UKIP could go bankrupt

Short version as I understand it.

If Ukip is forced to pay, the party could be pushed into bankruptcy. The annual accounts for 2016 show Ukip had assets amounting to £223,000 and liabilities of nearly £604,000, according to The Times. Party secretary Adam Richardson said: “Ukip has been added as a party to the Jane Collins defamation case as to costs only. This is because Ukip financially assisted Ms Collins MEP with her defamation case out of a moral obligation. “This made Ukip a ‘pure funder’ and as such Ukip should not be found liable for any costs incurred as a result of Jane Collins’s case, regardless of the amount.”

 

Read more at:

https://inews.co.uk/news/politics/three-labour-mps-demand-ukip-pay-670000-damages-defamation-case-involving-mep/

Whatever we might think of UKIP, no right thinking person can believe that it's right for one political party to extinguish their opponent in this way. Democracy is a precious thing that's easily lost.

Whatever we might think of UKIP, no right thinking person can believe that it's right for one political party to extinguish their opponent in this way. Democracy is a precious thing that's easily lost.

Perhaps that kipper hag should have thought of the consequences before she opened her big fat mouth ?

Anyway, I’m sure expenses-millionaire and Man of the People Sir Nige’ has an opening for another mistress on the rare occasions he visits us simple folk Oop North, so maybe the two of them can come to some sort of agreement whereby she has her legal fees paid and she gets to lose what little is left of her dignity.

thats the problem with free speech sometimes it lands you in libel bother, sometimes people need to know when to keep stum

I think the term is "do the crime, do the time"

no sympathies

theyre dead anyway, no real leaders, rats leaving a sinking ship

Whatever we might think of UKIP, no right thinking person can believe that it's right for one political party to extinguish their opponent in this way. Democracy is a precious thing that's easily lost.

It would backfire on Labour anyway, because the UKIPpers wouldn't go back to the party that just forced them to close.

It would backfire on Labour anyway, because the UKIPpers wouldn't go back to the party that just forced them to close.

Surely its a personal thing NOT a conspiracy by labour to get rid of the "nasty" party?

The conspiracy is just the op being over dramatic, we all know saying things about others...specially when they have money can get you into trouble.

Surely its a personal thing NOT a conspiracy by labour to get rid of the "nasty" party?

The conspiracy is just the op being over dramatic, we all know saying things about others...specially when they have money can get you into trouble.

I have not suggested any conspiracy at all Mel. Be in no doubt of that. I have no doubt that there is a lot of schadenfreude (like yours) in Labour at the idea. UKIP aren't my cup of tea but I value diversity of thought, otherwise how will we know what's best?

UKIP has been trying to modernise itself but just imagine what might emerge from its ashes.

If UKIP as a party is pursued to financial ruin it will be a very poor decision by Labour. No matter if they try to hide behind a judgement it is still their choice, and to extinguish an opposing party is at the very least poor optics, but worryingly it exposes the same core attitudes that we see in despotic regimes like Russia, Turkey and Venezuela.

Short version as I understand it.

 

UKIP MEP Jane Collins personally libels South Yorkshire MEP's Sarah Champion, Kevin Barron and John Healey, about the Rotherham child sex abuse affair.

 

The MP's personally take her to court and rightfully win £54k each. In the meantime UKIP had stupidly volunteered to help Collins with her legal defence fees.

 

She loses in court and is ordered to pay each Labour MP £56k. She doesn't have the compensation money or the money for legal costs so UKIP is now being pursued for £699 thousand pounds of legal fees.

 

 

 

UKIP don't have the money so they look like going bust.

 

 

Whatever we might think of UKIP, no right thinking person can believe that it's right for one political party to extinguish their opponent in this way. Democracy is a precious thing that's easily lost.

UKIP risk extinguishing themselves by agreeing to pay her legal costs. If you're stupid you lose the game.

As a previous UKipper I see it going into terminal decline even before this debacle.

Angel1.

If UKIP as a party is pursued to financial ruin it will be a very poor decision by Labour.

No.

It will be all because of a very stupid decision by the kippers.

For some reason, you have great difficulty understanding this.

No.

 

It will be all because of a very stupid decision by the kippers.

 

For some reason, you have great difficulty understanding this.

We've established that it was a poor decision by UKIP.

Now move your brain on half a millimetre to the words in the OP and think how it looks for a political party to bankrupt their main political competitor for core votes.

Don't think how how it looks to you, understand how it might look to people who vote UKIP.

Millions of them.

Millions of former Labour voters.

Millions of Labour voters who are looking for somewhere to express their dissatisfaction with Labour.

I don't understand why the OP thinks the Labour Party is out to bankrupt UKIP.

It's a simple matter that UKIP promised to support Collins and have reneged on that promise. It just happens that it was Labour MPs who were defamed so, again, why is the OP of the opinion that it's the Labour Party who are pursuing the debt?

We've established that it was a poor decision by UKIP.

 

Now move your brain on half a millimetre to the words in the OP and think how it looks for a political party to bankrupt their main political competitor for core votes.

 

Don't think how how it looks to you, understand how it might look to people who vote UKIP.

Millions of them.

Millions of former Labour voters.

Millions of Labour voters who are looking for somewhere to express their dissatisfaction with Labour.

Conversely, think about the message that would be given out if the courts or the Labour Party said it was OK to libel people as long as you had no money to pay costs