[UPDATED 17:05] West Midlands regional conference in Wolverhampton

We're blogging from the first ever UKIP West Midlands regional conference in Wolverhampton today. Congratulations to regional chairman Dave Everitt and his team on securing an excellent venue in the Wolverhampton racecourse and the support of a broad range of organisations as well as party leader Nigel Farage who will be making an appearance later today.

17:05 Nigel's speech in a nutshell: Let's roll our sleeves up, let's win this referendum

16:55 Questions and Answers are over, it's Nigel time!

16:40 Nigel Farage is in the building

16:25 Standing ovation for Deputy Leader, Paul Nuttall. Passionate and inspirational.

16:20 It is estimated that between 4 and 8 million people will come to Europe this year alone. We must be the party that protects womens' rights. We must be the party that says Sharia courts where a woman has half the value of a man have no place here. We should be the party that tells women you should not have to live your life hidden behind a veil.

16:16 I must point out that Paul Nuttall has said a lot but like the rest of the room I'm far too busy clapping every other thing he says. He's really on form today.

16:15 The first place we should start is to reignite our links with our kith and kin in the Commonwealth.

16:00 What people are voting on on 23rd June can be amended or rejected by MEPs. The EU Parliament is no friend of Britain ... they can alter this and they will.

16:00 The legend that is Paul Nuttall MEP - UKIP's Deputy Leader - takes the stage. The biggest round of applause of the day so far. Says this is the time to right the wrong of 1973.

15:55 Jim says we should open our arms once again to our Commonwealth cousins and is greeted with a huge round of applause.

15:50 Jim Carver MEP points out there was nothing in David Cameron's negotiations about withdrawing from the EU courts and taking back control of our legal system or taking back our seat on the World Trade Organisation.

15:40 John Flack wants UKIPpers to campaign as Grassroots Out, not as UKIP, not as Labour, not as Conservatives. This isn't the message from the party.

15:40 National Director of Grassroots Out, John Flack, pays tribute to UKIP and Nigel Farage for making the referendum happen. He says he simply does not believe what the Prime Minister says. He's a Tory. What does that say about David Cameron?

15:35 Steve Crowther wants every door knocked in the 18 weeks to the referendum. That's going to require a massive canvassing operation.

15:25 Caught up with the Imam from the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community and got his name. It's Imam Aqeel Kang.

15:25 If we vote to stay in the EU Parliament will get to vote on it after we've voted. And will they decide to give us what we want after we've voted to stay?

15:20 The EU Court of Justice has a history of ignoring legally binding agreements, even if they've been deposited with the UN.

15:15 Party Chairman, Steve Crowther, takes to the stage. He's almost as Marmite as Nigel but who can deny that the party has thrived under his tutelage?

14:45 Drivers contribute £50bn to the Treasury but only £6bn is reinvested into the road network so why should we pay any tolls for roads or bridges? Putting tolls on top of the fuel duty and road tax we already pay is simply wrong.

14:45 Drivers contribute £50bn to the Treasury but only £6bn is reinvested into the road network so why should we pay any tolls for roads or bridges? Putting tolls on top of the fuel duty and road tax we already pay is simply wrong.

14:40 Jill Seymour MEP - UKIP's Transport spokesman - takes the stage. UKIP has always been against HS2 and will continue to stand up and fight for those affected along its route. HS2 is part of the EU's TEN-T project, that's why successive British governments have agreed to spend £55bn on reducing traveling time from London to Edinburgh by 20 minutes. The EU Transport Committee wants to ban diesel cars from urban centres by 2020 and petrol cars by 2030.

14:35 Louise Bours MEP: UKIP's message is clear - believe in the NHS, leave the European Union

14:30 Louise says Jeremy Corbyn signing petitions to save the NHS from TTIP is disingenuous when the Labour Party is going to campaign to stay in the EU.

14:25 UKIP Health Spokesman, Louise Bours, says that TTIP will make the NHS less about public health and more about private wealth. The NHS should always be about TLC not PLC, public need not private greed.

14:20 Bill says we're no pale blue watered down Conservative Party, we're UKIP. We are the party that says what it means and means what it says.

