Political Cartoons

Green Party of England and Wales

The Green Party of England and Wales (GPEW) (Welsh: Plaid Werdd Cymru a Lloegr) is the principal Green political party in England and Wales. The party is unrepresented in the House of Commons, but did have a life peer in the House of Lords until his death in April 2008. Members have been elected to the European Parliament, the London Assembly and in local government. The party leader is Caroline Lucas.

It is affiliated with the Global Greens and the European Green Party, and has friendly relations with the Scottish Green Party and the Green Party of Northern Ireland.

History

The Green Party of England and Wales has its roots in the PEOPLE party started by Tony Whittaker in 1973. It changed its name to the Ecology Party in 1975, to the Green Party ten years later, and to The Green Party of England and Wales in 1990.

Present

In the 1999 European elections, two Greens were elected Members of the European Parliament (MEPs), Dr Caroline Lucas (South East England) and Jean Lambert (London). They retained their seats in the 2004 European elections, despite a reduction in number of seats available. Overall, the Party gained 1,033,093 votes in the 2004 European election.

However, the Greens have not yet managed to break through in other European electoral regions in the UK or the Welsh Assembly. Three Greens were elected to the first London Assembly. It currently has two Green Party members out of 25. These are Cllr. Darren Johnson AM, and Cllr. Jenny Jones AM.

The Green Party achieved its highest-ever UK General Election result in the 2005 General Election with a total of 281,780 votes. During the 2005 General Election, Cllr. Keith Taylor received 22% in Brighton Pavilion.

The party has 116 local councillors after a gain of 5 councillors during the 2008 local elections. The Greens have significant representation on Brighton & Hove City Council, Lancaster City Council, Norwich, Lewisham, Oxford City Council, Oxfordshire County Council, Kirklees Council and Stroud District Council. The Green Party is the official opposition on Norwich City Council, and forms part of the ruling coalition that controls Lancaster City Council alongside the Liberal Democrats and Labour, and of Castle Morpeth Council as part of an all-party administration.

The Green Party of England and Wales had one member of the (unelected) House of Lords, the Upper Chamber of Parliament, Lord Beaumont of Whitley, who died in 2008.

According to MORI, Green issues are currently rated as importantly as during the Green Party's last high point in the late 1980s. The party currently has record local candidate numbers and high electoral support.

The party held its first-ever leadership election in September 2008. Caroline Lucas was elected Leader, and Adrian Ramsay Deputy Leader.


Oxfordshire Green Party holds a Green Fair in the Town Hall during Christmastime every year for more than a quarter century.

Oxfordshire Green Party holds a Green Fair in the Town Hall during Christmastime every year for more than a quarter century.

Policy

The Green Party was founded to counter what it sees as threats to the environment, and that remains its main focus. Like other parties, it produces a new manifesto for each election, but it also maintains a long-term strategy known as the Manifesto for a Sustainable Society (MfSS). This document contains the Philosophical Basis and a statement of the Core Values of the party, as well as detailed policies on a range of issues. The document is around 124,520 words long.

Animal welfare, farming and food

The Green Party is opposed to all animal experiments and believes in replacing them with non-animal alternatives. It also wants to end factory farming. The party seeks to ban live exports, genetic manipulation, patenting of animals, bloodsports, badger-baiting, circuses, zoos and fur products.

It supports the subsidisation of organic farming in small free-range units and want to phase out all forms of intensive farming, including fish farms. The party is against the production and importation of genetically-modified (GM) foods. It supports Fair Trade over free trade. It encourages a reduction in the consumption of meat, and promotes "more healthy and humane" foods.

Climate change

The Green Party has a twelve-point plan to deal with climate change. It supports the ratification of the Kyoto Protocol but does not see that as anything more than a first step. It is strongly behind the 'Contraction and Convergence' model as a method of reducing carbon emissions. Within Britain it supports tradable carbon quotas. A proportion of the quotas would be distributed on a per-head basis. The remainder would be sold to firms and organizations. The quotas would be reduced on a year-by-year basis in line with the 'Contraction and Convergence' model.

The party has set a goal of 90% carbon dioxide emissions reductions by 2050. It proposes scrapping the national roadbuilding programme and investing the estimated £30bn from the programme in green transport. It wishes to end the £9bn annual tax break to the aviation industry by 2010 and to pass the Air Traffic Emissions Reduction Bill, aiming for 50% CO2 reductions in aviation by 2050. The party is strongly opposed to the use of nuclear energy because it believes it is too expensive and too much of security risk, and that it uses huge amounts of carbon dioxide in the extraction and production process, and is therefore an unsuitable response to climate change.

Drugs

The Green Party believes that the prohibition of drugs does not work. It supports the legalisation of the possession, trade and cultivation of cannabis. It would decriminalise small-scale possession of recreational drugs like ecstasy and gradually move towards the legalisation of all recreational drugs. It hopes that this would "take the drug trade out of criminal control and place it within a regulated and controlled legal environment". The party has run a Green Party Drugs Group Website to promote research into ending addiction and ensuring the safe use of recreational drugs. The party wants to ban advertising or sponsorship by alcohol and tobacco firms.

Economy

Like many Green parties, the Green Party of England and Wales does not consider economic growth to be the only or the best indicator of progress, as it sees endless growth as incompatible with a planet of finite resources. It is against mass consumption and destructive consumer lifestyles and hopes to encourage an economy built on sustainability and long-term use.

The party supports economic localisation on grounds of environmental concern, social justice and democracy, as detailed in Green Alternatives to Globalisation: A Manifesto, by Dr. Caroline Lucas, MEP, currently leader of the party and the late Dr. Mike Woodin, former Principal Speaker of the party. This includes helping local businesses through subsidies and import tariffs, "democratisation" of the banking system with the creation of a "network of publicly owned community banks", and encouragement of informal economies in local areas.

The Green Party seeks to address the "poverty trap" by introducing a "Citizen's Income" (also known as a Citizen's Dividend and similar to the Basic Income), an unconditional, non-means-tested, weekly payment made to every citizen whether they are working or not. This would replace benefits such as Job Seeker's Allowance, as well as replacing personal tax-free allowances. The party hopes that this would ensure that people can take a job and come off benefits without falling into the poverty trap, and make working part-time or becoming self-employed easier by eliminating the poverty trap. Clive Lord, a member of the Green Party of England and Wales, published A Citizen's Income, a book that sets out how to fund the Citizen's Income with an increase to the top bracket of Income Tax. Lord suggests that the Citizen's Income is a means by which to achieve prosperity within a zero-growth economy.

On taxation, the Green Party believes in increasing the top rate of income tax to make the system more redistributive. It is in favour of a more progressive system of corporation tax to encourage small businesses over large corporations. It supports eco-taxes, such as those on packaging and carbon emissions, along the lines of the 'polluter pays' principle. Also, the party wants an increase in trade union rights and the renationalisation of the railways and other public utilities.

Europe

The party is moderately Eurosceptic but supports UK membership of the European Union subject to democratic reform. It opposes the euro on economic localisation and democracy grounds, and was also against the proposed EU constitution for similar reasons. It favours the disbandment of NATO and its replacement by a well-resourced OSCE.

Government

The Green Party wants "to modernise and decentralise" the current governmental system in England and Wales. It wants to end the place of the monarchy in the British constitution and replace the House of Lords with an elected second chamber. The party supports elected Regional Assemblies in England and the creation of more Parish and Community Councils. On issues of voting, the Green Party is campaigning to introduce Proportional Representation (specifically the Additional Member System (AMS) used in Welsh Assembly and Scottish Parliament elections) and reduce the voting age to 16.

