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Bill Etheridge says he is no longer willing to serve Mr Bolton, who he has accused of dragging the party down with his egotistical ways. The Dudley councillor has resigned from his position as party sports spokesman with immediate effect. He has urged all UKIP members to contact the national executive committee (NEC) to call for Mr Bolton's removal. The under fire leader has been embroiled in controversy over his personal life in recent weeks, and yesterday announced he had split with his girlfriend, party activist Jo Marney, following the emergence of racist messages she had sent. Mr Etheridge said the chaos surrounding Mr Bolton had dealt UKIP a savage blow and threatened to derail the party. But he was at pains to stress that his decision to quit was primarily related to Mr Bolton's 'lack of political nous'. He said: “I am resigning as a spokesman for UKIP and focussing in pursuing Brexit through public meetings and rallies. “I also urge members to contact the NEC … [Read more...] about Bill Etheridge quits UKIP role over Henry Bolton’s ‘lack of political nous’
Politics
Indian army chief stresses political solution for Kashmir dispute
'Kashmiri youth continue to join separatist groups' 0SHARES Share Tweet Email Indian Army Chief General Bipin Rawat. PHOTO: PTI Indian Army chief General Bipin Rawat has stressed on political initiatives along with military operations for bringing peace to the disputed region of Kashmir, according to the Press Trust of India (PTI). Comments come a few days after Rawat had claimed that his forces were ready to call “Pakistan’s nuclear bluff” and cross the border to carry out any operation if asked by the government of India. Admitting the failure of Indian policies in the region, Rawat was quoted as saying, “The armed forces operating in the state cannot be status quoist, and must evolve new strategies and tactics to deal with the situation.” Rethinking politics on Kashmir “Political initiative and all the other initiatives must go simultaneously hand-in-hand and only if all of us function in synergy, we can bring … [Read more...] about Indian army chief stresses political solution for Kashmir dispute
Balochistan ‘political game’ draws minister’s ire
Ahsan wonders if anyone with backing of just five MPAs ever became CM 0SHARES Share Tweet Email INTERIOR MINISTER AHSAN IQBAL. PHOTO: REUTERS LAHORE: Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal has said political instability and mistrust in democracy will eventually hamper the process of progress and prosperity in the country. Talking to media on Sunday, he said recent ‘political game’, orchestrated in Balochistan, will not certainly bring out positive developments for the province and the country. “Is there any precedent in the world that a member having support of five MPAs only, ever have become chief minister?” he questioned. NAB Balochistan performance draws top court ire He said Balochistan had been facing a host of administrative and political issues and added that the ‘upheaval’ in the provincial assembly would somehow embolden some elements who were working against Balochistan interests. Responding to a question, the minister … [Read more...] about Balochistan ‘political game’ draws minister’s ire
David Torrance: SNP’s end-justifies-the-means politics risks turning mandarins into lap dogs
Giving evidence to a parliamentary committee in 2002, the senior mandarin Sir Richard Mottram compared the Civil Service to “a rather stupid dog”. “It wants to be loyal to its master,” he continued, “and above all it wants to be loved for doing that.” This seems a useful way of understanding the civil service in Scotland’s role in a spate of recent stories. Most recently, we learned the Scottish Government had failed to take an official record of a meeting between Justice Secretary Michael Matheson and the then-head of the Scottish Police Authority (SPA) Andrew Flanagan in November. This led to the SPA reversing its decision to allow Chief Constable Phil Gormley to return to duty. Loading article content Whatever your view of that decision – and this column isn’t concerned with that – you might think such an important encounter would be written down in some way. This, I believed, was standard practice; indeed, … [Read more...] about David Torrance: SNP’s end-justifies-the-means politics risks turning mandarins into lap dogs
Is Germany’s political left coming apart at the seams?
The current fragmentation of the political left in Germany could barely be better symbolized than by what happened this year again at the annual silent remembrance in Berlin at the graves of Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht, the two communists murdered by radical right-wing paramilitaries in January 1919. On the morning of January 14, as they always do, leaders from the Left Party turned out, while leaders of the Social Democratic Party (SPD), as is also customary, stayed away. Not only is there a rift between these two leftist parties; the parties themselves are divided within themselves. Social Democrats are split over whether to form another centrist "grand coalition" with Angela Merkel's conservatives, with the local rank and file noticeably less enthusiastic about the idea than the party's national leadership. Meanwhile, the Left Party's two best-known and most charismatic leaders, Sahra Wagenknecht and Oskar Lafontaine, openly speculated over the weekend about forming a new … [Read more...] about Is Germany’s political left coming apart at the seams?