Lord Pearson claimed £100k expenses in 8 years ... what a shocker

Shock horror!  Lord Pearson has claimed £100k in second home expenses that were not fraudulent and significantly less than most of the inhabitants of Westminster.

Lord Pearson's main home is his estate in Scotland, his second home is in London.  He says he spends almost exactly half the year there.

The £100k is the total claimed since 2001 - £12.5k per year.  This is significantly less than other peers and MPs, especially those based in Scotland.

It turns out that these allowances were paid between April 2001 and June 2007, at a standard rate of £174 a night "for the purpose of attending sittings of the House". That works out at about £16,000 a year. Add the rest of the period and, in just over eight years, he has claimed £115,683 plus £56,685 subsistence – working out at about £20,000 a year.

A typical MP over the same period, will have cost us about £1.8 million in salaries and expenses.

Pearson, unlike many, is a working peer, and puts many hours in the House, for which he is paid no salary. Nor does he get a secretarial allowance, funding his secretary from his own pocket

It must be a slow news day at the Torygraph if they're already scraping the bottom of the barrel looking for some sleaze on Lord Pearson.

Lord Pearson and Nigel Farage offered to stand aside for the Tories

Let me start by disappointing all those LibLabCon sheep who have been reading the "news" that UKIP is facing hundreds of resignations after Lord Pearson announced that UKIP had offered to stand aside for the Tories if they agreed to hold a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty/EU Constitution.

  There is no revolt in the party, there will be no wave of resignations.

Lord Pearson, on the instructions of Nigel Farage, met with Lord Strathclyde (the Tory leader in the House of Lords) and told him that UKIP would not stand against the Tories in the next election if they agreed in writing to hold a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty/EU Constitution.  The Tories declined to answer and of course we now know for sure what the answer was.

Let's put this offer into perspective:

1. The offer was made before the Czech president capitulated and there was still a possibility that we would enter the election next year without the Lisbon Treaty/EU Constitution ratified.
2. The fact that the Tories wouldn't take UKIP up on the offer was a given.  They were no more likely to commit to a referendum than the BNP to withdraw their policy of repatriating immigrants or the Greens to own up to the global warming scam.
3. If the Tories had agreed to this deal then we would have had a referendum on leaving the European Empire because the Tories with a UKIP endorsement would be guaranteed a victory and the only way to rescind the Lisbon Treaty/EU Constitution is to leave the European Empire.

The biggest threat to a Tory victory in the next election is UKIP.  All those Tory hopefuls who are worried about their prospects at the general election know who to blame for the fact they still face a UKIP threat when they could have had a clear run at the lefties.

Far from being an act of threachery, this should be seen as an astute piece of political manoeuvring.  The Tory faithful have nobody but David Cameron to blame for the seats they will lose out on and the expected hung parliament thanks to UKIP.  All he had to do was give a commitment to honour his "cast iron guarantee" to hold a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty.

Telford & Wrekin Christmas Party

Telford & Wrekin UKIP are holding their annual Christmas dinner on the 7th of December at the Holiday Inn in Telford.

Tickets are £20 and includes food and entertainment.

For more details, contact wonkotsane@bloggers4ukip.org.uk.

Lord Pearson elected leader of UKIP

The votes have been counted, the results are in and Lord Pearson has been elected as Leader of UKIP.

Lord Pearson came top with 47.7% of the vote, followed by Gerard Batten with 25.8%.  Nikki Sinclaire came third with 12.2% of the vote with Mike Nattrass and Alan Wood finishing up with 11.0% and 3.2% respectively.

Lord Pearson's victory was hardly a surprise as he was the leading candidate throughout but Nikki Sinclaire's third place was surprising as she was widely believed to have been in a close second place throughout.

All five candidates ran an excellent campaign and some of the policies that were proposed during the campaign will no doubt be adopted under Lord Pearson's leadership.

As with any change of leadership, there are members who are unhappy with the result.  Lord Pearson's decision to make Islamification and immigration a key policy alongside leaving the European Empire, small government, flat rate tax and Swiss-style referrenda has been a bone of contention.  It could prove to be a disastrous decision, leading to the party being branded as racist (more so than usual).  Or it could be the making of the party, attracting disaffected voters who might otherwise have turned to the BNP.

The fact that he is a peer is also a sticking point, particularly at a time UKIP is attracting Labour voters (and defections) in greater numbers.  There is a suggestion that Labour voters will be put off UKIP by having an Etonian peer as leader of the party.  It should be remembered, however, that there are more unelected peers in Gorodn Brown's cabinet than any cabinet in modern history and that Peter Mandelson is probably going to replace Gordon Brown as leader of the Labour Party after the next election.

Constructive criticism of Lord Pearson, or any of the candidates, is a good thing but now is the time for the membership to give Lord Pearson a chance to prove himself as leader.  If he turns out to be a terrible leader then he'll soon be out on his ear but let's not put the cart before the horse.

Border-crossing consequences

Purloined from a mailing list:

Crossing borders

If you illegally cross the:

 North Korean border, you get 12 years' hard labour.