It is usually to be found on the civil liberties side of the "liberties versus security" debate, and opposes national ID cards and New Labour's anti-terror legislation. It is strongly opposed to measures like the Legislative and Regulatory Reform Act.

International issues

The Green Party would increase funding to and reform the United Nations by abolishing the right of veto and democratising the UN Security Council. It would ban arms exports and the use of depleted-uranium-tipped shells. On the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the party believes in boycotting Israel until it complies with the 80 UN resolutions it is defying, whilst urging Palestinians "not to perpetuate the cycle of violence".

The party opposed the Iraq War, both prior to, during, and after the US-led invasion. It has claimed that it did so "on principle", criticising the Liberal Democrats for "only opposing the war because no second UN Resolution was obtained". Previously, the party had opposed the Kosovo War – a rare stance in Britain. Although it supported "self-determination" for the Kosovo Albanians, it did not support independence for Kosovo, and stated that the media had ignored the crimes of the Kosovo Liberation Army.

The Green Party supports the right to asylum and "seeks to change negative attitudes and stereotypes associated with refugees". The party concentrates on the causes of immigration, aiming "to alleviate problems caused by war, the arms trade, environmental devastation, past colonial actions and human-rights abuses".

Organisation

The Green Party meets to vote on issues of organisation and policy at bi-annual Party Conferences (the Spring Conference and Autumn Conference). It is bound by a Constitution, which can be amended only by a two-thirds majority vote at one of these Conferences; policy motions need only a simple majority (more than 50%).

Leadership and Principal Speakers

The Green Party has in the past consciously chosen not to have a single leader for ideological reasons; its organisation provided for two Principal Speakers, a male and female Principal Speaker, who sit but do not vote on the party's Executive (GPEx). However, a referendum of the party membership in 2007 on the question of creating a Leader and Deputy Leader (or, if candidates choose to run together and are gender balanced, Co-Leaders without a Deputy Leader), who would be elected every two years (instead of annually) and able to vote on GPEx, passed by 73%.

The final Principal Speakers were Dr Caroline Lucas MEP (who succeeded Siân Berry in October 2007), and Dr Derek Wall, who succeeded Keith Taylor, a councillor in Brighton & Hove, in November 2006 (Taylor had been elected in 2004 after the death of Dr. Mike Woodin). The roles of Principal Speaker no longer exist and Dr Caroline Lucas MEP is currently the party leader.

Leadership election

The declared candidates in the leadership election were Caroline Lucas and Ashley Gunstock for the post of Leader and Adrian Ramsay for the post of Deputy Leader. Nominations closed on 31 July and the result was declared at the Autumn Conference on Friday 5 September.

Green Party conference, 2004

Executive

The national Green Party Executive (GPEx) consists of the following positions:

Green Party of England and Wales Executive (GPEx)

Leader Caroline Lucas MEP


Deputy Leader Cllr. Adrian Ramsay

Chair James Humphreys

Campaigns Co-ordinator Tom Chance

Elections Co-ordinator Chris Haine

Equality and Diversity Co-ordinator Maya de Souza

External Communications Co-ordinator Tracy Dighton-Brown
Finance Co-ordinator Khalid Hussenbux and Joe Hulm (as a job share)
Internal Communications Co-ordinator Natalie Bennett
International Co-ordinator Michael Coffey
Local Party Support Co-ordinator Jon Lucas
Management Co-ordinator Tony Cooper
Policy Development Co-ordinator Brian Heatley and Matt Follett (as a job share)
Publications Co-ordinator Polly Lane

For the purposes of its registration with the Electoral Commission, the party used to designate the Chair of the Executive as the Leader of the party. This is currently James Humphreys, former head of Corporate Communications at 10 Downing Street. A previous Chair, Hugo Charlton (2003 to 2005), was removed from the post after nominating himself for a House of Lords peerage on behalf of the party without following the party's agreed selection procedure. Subsequently Cllr. Jenny Jones, AM, was elected to be the party's nominee in the event of the party again being asked, but this was too late for the current round.

The party's Leader and Deputy Leader are elected every two years by a postal ballot of all party members. All other GPEx positions are elected annually by postal ballot or by a vote at Conference (depending on the number of candidates). To become a member of the Executive, the candidate must have been a member of the party for at least two years (or if the candidate has been a member for one complete year preceding the date of close of nominations, their nomination will be allowed if it is supported by a majority of Green Party Regional Council (GPRC) members in attendance at a quorate official GPRC meeting).

Members of GPEx are individually responsible for every action taken within their area of responsibility (except decisions taken collectively within GPEx itself). GPEx meets at least once every six weeks, and whenever a meeting is necessary.

The Executive has the power to create whatever committees and posts "it considers necessary for the efficient conduct of its business". It appoints a Panel of Speakers as spokespeople for policy areas, a Treasurer and the National Election Agent. GPEx is responsible for implementing the decisions made at Conferences, and controlling expenditure and fundraising.

In the party's Autumn Conference of 2008, members elected the first Equality and Diversity Co-ordinator.

Regional Council

The Green Party Regional Council (GPRC) is a body that coordinates discussions between Regional Green Parties. It supports the Executive (GPEx) and is responsible for interim policy statements between Conferences and enforcing constitutional procedures.

Each Regional Green Party elects two members by postal ballot to be sent to the GPRC. These delegates' terms last two years before re-election. GPRC meets at least four times a year. The Council elects male and female Co-Chairs and a Secretary. GPEx members are often required to give reports on their area of responsibility to the GPRC; the GPRC also has the power to recall any member of GPEx (by a two-thirds majority vote), who is then suspended until a re-election for the post is held; similarly, if GPEx suspends one of its own members, GPRC has the authority to decide whether that member should be reinstated or not (again, by a two-thirds majority vote).

Conferences

The Green Party of England and Wales holds a Spring and Autumn Conference every year. Conferences are governed by the Constitution and Standing Orders, and feature votes on policy and organisational matters. The Autumn Conference is the party's "supreme forum", with elections to GPEx, committees and other bodies; the Conference held in the Spring, although having the same powers as the Autumn Conference on policy and organisational votes, holds elections only for vacant posts and can have its priorities decided by the preceding Autumn Conference. The conference itself is organised by Conferences Committee, but the Standing Order Committee (SOC) is responsible for interpreting the Constitution and arranging the order of business.

The Green Party Conference features fringes, talks and plenary sessions. The agenda for plenary sessions is usually:

Section A - Reports from various bodies within the party, including SOC, GPEx, GPRC and others
Section B - Policy Voting Papers (a motion, either submitted by members or chosen by the Policy Committee, which submits a section of the Manifesto for a Sustainable Society (MfSS) for review and amendments, which are then voted on)
Section C - Policy Motions (motions from members on different sections of the MfSS, but also including those which express a policy position without altering the MfSS, and Enabling Motions, which start the process of building policy on a specified area)
Section D - Organisational Motions (motions from members that amend the Constitution)
Policymaking within the GPEW is a long process involving consultation with various bodies and individuals. The party has released leaflets and books on how to properly amend policy.

The Constitution

The Constitution of the Green Party of England and Wales governs all of the party's activities, from the selection of election candidates by local parties, to nominations for the House of Lords, to the conduct of GPEx and so on. The Constitution stresses "openness, accountability and confidentiality" in its decision-making guidelines. It can be amended only by a two-thirds majority vote at a Conference or by a two-thirds majority in a ballot of the membership.

