Ukip faces inquiry into abuse of party funds

[-:Undertaker:-]

How can I put this simply...


THAT FIGURE IS JUST HOTELS AND MEALS
JUST
HOTELS
AND
MEALS

NOT TRAVEL
NOT EVENTS
NOT CAMPAIGN COSTS

JUST HOTELS AND MEALS

Your inability to read is astounding, almost as pathetic as your fanatical support for people completely failing to do the job you think they're doing

Source? In any case, that's pretty standard for people who travel 24/7.

I would have them not claim for the most expensive places they could possibly find, especially when they're pretending to be about saving the public money. It may have escaped you but penthouse suites are not the only place one can sleep y'know

I haven't seen their expenses forms nor the hotels they've stayed in so I can't judge, although you may be able to given that you seem to know every little detail on where they sleep.

And again it may have escaped you, but places to stay in Brussels/London/Prague are quite expensive.

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If they're reaping the benefits they should do the work.

They do the work - mainly in the UK.

You don't vote Ukip and you support the EU - so naturally you will want them sitting in committee rooms and that pointless parliament which you probably want to become the federal parliament. Ukip voters like myself however have complete contempt for that 'parliament' and really don't care what goes on in it as we simply want out of the whole damn thing. As a Ukip voter, I want my MEPs travelling up and down this country campaigning for us to get out - and I am satisfied with their efforts.

[FlyingJesus]

people who travel 24/7.

And again it may have escaped you, but places to stay in Brussels/London/Prague are quite expensive.

They do the work - mainly in the UK.

I want my MEPs travelling up and down this country

Flippity floppity


Also the source is the same one as the last time you failed to actually explain anything properly

[-:Undertaker:-]

Flippity floppity

Not at all. I have read more about this story anyway and apparently the allegations come from a former employee - as do silly other attacks that the Daily Mail have printed - in that a member of the Ukip NEC wanted the MEPs a few years back to fund the main office via EFD funding. From what I have read, some of which I will post below, the MEPs including Gerard Batten refuted Bown via email and pointed out that doing such would be illegal and risk prison.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/poli...-to-party.html

Ukip MEPs were asked to divert funds from their Brussels salaries and allowances to the party’s central office, it has emerged.

MEPs were told to give “a minimum of £10,000 per annum” to the party’s coffers in an email sent to the party’s MEPs by Alan Bown, a Ukip donor and member of the party’s National Executive Committee.

Funding domestic political activities with European Parliament allowances may breach rules that require such expenses to be directly linked to the work of an MEP’s office.

The email, sent in June 2011, said: “Most MEPs drew a salary of £80k+ per year plus generous expenses of approximately £320k, some of which does not require receipts.”

Mr Bown said it costs the part £125,000 to get each MEP elected but many have a “very poor record of helping the party financially.”

“Some MEPs do an excellent job for the party, but with some of them we have to ask ourselves whether they are good value for money at £125,000,” the Times quoted him as writing.

In a statement, the party insisted its MEPs did not break any rules.

“Ukip MEPs who donate to party funds do so out of their own post-tax salaries. Ukip MEPs work for withdrawal from the EU just as they promised the voters that they would when elected in 2009. For the avoidance of doubt, Ukip MEPs are careful to observe European parliamentary rules when spending resources on advancing the goal of British withdrawal.”

Asked does not mean they did. These are just allegations from a peeved off former employee.

Also the source is the same one as the last time you failed to actually explain anything properly

Oh come on, the Daily Mirror as a source?

[FlyingJesus]

Yeah just imagine a newspaper doing investigations and reporting on the outcomes what a hearty joke! And this coming from someone who gets annoyed when someone slates the Mail

[-:Undertaker:-]

Yeah just imagine a newspaper doing investigations and reporting on the outcomes what a hearty joke!

Not really, the Daily Mirror is piss poor for a paper - it makes the Daily Mail celebrity section look like a broadsheet. Farage's allowances and expenses have been explained at the last European Elections in 2009 and this EFD funding story appears to just be former staff who have an axe to grind. That said, all of this slurring is expected from the Labour and especially Tory papers who are going to wage over the next 80 days the most dirty anti-Ukip campaign in history. We're going to see all kinds of headlines right upto NIGEL FARAGE EATS BABIES.

The bad news for them though is that the more Ukip is attacked and mocked, the better our poll ratings are. From Cameron calling us fruitcakes, to Clarke calling us clowns, to CCHQ looking up Facebook comments by Ukip councillor candidates and passing it to the pro-Tory papers...... everytime they try this sort of thing on it backfires on them so I really hope they keep it up.

And this coming from someone who gets annoyed when someone slates the Mail

Not at all. I don't get annoyed with people not liking the Mail or thinking it's awful - as it's weekday paper headline stories often are apart from some of it's journalists - what pisses me off is when the same people over and over again feel the need to make 'OH DAILY MAIL' comments on every single article with a link to the Daily Mail. I don't feel the need to do such a thing with stories posted from the Guardian and BBC.

[FlyingJesus]

You're totally right a 2009 speech completely explains 2012 expenses and 2014 misuses of funds

[-:Undertaker:-]

You're totally right a 2009 speech completely explains 2012 expenses

It's still exactly the same - the same system used by the EU is still in place in 2012 so of course the expenses claims and allowances will still be the same. It's like how MPs are paid £70k odd a year in 2014 - and they were in 2009.. so where is the story? There isn't. The Times is still launching attacks on Ukip today I read on Twitter, although they're just the usual cut and paste jobs.

2014 misuses of funds

CLAIMED* use of funds by a former employee who also claims that Ukip HQ allow pets in the office. OOooh.

[FlyingJesus]

The same system exists therefore the exact same claims will be made... with logic like that on display (along with your absolute classic "giving proof that I'm wrong means you're wrong") I understand why you're so unable to put forth a genuine argument, but understanding it doesn't make it any less ridiculous when you come up with this nonsense

[-:Undertaker:-]

The same system exists therefore the exact same claims will be made... with logic like that on display (along with your absolute classic "giving proof that I'm wrong means you're wrong") I understand why you're so unable to put forth a genuine argument, but understanding it doesn't make it any less ridiculous when you come up with this nonsense

Not at all, this is all being presented as though something over the past few years has suddenly sprung to our attention and that there's something wrong with it when it's the same for all the political parties in the EU 'parliament' - Farage having been there since 1999 will naturally have racked up higher costs, that's logical. The EFD story I will admit is a new claim that the Times newspaper has picked up on, but the allowances and expenses stuff? Been there and done that back in 2009. The story is like reheated pizza.

[FlyingJesus]

Aaaaaaaaand we're back to you not reading posts properly. Farage could have been there since the dawn of time but that (still) has nothing to do with his party's figures for one specific year. You're arguing against something that hasn't been said

Also when you reheat pizza it has a completely different texture and it all changes noticeably, thanks for making an analogy that totally supports what I've been saying that's very kind of you