Wednesday 20 March 2013

THE WIND TURBINE MYTH

UKIP Somerset talk to Steve Crowther (UKIP Chairman), Roger Helmer MEP and AATOM (Action Against Turbines On the Mendips) about the government agenda regarding wind turbines. Filmed and produced by Oliver Paglia, a Somerton and Frome member. 

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YEOVIL...LATEST NEWS

As a hot topic of concern for local people, wind turbines have now joined the tremendous increase in house-building across Somerset. Yeovil UKIP is contributing to the Somerset YouTube project on Wind Turbines and the Public Meeting with Guest Speaker Steve Crowther will play a part in that. 

Click Here For news of the Crewkerne against Wind Farms group.  This will take you first to our Calendar of events, and later to another site with the Group's news on. The second link is not yet set up completely, so may not work for a couple of days. (As at Tuesday 26th February 2013)

The sub-committee continues to keep an eye on the various planning proposals for increased housing development,  recognising that this is happening all over the country, never mind all over the county.  Moves are being made by Yeovil UKIP for areas to co-ordinate and work together with other area’s groups in protest.


Regular leafleting continues.
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TAUNTON DEANE AGM

Roger Helmer MEP in discussion with a group of members
 On Sunday 17th February members of the Taunton Deane branch of UKIP held their AGM at the very pleasant location of the Catholic Centre at the Mount,Taunton.
 

Apart from the usual business chaired by Dorothy Baker, those present were treated to  a most interesting presentation on energy production by the UKIP spokesman on Industry and Energy MEP for the East Midlands, Roger Helmer, who also gave a general overview of the parties many and varied policies, reminding members that far from being a one issue party, many concerns of our countries' citizens are covered in the manifesto.

All followed by a raffle and very tasty refreshments provided by Ann Morris , helped by Stephanie Lukins.  

Did you leave a pair of glasses in a navy blue Specsavers case behind at this meeting?  Please contact 077 992 45 887  for their return - if unanswered please leave a message and your number.
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SOMERTON & FROME CHAIRMAN'S STATEMENT

UKIP ON A ROLL! 

Well thank you to those who worked so hard in Eastleigh over the last week or two. As Nigel Farage and our excellent candidate Diane James  said, UKIP cannot be ignored any longer. A huge achievement. We took 14% from both Tories and Lib Dems.UKIP has arrived! Anything is now possible.

We have our Somerton and Frome Branch AGM 7:30 pm  Monday at the George Hotel, Castle Cary BA7 7AH. Do please try to make it. Not only is there the important job of voting in a new Committee but there is a Branch strategy to be discussed. UKIP is a bottom up organisation so your input is important.

We will put up as many County Council candidates as we can on 2 May. But they need to be supported. Pounding the streets is one way but it is not the only way. UKIP posters can be very effective as can phone calls and letter writing.

In 2015 we have the European elections and UKIP has a very good chance of coming First. But these things do not just happen but need preparation. So whether you have a little time to help or just some ideas on how we can do things better, do please come along next Monday. Hope to see you then. There has never been a better time to be a UKIP member!      
Barry Harding       2nd March 2013

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BRIDGWATER SPRING NEWSLETTER

Bridgwater Spring newsletter
Dear Members and Supporters,

For the past seven newsletters, I have started off saying how pleased I was that we had signed up new members.  I am glad to say the eighth is no exception!  So I am very happy to welcome some new members and hope to meet them in due course.

Remembrance Sunday saw the laying of the Branch poppy wreath at the War Memorial in King Square , Bridgwater.  We are indebted to Sq. Leader Roy Barlow for undertaking this task on behalf of our members.  He was accompanied by Mr. Peter Willard, Chairman of the Bridgwater Royal Air Forces Association.  We do thank these two gentlemen for representing us on this important occasion.