14:15 Cllr Bill Etheridge MEP takes to the stage. After the referendum victory we'll march on and take council seats and Westminster seats. And why not see Nigel Farage as Prime Minister.

14:05 Nigel says Nissan are investing £100m in Sunderland, HSBC and Jaguar are staying in the UK. They wouldn't be investing in the UK if they thought there was a risk if we left the EU. If the CBI says it's a bad thing it must be a good thing.

Michael Gove breaks David Cameron's "collective responsibility" embargo and backs Leave

13:55 And we're into the first half of the afternoon session with journalist Nigel Hastilow. Warm words for UKIP from the former Tory candidate who used his newspaper column last year to tell voters to abandon UKIP and vote Conservative. Thanks UKIP for making sure there is a referendum and making sure David Cameron had no choice but to honour his promise.

12:45 When I first joined UKIP is was one of the youngest members. Now even the party director is younger than me. Thanks for making me feel old Paul.

12:35 Paul says that winning the election isn't the end. UKIP will still be here and injecting common sense into every level of politics. We stand to make big gains in Wales and get the party's first elected representatives in Scotland.

12:30 Party Director, Paul Oakden, takes the stage. He's wearing a Wolves tie in solidarity with the regional chairman. Apparently they're a football team. Paul asks every member in the room to stand if they've ever stood for election for UKIP - it's about 75% of the members.

BREAKING NEWS: Cameron announces referendum for June 23rd

12:25 First mention of the BBC by a speaker met with groans. Our EU-subsidised state broadcaster isn't very popular amongst the rank and file membership.

12:22 If we have to pay tariffs when we leave the EU then so be it. They export twice as much to us as we export to them. For every £1 we have to pay in tariffs they would have to pay £2. So bring it on!

12:20 Bob says that we should embrace the growing global market, including the Commonwealth, rather than the relatively tiny, shrinking EU. If the EU applied to join itself today it would be rejected because it would fail its own democracy test, being run by unelected commissioners like Neil Kinnock who got their jobs by losing elections.

12:10 Dr Bob Spink - technically UKIP's first MP - takes the stage. Plenty of laughter from the room when he defines politics: Poly as in "many" and Tics as in "blood sucking insects". Bob seems to regret resigning the UKIP whip almost as soon as he took it which he says lost him his seat at the next election but will be standing as UKIP Police and Crime Commissioner candidate for Essex.

12:05 UKIP West Midlands regional chairman, Dave Everitt, is presented with a thank you gift from the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community.

12:00 The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community raises over £500m a year for charities including the Royal British Legion. The Community has a 200 year history of promoting peace and tolerance, loyalty and being law abiding.

11:55 The Iman (sorry, didn't catch his name) says that the Koran says it is your duty as a muslim to obey those who rule you locally. It is the duty of a muslim to obey the law and integrate with society. Love of one's country is part of Islam.

11:50 An Imam from the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community takes the stage. The actions of extremists with their corrupt ideology grieves all real muslims.

11:45 Flo says that LGBT* people are disproportionately affected by mental health issues, homelessness and social and economic deprivation. UKIP is accused of being homophobic but Flo has had "nothing but respect and equality" from members of the party.

11:35 The second session kicks off with Flo Lewis, chair of LGBT* in UKIP.

West Midlands Young Independence Chairman, Cllr Thomas Hoof, takes to the stage. The media tell us that young people don't join UKIP and don't want to leave the EU. Young Independence represents about 10% of the party's membership and is growing month on month.

Cllr Peter Reeve - UKIP Local Government Spokesman - leads with a tribute to the late Cllr Steve Povey who showed the party how to do local politics.

UKIP Disabilities Spokesman Cllr Star Anderton tells conference about the challenges facing disabled people in light of the cuts being made by local authorities. Shopmobility services are being cut, housing for disabled people is being cut, social housing is being cut.

Martin Day from the UKIP Save the Pub Campaign issues a rallying call to members to get behind pubs and fight pub closures.

Young Independence West Midlands Conference

West Mids PCC candidate joins UKIP

Independent Police & Crime Commissioner candidate for the West Midlands, Mike Rumble, has joined UKIP.

Mike received nearly 13,000 votes in the shambolic PCC election earlier this year.

