Nigel Farage Public Meeting in Buckingham

Some UKIP Public Meetings Coming up in the South East

We are holding a series of public meetings across the country. In 2004 UKIP were the only party to hold public meetings across the country, and we are doing the same again this year.

Have a question to ask?
Want to find out more about UKIP?

Then come along and discover why we are asking you to lend us your vote on June 4th 2009!

Below are some of the arranged events for the South East region with more to follow soon. I'll publish the other regions lists later.

24.01.09 Buckingham University Iain Fairburn Lecture Theatre, Chandos Road, Buckingham, Bucks MK18 1EG N Farage MEP, M Andreasen MEP candidate

4.03.09 Alexander Centre The Jubilee Room, Alexander Centre, Preston St., Faversham Kent. ME13 8NY S Harris MEP Candidate, Sarah Larkin PPC

6.03.09 The Ship Hotel Monument Green,Weybridge, Surrey KT13 8BQ N Farage MEP, (2nd Speaker TBA)

28.03.09 The Barn Field Place, Durrington, West Worthing BN13 1NP J Titford MEP, M Andreasen & S Harris MEP candidates.

2.04.09 TBA Chesham/Amersham N Farage MEP, (2nd Speaker TBD)

28.04.09 Aylesbury Grammar Lecture Theatre, Walton Road, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire HP21 7RP N Farage MEP, M Andreasen & S Harris MEP candidates

30.04.09 TBA Churches Together, Worthing S Harris MEP candidate

4.05.09 The Judd School Brook Street, Tonbridge, Kent TN9 2PN S Harris MEP Candidate

20.05.09 The Assembly Rooms Chichester PO19 1LQ N Farage MEP, A Moncrieff MEP candidate

21.05.09 The Drill Hall Denne Road, Horsham, West Sussex RH12 1JF N Farage MEP, M Andreasen MEP Candidate

2.05.09 St Piran's Centre Gringer Hill, Maidenhead, Berkshire SL6 7LZ N Farage MEP, (2nd Speaker TBA)

22.05.09 TBA Fareham, Hampshire

TIM CONGDON SPEAKS TO WITNEY

The evening of January 30th was freezing cold but nevertheless more than fifty people braved the elements to hear eminent monetary economist Tim Congdon, CBE, speak to a public meeting organised by the Witney branch of UKIP in Witney’s Langdale Hall.

In the face of a recent 30% devaluation in the pound which have led to renewed calls from some economic commentators for Britain to join the Euro, Professor Congdon explained why in the present financial crisis we are in fact better off outside the Eurozone. He reminded the audience that when the debate over the euro was at its most intense in the early and mid-1990s, the UK Euro-sceptics had emphasized that, because the single currency area implied a single interest rate, Eurozone member countries would have lost a key instrument for managing their economies. The likely result would be inappropriate deflation or inflation (because of interest rates either held at too high or too low a level), in association with asset price bubbles and busts.

Professor Congdon, who used to be one of the so-called ‘wise men’ who advised the Chancellor of the Exchequer on economic policy between 1992 and 1997, explained that since 1999 that is exactly what has happened: there have been many years of marked asset price inflations in houses and land, notably in Spain, Ireland and Greece (for which the official Eurozone interest rate was too low). However, since August 2007 paralysis in the international wholesale money market and the inter-bank market has halted the availability of funds to the banks in these countries, and the long asset-price boom has been followed by an extreme asset-price bust. “The Euro-sceptics” he said, “have been right”.

Moreover, since Spain, Ireland and Greece are constrained by the Maastricht Treaty, which established the single European currency, they cannot devalue their currency to escape the recessionary forces. “It is possible”, he warned, “that the deflationary forces in such countries are now so severe that even cutting interest rates to zero would not lead to an upturn. Their economies may have entered a so-called ‘debt deflation, in which falls in asset prices result in bad debts in the banking system, which erodes banks’ capital, which causes banks to pull in loans, which reduces the quantity of money, which leads to falls in asset prices, which result in bad debts in the banking system and so on in a self-reinforcing downward cycle as happened in the Great Depression in the USA between 1929 and 1933.” Because of this, he said, the worst-hit countries (particularly Ireland) will want to escape the shackles of the Maastricht Treaty and “the pressures for a break-up of the Euro-zone are stronger than at any time since 1999”.

Professor Congdon reminded the audience that, in contrast to the Eurozone countries, the UK can set interest rates in accordance with our own macro-economic circumstances and we enjoyed a long period of stability from 1993 to 2006, including the first seven years of the euro’s existence, when boom-bust cycles were under way in some Eurozone countries. In this respect, he said, the UK was fortunate to have remained outside the Eurozone and to have kept its own currency. But in this current period of financial difficulty, he argued, it was even more important that we retain national control over monetary policy. If interest rates (the ‘price’ of money) are cut to zero and still demand remains weak or falling, action to stimulate the economy must focus instead on increasing the ‘quantity’ of money (‘quantitative easing’) by the government or the central bank.

