A Liar and a Cheat and the Leader of UKIP Wales

Last week’s elections to the Welsh Assembly saw the UK Independence Party winning seats in the Senedd for the very first time, although Welsh Labour remained the largest party by a comfortable margin despite losing a seat to Plaid Cymru. Among the 7 UK AMs elected was disgraced former Conservative MP Neil Hamilton who featured in this Guardian headline just 20 years ago.

Following this “Cash for Questions” scandal, he lost his seat in the 1997 General Election, at which point he left politics and joined UKIP.

Not content with merely winning a seat in the Assembly elections, Mr Hamilton then ousted former leader Nathan Gill of UKIP Wales and is now running the show. It’s been a bizarre turn of events. There’s clearly no end to his ambition (nor any beginning to his integrity).

Questions may be asked about a person such as Neil Hamilton could have been voted into power, but it’s not year clear how much it will cost to ask them.

All I can say is I hope they keep a close eye on the cutlery in the Senedd canteen.

Follow @telescoper

 

Warning! Offensive Image…

No reasonable person could possibly take offence at that tweet from Emily Thornberry, yet she has had to resignfrom the Shadow Cabinet because of it. It is beyond belief how pathetic British politics and the British media have become.

Follow @telescoper

What Nigel Farage did not say on beards

In the aftermath of yesterday’s European election results, the great political question of the day is where precisely does UKIP stand on facial hair?

Kmflett's Blog

What Nigel Farage did not say on beards

UKIP leader Nigel Farage who is perpetually clean shaven is very probably a pogonophobe although as the equally perpetually hirsute Michael Rosen has pointed out to me, UKIP has some supporters with beards.

Accuracy on matters UKIP is not easy to achieve. The party itself is an unreliable guide and the BBC guided by the follicly challenged Nick Robinson isn’t much better.

However at the end of the week which saw a supposed quote from Farage about Muslims and beards to the effect that either the beard went or the wearer did and that beards should be no more than two inches in length achieve wide currency, a small attempt at accuracy can surely do no harm.

There is no absolute proof that Farage did not make these remarks. He has not denied them despite opportunities to do so

It is however…

View original post 198 more words

EUROPE’S NEW FAULTLINE

Perceptive analysis of the rise of UKIP et al….

Pandaemonium

The Front National is expected to win next week’s European election in France; UKIP may well do so in Britain. Both parties combine a visceral hostility to immigration with an acerbic loathing of the EU, a virulent nationalism and deeply conservative views on social issues such as gay marriage and women’s rights. The problems that such parties pose for mainstream politics goes, however, far beyond the odiousness of their policies. What their success expresses is the redrawing of the political map in Europe, and in ways in which mainstream parties often do not understand. The new populists seem to thrive on different political rules to mainstream parties.

Take UKIP. The electoral threat it poses to both Tory and Labour has in recent weeks led to a fierce assault from mainstream politicians of all hues and from the media. UKIP leader Nigel Farage has been accused of misusing his expenses and…

View original post 1,527 more words