Thursday 13 December 2012

'Friends of UKIP'

There has been a lot of discussion regarding various groups that want acknowledgement as 'friends of UKIP' - many people oppose them as divisive, while others support them as 'what real parties do'.

However it seems the groups themselves are confused about their purpose/scope - particularly regarding their relationship to the party and influence on policy.

A short while ago one group tweeted:

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This group does not have an official view on the recent news re: #UKIP and#equalmarriage . We respect individual rights to their own views.

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But a day later tweeted:

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We are writing to our NEC. Let us be clear: we shall NOT campaign for policies that discriminate against our - or any other - community.

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What I particularly don't understand is why the group talks about 'we' and 'campaigning' - do these groups have their own existance/identity rather than just being a centre for supporters to assemble around?


If they are speaking on behalf of their members (as they now seem to be saying), surely it is only right that they say who those people are - if for no other reason than knowing how many people that is?