Adopting The Independent Party Whip Fetish

Despite the Independent Party in Southend voting en bloc on most issues in the Council Chamber, it can be mildly amusing when their leader Cllr Martin Terry continuously says, straight faced, that his party do not operating a whipping system to ensure that all his members vote the same way on key decisions.

It would seem that the local whip fetish has caught on with their UKIP coalition pals. Fellow local blogger Cllr Ware-Lane, had an excellent post yesterday on the information contained in a UKIP leaflet delivered in West Leigh ahead of the by-election on the 23rd January.

One of the reasons given as to why West Leigh residents should vote for UKIP, is that, according to the author, 'UKIP councillors do not follow a party whip'. Upon catching up with all the local news this evening, there was a feature in today's Echo on UKIP councillors on Essex County Council.

Tucked away in the article, was this little nugget that the UKIP group on Essex County Council have recently appointed, surprise, surprise, a Chief Whip! The claim on whipping in the West Leigh leaflet should hardly come as a surprise as the promoter of the leaflet is, step forward, the one and only UKIP West Shoebury candidate James Moyies!