Prioities...

There's a bit of fluff in the News that Nigel Farage has criticised the current leader of UKIP Gerard Batten for appointing Tommy Robinson as an advisor on Muslim Rape gangs and Prison Issues.

Now firstly, Tommy is most eminently qualified on those matters having spent more than a decade shouting from the rooftops about grooming gangs. He has also been put in prison both legally and illegally by the UK justice system. So he knows a bit about that too.

Now, I agree with Gerard that Tommy is probably the most qualified person to advise on these matters, I don't agree with Nigel that we should not discuss these matters at all. Muslim integration will be a major topic in the near future. No-one is talking now, it needs to be debated.

Where I have issue with Gerard is the timing. This news and Tommy's appointment should really have happened after the 29th of March. Gerard could have done any number of deals with Tommy quietly, sworn all parties to secrecy, whatever. But the week of the release of the transition/withdrawl agreement is not the time.

So in my books both have made errors in this respect. Nigel for stating categorically that the issue of Muslim multiculturalism is off the table and Gerard for the timing.

Nigel needs to spend a bit more time with the working class and get away from London a bit more and talk to his grass-roots UKIP supporters and Gerard needs to be a bit more politically savvy.

As it is, I hope the news doesn't distract UKIP from the job of setting politicians straight on the terms of Theresa may's so-called "deal". Capitulation is a better word. Or if you need a phrase how's about  "Minimum Legal Definition of Brexit".

It's quite clear that the referendum question framed in general terms "Should the UK remain a member of the EU or leave the EU" gave a lot of room for weaselly legal interpretation.

During the debate before the referendum we were told that leaving the EU also included leaving the customs union, single market, free movement of people and the primacy of the ECJ.

What UKIP need to be stating categorically is that the withdrawl agreement is NOT what we were told what voting to leave would entail. We voted to leave based what we had been told prior to the referendum including the government's £9m leafletting campaign.

UKIP need to be banging this home on every media outlet they can get on, not squabbling about taking someone as an advisor. That's the priority over the next few months.