Status of the Wales Green Party

Unlike any other regional party within the Green Party, the Wales Green Party (WGP) (Plaid Werdd Cymru in Welsh) is a "semi-autonomous regional party" within the GPEW. It has greater control over its finances, and produces its own manifesto and newsletters. Wales Green Party members are automatically members of the Green Party of England and Wales.

Also differently from the full party, the Wales Green Party (and the North West region of England) elects a Principal Speaker who may refer to themselves as the 'Leader' of the Wales Green Party, although, like the Green Party of England and Wales's former Principal Speakers, they have no powers of leadership. The current leader of the Wales Green Party is Leila Kiersch.

Young Greens

The youth wing of the Green Party, the Young Greens (of England and Wales), have developed independently from around 2002. The Young Greens have their own Constitution, National Committee, campaigns and meetings, and have become an active presence at Green Party Conferences and election campaigns. There are now many Young Greens groups on UK university, college and higher-education institution campuses. Several Green Party Councillors are Young Greens, as are some members of GPEx and other internal party organs.

Membership and finances

According to 2007 accounts filed with the Electoral Commission, the party had a membership of 7,441 (an increase of 422 on the previous year) at year-end and had an income of £366,525 with expenditure of £394,887.

Groups within the Party

Several groups are active within the party. These include groups designed to address certain areas of policy or representation, including the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Group, the Trade Union Group, the Drugs Group (on drugs policy and research), the Monetary Reform Policy Working Group, and others. The centrist faction known as Green 2000 sought to achieve a Green Party government by the year 2000; the group fell apart in the early 1990s. Green Left represent anti-capitalists and eco-socialists in the party who want to engage with the broader Left in the UK and attract Left-wing activists to the Green Party

Green Party of England and Wales

Leader Caroline Lucas MEP
Founded 1973
Headquarters 1a Waterlow Road
London N19 5NJ
Ideology Green politics,
Social Democracy,
British republicanism, Environmentalism.
International affiliation Global Greens
European affiliation European Green Party
European Parliament Group Greens-EFA
Official colours Green

Website

http://www.greenparty.org.uk/

Thatcherism

By Chris Kitchen, NUM National & Yorkshire Area Secretary

DEDICATED FOLLOWERS OF THATCHER!

A "systemic" collapse of world markets is how the capitalist crisis has been described and across the world disciples and adherents to the free market philosophy have had to abandon their ideological monetary madness.

Margaret Thatcher was a rabid adherent to this ideology. It was her belief that governments should never interfere in the economy, an ideological position known as liaises faire or unfettered free market economics.

It is this crazy ideology, that still persists, that led to the 1984/85 Miners' Strike, the rundown of Britain's deep-mined coal industry, the destruction of our industrial base and an orgy of privatisation which caused even former Tory Prime Minister, Harold McMillan to warn against selling off "the family silver".

It has also led to an unequal society worshiping the idea that "greed is good" causing misery and poverty on the one hand and obscene "fat cat" wealth on the other.

The right wing neo-cons in America follow the principles of the unfettered free market with what amounts to a fundamental, almost religious, belief and it has to be said that New Labour, first under Tony Blair and then Gordon Brown bought into the dogma.

The privatisation of the railways, coal mines, telecommunications, water, gas, electricity generation, great swathes of the National Health Service along with the threat to Royal Mail and the general move away from public ownership are all symptoms of the extreme adherence to the free market.

In a free market economy the government does not govern it withdraws to the sidelines in the belief that the market is the answer to all problems. To follow its latter-day high priestess Margaret Thatcher - the state, it is said, has no role to play in the economy.

It is only two years ago that Gordon Brown. speaking at the TUC Conference, was singing the praises of global capitalism and free markets now he doesn't hesitate to blame the global economy for all our economic ills.

The rich fat cats have been, and still are. allowed massive wage increases, bonuses and pension pots while the government insists on pay restraint for the rest of us.

Suddenly everything has changed. Taxpayers have to sink trillions into banks all across the globe. In Britain HBOS, Northern Rock, Bradford and Bingley, Lloyds TSB along with banks in Europe and America are being bailed out by taxpayers' money in a desperate attempt to save a system that has only ever worked to benefit the few and against the interests of ordinary hard working people.

Banks have gone bust, stock markets are in turmoil, gas, electricity and petrol prices have hit the stratosphere, people's hard earned savings are in jeopardy and with the stock markets disappearing into a black hole everyone's pensions will be hard hit. People who only a year ago were preparing for retirement after a lifetime of hard work have seen their pension pots more than halved by the unrestricted casino economy in which we live.

To make this madness more difficult to stomach these compulsive gamblers, who gamble with other people's money - yours and mine - will walk away with millions of pounds in salaries, bonuses, share options and massive pension pots. They have been on a one-way-bet. When their gambling pays off they are referred to as "experts" receiving fat cat pay but when the gamble goes wrong the rest of us pick up the gambling bills.

Now we are witnessing a mad scramble to save this lunatic system and start the cycle of gambling at our expense all over again, and while those who run the system are paid millions of pounds the rest of us live in a low-wage economy as ordinary hard working people are forced to supplement their pay by borrowing on credit cards and running up debt and that is where the so called "credit crunch" will hit the hardest, but the people who got us into this mess and who have supported and benefited from the system are the very people being appointed to sort it out.

Peter Mandelson has been appointed by Gordon Brown as some kind of economic guru, but Mandelson is a Tory, yes, he masquerades as "New Labour", he invented the name to distance Labour from any hint of being a socialist party, he is, and has been, part of the problem, a Thatcher worshiper who wines and dines with the super-rich and his Tory friends on their luxury yachts where he has no difficulty forgetting the Labour heartlands and ordinary working class people who propelled him to power, he just wants to mend the broken system on the backs of working people everywhere so that he and his rich friends can continue as normal and do it all again. One such friend of Mandelson's is Tony Blair former Prime Minister and consultant to the banking group J P Morgan.

Unless and until we discard the rotten Victorian system which Thatcher returned us to in the 1980s and create a new kind of society based on the socialist principles espoused by our union throughout its history we are destined to repeat the mistakes of the past all over again.

By Chris Kitchen
NUM National & Yorkshire Area Secretary

The Great Credit Card Contrick!

The Great Credit Card Contrick!

THE con-trick of easy credit made available over the past decade or so by way of a plethora of credit cards has hidden the real problem that working people face in their daily lives. It is so easy to blame people for getting into debt as a result of using that little plastic card they have in their pockets or handbags but in reality they camouflage the low-wage economy in which we live.

Low wages have been subsidised by credit card borrowing which has had a number of major effects - people have subsidised their own wages, increasing profits and therefore massive pay awards to the rich - people's real incomes have been disguised through the ability to obtain easy credit and consumer spending in the high street continued to rise regardless of the contradictions posed by this Alice in Wonderland economic system which was eventually bound to collapse.

Furthermore, working people have had to pay back that part of their income that they have had to borrow, and pay it back with interest. It is this simple low wages easy credit contrick that has fuelled massive profits for a few and poverty, debt and misery for many.

Now people are left with massive debts, low wages or unemployment as the credit driven economy goes bust, of course, people's real incomes could never continue to subsidise their borrowed income indefinitely. We must not make the mistake of blaming ordinary hard working people for getting into this debt because that excuses the real culprits behind the financial collapse.

