Tuesday, January 09, 2007

Two Tory Peers Defect to UKIP

Several people in the Comments have asked me to mention the fact that two semi detached (copyright John Biffen 1987) Tory Peers have joined UKIP. There. I just did.

19 comments:

Anonymous said...

There - I'm sure you feel better now! :o)

Will you also be predicting "turmoil, crisis and meltdown" for the Conservatives? ;o)

Iain Dale said...

If it had been Lord Strathclyde and Gillian Shephard I might well have done. The fact is that even I had never heard of Lord Willougby or whatever he's called. Malcolm Pearson has been at the fringes of the Tory Party for years - in fact I think he didn't even take the Tory whip until comparatively recently. But I may be wrong on that.

Tabman, watch our for another LibDems in turmoil story later though. I would hate to disappoint you!

Anonymous said...

Well done Iain and you have the excellent David Campbell Bannerman on 18DS too, where I'm sure you'll give him a fair, unbiased chance to detail the full domestic agenda that he is overseeing for UKIP.

Is is now time to ask David Cameron to work with the centre-right rather than centre-left, and to apologise to UKIP?

Anonymous said...

As these two both had the Tory whip withdrawn in 2004, I'm not sure it's entirely accurate to describe them as "Tory" peers.

Anonymous said...

Noel, I headlined the story as rats join sinking ship! These UKIPers are a funny lot!

Anonymous said...

So these 2 old duffers take 3 years to fill out their UKIP application following the withdrawl of the Tory whip.

What are their nicknames Turbo and Speedy.

Just pray you dont have to stand behind them in a queue.

They should feel well at home in UKIP which has an average age of 75.

Anonymous said...

As Lord Pearson said on something called 18 Doughty Street, "Is my loyalty to my party or to my country?"

Those who haven't seen his interview (by Donal Blaney) should have a peek when 18DS sorts out its IT fiascos.

Anonymous said...

We're on the move. Up the UKIP!

And I run a boat-building business on the Tamar opposite Plymouth (see web link), where support for UKIP is universal among Toryish types mainly as a result of fishing issues. Don't know about this defection business, but most people are not political activists. They just support UKIP's policies.

Anonymous said...

I am surprised that Lord Willouby hasn't got a higher profile. Only last month he contributed to the lively debate on Curd Cheese (Restriction on Placing on the Market) (England) Regulations 2006 - UKIP have obviously got themselves a key campaigner with his finger on the pulse of current opinion.

PS Does anyone know if he is a hereditary? I think he might be. If so, aren't the Tories entitled to getting another one back?

Anonymous said...

I've been reading on other blogs of a Liberal MP who has defected to the Tories.

Unfortunately, it's in Canada.

Anonymous said...

You can mock UKIP all you like but it will take votes off Tory candidates in winnable Tory seats

Anonymous said...

Neither of these Peers were Tories they had served their Country well by upholding the Patriotic determination to repatriate our democracy, restore our rights of self determination, repeal the corrupt & unconstitutional ECA 1972, founded on lies and dishonest propaganda, and endeavour to liberate these United Kingdoms from vassal status in the corrupt and centralised EUropean soviet.

For their Patriotism they were dumped by the Tories and served us all well as Independent Patriots indeed in Patriotic Independence.

I do question their wisdom in sacrificing their Independent integrity for Party partisan embroilment in what must be seen as a very flawed and corrupted Party, clearly with little integrity or competence utterly dependent on one competent (ish) performer and little more.

They may well have destroyed their efficacy as EUrRealists; as, I believe, did Christopher Gill in linking TFA with EUKIP.

Perhaps on a lighter note:
http://www.northwing.org/wp/?p=200

Regards,
Greg L-W.

Anonymous said...

If the Tories can get 44+% of the vote in opinion polls they have a chance of power. Less than that UKIP will stop them - which is just as well because a Brown government would protect British interests a tad better than Cameron would.

Anonymous said...

http://e-ukip-home.blogspot.com/

Read more about the party they have joined here...

http://e-ukip-home.blogspot.com/

Anonymous said...

Iain Dale said...
Tabman, watch our for another LibDems in turmoil story later though. I would hate to disappoint you!

We are waiting it's been interesting so far. Anybody got hold of a copy of the Fiyaz Mughal muslim hate mails?

Anonymous said...

Farage heard humming while riding on Eurostar - 'on the tenth day of january my blue chums sent to me - four parish councillors, three french le pens, lots of lords a leaping, and dear old Richard Bradford of Westbury.'

The term Better Off Out was meant to apply to Europe. It's coming to mean BOO of the Conservatives (from the Conservative point of view)!

Anonymous said...

"the Conservative point of view"

Just remind me what that is.

Anonymous said...

http://e-ukip-home.blogspot.com/

UKIP MEP joins fascist grouping in European Parliament

Update coming at 10pm

Please leave a message if you think the post is factually incorrect.I

Anonymous said...

I worked in Parliament for over five years and I used to read Lord Pearson's anti-EU speeches in Hansard. They were excellent, and extremely persuasive and well argued. Perhaps some of the above posters should read some of them before criticising him?

Also, Pearson is more in touch with grassroots Tory opinion than many of the above post-ers. MORI/Times polls of May 1999 and May 2001 [I still have a copy of one of them] showed that 59% of Conservatives were sensible enough to want to withdraw from the EU.

Pearson and the other defectors presuambly had had enough of the Tory establishment utterly failing to represent the views of the majority of the party's members on this.