Exclusive: Carswell's Letter To People of Clacton

UKIP have already started campaigning in the Clacton by-election with a letter come leaflet. The letter spells out why Carswell left the Conservatives. The leaflet has an anti-establishment feel.

CF And RoadTrip Get Signed Up Over 1000 Activists To Fight The Clacton By-election

The CF National Exec and RoadTrip2015 have responded quickly to Douglas Carswell's defection earlier today with the creation of a 'RoadTrip2015 Clacton Volunteer Force' group on Facebook. This quick action has resulted in over 1000 Conservatives joining the group to make sure the Conservatives hold this seat.

In the first two hours of this group being set up 1,000 activists had already signed up for a RoadTrip to the Clacton by-election. At 7pm this figure had rose to 1,325 Conservative activists. Numbers have already gone past the 600 members of 'the people's army'* of Conservatives that went on the Newark RoadTrip.

Alexandra Paterson, the new CF Chairman, has already told #ThingsElliottSays "I'm absolutely delighted that so many CF members have already committed to supporting the Party in Clacton with RoadTrip2015. We need to show that if the British people want to have a say in an EU referendum, have a growing economy and better public services, they need to vote Conservative."

RoadTrip2015 was credited with playing a large part in the 7,500 Conservative majority in Newark. CF and RoadTrip will play a much larger part in the Clacton by-election

*The name was created in response to Nigel Farage saying he would muster 1000 UKIP activists to form a 'people's army' for the Newark by-election. UKIP never came close too this figure in reality.

Exclusive: Nigel Abandons The YI Chairman

Earlier this week #ThingsElliottSays brought you the news that Nigel Farage was planning to go to the YI conference to save YI Chairman Jack Duffin. However, Nigel has now abandoned Duffin to the mercy of the greater YI membership who have called him to 'resign'.

In a previous #ThingsElliottSays' article a YI source, close to the organisers of the up and coming conference, said "If Nigel pulls out then it shows how much faith he has in Duffin. Zero." Nigel not coming is certainly a departure from past history under the previous YI chairman Rob Cormely. Just look at the photo below, Nigel at a YI event when Cormley was Chairman.

Duffin announced last night who would instead be filling the TBC slot in the YI conference agenda, previously set aside for Nigel. Duffin says he was 'trying to confirm one of the new MEPs from the EFDD group', but this goes completely against what #ThingsElliottSays sources have told him and what people in YI are loudly gossiping about. Everyone knows the committee had Nigel down as coming to the conference but he has pulled out. Duffin knows what he said on Facebook was complete bollocks. 

So what is to happen now? Well Duffin is all on his own. Only his cronies are on his side with his previous ally Neil Hamilton losing his previous position in UKIP. The calls for him to resign are in all likelihood going to get louder. The discontent he has sown by seemingly waging war on the libertarian faction in YI will cause him a lot of grief and maybe his position in time.

I hope Jack Duffin has a really great conference.

Fletcher Apologises

After a bit of bluster on Facebook Cllr Sam Fletcher has come out to apologise about what he said about #ThingsElliottSays on the blog's comments and on Facebook. To see the full extent of what Cllr Fletcher had said click here.

Fletcher apologised on Facebook last night saying:

"“Libel” was the wrong word to use, which I do apologise for. You were indiscreet in my opinion.

"What I meant was that another individual was indiscreet for taking a screen-shot of a private message on Facebook and posting it on Twitter, and then you in turn were indiscreet, in my opinion, for using that screenshot on your blog.

"Also, I don't believe that you were breaking the law or employing criminal practices and I don't and didn't mean to suggest that. So I apologise for making that impression, if I did.

"Rather I meant that you used indiscreet practices, in my opinion, and you used a screen-shot of a private Facebook message that had been indiscreetly taken and then Tweeted, in my opinion. The comparison to the former News Of The World newspaper was ill thought-out.

"If you have the impression that I’ve intentionally sought to “libel” you, by claiming that you’ve “libeled” me, or that I’ve “lied” about you by claiming that you’ve broken the law or employed criminal practices, then I sincerely apologise for that.

"I was simply annoyed at what I saw and continue to see as your indiscreet journalism and making an article obtained via a source who had himself been indiscreet, in my opinion. That is the point I was attempting to make.

"I hope this clarifies the situation suitably."

