[jambutty]

With 10 MEP’s the UKIP was beginning to become a little bit too popular in the UK for the government’s liking so an excuse was found to put the boot in and to all intents and purposes cripple them out of existence.

Rather than type it all out myself in my own words this is what is on the UKIP web site although I’ve re-arranged the paragraphs a bit: http://www.ukip.org/ukip_news/gen12.php?t=1&id=2886

“The Electoral Commission has taken the decision to apply for forfeiture of donations to the value of £363,697 from the UK Independence Party, saying that these donations were impermissible because the donor, Mr Alan Bown, was not on the Electoral Register between December 2004 and January 2006.

He was, however, on the register at his Kent address before this period and has also been on the register since January 2006. He was unaware that his name had been removed from the list during 2005. Mr Bown has been giving money to UKIP throughout this time with all of his donations properly reported.

Dr Whittaker said, "Mr Bown was entitled to be on the electoral register throughout the period in question, and has been a permanent resident and taxpayer in the UK all his working life. I don’t believe the law was designed to catch out this sort of donor; it was intended to prevent UK political parties being funded from doubtful overseas sources.

The decision by the Electoral Commission to call for forfeiture of donations made to the UK Independence Party was described today as "wholly disproportionate."

UKIP Party Chairman John Whittaker said that the party is guilty of nothing more than "a simple clerical error which could have been easily rectified had it been known."

The UK Independence Party regrets this error. However, we point out that there was obviously no intent to breach or evade Section 54 of the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000.

Had Mr Bown realised that his name had been removed from the electoral register, he could have completed the relevant form and immediately rendered himself a permissible donor.

The decision by the Electoral Commission to confiscate this money based on nothing more than an honest mistake is astonishing.”

Or was it a sneaky way of trying to get rid of some opposition before it got too popular?

Make no mistake about it many people are sick to death with Labour, don’t see the Tories as a viable alternative, wouldn’t touch the Liberals with a barge pole so were considering the UKIP if only to cock a snook at the big two or not bother voting at all.