UKIP's West Midlands PCC candidate, Chairman of UKIP Dudley and PPC for Dudley North, Bill Etheridge, said:

I am delighted to announce that Mike Rumble who stood as an independent in the Police and Crime Commissioner elections in the West Midlands (polling in excess of 12k votes) has joined UKIP. Mike is a man I have gained huge respect for since meeting him on the campaign trail and I am sure he will be a major boost to UKIP.

UKIP's Bill Etheridge banned from PCC public meeting

The left wing "Community Foundation" in Birmingham held a public meeting tonight so that voters could meet Police & Crime Commissioners for the West Midlands Police area.  All candidates, that is, apart from UKIP's Bill Etheridge who was told that he wasn't allowed to attend.

Community Foundation, which lists the Home Office, Birmingham City Council and West Midlands Police amongst its "partners" (ie. taxpayer funded backers).  It seems to do a lot of community work but its main purpose appears to be agitating for islamophobia to be made a crime and special treatment for minorities.  In other words, your stereotypical taxpayer-funded left wing pressure group.

Community Foundation (which is a limited company) was known as Community Development Trust until it changed its name in November last year.  In March last year the company filed accounts saying it was dormant.  In April last year Birmingham City Councillor, Waseem Zaffar, said he was investigating how a community development foundation could provide a voice for the community and channel resources (ie. spend taxpayer's money) for regeneration.  By November the company had been revived with its new name and new offices and money from Birmingham City Council.  Community Foundation clearly owes a great deal of loyalty to its LibLabCon-controlled benefactors.

If you are unhappy with Community Foundation trying to unduly influence the Police & Crime Commissioner elections by excluding Bill Etheridge you can email them at cdtfoundation@aol.com or call them on 0121 370 6133.  You might also like to complain to their sponsors who are giving taxpayers money to this organisation that is clearly participating in political activities.  The Home Office, Birmingham City Council and West Midlands Police are obviously public bodies but Community Development Fund is a fake charity (ie. all of its money comes from the taxpayer) and shouldn't be using public money to fund the political activities of this group.

You can see what Community Foundation doesn't want you to see at Bill's website.

Update:
Someone at the meeting asked why Bill wasn't allowed to go and was told by the chairman of Community Foundation:

We didn't invite him because his answers to our questions would have offended us

Bill Etheridge unveiled as West Midlands PCC candidate

The former Tory council candidate, Bill Etheridge, who was hounded out of the Tories for having his picture taken with a golliwog toy before joining UKIP has been announced as the UKIP candidate for Police and Crime Commissioner for West Midlands Police.

Extra MEP for the West Midlands

The Tories will have a new MEP in the West Midlands from next week thanks to Belgium ratifying the protocol attached to the EU Constitution/Lisbon Treaty that creates an extra MEP for the UK.

Anthea McIntyre will fit in well with the other Tories in Brussels as she is committed to continuing membership of the EU and faithfully repeats the mythical "repatriation of powers" party line as a sop to eurosceptics that are daft enough to think that power can ever be repatriated from the EU.

Still, every cloud has a silver lining - if the EU survives long enough for another EU election, it's another seat for us to take off the Conservative & _٨^European Unionist Party!

MEP Question Time in the West Midlands

MEP QUESTION TIME

Meet Mike Nattrass your Local UKIP MEP and Maddy Westrop 

Friday, March 5th @ 7.30pm 

Amblecote Room, 

Stourbridge Town Hall, 

Crown Centre, 

Stourbridge 

DY8 1YE 

Or for more details telephone 

0121 333 7737

All are welcome to attend and ask questions. No charge.

Mike Nattrass MEP public meetings

Mike Nattrass MEP has a public meeting each evening next week and with the local PPC in each case. Everyone is welcome to attend. There may be local issues to address.

If you would like to attend or tell others please do.

Mike will explain about the power of the EU and why he is an MEP but these meetings depend on questions. Previous ones have gone well.... he hopes these meetings educate a few constituents about the policies of UKIP MEPs or perhaps they will educate him! Especially in relation to local issues.

The locations are listed below. Plus a premature mention of the Stourbridge meeting in March.