#ThingsElliottSays is personally baffled too as why Cllr Feltcher views using public tweets as 'indiscreet'. However #ThingsElliottSays does not think he properly understood the difference between private and public use of technology anyway considering he announced an adulterous affair on Facebook.

As far as the lies Cllr Fletcher has told about me with any legal implication I consider this case closed.

Fletcher Gets Foolish And Threatens To Sue #ThingsElliottSays

Keighley town councillor Sam Fletcher, well known for #FletcherGate and frankly talking about his ideas on sex, has decided to threaten to sue #ThingsElliottSays for Libel. However, he is a very foolish person because he doesn't fully realise the consequences of what he has done. He could be sued instead.

Recently #ThingsElliottSays published a story about Cllr Sam Fletcher on more of his odd ideas about sex. Gareth Shanks, someone who is an acquittance of Fletcher but certainly not his friend, had publish on Twitter a print screen of a conversion he had had with Sam Fletcher. This is the tweet:

UKIP's very own Councillor Sam Fletcher strikes again pic.twitter.com/5Pkc2adR25
— Bladshevik (@WeAreTheClash) July 27, 2014

#ThingsElliottSays saw Cllr Fletcher's comments in this conversation and thought them very amusing considering his past history of public sexual comments he made during #FletcherGate. I think there is a public interest for the people, especially Cllr Fletcher's constituents, to know that he is firstly continuing to make these sexual comments and secondly for people to think whether he is fit to be a councillor. The hilariousness of Sam Fletcher's comments are funny because he is a councillor and should not be doing these sort of things.

#ThingsElliottSays thus print-screened this public Tweet and posted it on his blog in a story called 'The Bizarre Love Life Of Cllr Sam Fletcher'. In it #ThingsElliottSays recounted #FletcherGate, said Fletcher was again talking about his sexual preferences publicly, mentioned due to the Polish factor that this may upset Nigel Farage, and asked what has happened to Sam's previous 'good salt of the earth Keighley lass'? Through a comedic lens of the nature of what Cllr Fletcher keeps on saying there was a serious political point of telling the news that Sam Fletcher is continuing to make inappropriate sexual comments. Again it asks the question of whether it is proper behaviour from a town councillor to do this?

However, Cllr Fletcher has not taken this article well. He has posted on my blog two comments about the article (you can read them in full here). Importantly Cllr Fletcher says that the print-screened comments were "not a public Facebook status, Twitter or blog post or whatever. It is in fact a screenshot of a private message between myself and an acquaintance." The message was put up on Twitter, which is regarded legally speaking as completely public, #ThingsElliottSays thus has every right to publish the comments.

Cllr Fletcher persisted to makes these comments again and said "this was a PRIVATE Facebook message and yet you are claiming it was a public post. Face it, you have no legitimacy on this one as it was truly a private conversation with a Facebook friend. It's not on my Facebook profile. You are picking up where the News Of The World left off in terms of disreputable journalism and methods of obtaining information."

#ThingsElliottSays repeats what he has said above about Twitter being public. If Cllr Fletcher did not want these comments to be made public he should have not said them or not said them to his friend. #ThingsElliottSays was perfectly entitled to post this story and did not break any laws. #ThingsElliottSays is a respectable and responsible Blogger.

But Cllr Fletcher would not stop. He then posted this publicly on Facebook.

#ThingsElliottSays has no idea how Cllr Fletcher believes my article was libellous. They were his comments!

Furthermore, as somewhat of a finale to Cllr Fletcher's actions, #ThingsElliottSays has heard from a number of reliable sources that Sam Fletcher has been hinting heavily to them that he and YI will threaten to sue #ThingsElliottSays over his recent article. I do hope this is not the case although #ThingsElliottSays has no reason to doubt his sources.

#ThingsElliottSays thinks Cllr Fletcher has been very foolish. #ThingsElliottSays believes that Cllr Fletcher should not have strongly inferred this blog is using illegal and disreputable practices by saying "You are picking up where the News Of The World left off in terms of disreputable journalism and methods of obtaining information." #ThingsElliottSays has proven his blogging is totally correct and legitimate. #ThingsElliottSays also believes that Fletcher should not have strongly inferred that his blog is libellous when saying " 'ThingsElliotSays' is heading the same way as a certain other Tory blog I can think of - getting done for libel." #ThingsElliottSays thinks this is what is really libellous.

