UK INDEPENDENCE PARTY ASHFORD

AGM

2010-01-15T14:03:00.000-08:00

The UK Independence Party Ashford Constituency will be holding their Annual General Meeting to select a new management committee. The Meeting commences at 7:30 pm on Tuesday 19th January and is being held at The New Chimneys Pub, Loudon Way, Godinton Park, Ashford TN23 3JJ.

We look forward to seeing our members there.

Tom Woods - Meltdown

2010-01-13T09:22:00.000-08:00

Lord Pearson on Independent Thinkers

2010-01-09T13:01:00.000-08:00

Paul Nuttall condemns Commons Health Committee

2010-01-08T13:31:00.000-08:00

UKIP today condemned the ignorance of the Commons Health Select Committee which has suggested minimum pricing for alcoholic drinks.

"Select committee chairman Kevin Barron MP must have had too much sauce over the Christmas period," said Paul Nuttall, UKIP Chairman today.

"Not only is such a move invidious and patronising it would also be illegal."

After the Scottish Executive attempted to introduce a similar rule last year the EU's Advocate General ruled that minimum prices were 'not necessary in order to protect public health' and were a distortion of competition.

Mr Nuttall said: "The House of Commons has its head in the sand about how little power it has. Even if it wanted to introduce such a regressive and dictatorial law it couldn't because it has given its power away.

"Worse still despite the fact that the judgement against the Scots received significant coverage at the time; no journalist seems to have noticed as Mr Barron's claims have not even been questioned as to their legality.

"Sadly both our politicians and it seems much of the media seem to remain in denial about their own impotence."

HAPPY NEW YEAR

2009-12-31T14:34:00.000-08:00

WISHING YOU ALL A HEALTHY HAPPY & SUCCESSFUL

2010

Should we be helping illegal immigrants in Calais

2009-12-30T07:18:00.000-08:00

This coming weekend volunteers from Kent Refugee Help will travel to Calais to hand out clothes, sleeping bags and blankets to immigrants in the French port.

Kent Refugee Help is a registered charity, which helps peoples who have been detained at the Immigration Centre in Dover.

On the surface the idea of crossing the Channel to make sure the assembled migrants are able to survive the onset of winter can only be seen as a decent act of human kindness. And there are many who will not consider it any more than that.

Volunteer Kate Adams points out it is a ‘humanitarian crisis’ made worse since the French authorities in September tore down the wooded encampment area known as ‘The Jungle’ where up to 800 immigrants lived – waiting to smuggle themselves Britain.

But in September the French Government demonstrated it will play a part in breaking the illegal immigration chain that leads from Africa to Britain by making it more difficult to ‘live’ in Calais.

read more at Your Ashford

10 Reasons to leave the EU, Dan Hannan

2009-12-28T17:58:00.000-08:00

Here's Tory rebel Dan Hannan's list of 10 reasons why the UK would be better off out of the European Union. UKIP welcomes his support!

1. Since we joined the EEC in 1973, we have been in surplus with every continent in the world except Europe. Over those 27 years, we have run a trade deficit with the other member states that averages out at £30 million per day.

2. In 2010 our gross contribution to the EU budget will be £14 billion. To put this figure in context, all the reductions announced by George Osborne at the Conservative Party Conference would, collectively, save £7 billion a year across the whole of government spending.

Read the rest of Hannan's blog here.

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year To all of our members,

2009-12-24T17:30:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas

Happy New Year

To all of our members, supporters, voters and their families

Looking forward to even greater success in

2010

TV Leaders Debates

2009-12-22T13:56:00.000-08:00

UKIP Leader Lord Pearson has called on all the major TV broadcasters to make way for the Party in their planned national debates in the lead-up to the General Election.

With Gordon Brown, David Cameron and Nick Clegg all slated to appear in the televised 90-minute pre-election debates, Lord Pearson has insisted UKIP be included as well.

After writing to the heads of the BBC, ITV and Sky, Lord Pearson said: "It would be wrong for UKIP, which came second in the last test of national political opinion, to be excluded from these debates.

"I accept that UKIP may not win the General Election, but nor will the Liberal Democrats.

"We suggest that an acceptable alternative would be for UKIP to appear in a part of each debate linked to four vital policy areas: membership of the EU, direct democracy, immigration and the economy.

"Our position on the first two of these areas will be diametrically opposed to the policies of the three main parties, and our position on the other two will be sufficiently different to deserve inclusion in the televised events. Surely the British people should be allowed to see us tested on these great issues in open debate?

"Our presence would provide the voice of real opposition, which will not be heard if we are not there. And, I would suggest, it would also make the debates rather more entertaining."

Kent Unemployment November 2009

2009-12-19T04:52:00.000-08:00

Good news for Ashford with 51 more people finding work than last month. This means that the Unemployment rate in Ashford is now 2.9%

KCC Area Summary
• The KCC unemployment rate remains at 3.3%, this is below the national rate of 4.1%.
• Six KCC districts saw an overall drop in unemployment since last month. The biggest reduction in claimants was in Dartford district which saw 91 fewer claimants than in October (a reduction of 4.3%). Dover saw the biggest increase in claimants with an additional 125 claimants, an increase of 5.6%.
• Thanet district continues to have the highest unemployment rate in the KCC area at 5.8% (4,196 claimants). Tunbridge Wells district has the lowest rate at 2.0% (1,263 claimants).