The Christmas Coffee Morning was held at the home of Vicki Gardner in Bridgwater.  Entertainment was provided by means of a 1928 Edison Bell basic model gramophone on which a 1930 Imperial recording of “It’s a Jolly Old Christmas” sung by Leslie Sarony was played.  Leslie Sarony started his career in entertainment before the First World War and continued right into the eighties.  The raffle and bring-and- buy helped raise a £60 sum for Branch funds!
Dates for your diary – Spring and early June progrmme:
Thurs February 14        AGM, Wyndham Arms, Williton 11.15 start.  Supporters welcome.
Sat/Sun March 23/24    Spring Conference, Exeter.  See Feb. issue of “Independence” for booking details.
Sat April 20                    St. George’s Day Social, Britannia Inn, Alcombe TA24 6EH Details below
Sat June 8th BBQ at Pat and John Everitt’s home.  “Trehareth”, Downend Crescent ,
Puriton  TA6 4H   01278 685 528.  Starting at 12.30 pm .  Raffle  £5. 00 per person
The Spring Conference and Gala Dinner will be on the Saturday with a training day on the Sunday.  We hope that some of our members will be free to attend one or both days as I am sure they will find it enjoyable and informative.  Please let us know if you are planning to come so that we can keep an eye open for you!   

The plan for the St. George’s Day Social is for members to meet at the Britannia Inn, Alcombe  at about 12.30 pm , buy their own lunch (the pub does a good line in cooked meals and sandwiches) and then a friendly game of skittles, maybe Minehead vs. Bridgwater!
 
UKIP is now getting regular and increasing publicity in the media and we plan to capitalize on this with leafleting campaigns in Minehead and Bridgwater.  We already have the leaflets and only need the good weather!   Further details will follow.
 
“UKIP Exmoor” - This group was set up to bring together members in Minehead, Porlock and Exmoor .  These members will be delighted to know that new member Councillor Terry Venner, currently serving as an Independent, will be sitting as a UKIP councillor from February 1st.   Mr. Venner will be invaluable because of the knowledge and skills he can bring to the group especially in our election strategy.

The Branch web site is now up and running thanks to the hard work of our County Chairman , Dorothy Baker.  The website address is: www.ukipsomerset.org.  It is regularly updated and well worth looking at.     If you have any local events which you may wish to publicize, please let Dorothy know and she will fit them in free of charge.  Send to Dorothy at  uipsomerset@yahoo.co.uk 

Another website which gives a lot of useful information is Trevor Colman MEP’s site:  http://www.th-eu-nit.com

Funds are always needed!   If you can organize a coffee morning, however small, or any other activity which can raise a few pounds, please let us know.   Every little bit helps and will be gratefully received by our Treasurer.
Best wishes,
John Everitt - Chairman
“Trehareth”, Downend Crescent , Puriton TA6 4TH 01278 – 685 528
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Friday 1 March 2013

WELL DONE !

There is a prize for coming second!

Somerset says well done to Diane James, the UKIP campaign team, and all who travelled to Eastleigh throughout the campaign to help.  This magnificent result confirms our influence on the country's political scene.
 

Now, in high spirits,  we shall keep the momentum going.  Thank-you for this terrific morale-boost.
 

A jolly quote from our leader after the result had been announced: Nigel Farage, never at a loss for a bon mot said, " If the Conservatives hadn't split the vote we would have won!"
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UKIP'S MAGNIFICENT RESULT AT EASTLEIGH

A magnificent result!
Fewer than 1800 votes puts UKIP's Diane James in second place at Eastleigh.
'The people of Eastleigh have delivered a humongous political shock!',  she said in her acknowledgement after the count, which placed Conservatives third, and Labour  'where UKIP was three years ago'.
 

CLICK HERE for more...........




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Thursday 28 February 2013

SOMERSET MEMBERS HELP OUT AT EASTLEIGH

Wednesday's travelling companions with Paul Nuttall MEP, UKIP Deputy Leader
Many members from Somerset have already made the journey to Eastleigh to help with leafleting and campaigning.  

