Top Farage ally turns on 'snarling' UKIP leader

[Chippiewill]

Looks like UKIP is going through some things.

[-:Undertaker:-]

It is becoming more and more apparent this is about leadership. The problem for any rebels is, they are well overestimating their own support within the party. A few in the top brass may have fallen out with Farage or have fancied his job, but I am willing to bet if Farage stood for the leadership in an election (which may have to happen now) that he'd probably win near 50% of the votes of the membership. Where then would that leave the rebels?

If it is all coming from Carswell, who I suspect raised short money in the media to undermine Farage then that won't go down well either. As far as I see it, we're entitled to short money like every other party and should be using it (despite only 1 MP but 4 million votes) to fund a research team for the upcoming referendum which eurosceptics in Ukip, the Conservatives and Labour still haven't got a plan announced for. Do they propose we join EFTA? Go by FTAs? They cannot expect to win a referendum when they haven't got an alternative to put forward and the clock is ticking. We've had years to prepare for this: a convention should be called.

[AgnesIO]

It is becoming more and more apparent this is about leadership. The problem for any rebels is, they are well overestimating their own support within the party. A few in the top brass may have fallen out with Farage or have fancied his job, but I am willing to bet if Farage stood for the leadership in an election (which may have to happen now) that he'd probably win near 50% of the votes of the membership. Where then would that leave the rebels?

If it is all coming from Carswell, who I suspect raised short money in the media to undermine Farage then that won't go down well either. As far as I see it, we're entitled to short money like every other party and should be using it (despite only 1 MP but 4 million votes) to fund a research team for the upcoming referendum which eurosceptics in Ukip, the Conservatives and Labour still haven't got a plan announced for. Do they propose we join EFTA? Go by FTAs? They cannot expect to win a referendum when they haven't got an alternative to put forward and the clock is ticking. We've had years to prepare for this: a convention should be called.

It is because - unlike UKIP - Douglas Carswell has said it would be wrong for him to get 15 staff members using taxpayers money simply because he can. I know UKIP loves to waste taxpayer money, but Carswell has a bit of backbone and morals. Most MP's would get tens of thousands, not hundreds of thousands,

[-:Undertaker:-]

It is because - unlike UKIP - Douglas Carswell has said it would be wrong for him to get 15 staff members using taxpayers money simply because he can. I know UKIP loves to waste taxpayer money, but Carswell has a bit of backbone and morals. Most MP's would get tens of thousands, not hundreds of thousands,

Only because of a fluke in an electoral system that wasn't designed to handle this. I'm opposed to short money altogether, but whilst all the other parties including your Conservatives are raking it in via short money we should be entitled to take our share and use it to represent 4 million voters across this kingdom.

[James]

Sounds like they're butt hurt & blaming each other for not winning the election.
shame for them.

[AgnesIO]

Only because of a fluke in an electoral system that wasn't designed to handle this. I'm opposed to short money altogether, but whilst all the other parties including your Conservatives are raking it in via short money we should be entitled to take our share and use it to represent 4 million voters across this kingdom.

The difference is, the Conservatives don't get offered £650,000 per MP. Carswell has morals. Unlike UKIP MEPs.

[-:Undertaker:-]

The difference is, the Conservatives don't get offered £650,000 per MP. Carswell has morals. Unlike UKIP MEPs.

Again, only on the basis of the fluke in the system. Under short money arrangements, you get something like a set amount per MP and then you get something like £33 for every 200 votes you had in the election. Ukip obviously only got a single member of parliament, yet 4 million votes which has left them with a lot of extra short money (which the other parties also get) to spend. As we're entitled to it, and as you lot use your quotas, we should use it.

We're always honest that we'll use any money we're allowed to use to further the cause of getting us out of the EU. Like your party does but the other way round. Carswell is stupidly grandstanding, and come the referendum we're going to be outspent just like last time as the Conservative Party, its wealthy donors, Labour and the Unions and the European Commission are going to pour millions and millions in taxpayer cash to get the result they want.

[AgnesIO]

Again, only on the basis of the fluke in the system. Under short money arrangements, you get something like a set amount per MP and then you get something like £33 for every 200 votes you had in the election. Ukip obviously only got a single member of parliament, yet 4 million votes which has left them with a lot of extra short money (which the other parties also get) to spend. As we're entitled to it, and as you lot use your quotas, we should use it.

We're always honest that we'll use any money we're allowed to use to further the cause of getting us out of the EU. Like your party does but the other way round. Carswell is stupidly grandstanding, and come the referendum we're going to be outspent just like last time as the Conservative Party, its wealthy donors, Labour and the Unions and the European Commission are going to pour millions and millions in taxpayer cash to get the result they want.

Maybe Carswell doesn't need or want 15 staff? If Carswell loses his reputation that he has worked so hard to gain in Clacton, UKIP will end up with no seats in the next election; I'd say it is probably worth listening to him.

[-:Undertaker:-]

Maybe Carswell doesn't need or want 15 staff? If Carswell loses his reputation that he has worked so hard to gain in Clacton, UKIP will end up with no seats in the next election; I'd say it is probably worth listening to him.

It isn't about Carswell.

You use that money to fund a party that is supposed to be representing 4 million voters yet only has one MP due to the electoral system. The plan and what HQ apparently wanted, was Carswell use his constituency MP money (as all MPs do) and with the extra short money use that to fund researchers for HQ. Going by what Guido is reporting, it looks to me like an attempted coup in progress and thus it was no accident this short money issue suddenly became an issue with Carswell publically yesterday.

This is latest in long line of Ukip fallouts, from Holmes to Kilroy, & another opportunity to test the long held rule - "Nigel never loses".

— Matt Goodwin (@GoodwinMJ) May 13, 2015

[FlyingJesus]

"Nigel never loses" lmao