Game changing EU Referendum Campaign launched?

There have been lots and lots of EU referendum campaigns over the years. Perhaps the most prominent in recent years was the cross-Party "I want a referendum campaign" that pushed for a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty. Trouble is, as Lisbon passed like all of the other treaties before it, the campaign died out.

While there have been long standing campaigns like the Democracy Movement, which spawned from Sir James Goldsmith's Referendum Party, they are not that well known and are easily pigeon-holed as being of a particular, obsessive political persuasion as most pressure groups are, with the limited appeal and support that comes with that.

That is why a new campaign, the EU Referendum Campaign, looks so promising. Headed by the man who ran UKIP's General Election campaign James Pryor, and with the excellent Bridget Rowe heading up media for the Campaign, EURC also has the support of people from usual suspects such as the Democracy Movement, Tory MEP Daniel Hannan and economist Ruth Lea. But importantly, it also has supporters from the groups like the Labour Euro-Safeguards Campaign and Trade Unionists Against the EU Constitution. This is vitally important in creating a campaign that can truly create a broad base of support from members and supporters of all parties and none.

The Campaign is going to be represented  at the UKIP, Labour, Conservative, Green and LibDem Conferences. If it can galvanise some support from all reaches of the political spectrum, it may be a Campaign for a referendum on the issue of the EU that gets further than any other.

Will Nigel Farage stand to be UKIP Leader again?

That is the question most UKIP members are wondering as the Party looks ahead to its Annual Conference later this week in Torquay.

Farage is a founding member of UKIP and is by far the Party's best known face and personality. Speaking personally, he is the man who inspired me to become active in politics with his trademark ebullient performances on BBC Question Time. I know I am not alone in citing such media performances as the inspiration that sparked me to take the plunge and join UKIP.

After being the Party's main media man and spokesperson for many years, Farage finally stood and was elected to the leadership of UKIP in 2006, some 13 years after he helped form the Party, in a landslide result. What followed was a focus on broadening UKIP's agenda beyond the EU to immigration, a push at local election level and of course a European Election result that dumbfounded most commentators when Farage led UKIP to second place nationally.

It was at a memorable Conference in Southport less than a year ago that Nigel announced he was standing down from the position to focus on leading UKIP's MEPs in Brussels, as well as taking on the Speaker John Bercow in Buckingham. Had Farage won in Buckingham and became UKIP's first elected Member of Parliament, the focus of the Party would surely have shifted substantially as Farage led, as the MP of Buckingham, a revitalised charge to get UKIP focusing more and more on local, domestic policies. The Party, and Farage, would have had little choice if it and he wished to retain the Parliamentary seat.

Instead Nigel Farage was all over the news channels on the morning of the General Election, but for a much different reason. Involved in a serious plane crash, both he and the pilot were seriously injured. The crash was so bad that Farage still has further surgery pending and is one of the reasons that Nigel himself has cast some doubt on whether he will stand once more for UKIP's top spot.

There is little doubt that the job of UKIP Leader has to be one of the toughest in British politics. Under constant scrutiny from a media which is overwhelmingly negative towards UKIP both on the left and the right, the Leader of UKIP must be able to perform convincingly when the media does give us a look in, normally courtesy of an appearance on one of the BBC's political programs. It was on this count that Lord Pearson was deemed to fail most badly during his brief stint as Leader, though he did good solid work for the Party in less public areas such as fundraising.

It was for this reason - Nigel's ability to exploit almost every media opportunity he was given to establish UKIP as a sensible yet radical Party with a charismatic front man - that caused many UKIP members to be deeply saddened by his decision to resign from the role last year.

The smart money at the moment would be be on Nigel Farage standing. Despite his remaining injuries and knowledge of how challenging the job can be, he is also extremely ambitious and I believe feels as though his work at the top of the Party is far from done. Having been the UKIP Leader who first secured the Party representation in Westminster through the recruitment of two Peers in the House of Lords, I still think Nigel would love one day to be a UKIP MP in the Commons where the action really is. He would certainly be devastatingly effective in the green chamber. And if he doesn't see any other candidate he believes can get UKIP in solid enough standing for the European Elections in 2014 (which it must aim to win after coming second in 2009) and prepared to breakthrough in Westminster at the next General Election, then Nigel will surely stand.

Whatever he does decide to do, whether he stands himself or backs another contender, it will have a huge impact on the overall contest itself. Despite not being Leader of the Party, all eyes will be on Nigel Farage when he takes to the stage in Torquay. Make no mistake: what he says on the 3rd September will have a huge impact on the future direction of the Party.

Is it me or..

Would you expect to get nicked and put in prison if you headbutted, bit and spat at a member of the Police outside of a Police station, with previous convictions already under your belt?

Apparently not so nowadays.

Frank Maloney to enter UKIP leadership race?

That's what The Independent are suggesting could happen, giving an assessment of how "fruity" they think each of the potential runners and riders in the UKIP leadership race are.

Maloney, the focus of the article, scores a quirky four out of five on the Indy's fruit cake factor scale, with Nigel Farage and David Campbell Bannerman being deemed the least fruity. In fairness to Frank, he does have some good ideas but his background as a world famous boxing promoter was always going cause The Indy to class him as a fruity contender. His task will be to shake that tag off and show why he is a serious contender if he does indeed enter the race.

UKIP's latest leadership race is certainly going to bring a wide range of characters and their various visions for UKIP to the fore, with the likes of the highly respected economist Tim Congdon and world famous global warming sceptic Christopher Monckton also potentially standing. Only in UKIP could the field be so diverse. The Miliband and Balls show this ain't gonna be.