The government can borrow from the central bank (‘printing money’) or the commercial banks (creating new bank deposits), and use the proceeds of its loans to buy goods or assets from the non-bank private sector. Alternatively, the central bank can buy assets from the non-bank private sector or lend to it, again increasing the quantity of money. Such actions should ease the recession. However, in the Eurozone such quantitative easing is prohibited by the Maastricht Treaty: governments must limit budget deficits, and cannot borrow at all from central banks, or to an undue extent from commercial banks. Central bank activism at the national level – to buy in existing government debt and boost the quantity of money – is also proscribed. By contrast, the UK authorities are free to engage in any form of quantitative easing and so, in this respect also, we are fortunate to be outside the Eurozone and to have kept our own currency.

Congdon’s formal remarks stimulated a lively question and answer session on many aspects of the current financial crisis and informal discussions over refreshments continued much longer. Perhaps his most controversial comment was that many of our present problems have been caused by the inadequate training of Cambridge-educated economists (Professor Congdon, like MEP candidate Philip Vander Elst who introduced him and supported this view, was educated at the University of Oxford) !

LEADER AND DEPUTY LEADER TO MAKE IMPORTANT NATIONAL STATEMENT ON IMMIGRATION IN PETERBOROUGH

The Leader of the UK Independence Party (UKIP) and BBC Question Time regular, Nigel Farage MEP, and UKIP's Deputy Leader and 2009 European Election Lead Prospective Candidate for the Eastern Counties, David Campbell Bannerman, will be making a major statement on immigration policy in Peterborough on Saturday 31st January. This is part of a day of action on a number of local issues including opposing wind turbines, fly tipping and housing being built on vital farming land.

Mr Campbell Bannerman said: “Peterborough has seen a rise of 20% in its population since 2004, mainly due to immigration and the European Union. 70% of new houses needed are for migrants. Whilst we welcome sensible immigration, the number of migrants has to be controlled and managed to prevent problems for local public services. This is about space not race.

"We are campaigning too on key local issues such as opposing wind turbines, which the EU is forcing upon us, saving post offices, fly tipping and reduced bin collections - all happening because of EU meddling in peoples' lives."

The Full Itinerary for the Action Day is below.

Journalists and photographers are particularly welcome to attend all three events when there will be opportunities to meet and put questions directly to Nigel Farage, David Campbell Bannerman, Professor Bush and other leading figures from UKIP.

ITINERARY FOR ACTION DAY

At 10.00am Mr Campbell Bannerman joined by an expert on energy policy and wind turbines, Professor Stephen Bush and representatives from anti-wind farm campaign groups will be visiting the wind turbine at King’s Dyke, Whittlesey Road. They will be wearing hard hats to illustrate the danger of flying ice from the blades, which recently hit a nearby house. UKIP has long campaigned against wind turbines on the grounds that the wind is too unreliable to generate power cost effectively and with any consistency. They also object to them on environmental and safety grounds.

At 12 noon, UKIP Leader, Nigel Farage MEP with Mr Campbell Bannerman, will be visiting Cathedral Square in central Peterborough to meet and talk to shoppers. Mr Farage will make a short speech about some of the issues of greatest concern to local people such as the consequences of too much EU migration, the credit crisis, closure of post offices and reductions in rubbish collections.

The day will culminate in a public meeting from 1.00pm at the Manor Farm Centre, High Street, Eye, Peterborough when Mr Farage and Mr Campbell Bannerman will make a major new policy announcement on immigration. They will share the platform with local PPCs Robert Brown and Frances Fox. They will also be joined by prospective MEP candidate Andrew Smith and BBC Question Time – Schools Edition winner, Michael Heaver and Professor Stephen Bush.

UKIP Public Meeting - Buckingham University

A Public meeting will be held at the Buckingham Unviversity on behalf of UKIP Buckingham. Guest Speakers: Nigel Farage MEP, Marta Andreasen, Steve Harris, Dave Fowler, Chris Adams.

24th February 2009: 7pm - 9.30pm Buckingham University, Chandos Road, Buckingham, MK18 1EG

Everyone welcome. Videos shown, refreshments available.
Meet all the Buckingham County Council UKIP Candidates. Every Seat filled for UKIP

For more info: Telephone Chris Adams on 0798 6543211

PUBLIC MEETING.... European Elections 2009

PUBLIC MEETING.... European Elections 2009
Come and find out why you should vote UKIP in the coming (June 2009) European Elections. The UK Independence Party (UKIP) is promoting a Public meeting at The Grosvenor Hotel, Belgrave Road Torquay.on Thursday November 20th Doors open 19.00 hrs. for a 19.30 start.

Speakers are:

>Graham Booth (Retired .South West UKIP MEP)
>Trevor Coleman (South West UKIP MEP)
>Julie Harrison (UKIP PPC. for Torbay) Admission Free !

Please come and hear why your vote will not be 'wasted'This is a European election !!! and might be your last chance to express your views in lieu of the denied, but promised referendum.

For more information Contact Tel. 07875125083 e-mail TorbayUKIP@live.co.uk