In McAlpine v Bercow, Lord McAlpine won damages against Sally Bercow for inferring he was a child abuser publicly on Twitter by tweeting "Why is Lord McAlpine trending? *innocent face*". This land mark ruling amongst other things set a precedent in the law for social media and strongly inferring libellous statements. In #ThingsElliottSays' opinion Cllr Fletcher is likely to have been libellous against him.

#ThingsElliottSays could go straight to his solicitor to gauge what to do next. There could be quite a strong case and he knows some very good lawyers. There is certainly a strong case to report Cllr Fletcher to his standards board and also to UKIP central office. This is regardless of Fletcher's own legal threats but based on what he has publicly said.

But #ThingsElliottSays is also fair and is giving Cllr Fletcher till 9pm today (30th July) to publicly apologise for his comments on Facebook and to send the apology to #ThingsElliottSays who will then publish it on his blog. The matter will then be considered closed. If Cllr Fletcher does not comply #ThingsElliottSays will look to pursue this elsewhere.

The Bizarre Love Life Of Cllr Sam Fletcher

#ThingsElliottSays' beloved friend Sam Fletcher, the UKIP Keighley town councillor for Bracken Bank and Ingrow ward, has some weird sexual ideas. The worst thing about them all is he makes them public. Cllr Fletcher is the man who described to us in graphic detail his affair with a married woman, how he thought lady areas are like mushrooms and why he cannot countenance anyone being a lesbian. To remind yourself of #FletcherGate click here.

But again 'the Cock of the North', as the Daily Star called him, has been talking about his sexual preferences again. At least this time it's not as graphic. It will just annoy Nigel a lot.

I'm sure this policy on Polish ladies will go down well at the next UKIP conference. Whatever happened to Cllr Fletcher's 'good salt of the Earth Keighley lass'?

UKIP Candidate Stands For The 'Blonde, Curly Hair, Grey Eyes' Party

As with most by-elections now UKIP are fielding a variety of candidates. Some of them, as have been pointed out in the national media, are a bit stupid and weird. 

I'm sure the residents of Tophill West ward on the Isle of Portland in Dorset are thus very pleased to know that their UKIP candidate in the up and coming by-election could be described as 'a bit stupid and weird'. Tracey Gough, who is UKIP's chosen candidate, has put down that she is standing for the 'Blonde, curly hair, grey eyes' party. Oh Dear.

Photo courtesy of @dbremz.

Exclusive: YI Chairman Told To 'Resign'

#ThingsElliottSays can reveal that Jack Duffin is about to enter a political crisis. #ThingsElliottSays has been contacted by several members of YI who are now telling Duffin to 'Resign'. One of these members includes a senior YI member close to a former chairman, and no it is not Olly Neville.

The senior YI source has told #ThingsElliottSays "We're getting fed up with Duffin's dictatorial rule. It is not just anyone loosely identified as a 'libertarian' but people who the YI Chair and his cronies think are not 100% behind him. Friends of mine are being harassed for no reason apart from Jack's paranoia. I no longer think he should be Chairman."

'Sinister' Duffin told to 'Resign'.

Another YI memember has told #ThingsElliottSays "support for Colonel Gaduffin is at an all time low; not that it was very high in the first place. I feel bullied in this party and only stay in because of Nigel. Jack is pushing a lot of people out."

Notnigel has also come back to #ThingsElliottSays and said "Duffin has backed down over his calls for a full-time YI chair after pressure from TBG, TES and YI members who were strictly against the idea. His number one manifesto pledge is now in pieces - he must RESIGN!"



Duffin has admitted to YI members that the YI Council have decided his 'the role [of chairman] will not be paid'. This means that Duffin could not get the funding promised by the NEC to pay for his role during the election. Duffin has thus had to ask the YI Council to see if they could or find money to pay for his salary. Both the YI Council and the NEC have left Duffin out in the cold. Looks like he has a lot of friends at the moment.

Duffin is equally having problems in filling slot at the YI conference where several leading members have pulled out. The new conference agenda shows that Duffin himself is filling in several of the holes and so is presumably unable to find any replacements.

It's not looking good. An anonymous whisper soon grows into public clamour.