Iranian border, you are detained indefinitely.

Afghan border, you get shot.

Saudi Arabian border, you will be jailed.

Chinese border, you may never be heard from again.

Russian border, you will be branded a spy and your fate will be sealed.

Cuban border, you will be thrown into political prison to rot.

UK Border, you get

• Free healthcare
• An unearned income
• A home
• Free education for your kids
• Furnishings for your home
• Free dentistry
• Free use of an infra-structure paid for by the toil and taxes of previous generations
• The free use of all social facilities
• Free translation services
• Agencies that will help you settle in
• Free round the clock police protection
• You will find the law is weighed in your favour

All power to Lord Pearson, new leader of UKIP!

Another Farage BarageTM

Nigel Farage was told off for being a naughty boy in the European Imperial Parliament the other day by the new EU President, Herman van Rumplestiltskin.

It must have been like being savaged by a daffodil.

Watch the video here and compare the van Rumplestiltskin, the man who is supposed to be so important and such a big personality that he's able to stop traffic in foreign capitals, with Nigel Farage.  Van Rumplestiltskin is a bumbling, barely coherent speaker even when he's speaking his own language whereas Farage is a confident and enthusiastic speaker, even when he's surrounded by his enemies.

You can watch a video of the speech that upset van Rumplestiltskin here.

Where, where, where, where's Danny?

Daniel Hannan MEP, the great scurge of the European Empire and the sole hope of eurosceptic Conservatives for a vaguely eurosceptic Tory voice in the European Conservatives and Reformists.

I wanted to talk to Dan Hannan's office today about something other than UKIP but could only find an email address and two postal addresses and phone numbers in Belgium and France.  So I phone Conservative Party HQ to get a number for his UK office only to find he doesn't have one.  "MEPs are based in Belgium so they don't have UK offices".

I pointed out that he represents about 5m people and the chances are, a lot of them aren't going to have access to email so how does one of his "constituents" get in touch with him if they need his help?  The answer I got was that as I have access to email I should email him and ask for a UK contact.  Genius.

Danny boy talks like a eurosceptic but he's already gone native.  UKIP MEPs have offices in the UK and spend most of their time in their "constituencies" and when they aren't in the country, they have a staffed office employing local people to field enquiries.

New E.U, Guidelines require children to apply for Santa visit

Elf & Safety gone mad?

Under new E.U. Guidelines issued this week, all children wishing to benefit from a visit by Santa this Christmas will be required to fill out an official application form. Traditional letters to Santa containing a wish-list of toys and games will no longer be sufficient, as risks to the personal safety of Father Christmas, his reindeer and assorted helpers have been identified by Brussels beauracrats. The Department for Christmas Compliance has also identified a lack of clarity as to how 'good' each child has been and therefore how many gifts they should be allowed to request.

A spokesperson, Ms Ery Gutz, said: "Whilst we would not wish to prevent young persons from receiving the gifts to which they may feel entitled, it is our duty to ensure that the safety of Santa Claus is paramount and that fairness in the distribution of gifts is maintained.

"The sheer scale of the Christmas Eve operation renders it inherently dangerous, and the added complication of chimneys, open fires and differing roof-heights, amongst other things, makes this one of the most hazardous projects that this department has ever had to oversee."

Despite no reports of Santa ever having been injured in the execution of his yuletide duties, failure to comply with the new regulations could see children left gift-less this Christmas.

However, Ms Gutz's department have drawn up a contingency plan for those who do not complete the form: "Parents who do not wish to enforce their children's compliance can collect free stockings containing three walnuts and a satsuma, from any of our offices between the hours of 6.00am and 7.15am on Sundays between now and Christmas Day."

Download an Application Form for a Santa Visit here.

Lib Dims can keep stolen money

The sockpuppet Electoral Commission have told the Lib Dims that they can keep the £2.4m of stolen money donated to them by a convicted fraudster via an investment company he owned that doesn't trade in the UK.

The Lib Dims won't have to pay back the stolen money illegally donated to them because the Electoral Commission said that they acted in good faith and that the company, despite all the evidence to the contrary, fits the criteria of being registered trading in the UK.

Contrast this decision - being allowed to keep £2.4m of stolen money from a convicted fraudster - with the decision to confiscate £350k from UKIP because the donor, Alan Bown, was mysteriously taken off the electoral register without his knowledge at the time despite a judge having ruled that it was a genuine mistake and ordering UKIP to repay only a token amount of the donations.

The real mission of the Electoral Commission is not to regulate and reform the electoral process, but to maintain the pro-EU LibLabCon status quo.

Another petition

UKIP has launched a petition calling for a referendum on our continued membership of the European Empire.

Ignoring the fact that the petition says Great Britain when it should say United Kingdom (another of my pet hates!) it's one worth signing. This petition is going to be a big one, a lot of resources are being put into it.

