Greg Lance - Watkins (Greg_L-W)
It looks like the hokey cokey over at Ukip is set to continue after Matthew Richardson, the party’s former secretary, is coming back to his role.
Richardson was one of the causalities of the post-election fallout, which saw advisers leave and front-benchers sidelined during bitter in-fighting.
But just like his boss Nigel Farage, who stayed in his post after Ukip’s national executive committee failed to accept his resignation, he is returning to his role.
Moving Ukip right
In a statement to the BBC they said: “Matt has resumed the role… by law any constituted political party must have a party secretary who is a qualified lawyer.”
This is surely bot going to go down well with many in the party, after Richardson – along with another adviser Raheem Kassam – was blamed for pushing Farage further to the right.
The pair were blamed for his comments about HIV treatment for immigrants, which bombed during the TV election debate, and for making Ukip like the ‘Tea-Party’ wing of the US Republican party.
‘Pulling a Farage’
Richardson left his role, as did Kassam, at the start of the month – but while Kassam has resumed his role at website Breitbart – Richardson has reportedly still been advising Mr Farage, who was keen on having him back on board.
It is unclear how his un-resignation – known as ‘pulling a Farage’ – will go down with Ukip’s only MP Douglas Carswell, who rowed with the party secretary over whether they should accept the £650,000 a year subsidy from Parliament, referred to as ‘short money’.
Nor how the move will be received by Patrick O’Flynn and Suzanne Evans, both of whom were demoted for criticising Farage and his inner circle in the days after the election.
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Ukip-vs-EUkip 
geoffbastin said
I think the references to the HIV TV debate comment is wearing a bit thin. It was certainly not an outrageous comment as so many claim as it’s worth going back fifteen months before Nigel Farage’s comment and checking on some prominent Tories. Sarah Wollaston who was Chairman of the Health Select Committee at the time and other senior Tories were proposing just the same possibility during an amendment to the Immigration Bill. Did Cameron come to Nigel Farage’s defence or did he correct that rather stupid welsh woman who became full of moral indignation? Of course not. And now I read another attempted slur on this blog and continue to realise just how ill informed so many are when it comes to accurate reporting. Still look on the bright side because the EU referendum is before us and so there’s plenty of time for everyone to get the facts all wrong again. What a pity politics has to be populated with individuals always trying to do down their political opponents. Differ if we must but please spare us the innuendo and slurs.
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Greg Lance-Watkins said
Hi,
I agree that Nigel Farage’s very public comment regarding NOT treating non British citizens with HIV was not outrageous. However I am sure you have sufficient political insight to realise it was crass to make such a comment in view of his position and the audience at large, well as it may have played for the very many far from bright supporters of Ukip and the many overt and clandestine bigots both within the party and supporting Ukip.
Surely you must realise the immense damage done by Ukip’s ineptitude, lack of thought out policies, financial profligacy, industrial scale abuse of funding, utter incompetence, near total lack of credible leadership, seroa; abuse of the public purse, overt racism of many members and supporters and clear lack of probity and integrity as a party – though there are many genuine if gullible individuals associated with the party.
Regards,
Greg_L-W.
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