Twitter was abuzz with rumour and counter rumour about the sacking of UKIP’s youth wing leader Oliver Neville tonight. The story was apparently that he had been sacked because he dared to oppose the official UKIP line on gay marriage. In other words he was being the true libertarian and backing it, while the UKIP leadership were displaying distinctly authoritarian tendencies by telling him that if he didn’t obey the party line they would sack him – and then duly did. The truth, it seems is rather more prosaic and that Mr Neville has cleverly got his spin in first.
Mr Neville has made public an email from the UKIP chairman, Steve Crowther which does seem to lend some weight to his point of view.
However, as usual in youth politics, it seems all is not quite so straightforward. According to a UKIP source who I have been in touch with this evening, Oliver Neville has been the subject of numerous complaints by UKIP members both for his behaviour and his public utterances. The source told me…
He was not actually elected in the first place only appointed but following recent events the NEC did not want him representing Young Independence and have suspended him pending further developments.
YBF chairman Donal Blaney (a former head of Conservative Future) has just tweeted…
Ever since FCS was abolished, right-wing youth wings have been neutered by party machines; counter-productive, stifles activism & fun
He’s right, but speaking as someone involved with FCS at the time of its neutering, it had to be done!
I sense a full on mudslinging battle about to commence. [sits back with tub of popcorn]