UKIP 'would consider an alliance with TUV'

The chairman of the UK Independence Party has said the party will consider an alliance with Jim Allister's TUV in future elections. Paul Nuttall, UKIP MEP for the North West of England, was speaking to the News Letter yesterday after a low-key exploratory visit to the Province.

UKIP has only one politician in Northern Ireland at present — Kilkeel councillor Henry Reilly, who defected from the UUP. Mr Nuttall described TUV leader Jim Allister as “a good guy” who worked closely with UKIP in Europe when an MEP.

“The reason we didn’t stand here in the last European election was to give Jim a free run,” he said, adding that UKIP “will explore” the possibility of an alliance with him in the future. They haven’t selected anyone to stand in next year’s General Election here, with this visit being to “put out feelers”. But UKIP is now beginning to take Northern Ireland “very seriously”. Mr Allister told the News Letter that his party would not be “slamming any doors” on the suggestion.

“Obviously I knew quite a lot of UKIP MEPs in Europe and had good working relationships with them on the big issues,” he said.

“I have a track record of working with them at a tactical level. We haven’t had discussions with them of that nature (about an alliance) but undoubtedly, on European issues, there is a fair degree of consensus between our parties.”

On Wednesday, Mr Nuttall met with students at Queen’s University and he said that the response was so positive that the party planned to set up a group there.

“We think there is a huge gap for a non-sectarian, pro-British party in Northern Ireland that believes in independence from the European Union,” he said, adding that the DUP have not voted on an EU referendum and are “not performing” in government while slating the Tories for backing out of promises for a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty.

Although against “excessive immigration”, Mr Nuttall rails against the BNP for its “racist” stance on the matter, pointing out that prominent members of his party are black and Asian. He also dismissed the millions of pounds in EU Peace money which has come to Northern Ireland: “It was all our money in the first place. It costs us £45m a day to be a member of the EU and we get just under half of that back again.”

UKIP is about to launch a massive recruitment campaign in Northern Ireland with the delivery of 100,000 leaflets. Dr Fred McGlade regional organiser for the North West will over see the distribution

Eurofederalists choose new puppets

The European Empire said it wanted an EU President that could stop traffic in foreign cities. They chose Herman van Rompuy.

What do you mean you don't know who he is? He's the prime minister of Belgium of course, whose greatest achievement thus far is managing to stay in the job for nearly 12 months (a real achievement for a Belgian prime minister this last couple of years). A real political heavyweight.

And then there's the EU Foreign Minister, who also serves as deputy president. They naturally wanted someone with a bit of pizazz, a natural world leader known and respected around the world. So it won't come as a surprise to learn that they have given that job to Baroness Ashton.

You mean you haven't heard of Baroness Ashton either? She was an official of the left wing wannabe terrorist group CND before being given a pretend peerage by Tony Bliar in 1999 for services to the Liebour Party. She then went on to be Leader of the House of Lords before No Mandate Brown handed her over to the EU to be the UK's EU Commissioner who then made her the EU Trade Commissioner. She has never stood for election in her entire political career.

Pointless people appointed to pointless jobs for a pointless criminal organisation. The sooner we are out of this mess the better. Come the revolution, Baroness Ashton's treason will make sure she's one of the first against the wall.

I wonder if it's possible to keep a peerage when you've declared your eternal loyalty to a foreign state (as the EU will become on 1st January) ...

Petitions!

The mild irritation caused by the British government and the European Empire calling the EU "Europe" finally reached tipping point the other day.

Europe Minister? No, EU Minister. European Commission? No, EU Commission. European Parliament? No, EU Parliament. European president? No, EU president.

The Europe Minister isn't responsible for British government policy for the whole of Europe, just for the EU. The European Parliament isn't a parliament for the whole of Europe, just the EU.

This irritating conflation of "Europe" and "EU" has prompted the first Bloggers4UKIP Number 10 petition: stop referring to the EU as "Europe".

Other petitions that may be of interest ...

• Stop wasting taxpayer's money on climate change propaganda designed to frighten our children
• Stop any further payment of taxpayers money to the EU until such time as the auditors are prepared to sign off the EU accounts
• Resist the proposed changes from the EU in relation to Recreational Sea Angling
• Allow an immediate vote of no confidence in the UK government
• Reinstate the Treason Act abolished by Tony Blair

Former Mayor of Redditch Anne Davis to stand against ex-Home Secretary Jacqui Smith

THE former Mayor of Redditch is set to stand against former Home Secretary Jacqui Smith at the next general election.

Anne Davis, who served on Redditch Borough Council for 12 years, will stand for the United Kingdom Independence Party in the election after defecting from Labour.

Anne who used to sit on the same committees as Jacqui said: “Over the years, I’ve come to the conclusion that the party I supported no longer looked after the people of this country or this town, so I took the decision to resign from the Labour Party. I want to serve the people of Redditch in the same way as I did when on the council but I want to do it as a member of the UK Independence Party.

“Our biggest issues locally include the proposed merger of Bromsgrove and Redditch District Council’s offices and services and the loss of Redditch’s individual identity, along with the authority’s proposals to sell off council land.”

Hmmm