Exclusive: YI In Conference Chaos

A week after #ThingsElliottSays revealed that UKIP members had said the YI conference was 'sinister', the organisation has gone into chaos. According to a #ThingsElliottSays source major speakers have been pulling out left right and centre. But was this because of the last article or Duffin's 'sinister' attempt to bully and grab power?

'Sinister' Duffin presiding over a conference in chaos.

A source called 'notnigel farage' has come to #ThingsElliottSays. 'Notnigel' has "heard leading figures who really dislike Jack, including those right at the top of the party, have decided to pull out from speaking at YI conference." This has been backed up by a Facebook post where Duffin admits there will be a "new list out tomorrow, a few people have pulled out."

It seems that even though there were gaps in the previous YI conference schedule major Kippers (presumably including MEPs) are about to open up huge chasms in the agenda by pulling out. Also the new updated list has yet to go up.

What will they fill the gaps with? #ThingsElliottSays' money is on Duffin giving a speech on rigging elections or maybe a lecture by Cllr Samuel Fletcher on 'why women's personal areas are like mushrooms'. I'm sure YI members are frilled to be attending a conference where all the major speakers have left.

'Notnigel' has also told #ThingsElliottSays "Colonel Gaduffin* [is] in the s*#t" with senior UKIP members for not being able to organise a conference, despite being paid by the party, and YI members as their conference is going to be a damp squib. Maybe #ThingsElliottSays turning up under a pseudonym would liven it up?

Will Nigel get rid of Duffin? The NEC (which is firmly under his control) rigged the YI election for Duffin.

*This is by far the best name I have heard for Jack Duffin.

UKIP Members Brand YI Conference 'Sinister'

#ThingsElliottSays has a lot of friends in Young Independence, UKIP's youth wing which is more usually known as YI. One of the sources has just sent me this.

Yes that is right YI members think their own conference is 'sinister'. I wonder if this is because of Jack Duffin's* near tyrannical attempt to rid YI of anyone who isn't a social conservative or some darker scandal. #ThingsElliottSays' source confirms the former. "This chap [Timothy Mather] hits the nail on the head. YI and it's conference have become 'sinister' under Duffin. He is ruining the YI of Harry Aldridge where we actually had fun. Now we risk being virtually bullied out of the party if YI members don't do exactly what 'sinister' Duffin wants. YI conference is just a place for Duffin and cronies to plan who to force out next."

Jack Duffin and co. 

YI has been losing a lot of its core membership of late, and noticeably from what is left of the 'libertarian' wing. Sanya-Jeet Thand, UKIP's 'ethnic minority poster girl', left the party a few months ago. Rob Comely, a former YI chairman, resigned and then re-joined UKIP again after being talked back in. The rumours are in YI that Thand and Comley were both in at least part pushed out by Duffin. Maybe there is something 'sinister' going on at this conference.

Duffin looking not at all sinister.

Then there is another issue. Is YI a 'frat club' wearing 'pinstriped suits and brylcreem'? Not very 'people's army' is it? YI is apparently very cliquey and getting in with the young kippers has become harder under Duffin (see above). But isn't it odd for all the claims of Nigel, who went to Dulwich, that YI has lost all connection to real people. YI seems to be completely out of touch with its members too.

YI completely out of touch with its own members.

Another YI source has told me that 'YI is having it's heart ripped out. Who wants to join YI now.' Maybe there is some truth in that? UKIP have just lost 7% of their vote this week according to ICM.

*The YI youth leader who rigged his own election (with NEC help).

Fletcher, By-election and Budget: #ThingsElliottSays is Back

Yes, after a fairly long break with not much going on, #ThingsElliottSays is back. We shall continue to show up the socialist oppressors, Europhiles and CF wannabes.

You are probably wondering what has been going on for me to take a long period of time off? Well I was working very hard on the Clifton North by-election, which we sadly lost, and on my essays. I could tell you some wonderful things about the Carolingian Renaissance, Peter the Great of Russia and Stalin but we must move on.

I'm all clued up on Charlemagne.

So in celebration of #ThingsElliottSays' return let's do a quick summary of three things that have been going on. Firstly, do you remember Cllr Sam Fletcher, the woman and gay hating UKIP councillor from Keighley? Well he has decided again that Facebook is exactly the right place to publicly air his strange views. Cllr Fletcher has called Trans-Gender people "part-time homosexuals" and admitted he was "a bit confused by them". You can see all his delightful comments below and read about them further on the Pink News, The Backbencher and International Business Times. I think the people of Keighley will be demanding a right of recall soon.