Yesterday (Wednesday 27th February), Dorothy Baker, Carmen Smith (Yeovil/Sherborne) and Glen Tucker (Wells) were driven down by Gaston Dezart from Devon and whilst there they bumped into Alex Wood, a new member from Somerton and Frome, whom S & F Chairman Barry Harding and his wife Margaret had taken down on Sunday. Here he was, back again, to stay until the end of election day! Another member from Somerton and Frome, Colin McNamee, has also journeyed to Eastleigh - twice, I believe, to lend a hand, and of course there may be others from Somerset we don't know about.
Wednesday was Carmen's second visit, as she had taken Tom Barry, Bridgwater, when she went the first time on Friday 22nd.  Tom was pleased that the first person he spoke to was Nigel, a real delight for a very recent member of the party, but best of all, a little while aferwards, he came upon Nigel collecting votes in the town.  With great presence of mind, he snapped this, and it wasn't until later when downloading the photo to his computer he realised that he also had the collection vehicle in the shot.  Well done Nigel, for being prepared for what is sure to be a large number of votes for UKIP!!
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EASTLEIGH BY-ELECTION

All hands on deck please. Be a part of something BIG and Exciting

Constituency office:    38 Market Street, SO50 5RA

Easily walkable from the train station.    Open 8am - 8pm.

Queries to Lisa Duffy, Party Director on  07890110225 or email        partydirector@ukip.org




See all UKIP meetings and events as they develop on our newly-published year calendar
 



The United Kingdom Independence Party has a structure which begins with the individual Member, who belongs to a local Branch or Constituency Association. 

ALL MEMBERS:  If you have a query of any kind relating to UKIP, your first point of contact should be your Branch Chairman. All Chairmen's details are on the specific  Branch web page

UKIP Somerset has seven branches, which work together within the Somerset County Committee (SCC), which meets every six weeks and sends an elected Representative to the South West Counties' Regional Committee (SWCC), which also meets every six weeks. 


There is a Regional Chairmen's Committee, too, which links in to the National Executive Committee of the Party. The list on this page will help you find out about the County Committee and each branch:  just one click will take you there. 
If you want to find out about UKIP in Somerset,   there is a branch near you! Members often write to the press, local and national, and even to their MP or the Prime Minister.  

They don't always get their efforts recognised by publication, nor do they always get the courtesy of a reply.   Not always,  but sometimes. When they do, you can be sure we shall include their work on our 'Members Published' page. 

There is also a page of links to other UKIP websites. We hope to see you again! Check back later for new updates to our website. There's much more to come! 

Contact us on        ukipsomerset@yahoo.co.uk

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Sunday 24 February 2013

EXCITING DEVELOPMENTS FOR UKIP SOMERSET WEBSITE

This website has been up and running for just over three months, and in that time we have been exploring ways to improve whilst still keeping the content absolutely local to Somerset Branches.

The first innovation began early in the New Year when a supporter, Janie Melanaphy, made some helpful suggestions and offered to become involved.  We took up her offer with alacrity, and regular visitors to this site will have noticed that they can now travel between these pages and a blogspot.  We are hoping later to add voice clips from meetings, interviews and so on.

Hot on the heels of this, a Somerton and Frome UKIP member, Oliver Paglia, spoke to Chairman Barry Harding about doing some YouTube filming on local issues for the website. He has the technical knowledge and the equipment and best of all, the enthusiasm!

Barry and Oliver have not let the grass grow under this one, and have already begun their first project.  Our picture shows Oliver and his assistant filming with S&F Chairman Barry Harding in the Mendips, in a production of a You Tube  UKIP Somerset video on wind turbines. This will be the first of a series of  YouTubes for UKIP Somerset and we're looking forward to 'splashing it all over' when completed.

UKIP Somerset Committee is extremely grateful to Janie and Oliver for taking such a practical and helpful interest in our website project, and hope that your browsing experience will be enhanced, as they say!

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UKIP Yeovil Annual General Meeting


Saturday 23rd February     11.30 am


The Henhayes Centre


South Street Car Park   Crewkerne  TA18 8DA


turbines




Followed at 12.15 pm by a Free Public Meeting

with Guest Speaker

Steve Crowther, UKIP Party Chairman

Authority on Wind Turbines

turbines


All Welcome

FREE ENTRANCE



*   *   *

Latest News

As a hot topic of concern for local people, wind turbines have now joined the tremendous increase in house-building across Somerset. Yeovil UKIP is contributing to the Somerset YouTube project on Wind Turbines and the Public Meeting with Guest Speaker Steve Crowther will play a part in that.
The sub-committee continues to keep an eye on the various planning proposals for increased housing development,  recognising that this is happening all over the country, never mind all over the county.  Moves are being made by Yeovil UKIP for areas to co-ordinate and work together with other area’s groups in protest.
Regular leafleting continues.

