The comedy capers at a Croydon branch of UKIP carry on… with the national party (ie. Nigel “Pound Shop Enoch Powell” Farage) backing Winston McKenzie as their parliamentary candidate for Croydon North at next May’s General Election, while deciding to remove “the Chump from the Dump” as chairman of his local party.

Winston McKenzie: incapable of running a party branch, but good enough to be a UKIP election candidate

Inside Croydon understands that as many as seven motions of no confidence in McKenzie and his closest aide, branch treasurer Marianne Bowness, were discussed at what was described as “not a formal branch meeting held at a member’s house” last night. “I’ve given up trying to keep count of the number of motions of no-confidence there’s been over Winston,” said one source.

The meeting had to be held at a private home because McKenzie’s Lambeth and Croydon North branch of UKIP has been barred from using its usual meeting venue and offices in South Norwood after gay activists dumped a pile of steaming horse shit in a protest on the door step on World AIDS Day.

Last month, gaffe-prone McKenzie issued an email to his branch members threatening them with expulsion if they dared organise any meetings without his prior approval – including a fund-raising Christmas party. But last night’s meeting of local UKIP activists nonetheless went ahead.

Today, a UKIP press officer issued the following statement:  “The Lambeth and North Croydon branch of UKIP has been suspended, along with its officers, pending the outcome of an internal enquiry into its activities.”

Following a McKenzie-inspired pogrom against one member who dared question how the branch chairman and treasurer had failed to account properly for a large campaign donation, UKIP’s Lambeth and North Croydon branch committee in any case was down to just three “officers”: McKenzie, Bowness and one other.

Suspension of the branch will make it difficult for UKIP to organise any sort of campaign to support their candidates in the General Election. Under Winston McKenzie’s chairmanship, the branch had chosen Winston McKenzie as their candidate to take on Labour’s Steve Reed in Croydon North.

Yet, although McKenzie’s era of misrule has seen his whole branch suspended by his national party, Farage’s UKIP is sticking by their “Commonwealth spokesman”.

Or “stooge”, as it is sometimes known.

McKenzie’s devotion to Farage – this week comparing him to Jesus Christ – has clearly paid dividends. The UKIP press officer told Inside Croydon, “Winston McKenzie remains our PPC.”

That may not be an end to the matter, as local UKIP members wrestle with McKenzie for control. Inside Croydon has seen an email sent by branch members to McKenzie calling for an extraordinary general meeting (the second inside two months). It says:

“I am writing to you as branch chairman to call for an EGM to be held under rule B.4.3 to consider and vote on the motions below.

“1 To REMOVE WINSTON MCKENZIE as BRANCH CHAIRMAN

“2 To REMOVE MARIANNE BOWNESS as BRANCH TREASURER

“3 To NOTIFY THE NEC that the BRANCH HAS NO CONFIDENCE IN WINSTON MCKENZIE as PPC for CROYDON NORTH, and ASK THE NEC TO REMOVE HIM AS PPC.”

Watch this space…

• For Winston McKenzie, UKIP’s Farage is like Jesus Christ
• McKenzie’s UKIP branch forced out after manure stunt
• Now UKIP’s Winston McKenzie wants to ban Christmas
• UKIP’s Winston McKenzie quizzed over Carnival payments
• UKIP’s McKenzie takes revenge against local whistleblower

Coming to Croydon

• David Lean Cinema, Hitchcock’s To Catch A Thief, Dec 29
• David Lean Cinema, The Beat Beneath My Feet, Dec 30

2015

• David Lean Cinema, The Hundred-Foot Journey, Jan 3
• David Lean Cinema, Mr Turner, Jan 8
• David Lean Cinema, Leviathan, Jan 13
• Norwood Society talk: Penge, the making of a suburb, Jan 15
• David Lean Cinema, The 78 Project Movie, Jan 15
• David Lean Cinema, Hannah Arendt, Jan 20
• David Lean Cinema, The Imitation Game, Jan 22
• South Croydon business breakfast, Jan 24
• David Lean Cinema, Night Will Fall, Jan 27 (Holocaust Memorial Day)
• David Lean Cinema, Kon-Tiki, Jan 29
• Norwood Society talk: Crystal Palace and Dulwich, Feb 19
• Norwood Society talk: Charlies Dickens in Norwood, Mar 19
• Norwood Society: Balloons and airships at Crystal Palace, Apr 16

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  Inside Croydon: Croydon’s only independent news source, based in the heart of the borough: 407,847 page views (Jan-Jun 2014) If you have a news story about life in or around Croydon, a residents’ or business association or local event, please email us with full details at inside.croydon@btinternet.com