On Thursday I was also at a by-election in Gamston, in Rushcliffe. I was out there with Ken Clarke and co. campaigning to get the Conservative candidate Jonathan Wheeler elected to serve on Rushcliffe Borough council. This was a seat we needed to hold and I am glad to say we did so. Jonathan got 444 votes with Labour coming second with 218. UKIP also ran and received 173 with the Lib Dems 4th with 170 votes (this was a much better result for the Lib Dems than the Clifton North by-election where they were beaten by Elvis). I hope Jonathan does well on the Borough council, in the time that I got to know him he seemed to know exactly what needed to be done in the area.

Jonathan, Sam and I just about to go out into Gamston to campaign.

And lastly I want to talk about the budget. The word BINGO could be heard across the whole of England (most notably in Harlow) due to the great work of Robert Halfon MP in getting George to cut Bingo tax by half. Rob is very good at making sure the Conservatives attract that 'white van man worker'. But after Petrol and Bingo being slashed, what will Rob and his team, led by the wonderful ex-University of Nottingham student Emily Burditt, be planning for next year?

Eyes down Rob.

Good work was also done by Michael Ellis MP for his pot hole fund. £200 million has been put aside by the government to help with all those potholes that have been caused a record breaking wet winter. Praise all around to Daisy and Ben, the campaign manager and TCO for Northampton North, who helped massively on that campaign. People back in Wisbech will be very pleased as well as the people of Northampton North.

Michael Ellis MP has got a £200 million government grant for pot holes.

But most importantly, George has made my pint cheaper. Beer duty has been cut twice in a row under this government, something to definitely raise a glass to. Cheers George, students across the country thank you.

Cheers George!

So to end up my summary of the past few days here is one of the best parts of the whole political show around budget day. A song commissioned by Sky News about their coverage of the events.

YI In Election 'Chaos'

After the revelations on Monday that the YI elections are rigged, Young Independence (the UKIP youth movement) has descended into chaos.

#ThingsElliottSays has been sent some advertisements for and against Jack Duffin, the candidate who is rigged to become the next YI Chair after he conspired with the NEC. Firstly Jack Duffin's team are about to launch this poster (first seen on #ThingsElliottSays).

I think this campaign poster has backfired somewhat considering no one can trust someone who has rigged an election, no one can trust Nigel (at least in YI if not in general) and Jack Duffin is advertising his own bribery money. What a crook.

Secondly YI has started to use attack ads, although CF had equally as many sad people who made these too at the last elections.

Great Photoshop skills.

#ThingsElliottSays senior YI source has said "It has all descended into chaos. YI members are not happy that Jack Duffin has rigged the elections, they also think the NEC doesn't care about them. I have spoken to many people who refuse to vote in protest of the poor quality of candidates and the conspiracy in YI." The source further said "I bet people will leave YI soon. We have no voice".

Nigel has abandoned YI.

Another YI member said to #ThingsElliottSays on Jack Duffin that he "is no stranger to unsavoury tactics, he resorted to threatening people who planned to stand for council positions against those he wanted in - that's why there are so few positions up for election compared to last time around. He also stood down from the last council because he fell out with every single member. Why would UKIP want this kind of troublemaker anywhere near the leadership of YI unless he was to be nothing other than a pawn?"

Jack Duffin with Paul Nuttal MEP.

A person who left YI recently also told #ThingsElliottSays "its like the community YI used to have online has sort of broken down irreparably. Theres nothing Duffin is proposing that's gonna fix that, just lots of him getting paid and touring the country to up his own profile. The days of Harry Aldridge seem like a long long time ago"

#ThingsElliottSays spoke to Jack Duffin but he declined to comment on why he rigged the elections. Chris Wood, a Hampshire County Councillor, also declined to comment when #ThingsElliottSays informed him personally of the election fixing.

You know YI is in chaos when five sources, totally on there own, approach #ThingsElliottSays to decry YI.

Update

Looks like YI has turned to huge infighting over this election. No wonder considering it's an absolute farce. I got this message on Twitter.

@ReeceWarren94 You have said nothing to me, I don't even know who you are TBH. The elections are a bit of a shambles arn't they.
— Elliott Johnson (@thingsEJsays) February 26, 2014

YI is about to go into civil war mode.