LORD PEARSON RESIGNS

Lord Pearson of Rannoch, resigned as UKIP leader.

As many who read this blog will know that I have been a member of the UK Independence Party for many years, I joined in the summer of 1997 after first becoming involved with the Referendum Party. Over those years I have both seen a lot happen regarding UKIP and done a lot with the party, including serving on its NEC, serving on the conference committee six times and being Regional secretary from 1998 to 2006 as well as being the Walsall branch chairman for the last ten years.

I have seen the party evolve from few, if any, knowing who we were or what we stood for, to it becoming a national party recognised by most, with MEPs and many councillors being elected and our vote increasing year on year in all elections, although this has not yet resulted in us getting any MPs into Parliament yet.

During all this time I have been writing about and generally been involved in the anti-EU campaign by joining other organisations such as the CIB, BWMA, Democracy Movement and attending all ten of the Congress for Democracy meetings in Church House in London.

It was at those Congress for Democracy meetings, which began in December 1998, I first became aware of Lord Pearson of Rannoch, who has just announced his resignation as UKIP leader. In those days he was a Conservative Peer in the House of Lords and very much a Eurosceptic. Whenever he spoke he always got in the line that he was a "come outer" as far as the EU was concerned despite the fact this was a position the Conservative Party has never taken, or will take. Eventually, because of his increasing support for UKIP's stance on the EU he had the whip withdrawn in the Lords and then joined UKIP - and we were all delighted to have him where he belonged - with real Eurosceptics rather than the sham Eurosceptics in the Tory Party who are described as 'Decoy ducks' to attract the anti-EU vote despite the fact no Tory administration will tackle the serious EU problem.

After Nigel Farage gave his shock announcement at the UKIP conference in Southport last year that he was standing down as leader so that he could campaign against John Bercow, Lord Pearson became the lead candidate in the leadership election and won a substantial vote. It then fell on his shoulders to take UKIP into the general election, which is where things began to become unstuck.

His stance on UKIP candidates standing down for Tory EU-sceptic candidates was not appreciated by all in UKIP, nor did it go down well with many when he promoted Tory candidates above his own party candidate. added to that his performance with the media was no where near as polished as that of Nigel Farage, who is a master when put in front of a camera or a microphone, this too was a disappointment for many.

However, Malcolm Pearson is not going to walk away from the party and intends to continue fundraising, which is where he excels and is a roll within UKIP which is much neaded. He will remain as a valued member of UKIP and he stood for what he believed in, but the nature of the party has changed and developed over the years and all UKIP members know that there is little point in doing deals with Tory Eurosceptics as that party will never change from its pro-EU stance. What the next UKIP leader needs to do is negotiate with those Tory Eurosceptics, but not offer to stand asside for them but to offer them a place within UKIP as they are currently wasting theirs, and everyone else's time. If they are really serious about Britain freeing itself from the EU's bureaucratic, restrictive and expensive shackles, then the biggest shake up they can do which would have the most impact would be for those Eurosceptic sitting Tory MPs to join UKIP and sit in the House of Commons as UKIP MPs - this really would bring the EU debate to the fore and put pressure on our arrogant political elites.

Lord Pearson's press statement is below:

Leadership Resignation Statement from Lord Pearson of Rannoch
I took over as leader of UKIP last year to see the party through the General Election, and said I would then consider my position. We increased our vote by 50%, and have many exciting plans for the future. But I have learnt that I am not much good at party politics, which I do not enjoy. I am also 68, and need to give more time to my wider interests. These include the treatment of people with intellectual impairment, teacher training, the threat from Islamism and the relationship between good and evil - not to mention my dogs and my family.

So it is right that I should stand down on September 2nd, early in the Parliament, to give a younger leader time to be established before the next election, which may come sooner than we think. There is no shortage of talent in UKIP, and the new leader will have my full support. I will continue to do what I can to raise funds for the party.

UKIP has never been more important for our freedom as a self-governing democracy. We have a coalition government which supports every new power grab by Brussels: supervision of our financial services; an EU diplomatic corps; new police and surveillance powers; bailing out the folly that is the euro.

Much of this is illegal under the Treaties, but that has never worried Brussels or the Luxembourg Court, which now make most of our national law in a secretive process over which Parliament has no control.

History teaches us that trouble lies ahead when a regime is free to break its own laws with impunity, when it is supported by a puppet court, and when its people are powerless to get rid of it. That is what the European Union has become, and the only way out is the door.

Now the British people are to be allowed a referendum on how they elect their MPs, but they are denied the referendum they were promised on whether those MPs should govern the country; on whether we should remain ensnared in the tentacles of the corrupt EU octopus, or be set free to enjoy the fruits of democracy and free trade.
UKIP must go on telling the truth about “Europe”: how we cannot control immigration if we stay in the EU; the madness of throwing £6.7 billion a year in net cash down the Brussels drain when we face savage cuts at home; the terrible suffering in developing countries caused by the Common Agricultural and Fisheries policies; that only some 10% of our GDP goes in trade with the EU, yet its dictats strangle 100% of our economy; that leaving the EU would create jobs, not lose them.

UKIP deserves a better politician than me to lead it and show the country how liberating and enriching life would be outside the EU. I am confident that one will emerge. Malcolm Pearson August 17th 2010.