Another element to the con-trick is to have us believe that it is only something called the sub-prime market in America that is to blame. The so called "credit crunch" is much more about the whole system of allowing credit to finance low wages or meagre incomes in terms of pensions or benefits.

Mervyn King, Governor of the Bank of England made this very point talking to so-called business leaders in Leeds:

"So, taken together," he said, "the combination of a squeeze on real take-home pay -and a decline in the availability of credit poses the risk of a sharp and prolonged slowdown in domestic demand."

Not that he is worried about low wages only the effect that a slowdown in domestic demand caused by credit restrictions will have on profits.

The answer is not for the poor to subsidise the rich with billions of pounds in handouts to this bunch of scroungers who run the banks. The answer is the end of the low-wage economy and credit card dependency but that, as Mervyn King recognises, would hit the pockets and profits of the fat cats that created this mess.

Another essential ingredient that was needed to carry out the contrick was the shackling of trade unions by repressive laws to stop them representing and fighting for fair wages for their members. It is time that those antitrade union laws were repealed. It is not the job of trade unions to save the fat cats at the expense of working people and their families.

WILDCAT BANKERS

Politicians from all three main parties, and indeed all around the world, are expressing their disgust at the risk averse wildcat gambling of the bankers. Nick Leeson, who brought down the Barings bank in 1995 by his irresponsible gambling, was chased around the world arrested and sentenced to six and a half years imprisonment.

Those who have caused the unprecedented collapse of the world's banking system have so far escaped without charge and remain at large to do the same thing again with billions of pounds of our money financing their obscene pension pots.

The simple answer is to take the banks into public ownership instead of handing over billions and billions of pounds of our money so that they can say "Oh thanks" and then just run off with it.

Political Cartoons

Communist Party of Great Britain (Marxist-Leninist)

The Communist Party of Great Britain (Marxist-Leninist) is a British anti-revisionist communist political party.

The party was set up in July 2004 by a group of communists who had either been expelled or had resigned from Arthur Scargill's Socialist Labour Party. Many of them had previously been members of the Association of Communist Workers.

The CPGB-ML adheres to Marxism-Leninism as developed by Marx, Engels, Lenin and Stalin. They consider that, after the death of Stalin, revisionists in the Communist Party of the Soviet Union leadership undermined socialism to the point where the Soviet Union collapsed. It is especially opposed to imperialism and to whit support the Irish Republican movement, the Iraqi Resistance, Cuba, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and the Zimbabwe African National Union - Patriotic Front. The party places emphasis on the importance of theory and education, as "it is incumbent upon all those who are serious about abolishing imperialism to study and master the science of Marxism-Leninism – not in dry abstraction or as an intellectual exercise, but in order that they learn to apply it to the ever-changing situation in which they operate; in order to arm themselves with a guide to practice, without which the working class will never free itself from the chains of capitalist slavery.

It publishes the bi-monthly journal Proletarian.

Although the party is relatively new, many of its members have been active in the communist and/or workers' movement for decades. The party Chair, Harpal Brar, has been editor of the Marxist-Leninist journal Lalkar (formerly the organ of the Indian Workers Association (GB)) since 1979 and has written books on many aspects of imperialism.

Many CPGB-ML members are also active in the Stalin Society.


Founded 2004
Headquarters UK
Ideology Communism,Anti-Revisionist Marxism-Leninism
International affiliation none
Official colours Red, White

Website
http://www.cpgb-ml.org/

Socialist Labour Party (UK)

The Socialist Labour Party (SLP) is a small left-wing political party in the United Kingdom. According to accounts filed for the year of 2007 with the Electoral Commission, it had 3,020 members and 2,978 members through affiliates, making a total of 5,998. It had an income of about £19,400 and an expenditure of about £14,400

Formation

The SLP is led by former trade union leader Arthur Scargill, who formed it in 1996. The party was formed as a left-wing splinter in reaction to Tony Blair's re-positioning of the British Labour Party. The party advocates traditionally Socialist policies, such as state ownership of industry and high taxation to fund public services and initially attracted well known trade union figures such as Mick Rix and Bob Crow. Despite its declared reformism the SLP was initially entered by revolutionary groups such as the Communist Party of Great Britain (Provisional Central Committee), the Revolutionary Democratic Group, the Association of Communist Workers, the International Bolshevik Tendency and the Economic and Philosophic Science Review. Scargill's distrust of such organisations and dislike of Trotskyists resulted in expulsions described as the 'voiding' of membership. Scargill was initially more willing to work with organisations such as the Economic and Philosophic Science Review group and the Fourth International Supporters Caucus although both groups were later expelled.

Electoral performance

At the 2001 general election the party took about 3% of the vote in seats it stood in. It did not contest the 2004 European Elections; its candidate for the Leicester South by-election gained less than 1% of the vote.

The party seems to be on the wane electorally, garnering fewer votes than it used to, although it did manage to get its highest percentage share in any individual parliamentary constituency at the 2005 general election when it took 14.2% of the votes cast in Glasgow North East. However, the absence of a Labour Party candidate in Glasgow North East (following the convention that the main parties do not stand against a sitting Speaker of the House of Commons) where Michael Martin was re-standing, was a probably a major factor in achieving 14.2% of the vote.

Internal conflicts

The SLP's difficulties have in part stemmed from a number of internal conflicts resulting in the resignation or expulsion of a number of leading members. Ideological conflict between those members seeking to develop a rigid Marxist-Leninist party and those committed to Scargill's original vision of a more leftist Labour Party grew more pronounced over time. This culminated in the expulsion of the pro-Stalin group around Harpal Brar who then formed the Communist Party of Great Britain (Marxist-Leninist). While the numbers in this group were relatively small they were among the most active members of the SLP, particular in its London-based youth group. Scargill himself has become more politically outspoken, defending Stalin.


Leader Arthur Scargill
Founded 1996
Headquarters 9 Victoria Road, Barnsley, South Yorkshire. S70 2BB.
Ideology Socialism, Euroscepticism international = none
European affiliation none
European Parliament Group no seats
Official colours Red

Website

http://www.socialist-labour-party.org.uk/

Political Cartoons

British National Party

The British National Party (BNP) is a far-right and whites-only political party in the United Kingdom. The party is not represented in the Parliament of the United Kingdom. In the 2005 UK general election, the BNP received 0.7% of the popular vote, giving it the eighth largest share of the vote, although it was fifth overall among English seats. In the 2007 Welsh Assembly Election, it came fifth in terms of votes for the regional lists with 4.3% of the vote, winning no seats. The BNP also finished fifth in the 2008 London mayoral election with 5.23% of the popular vote, as well as electing Mayoral candidate Richard Barnbrook to the London Assembly.

According to its constitution, the BNP is "committed to stemming and reversing the tide of non-white immigration and to restoring, by legal changes, negotiation and consent the overwhelmingly white makeup of the British population that existed in Britain prior to 1948." The BNP also proposes "firm but voluntary incentives for immigrants and their descendants to return home."

It advocates the repeal of all anti-discrimination legislation, and restricts party membership to "indigenous British ethnic groups deriving from the class of ‘Indigenous Caucasian’". The BNP also accepts white immigrants that are assimilated into one of those ethnicities.

The BNP asserts that there are biological racial differences that determine the behaviour and character of individuals of different races, although it also claims that it does not regard whites as superior to other ethnic groups. The party claims that preference for one's own ethnicity is a part of human nature. Its publicity has often conflated Islam with Marxism.

