Who's Who
Godfrey Bloom's Team
Emma Brader
Emma is Godfrey's PA. She is 21, educated at Ripon Grammar School with A Level success in Maths Chemistry Biology and General studies. After making the decision not to go to university she spent a year at the North of England College where she learned secretarial skills including Pitman's shorthand.
On leaving college Emma was offered a full-time secretarial position to a Partner in one of the country's leading firms of solicitors in Leeds. She spent two years here until a recently elected Godfrey Bloom MEP approached her to work for him as his Personal Assistant.
Outside of work Emma has a variety of interests. She is of farming stock and is keen on the horses bred on the farm, taking on a large part of the work involved with the bringing-on of the young stock who progress through hunting to point-to-pointing. A keen amateur jockey herself, Emma rode her first winner at Wykeham point to point course recently. She is a cricket player (making up in enthusiasm what she lacks in skill) and also plays the guitar.
Jonathan Arnott
Jonathan, 23, stood for the European Parliament this June, representing the UK Independence Party. He currently works part-time as a Maths teacher and part-time as political correspondent / researcher to Godfrey Bloom, UKIP MEP for this region.
At age 19 Jonathan became the youngest student ever to be awarded a Masters degree from Sheffield University. After joining UKIP just before the 2001 election, he quickly became actively involved and addressed the 2002 party conference on issues affecting young people.
In council elections, he has proved to be a thorn in the side of the major parties, polling over a thousand votes last time and finishing ahead of the Conservatives, Liberal Democrats, BNP, and Greens.
Jonathan is also involved in charitable work, both in the local community and by broadcasting football league commentaries on Hospital Radio. In his spare time Jonathan successfully captained the Yorkshire chess team (2002 - 2004), leading the team to two national trophies.
Eric Richards
After national service in the RAF, Eric, Godfey's Religious Adviser, born in North Lincolnshire, worked as a pianist in London nightclubs and was also a church organist. Then in the early 1960s he studied for the ministry of the Church of England, and worked as a priest in Cambridge and Peterborough. Joining the Missions to Seamen, he worked in Flying Angel clubs in Holland, South Africa, Sri Lanka, and on the Thames. In Sri Lanka he learned a good deal about Buddhism through his friendship with leading Buddhist clergy and scholars. With a Moorish Jeweller in the Colombo Mission he also learned about Moslem family life there. Working with seafarers regardless of nationality Eric gained a wide knowledge of national customs, and learned how to drink vodka the Russian way.
He returned to the UK to look after Seafarers Clubs on the Thames, and later decided to take a parish for the sake of the stability of his family life. Working in parishes in East Yorkshire he also became Archbishop's Adviser on Rural Affairs, and later a Canon of York Minster. Escorting tours of Palestine and Israel he learned a good deal about Judaism from the fountain-head. He also belonged to the Territorial Army working with 150 Regiment RCT based in Hull, Doncaster, Leeds, and Tynemouth, and became familiar with the diversity of outlook in such a small area. His military service concluded as Senior Chaplain of the TA.
In the mid 1990s he joined the Orthodox Church, and since that time has travelled extensively in Lebanon and Syria, living with friends and colleagues, and gaining experience of total immersion in the Arab community.