Young Independence West Midlands Conference

EU cider tax could put up to 80% of English cider producers out of business

The Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) is warning that a ruling by EU bureaucrats could put hundreds of cider producers out of business.

A long-standing tax break for artisan cider producers who produce under 33 pints of cider per day has been ruled illegal and the British government ordered to impose a 27% tax on them. Around 80% of England's cider producers are currently eligible for the tax exemption and will be hit with a tax bill.

UKIP MEP, James Carver, is supporting CAMRA's campaign to fight the EU cider tax.

I believe that this unfair EU tax could drive many people in the cider industry out of business. Small-scale producers would be severely hit by this EU interference.

Our Government should stand up to the EU and defend the interests of our cider and perry industry.

UKIP MEP subjected to racial abuse

UKIP MEP for the West Midlands, Jim Carver, has been subjected to racial abuse on Twitter.

Carver, who has Roma heritage, has been called a "pikey" in relation to his Roma background. West Mercia Police are investigating.

As well as questioning my parentage, the word 'pikey', which is deeply offensive to members of Roma, gypsy and traveller communities, was used against me.

The public must comprehend that the everyday use of this word only serves to further stigmatise these forgotten communities. It is as offensive as racist expletives that are used against other minorities.

Left wing extremist planted in Question Time audience

The Mirror are trying to suggest that UKIP MEP, Jim Carver's brother was planted in the Question Time audience last night to make it biased against Russell Brand.

Background checks are done on all the people who apply to be in the Question Time audience so the producers will have been well aware that Rob Carver is Jim Carver's brother. Likewise, they'll have been very aware that the woman who spent most of the night screaming abuse at Nigel Farage, telling him he is a racist and she's coming to get him, is Bunny La Roche of Kent International Socialists who organised the violent attack on Nigel Farage that resulted in him being hit over the head with a placard earlier this year.

Bunny La Roche - or Comrade Bunny as she's known to her friends in Unite Against Fascism, the Socialist Workers Party, Hope not Hate, Stand up to UKIP, Rock Against Racism and whatever other far left band of thugs and propagandists she's associated herself with - heckled and abused Nigel Farage and other audience members throughout the show.

The Question Time producers knew what they were doing when they invited Comrade Bunny onto the show, Russell Brand is fine preaching his authoritarian, extremist agenda at people when he's got a camera to himself or an interviewer he can dominate but when he's in front of a live audience of mainly switched on people and a panel of politicians capable of demolishing every bit of nonsense he utters he's clearly out of his depth and it shows. The flamboyant gobshite was nowhere to be seen.