Historically, under John Tyndall's leadership, the BNP was overtly anti-Semitic; however, under the current leadership of Nick Griffin, the BNP has focused on criticism of Islam. The party has said that it does not consider the Jewish, Hindu or Sikh religions to have a significantly detrimental or threatening effect, although it does not accept practising Sikhs or Hindus as culturally or ethnically British. The party does however have members with Jewish ancestry. The BNP has been known to work with extremist Hindu and Sikh groups opposing Islam, and has actively tried to win Jewish votes.

The BNP is rebuked and ostracised by mainstream politicians, and the party has been strongly criticised by Labour Prime Minister Gordon Brown, former Labour Prime Minister Tony Blair, Conservative Party leader David Cameron and former Liberal Democrats leader Sir Menzies Campbell.

History

The current use of the name British National Party is its fourth appearance in British politics. The original BNP emerged during World War II when a handful of former members of the British Union of Fascists took on the name. This group would later become known as the English National Association. A second British National Party also emerged in 1960 and went on to form a part of the National Front (NF). Around 1970, Eddy Morrison briefly attempted to organise a group of this name in Leeds but he quickly abandoned the idea to join the NF.

Founding of the modern BNP

The current BNP has its roots in the New National Front, founded in 1980 by John Tyndall, a former chairman of the National Front. In 1982, the New National Front and a faction of the then-disintegrating British Movement led by Ray Hill merged to form the new British National Party. Tyndall was elected leader and Hill became his deputy, with much of the early funding provided by Tyndall's father-in-law, Charles Parker.

In 1983, in its first general election, the party sponsored 53 candidates; three more than was required to obtain a Party Election Broadcast on television. The broadcast was transmitted on 31 May and consisted of Tyndall, flanked by two Union Flags, speaking to a camera. Images of the Brixton riot were shown as Tyndall's speech was broadcast. One observer noted that the "emphasis was less heavily anti-black... than the National Front's". The giving of television time to the BNP was controversial, and was debated on Right to Reply on Channel 4. During the campaign, Tyndall stated that the only significant differences between the BNP and the National Front lay in the fact that his party would bar homosexuals from high office, and he said that he was hopeful that the two parties could reunite.

The party's candidates won 14,621 votes in that election. The BNP's average vote was less than the National Front, and in the two constituencies where both parties stood candidates, the NF was clearly more popular. However, unbeknown to the BNP, Ray Hill was actually working for the group Searchlight, and observers have suggested that the party's relatively low profile in its early years may have been related to his sabotage.

The increase in the deposit required of parliamentary candidates hindered the party during the 1987 general elections, when it had only two candidates. The first time that the BNP attracted widespread attention was the Dewsbury riot of Summer 1989. Around a thousand people took part in a 'Rights for Whites' demonstration after some white parents in Dewsbury had been trying to withdraw their children from racially-mixed schools.

1990s

After some financial troubles, the party's national headquarters were established at Welling in south-east London in 1989. In the early 1990s, the party saw a growth in popularity mainly in London and the urban south east, and especially in the borough of Tower Hamlets where perceived increasing immigration from Bangladesh in an area of housing pressure led to the campaign "Defend Rights for Whites" (a campaign directed by Eddy Butler). At two local council by-elections in 1990, the party came in third, and on 1 October 1992 the party won 20% of the vote in the Millwall ward.

A second by-election in Millwall in September 1993 saw a renewed BNP campaign to take the seat. The party obtained its first councillor, Derek Beackon, by a majority of seven votes. Although Beackon was able to achieve little on the council before the full council elections (in which he lost his seat, after a successful anti-fascist campaign), the by-election win led to a great increase in publicity for the party.

The party headquarters site became a venue for anti-fascist protesters who linked its presence to racial crimes in the surrounding area. A near-riot ensued on 16 October 1993 when the police forced a 15,000 anti-BNP protest march to change its route away from outside the party building. 31 people were arrested and 19 police officers were injured.


Anti-semitism and Holocaust denial

The BNP, its former leaders and present leader, Nick Griffin, have promoted anti-semitism and Holocaust denial or revisionism in the past. In 1996, writing in his own publication, The Rune, Griffin stated that:

I am well aware that orthodox opinion is that six million Jews were gassed and cremated or turned into soup and lampshades. I have reached the conclusion that the 'extermination' tale is a mixture of Allied wartime propaganda, extremely profitable lie, and latter witch-hysteria.

The following year, during a Cook Report documentary he stated:

There is no doubt that hundreds, probably thousands of Jews were shot to death in Eastern Europe, because they were rightly or wrongly seen as communists or potential partisan supporters. That was awful. But this nonsense about gas chambers is exposed as a total lie.

In 1988, The Sunday Times revealed that Holocaust News, a publication that claimed the holocaust was an "evil hoax", was being published by the BNP's then deputy leader, Richard Edmonds, on behalf of a BNP front organisation, the Centre for Historical Review, and distributed by members. John Tyndall, the party's leader, said he was not involved in the publication but that it had his full support.

The 2002 Channel 4 documentary Young, Nazi and Proud featured hidden-camera footage of the then BNP youth leader Mark Collett stating his admiration for Adolf Hitler, and stating "I'd never say this on camera, the Jews have been thrown out of every country including England. It's not just persecution. There's no smoke without fire." It also featured footage of visitors to the party's annual 'Red White and Blue' festival, some of whom wore the legend "88" (code for HH, "Heil Hitler"). Collett resigned from the party after the documentary's filming, but rejoined shortly afterwards, with Nick Griffin's approval, on the condition that Collett changed his views on the subject.

In 2006, the party's deputy chairman Scott McLean was shown on the TV documentary "Nazi Hate Rock" making Hitler salutes at a white-supremacist cross-burning ceremony where intensely racist songs were sung and jokes made about Auschwitz.

The BNP claims that it has now cast off "the thinly veiled anti-Semitism" and states that the party has Jewish members, and one of its councillors, Pat Richardson (Epping Forest), is herself Jewish.

Nick Griffin

Griffin leadership

Nick Griffin joined the BNP in 1995. In 1999, he replaced Tyndall as BNP leader after a contested leadership election. Once comfortably in position, Griffin began a programme of modernising the BNP's image, rephrasing the policy of the compulsory repatriation of non-whites and rewording it as a "firm encouragement" for voluntary repatriation.

In the 2002 local elections, the BNP won 3 seats in Burnley and averaged 20% of the votes where it positioned councillors. The party was accused, however, of exploiting the high tensions in areas that had recently undergone racially-motivated riots.[52]

Increasing electoral success led to increased scrutiny from the press. In The Secret Agent, a BBC documentary broadcast on 15 July 2004, filmmaker Jason Gwynne went undercover and joined the BNP for six months. His secret filming recorded party leader Nick Griffin calling Islam a "wicked, vicious faith". In his speech, Griffin also stated that "For saying that, I tell you, I will get seven years if I said that outside", referring to the maximum sentence for the criminal offence of incitement to racial hatred.

The day after the documentary was broadcast, Barclays Bank froze, then suspended, the BNP's bank accounts. The BNP's response to the programme was that it had featured "the loudest and most hot-headed BNP activists [who] were deliberately plied with drink and subject to suggestive provocation". Griffin did not apologise for his own comments, stating that "it's still not illegal to criticise Islam". He and BNP member Mark Collett were subsequently tried and acquitted of incitement to racial hatred.

In September 2007 The Daily Telegraph newspaper reported that Hitwise, the online competitive intelligence service, said that the "website run by the far right British National Party is the most visited website of any UK political party, with more hits than all other parties put together, a survey has found."

