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According to the Medway Messenger’s Alan Watkins, UKIP’s Parliamentary Candidate for Gillingham and Rainham has launched an attack on his Conservative counterpart’s popularity.
Referring to Cllr Rehman Chishti, who was elected as the Parliamentary Candidate to a standing ovation almost two years ago, Bob Oakley said ‘the Conservatives’ candidate is not that popular within his own party’.
Mr Oakley was speaking after the Eruopean Election results, in which UKIP came in second. Although most commentators agree that votes will shift from UKIP to the Conservatives at a general election, Mr Oakley stated ‘I think we shall do well in the general election’.
His claims as to Cllr Chishti’s internal popularity appear to be just as misguided. This author has heard no such disquiet amongst the local Conservative ranks, although there were admittedly some people who preferred other candidates during the selection stage in June & July 2007.
Indeed all the noises being heard from the Gillingham & Rainham membership at present appear to be resoundingly supportive of Cllr Chishti’s campaign, and many members are doing all they can to ensure that he is the successful candidate at the next general election.
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Who is Bob Oakley? He has no profile in Gillingham and rainham. He sounds just as deluded as Bob Crow, lol!
UKIP may be a protest vote at the European elections, but they have no chance at the general election. In my opinion the swing will be from UKIP to Conservative, but more importantly swing from Labour to Conservative. I think the electorate are educated enough to see that voting for UKIP at the general election keeps the awful Paul Clark in! That’s unless Gordon Brown changes the electoral voting system to ’suit’ labour marginals! That’s how labour works!
As to Mr. Oakley’s ‘quip’, the profile and stories I have read have noted many shadow cabinet MP’s visiting the constituency, most notable a visit by David Cameron. I think Mr. Oakley is quite frankly one of the UKIP’s fruit loop candidates!
Alan- Why is your website now RED, as a conservative supporter surely BLUE is a better colour!
I have to say I agree with your comments about the way votes are likely to go at the next election – it is obvious to most observers that the UKIP vote was a two-fingered salute to the three main parties on European policy and the expenses scandal (never mind Nigel Farage’s £2 million in MEP expenses!).
As for my website – the theme was purchased, for a modest price, from a professional design company, however it was a pre-designed theme not a bespoke one. After hours of searching for a suitable theme to fit my website’s aims, this was the only one which came close.
I may, in due course, alter the colours in the theme, although my priority at present is in providing news and opinion, and continuing to change the style of the website, rather than the colour.
I can tell you from the inside that there is no issue with Reh. He has proved himself time and again, and despite the obvious initial uncertainties when he crossed the floor a few years ago now, he is held in high esteem within the Conservative party group on the council, and (as far as I have seen repeatedly) within his Constituency Association as well.
My very shrewd friend Adelaide, whom you know and who has been a lifelong Conservative, speaks glowingly of Reh and we support any of his events to which we are invited. He is no doubt less than perfect, as are we all, but he would be orders of magnitude better for Gillingham and Rainham than any UKIPper could ever be!
As for Oakley: he has been less than impressive in what I have seen of him, and I get a strong feeling that he has something of what might be termed an attitude problem. It shows in his letters to the local papers and elsewhere one encounters him. I haven’t been very taken with him at all, to be all-cards-on-table honest.
http://vickyford.blogspot.com/2007/07/story-of-selection.html
"Outside the meeting room we heard the laughs and cheers during Rehman Chishti’s questions. He has great empathy with, and confidence from, local people."
not that popular my arse.
What a ridiculous comment from the UKIP barmy army.
Make no mistake….
UKIP are not a creditable political party.
They scrape the barrel to find candidates to contest each seat (most of which are more anti-conservative than anything else)
They are a national embarrassment in the European Parliament.
They promote UK withdrawal from the EU but have no mechanism for implementing the policy (let alone no Westminster MPs).
UKIP does not rpresent the views of local people regarding young Reh Christie. He is highly regarded in the community and a popular man.
You are right Ricardo, Reh Chistie has a great empathy with all sections of the community, as a matter of fact my own mother and father think he is the best thing since sliced bread!
So UKIP get real and change the tune!