their appointments duly notified to Companies House.
Union busting activities
One, predicably enough, is Richard Inman, Tommy Robinson’s right-hand man and organiser, whose elevation reinforces the new close relationship between UKIP and the Tommy Robinson (real name Stephen Yaxley-Lennon’) tribe of racists.
Another is Stan Robinson (no relation) one half of the racist Voice of Wales online blog and a man who prides himself in his trade union-busting activities of many years ago. We’ll see how that goes down on the new ‘Voice of the white working class’ UKIP. He too is close to Yaxley-Lennon.
It records his usual country of residence as England, when in fact he departed these shores three months ago to take up a full-time role as priest ministering to a parish in West Michigan
But most interesting of the lot is the appointment of the ‘batshit preacher’, the ‘reverend’ Calvin Robinson (no relation to either) UKIP’s lead spokesman on everything. And it’s interesting because it records his usual country of residence as England, when in fact he departed these shores three months ago to take up a full-time role as priest ministering to a parish in West Michigan.
False information
Now, it is an offence to provide false information in company filings such as these, so we can only assume that this was an entirely honest mistake by UKIP’s Chairman (and convicted criminal) Ben Walker, who must have completely forgotten that Robinson is now based permanently on the other side of the Atlantic.
We emphasise this to discourage people from contacting Companies House to point out what is plainly an unintended and thoroughly innocent error.
But mystery surrounds the fate of some of the newbie NEC members whose appointments were announced at the end of October. For instance, there is Joseph Smith, whose presence still does not grace the NEC page on the UKIP website, and Paul Grindley, who made a brief appearance but then vanished just a month later.
And there is the even stranger case of Greg Hornchurch, not amongst those whose appointments were publicly announced but who has now popped up on the NEC page as if by magic.
And we have to mention the case of young Roger Quilliam. One of the first things he did upon his election was scuttle about on the internet closing previous social media accounts. We can’t imagine why, though from a Google search page (below) you may get a brief taste of the sorts of thing he was posting before he was elevated to the upper ranks of UKIP.
If we have one piece of advice for the new NEC members, it is this: at your first meeting, in London this Saturday, do ask Mr Walker about the mysterious trust through which he exercises total control over UKIP Ltd and hence over the party itself.
It’s a very curious arrangement, though one for which we are sure he has a perfectly innocent explanation.
It’s a big secret
Saturday’s gathering, NEC members are being told, is a big secret, and they must not reveal to anyone that it is being held from 12 noon, in the Private Function Room at the Union Jack Club, Sandell St, London SE1 8UJ Tel: 020 7902 6000.
Now, we understand that the Union Jack Club has a policy against hosting political meetings, so it would be most unfortunate if people were to call them up and let them know what is planned by a group that is now in bed with ‘Tommy Robinson’.