Nick Griffin and Mark Collett leave Leeds Crown Court on 10 November 2006 after being found not guilty of charges of incitement to racial hatred at their retrial.

2000s

The party has positioned itself against Islam, which Griffin has repeatedly called "wicked and vicious". In the wake of the 7 July 2005 London bombings, the BNP released leaflets featuring images of the bombed Route 30 bus and the slogan "Maybe now it's time to start listening to the BNP." This move was criticised by the conservative Daily Mail as playing on people's high emotions and grief following a horrendous attack.

On 21 July 2005, Griffin and BNP activist Mark Collett pleaded not guilty at Leeds Crown Court to four and eight charges, respectively, of incitement to racial hatred. The charges resulted from the BBC documentary The Secret Agent (see above). Preparing for a possible conviction, Griffin nominated West Midlands organiser Simon Darby as his temporary replacement if he were imprisoned. John Tyndall died three days before he was due to give evidence in court. Eventually, Griffin and Collett were each acquitted of half of the charges against them with no verdict delivered on the remaining charges. The Crown Prosecution Service announced that it would pursue a retrial on the remaining charges; Griffin and Collett were also cleared of these. They used the result of the trial to criticise the BBC. Following the trial, the possibility of tightening race hate laws has been discussed.

Apparently connected to the BNP's opposition to mixed raced relationships, regional organiser Kenneth Francis, of Newham, East London, was expelled from the BNP in April 2002 after it was revealed that his girlfriend was an Ecuadorian asylum seeker.

After the Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy, the BNP republished one of the cartoons of Muhammad on a leaflet, accompanied by a photo of Muslim demonstrators holding placards bearing murderous anti-British slogans and a "Which one do YOU find offensive?" caption.

Events in the run up to the 2006 local elections seemed to show an increase in support for the BNP, with research carried out by the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust, showing that, in the parts of England where the BNP put most of its resources, one in four voters was considering voting BNP with the figure at one in five in parts of London.

A government minister in the Department for Work and Pensions, Margaret Hodge, also highlighted the increase in support by saying that eight out of ten white working class people in her London constituency of Barking were "tempted" to vote for the BNP. The increase in support for the BNP was described by some as a protest vote due to voter alienation with the three mainstream parties (Labour, Conservatives, and the Liberal-Democrats). The increase in support for the BNP was notably demonstrated by a poll released by YouGov, a British polling firm, that indicated that the BNP vote had reached 7% in the wake of media attention, a more than tenfold increase over the previous general election.

A YouGov poll in April 2006 found that the majority of Britons agreed with many BNP policies, when unaware they were associated with the BNP. 59% supported the halting of all further immigration, and average support for the BNP propositions cited in the poll among those who did not know they were associated with the BNP was 55%. Most of the statements put, however, coincided with views also put forward by other political parties. There were also certain BNP propositions which were strongly opposed by those polled, including non-white citizens being inherently "less British", and the party's policy of encouraging the "repatriation" of ethnic minorities. Support also fell among those who were told that the policies were those of the BNP.

On 5 May 2006, the results of the 2006 local elections were reported by the BBC and showed a marked increase for the BNP. Before the elections, the BNP was estimated to have held only about 20 local political seats, but the party presented about 350 candidates, of whom 33 were initially declared to be winners and a further 70 were placed second. This more than doubled the seats held by the BNP on district, borough and city councils, taking the total to 46 (out of around 21,000 such seats in the UK). It also gained a handful of seats on parish councils, giving it a total of around 53 all told. Also noteworthy is the fact that the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham became, according to many newspapers, the first council in the United Kingdom to have the BNP as the second-biggest party.

In the run-up to local elections in May 2007, the BNP predicted that it would again double its councillors, which would have taken the total to around 100. However, in the event it made only small gains and also suffered significant losses, so that the net increase was only one seat. From this peak of 47 councillors on local authorities, the number of BNP councillors fell slowly through the rest of 2007 due to resignations and expulsions, several of them associated with a failed leadership challenge in the summer. By the end of the year the number had sunk to around 42.

The Guardian’s infiltration

On 21 December 2006 the Guardian newspaper revealed that one of its journalists, Ian Cobain, had worked undercover in the BNP for seven months, and had become the party's central London organiser. Amongst the accusations made by the paper was that the BNP used "techniques of secrecy and deception… in its attempt to conceal its activities and intentions from the public". It asserted that the BNP operated with a "network of false identities" and organised rendezvous points to allow members to be directed to "clandestine meetings" elsewhere. Members of the party were directed to avoid "any racist or anti-semitic language in public". Cobain also claimed that the membership in central London had expanded beyond the party's traditional range, now including "dozens of company directors, computing entrepreneurs, bankers and estate agents, and a handful of teachers".

In the aftermath of The Guardian’s report, campaign group Unite Against Fascism called for the 'BNP ballerina' Simone Clarke to be dismissed from the English National Ballet, with UAF vice-chair Weyman Bennett claiming her views on immigration were "incompatible with a leading arts institution such as the English National Ballet" and that she had "used her position to support a party which fosters division". However, Clarke defended her personal political opinion, stating that "the BNP is the only party to take a stand [against immigration]".

The BNP was investigated by the Electoral Commission on 12 April 2007 after The Guardian revealed that senior figures in the BNP had set up a front organisation in an attempt to raise money from sympathisers in the United States.

2007 split

In December 2007, an internal dispute led to the resignation or expulsion of more than 60 of the party's local and national officials.

Several of its leading officials, including Councillor Sadie Graham and Kenny Smith (Head of Administration), had pressed for some months for the expulsion of three other senior officials—John Walker (National Treasurer), Dave Hannam (Deputy Treasurer) and Mark Collett (Director of Publicity)—who they accused of having brought the BNP into disrepute (the BNP later accused Graham and Smith of being "far left" infiltrators). In December, frustrated by the failure of disciplinary proceedings, Graham and Smith launched a blog called 'enoughisenoughnick' detailing their complaints against the trio. In response, Graham and Smith were swiftly dismissed from their positions by Nick Griffin. During the dispute which followed, members of BNP Security seized a computer from Graham's home; Griffin claimed that they were recovering party property, while Graham claimed that it was her own.

A large number of BNP officials then resigned in support of Smith and Graham or were expelled. These included the head of the Young BNP, the head of BNP Security Training, the National Fundraiser Bev Scott, the head of the party's merchandising operation Excalibur, the editor of the party's website and 5 out of the 13 regional committees of the BNP. The leadership of the BNP asserted that the significance of the dispute was exaggerated and that it would quickly blow over. In late December 2007, the dissidents began to refer to themselves as the 'Real BNP'. They claimed that they would stay within the BNP and campaign for a change of leaders.

In January 2008 the group launched a new website called 'Voice of Change — A New Dawn For the British National Party'. announcing that "Voice of Change is an umbrella group to assist candidates who wish to stand as independent nationalists in the local elections in May 2008 and in any local by-elections throughout the year." They aim to challenge Nick Griffin's leadership, calling him "tyrannical", "arrogant" and stating that he is surrounded by "yes men". They did not directly disclose any policy differences with Mr. Griffin.