Saturday 26 January 2013

YEOVIL'S CHRISTMAS PARTY AT THE MANOR HOTEL

Nigel and Diana
A large number of members and friends gathered at the Manor Hotel on 19th December to enjoy a Christmas meal together.

Chairman Nigel Pearson and his lady Diana contributed to the general conviviality of the occasion.......whilst old friends Carmen and Dorothy were pleased to meet up again.   

The room was full, and there were all sorts of conversations going on, some getting quite serious as the issues of the day came up.  Of course, there were the goo
Carmen and Dorothy
old-fashioned cracker jokes, which raised the usual groans,  and the traditional fare, complemented  by the odd glass of healthy water (!) added to the feeling that Christmas had just about begun

As usual, Yeovil's Christmas party brought UKIP members together in a more relaxed situation, but inevitably, amongst the frivolity, our thoughts turned to the increasing problems in the UK brought about by our membership of the Political union of the EU and the consequent loss of our own Sovereignty.



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SOMERTON & FROME

Somerton and Frome Branch is looking for assistance  in most towns and villages in the constituency to help with leafleting. If you have an hour or two a month (of your choosing) to pop some leaflets through letter boxes, give Barry Harding a call (01749 880730). You can either do it alone or link up with another local member. Either way you will be helping to get us out of the EU and getting some exercise!

There have already been plenty of fireworks on the UKIP front. Cameron is finding that however much he wants to avoid giving votes to prisoners, he and his predecessors have given the decision power to unelected foreigners. At the same time he is learning that even normally compliant MPs are not willing to agree to him increasing  the already obscene EU Budget. But he still favours the EU!

Meanwhile according to the pollsters, UKIP’s share of the national vote is holding up at 10 -12% (around the same as the Dim Libs). There is nothing to stop us matching the Lib Dems in Parliamentary terms if we only organise ourselves a little better. Colin McNamee and I attended a recent Branch Development Day for Somerset and it gave us some good pointers and ideas for discussion.

So going out on a dark evening and driving to Castle Cary may not be your idea of a fun evening but we are starting to see real success and progress in the reality of getting Britain out of the wretched EU.  Do come along and contribute if you can. It may be more agreeable than you think! If you cannot, please contact me and let us discuss how you might be able to play your part in this end game.

Finally,  UKIP continues to get improved Press coverage locally and nationally.
I had a letter printed on Thursday 1st November in the Shepton Mallet and Wells editions of the Journal CLICK HERE TO VIEW

 
and it also features on the  'Look who's been published'  page.
CLICK HERE

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SOMERTON & FROME NEW YEAR MESSAGE

Happy New Year! 
 
2012 was a great one for UKIP. We overtook the Lib Dems substantially in the polls and UKIP was at last recognised by the media (and even the LibLabCon) as a real force.
 

Some of you will already have seen the NY message from Nigel Farage but in case you have not (or wish to be inspired all over again):


Nationally UKIP is doing famously. But that puts increased pressure on us locally to deliver.
 

Our meetings have not been as well attended as we would have liked. So perhaps they are in the wrong format. We will have an AGM in a couple of months when we can make some decisions.
 

But the New Year offers us the opportunity to do some advanced thinking. UKIP is set to sweep the 2014 Euro Elections but before then we have the County elections when we must maintain the momentum.
 

So do please come along on Wednesday 6th February at noon : we'll be holding a new-style lunch meeting :
 

The George Hotel, Market Place, Castle Cary              
 

You may not have been able to help UKIP in the recent past (or at all). Or maybe you are a new member. But please try and come along next Monday. If you cannot make that date please email or ring me.
 

Let us together make 2013 the year we began to get our Country back.
 

Barry Harding
UKIP Chairman Somerton & Frome
01749 880730

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