Herding Cats
The Obsever newspaper ran a funny scoop at the weekend by publishing a series of leaked emails - which suggest that Ukip, the anti-Europe party, resembles a wildly out-of-control 'barmy army' as it limbers up for Thursday's local elections in England and Wales.
Now the House of Commons has gone into recess (again) so that Westminster MPs can return to their constituencies to help fight these local elections - but as the elections are not being held in Scotland, the Scottish contingent of MPs have time on their hands.
In one of the emails, a senior party figure and MEP - Godfrey Bloom - says that leading Ukip is like "herding cats" - which I'm sure is true.
But the far more damaging insight is in the email where Godfrey suggests that the party should just buy some key policies 'off the shelf' - presumably from friends in right-leaning think tanks - as it does not have the resources to 'reinvent the wheel'.
Disarmingly honest as this statement may be - it just goes to show that a relatively small handful of well-organised people with money to burn - can make a big impact on the domestic political scene.
What has to be said is that this is not a million miles away from how the trade unions operate - inside the Labour Party, of course.
Yet, the fact that I don't take Ukip very seriously hardly matters - the party may have failed to take-off in Scotland, but it has caught fire south of the border - where in an age of anti-politics the slightly dodgy, Arthur Daley 'Minder-style' of Nigel Farage - the Ukip leader - has great appeal for disgruntled voters.
But I don't think Ukip will stand the test of time - because the killer line in the e-mails is a political one where Godfrey Bloom says:
"The charm and frustration of Ukip is we have doctors who fancy themselves as tax experts, painters and decorators who know all about strategic defence issues and … retired dentists who understand the most intricate political solutions for the nation."
In other words, most of the Ukip activists are ever so slightly barking mad- but here's the solution to all their problems - herding cats the EDS way.
Play: http://youtu.be/Pk7yqlTMvp8
The emails
The email conversation revealed between Godfrey Bloom, the Ukip MEP, and party treasurer Stuart Wheeler:
From: Godfrey Bloom
Sent: 25 April 2013 10:29
To: Stuart Wheeler, Nigel Farage and others
It would appear Ukip has more military and naval experts than we have soldiers. Most of them do not agree with each other. It is like herding cats.
From: Godfrey Bloom
Sent: 25 April 2013 10:29
To: Stuart Wheeler, Nigel Farage and others
We are also attracting new members who bring main party 'baggage'. Focus groups, quotas, even political correctness. We must be wary of listening to these siren voices. We did not get where we are today by following, but leading.
From: Godfrey Bloom
Sent: 25 April 2013 10:29
To: Stuart Wheeler, Nigel Farage and others
We do not have the resources to write serious papers on major subjects, why reinvent the wheel? Why not buy policy 'off the shelf', where it is close to our own small government, low tax, libertarian position.
From: Godfrey Bloom
Sent: 25 April 2013 10:29
To: Stuart Wheeler, Nigel Farage and others
Now here's the rub. My experience thus far is that as soon as more than 2 people get in a room progress completely stops. Even where we have experts of our own they disagree.
From: Godfrey Bloom
Sent: 25 April 2013 10:29
To: Stuart Wheeler, Nigel Farage and others
The charm and frustration of Ukip is we have doctors who fancy themselves as tax experts, painters and decorators who know all about strategic defence issues, and branch chairmen, retired dentists, who understand the most intricate political solutions for the nation.
From: Stuart Wheeler
Sent: 25 April 2013 13:38
To: Godfrey Bloom
Dear Godfrey, I could not agree more that some people will have to get off their hobby-horses.