2008 membership list leak

On 18 November 2008, a membership list was leaked in breach of a court injunction. It contains details of more than 10,000 members, with the names, home addresses and sometimes telephone numbers and e-mail addresses of BNP members including senior party officials, people aged under 18 (as parts of family membership), teachers, doctors, serving and former members of the military, police and prison officers (since 2004, police officers have faced dismissal if found to be members of the BNP), civil servants and members of the clergy, as well as people asking for discretion, due to employment concerns. At least one of those named had already disavowed his membership. The BNP-backed trade union Solidarity has stated that anyone concerned that they will be victimised at work on account of appearing on the list will receive immediate protection upon joining. It has condemned those who are seeking to encourage such harassment and warned bosses that they will face immediate action if they act in breach of human rights and/or employment law. Nick Griffin has claimed that any party member dismissed from employment will be able to receive substantial compensation, although this has not been the case in any previous court cases. The BNP advised those named on the list to deny their membership and said that they would confirm that in writing if required.

People affected by the disclosure include a Merseyside police constable, Steve Bettley, whose superiors suspended him pending an investigation. The Chief Constable said that BNP membership is "totally incompatible with the duties and values of Merseyside police." Bettley was dismissed four months later.

Also named was DJ Rod Lucas. Lucas was dropped by talkSPORT, but defended his membership as being part of his research, saying that "I am an investigative radio journalist and am a member of over 20 political parties and pressure groups. ...It doesn't necessarily mean I agree with their views." A drama teacher at a prep shool whose name was found on the list was revealed to have been a presenter in BNP videos and to have lectured BNP activists in public speaking, and had been dismissed from a previous position as a result of her BNP membership.

Following an investigation by Welsh police and the Information Commissioner's Office, two people in Nottinghamshire were arrested for breach of the Data Protection Act concerning the leak.

2009 European Elections

In light of the Disclosure of expenses of British Members of Parliament and resultant voter apathy fallout, it was postured by the media and commentators that the BNP could do well in the polls, as voters sought an alternative party to register their protest. The BNP launched their advertising vehicle, which they called the "Truth Bus," around the themes of "British Jobs for British Workers" and quoting from BNP members as to why they had joined the party. In May 2009, The Sunday Mirror revealed that the photographs used were stock collection, with the models having posed for a general photo agency shoot in Portland, Oregon; another shot on the truck quoting a Doctor on the NHS is also an American stock photo; while the OAP's were the Italian parents of the British resident photographer. Distributed in leaflet form by the Royal Mail, Plaid Cymru MP Adam Price said: “These leaflets hideously misrepresent the views of the people photographed. I believe they have breached the guidelines set out for electoral communications and I call on the Royal Mail to stop distribution immediately.”


British Army Gurkhas & Lance Corporal Johnson Beharry VC

The BNP is opposed to allowing veteran British Army Gurkhas the right of settlement in the United Kingdom. On 12 May 2009, in an radio broadcast on BBC's Five Live, the BNP's leader, Nick Griffin, told presenter Nicky Campbell that on the issue of allowing retired Gurkhas the right to settle in Britain: "We don't think the most overcrowded country in Europe, can realistically say, 'Look, you can all come and all your relatives.' Griffin went on to say, "When the Gurkhas signed up - frankly as mercenaries - they expected a pension which would allow them to live well in their own country.".

On 17 May 2009, the Telegraph newspaper reported that the BNP's leader, Nick Griffin, had branded Lance Corporal Johnson Beharry VC, a black British Army receipient of the Victoria Cross, who was born in Grenada, an "immigrant" whose bravery was simply "routine". The Telegraph alleged that the BNP website called Lance Corporal Beharry VC's award of the Victoria Cross "positive discrimination by the PC-mad government". Lance Corporal Beharry VC had, amongst other acts of bravery, been awarded his Victoria Cross in 2005 for action in Iraq, when he returned to his burning armoured personnel carrier three times, under sustained enemy fire, to lift out his wounded British Army commrades from the vehicle."

Policies

Since Griffin took over its leadership, the BNP has become less publicly extreme, promoting similar policies to the Euronationalist approach adopted by a number of far right European counterparts, such as the Austrian Freedom Party set up by Jörg Haider.

The BNP proposes to reintroduce corporal punishment, and to make capital punishment available for paedophiles, terrorists and murderers. In addition to increasing military defence spending, the BNP plans to reintroduce compulsory national service. The BNP proposes that citizens should keep a rifle and ammunition in their homes. It proposes "to end the conflict in Ireland by welcoming Eire as well as Ulster as equal partners in a federation of the nations of the British Isles".

Central to the BNP's domestic policies are greater share ownership and the establishment of worker co-operatives. The party advocates the provision of extra resources for "especially gifted children" and the reversal of closures of special needs schools. It has proposed that repossessed homes should become council houses, to prevent these being sold off cheaply to undercut private sellers, and to provide housing for those who need it.

The party supports animal welfare and environmental policies, supporting Greenpeace in its fight against Japanese whaling ships and the RSPCA's campaign against the docking of dogs' tails.


Racial and immigration policies

At its founding, the BNP was explicitly racist. In October 1990, the BNP was described by the European Parliament's committee on racism and xenophobia as an "openly Nazi party … whose leadership have serious criminal convictions". When asked in 1993 if the BNP was racist, its deputy leader Richard Edmonds said, "We are 100 per cent racist, yes". Founder John Tyndall proclaimed that "Mein Kampf is my bible". When Nick Griffin became chairman in 1999, the party began to change its stance with regard to racial issues. Griffin claims to have repudiated racism, instead espousing what he calls "ethno-nationalism". He claims that his core ideology is "concern for the well-being of the English, Scottish, Welsh and Irish ethnic nations that compose the United Kingdom".

The BNP publicly disavows any interest in white supremacy, which it defines as the "wish to rule over foreign peoples"; detractors[who?] consider this definition overly narrow. The BNP requires that all members must be members of the "Indigenous Caucasian" racial group. The party does not regard non-white people as being British, even if they have been born in the UK and are naturalized British citizens. Instead, Griffin has stated that "non-Europeans who stay", while protected by British law, "will be regarded as permanent guests".

The BNP is opposed to mixed-race relationships on the stated ground that racial differences must be preserved; it claims that when a white person produces a mixed-race child, "a white family line that stretches back into deep pre-history is destroyed." Nick Griffin stated: "… while the BNP is not racist, it must not become multi-racist either. Our fundamental determination to secure a future for white children is restated, and an area of uncertainty is addressed and a position which is both principled and politically realistic is firmly established. We don't hate anyone, especially the mixed race children who are the most tragic victims of enforced multi-racism, but that does not mean that we accept miscegenation as moral or normal. We do not and we never will".

The party does however have a half-Turkish Cypriot, half-English councillor in Lawrence Rustem. In 2006, Sharif Abdel Gawad, a grandson of an Armenian refugee (also of partial Greek ancestry), was chosen as a council candidate in Bradford. Sharon Ebanks, the BNP's first councillor in Birmingham, has denied claims made by her stepmother, Glenys, that Sharon is mixed race; her black father, Radwell Ebanks, having been born in Jamaica. BNP member Simone Clarke has a mixed-race daughter by a Cuban-Chinese dancer.

The BNP supported Leeds University lecturer Dr. Frank Ellis, who was suspended from his post after stating that the Bell Curve theory "has demonstrated to me beyond any reasonable doubt there is a persistent gap in average black and white average intelligence". Ellis called the BNP "a bit too socialist" for his liking and described himself as "an unrepentant Powellite" who would support "humane" repatriation. In April 2006, Sky News confronted the party's national press officer, Phil Edwards (it has been claimed that this is a pseudonym for Stuart Russell) with a tape of a telephone conversation the previous year. On the tape, Russell could be heard to say that "the black kids are going to grow up dysfunctional, low IQ, low achievers that drain our welfare benefits and the prison system and probably go and mug you." He responded: "If I thought I was going to be recorded ... I would not have used such intemperate language, but let’s be honest about it, the facts are there".