Monday, February 1st @ 7:30pm at Edgecliff High School, Enville Rd, Kinver DY7 6AA
Tuesday, February 2nd @ 7:30pm at St. Mary’s Church Hall, Gorge Rd, Sedgley WV14 9RH
Wednesday, February 3rd @ 7:30pm at The Lodge, Wellington Rd, Dudley DY1 1RD
Thursday, February 4th @ 7:30pm at The Kingfisher Club, Kidderminster Rd, Wall Heath DY6 0EN
Friday, February 5th COSELEY : To Be Confirmed Please call : 0121 333 7737
Friday, March 5th @ 7:30pm at Amblecote Room, Stourbridge Town Hall, Crown Centre DY8 1YE

Down with this sort of thing

On Thursday I will be at the Campaign for an English Parliament’s protest at the pantomime that is the regional grand committee for the West Midlands euroregion.

The regional grand committee for the east of England euroregion was a complete farce – hardly any MPs turned up to the meeting (not enough for a quorum so they couldn’t discuss anything on the agenda) and they spent 30 minutes of the 50 minute meeting debating whether to put the PA system on. The whole thing cost the taxpayer nearly £2m, the meeting in the West Midlands euroregion will also cost roughly the same amount.

This is El Gordo’s vision for the future governance of England but it’s certainly not mine. The protest will be at 6:30pm on Thursday the 8th of October at the Sandwell College campus in Smethwick.

UKIP Double seats in West Midlands !

Mike Nattrass and Nikki Sinclaire are set to go to Brussels !

Conservative 396,847 28.1 (+0.7) 2 0

UK Independence Party 300,471 21.3 (+3.8) 2 +1

Labour 240,201 17. (-6.4) 1 -1

Liberal Democrats 170,246 12. (-1.7) 1

Early result from West Midlands

Worcester News is reporting the West Midlands result early as follows:

Tory 2
UKIP 2
Labour 1
Lib Dem 1

One result is still outstanding but apparently won't change the result. This is excellent, a gain of one in the West Midlands.

Dates for your diaries in the West Midlands

Telford & Wrekin and Stafford branches are holding a dinner at the Terrazza restaurant in Rugley on the 9th of April. Guest speakers are Christine and Neil Hamilton and tickets are £25.

On April the 23rd, Telford & Wrekin Branch are holding a St Georges Day meal at the White House Hotel in Wellington. Tickets are £12.50.

Mike Nattrass MEP will be at Shifnal Village Hall, near Telford, on the 14th of May to talk about the European Empire and take questions from constituents.

Wyre Forest PPC Selected

THE son of Kidderminster’s “singing dustman” has been selected as the UK independence Party’s next parliamentary hopeful for Wyre Forest.

Michael Wrench, 40, of Kidderminster, said he was “delighted” to be chosen and would be “working closely” with Tony Baker, branch chairman, on “a number of issues” that UKIP wanted to tackle, including the closure of Kidderminster Hospital’s A&E.

Mr Wrench, who served four years in the army and was posted in Germany with the Royal Signals, is the son of Eddie Wrench, who worked as a refuse collector for Wyre Forest District Council and was once featured on regional television after his unconventional singing act began attracting huge numbers of fans in district pubs.

He said: "My dad sang in many of the area’s pubs and was well liked by all. He was such a cheerful chap, he often featured in the local press because he was always happy and smiling."

Since leaving the army in 1994, Mr Wrench continued to work as a civilian in security for the army in Germany until 1998, when he moved into IT. Mr Wrench said: "Everyone thinks that just because I am in UKIP I am anti-European, which is not the case. I am anti the European Union, which is undermining our British democracy.

“I am out to prove that UKIP has developed into far more than a single issue party and will be campaigning on a number of issues." He added he was also concerned about how the global downturn will affect what remains of Kidderminster’s carpet industry and the jobs of its workers.

Telford leaves city region with immediate effect

Excellent news from the West Midlands NO! campaign …

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I would love to have been a fly on the wall in Simon Murphy’s office today when he got the call from Telford & Wrekin Council announcing that they were leaving his city region quango with immediate effect.

A week ago to this day I wrote an email to the leader of Telford & Wrekin Council, Andrew Eade, after writing about the city region’s plans for independence:

Andrew,

Re: http://www.westmidlandsno.org.uk/2009/02/16/city-region-wants-independence/

You either don’t know what the city region’s plans are or you do know and either don’t understand or don’t care. Whichever it is, we should not be a part of this.

You have plenty of soothing words about how you don’t like it but you want to make sure we don’t lose out if we leave and how the city region doesn’t have any real powers. But soothing words are worth nothing because the city region will have statutory status, it will have a legal personality, it will be allowed to apply for its own money, it will be allowed to enter into legal contracts and it will be able to make statutory policy that Telford will have to abide by.

This is nothing like the benign organisation that you and others have told us the city region is. So what’s the truth Andrew? You don’t understand the city region or you’ve been lying about it?

Stuart

Councillor Eade told the Shropshire Star “I’ve always said we would stay in the City Region to try and maximise any benefits to our community”. He hasn’t always said that - prior to the last local election he said that he would pull Telford out of the city region if the Tories won. It’s taken close to two years and a lot of back-tracking for him to put his words into action.

Maybe the timing is a co-incidence, maybe the email I sent played a part in the decision to leave. Either way, it’s a big victory and further proof that Greater Birmingham the City Region of Birmingham, Coventry & the Black Country really isn’t going to turn the West Midlands into the land of milk and honey.

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Comments at West Midlands NO! please

UKIP West Midlands Regional Dinner

West Midlands Regional Dinner with the party leader Nigel Farage MEP and local MEP Mike Nattrass + Guests. Three course sit down meal and coffee.

To raise funds for the West Midlands UKIP ''EU Election'' campaign. Please join us for an enjoyable evening on Friday 20th February 2009 7.30 for 8pm Feel free to bring a friend- I'm sure Nigel will be on top form!

Tally HO , Conference Centre , Pershore Road, Birmingham West Midlands B5 7RN Tickets available now at a minimum donation of £25 per person ,Send cheques to UKIP , PO Box 9876 , Birmingham B6 4DN OR Ring 0121 333 7737

Warwickshire leafleting day

UKIP members in the West Midlands have really got to grips with our leafleting days, we have had successful days in several towns and places around the Midlands such as Leamington Spa (our first leafleting day), Shrewsbury, Penkridge, Stafford and we even had two campaigning teams out last Saturday in two parts of the Midlands. Because of this one hell of a lot of the leaflets, so kindly donated by Alan Bown, have gone out and a good number of responses from them.

One person who has been at every campaigning day bar one is Steve Fowler, who is as keen as mustard to set up a UKIP branch in North Warwickshire - now it's our turn to give Steve a hand.

There is to be a North Warwicksire campaigning day this coming Saturday, 31st January, and as ever we are asking as many UKIP members as posible to come along and do their bit in the area. We will be meting at 9.30 am on the car park of the Colsehill Hotel, 152-156 High Street, Coleshill, Warwickshire, B46 3BG. For directions go to: http://www.coleshillhotel.com/directions.htm We will all meet up for lunch back at the Coleshill Hotel.

If you intend to come along and do your bit for UKIP and Steve's fledgling branch, please let me know in advance that you intend to join us to help me regarding numbers and the quantity of leaflets needed. You can either reply by e-mail ukipderek@hotmail.co.uk or give me a call: 07813 153897. I look forward to seeing you there.

Leafleting in the West Midlands

Derek Bennett, UKIP's regional organiser for the West Midlands, has sent out the following request for help:

Dear UKIP member/supporter.

From now on, once a month, UKIP in the West Midlands will be having campaigning days delivering leaflets supplied by Alan Brown, The first campaigning day is to be in Leamington on Saturday 11th October.

We will meet up and start in the morning delivering leaflets for about two hours, then break for lunch where we will meet up in a pub, and continue for a further two hours in the afternoon. If we can get twenty or more UKIP activists delivering leaflets in deferent areas each month up until the Euro Elections next June we will be able to put out a lot of leaflets.

Are you willing to help UKIP in this campaign? If so please let me know by either e-mail or give me a call. Lets get stuck in and make an impact, we want to make the Euro elections will be the referendum we were promised but never given. I look forward to hearing from you.

Derek's contact details are on the UKIP Walsall & Wolverhampton Branch website.