Anti-Islam focus

The party states that "The BNP has moved on in recent years, casting off the leg-irons of conspiracy theories and the thinly veiled anti-semitism which has held this party back for two decades. The real enemies of the British people are home grown Anglo-Saxon Celtic liberal-leftists ... and the Crescent Horde – the endless wave of Islamics who are flocking to our shores to bring our island nations into the embrace of their barbaric desert religion". It has described this as the "islamification" of Great Britain.

Consequently, the party has shifted allegiance in conflicts involving Israel. Its head of legal affairs, Lee Barnes, wrote on the party's website about the 2006 Lebanon War: "As a Nationalist I can say that I support Israel 100% in their dispute with Hezbollah. In fact, I hope they wipe Hezbollah off the Lebanese map and bomb them until they leave large greasy craters in the cities where their Islamic extremist cantons of terror once stood."

Nick Griffin has made it clear that this shift in emphasis is designed to increase the party's appeal. On one occasion, he stated, "We should be positioning ourselves to take advantage for our own political ends of the growing wave of public hostility to Islam currently being whipped up by the mass media". In a speech to local party activists in Burnley in March 2006, he said:

We bang on about Islam. Why? Because to the ordinary public out there it's the thing they can understand. It's the thing the newspaper editors sell newspapers with. If we were to attack some other ethnic group — some people say we should attack the Jews … But … we've got to get to power. And if that was an issue we chose to bang on about when the press don't talk about it … the public would just think we were barking mad. They'd just think oh, you're attacking Jews just because you want to attack Jews. You're attacking this group of powerful Zionists just because you want to take poor Manny Cohen the tailor and shove him in a gas chamber. That's what the public would think. It wouldn't get us anywhere other than stepping backwards. It would lock us in a little box; the public would think "extremist crank lunatics, nothing to do with me." And we wouldn't get power.

Suggested policies to help police this "threat to all of us" include a Muslim no-fly policy, which would ban Muslims from flying in and out of the UK. The BNP conducted a demonstration outside the offices of the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) to highlight what it regarded as biased coverage of the case of Gavin Hopley, a 19-year-old white man who was mugged and kicked to death by Asian Muslims in the street in Glodwick, Oldham, Greater Manchester, in February 2002.

Anti-homosexuality

The BNP has a policy of tolerance to homosexuality in private, but states that homosexuality "should not be promoted or encouraged". According to Gay.com in 2006, the BNP supports the re-criminalisation of homosexuality. The BNP opposed the introduction of civil partnerships in the United Kingdom. BNP spokesman Phil Edwards said homosexuality "is unnatural" and "does not lead to procreation but does lead to moral turpitude and disease". Alongside its suggestion that homosexuality "undermines social/marital cohesion by adding confusion", the BNP would make it unlawful to promote homosexuality and "return it to the closet where it belongs". The BNP is particularly worried about the possibility of homosexuality being promoted in schools.

In the run-up to the 2005 general election, it was reported that Richard Barnbrook, the BNP candidate for Barking, had produced and directed a homoerotic student art film in 1989. The story was picked up by the mainstream press after the 2006 local elections, when Barnbrook became a councillor and the BNP's London leader. Although some portrayed this as gay pornography, Barnbrook and the BNP claimed that the film was artistic, and about "sexuality, not homosexuality".

Mark Collett, former chairman of the Young BNP, described homosexuals as "AIDS Monkeys", "bum bandits" and "faggots" and said the idea of homosexuality was a "sickening thought". Articles published in the Sunday Times and Daily Mail have alleged that Nick Griffin has been involved in homosexual relationships with other BNP members, although he vehemently denies it.

Electoral performance

National parliaments

The BNP has contested seats in England, Wales and Scotland. Since 2002 the party has expressed interest in contesting elections in Northern Ireland and previously promised to stand candidates in the 2003 Assembly Election, 2004 European Election and 2005 local council elections but in each case failed to put forward candidates. No BNP candidate has ever won a seat as a Member of Parliament in the House of Commons. It has been noted that the UK's first-past-the-post system causes electoral difficulties for smaller parties such as the BNP whose support is not geographically concentrated in specific constituencies.

In the 2005 General Election, the British National Party stood 119 candidates across England, Scotland and Wales. Between those candidates the BNP polled 192,850 votes, gaining an average of 4.2% across the several seats it stood in, and 0.7% nationwide — more than treble its percentage at the 2001 election. In those seats in which the BNP stood, it was the fourth largest party. However, it did not stand nationwide, meaning that its national share of the vote was substantially lower than that of other minor parties and exit poll predictions of 3%.

In the 21st century, its electoral successes have generally come from winning former Labour voters and former Labour council seats.

General election performance

Year...Number.......Number...Percentage...Total...Change.....Average
.............of..............of.............of.............votes.....(percent-......voters
......Candidates.......MPs...........vote..................age points)......per
........................................................................................candidate
1983.........53.........0.........0.0.........14,621.........N/A.........276
1987.........2..........0..........0.0..........553...............0.0.........277
1992.........13.........0..........0.1.........7,631............+0.1.........587
1997.........56.........0..........0.1.........35,832...........0.0.........640
2001.........33.........0.........0.2.........47,129..........+0.1.........1428
2005........119.........0.........0.7.........192,746.........+0.5.........1620

Local government

In 2008, the BBC estimated the BNP had about 56 councillors. The party holds a London-wide seat on the London Assembly.

As with other minority parties in the UK, the majority of the BNP's electoral success has come in local government elections. The BNP's first electoral success came in September 1993, when Derek Beackon was returned as councillor for Millwall (in London) on a low turnout. He lost his seat in further elections the next year.

In the council elections of May 2002, three BNP candidates gained seats on Burnley council. This was interpreted in some quarters as an indicator of the mood of the British electorate (the BNP had fielded 68 candidates nationwide). In the council elections of May 2003, the BNP increased its Burnley total by five seats, thus briefly becoming the second-largest party and official opposition on that council, a position it narrowly lost soon afterwards after the resignation of a BNP councillor who had been disciplined by the party after unruly behaviour at the party's annual 'Red, White and Blue' festival. The BNP lost the subsequent by-election to the Liberal Democrats.

During these 2003 elections, the BNP contested a record 221 seats nationwide (just under 4% of the total available). It won 11 council seats in all, though Nick Griffin was unsuccessful in his attempt to gain a place on Oldham Metropolitan Council. In some areas, such as Sunderland, it contested all wards and failed to get a seat; in others areas such as Essex, parts of the Black Country in the West Midlands and in Hertfordshire it gained council seats.

Prior to the 2004 elections to the European Parliament, the BNP had stated that it believed it could win "between one and three seats" in the 2004 European Parliamentary elections. In fact, although its share of the vote increased to 4.9% (placing it as the sixth biggest party overall), it failed to win a single seat. The Party also hoped to pick up an increased share of the vote in the South West of England, where its strongly eurosceptic policies were believed to be most popular. However, in that region it gained only 3.0% of the vote. Given that parties with other lower total percentages of the vote, but a higher regional concentration of support, gained seats, its lack of a geographical stronghold can be seen as a disadvantage for the party.

The party's biggest election success to date was a gain of 52% of the vote in the Goresbrook ward of Barking on 16 September 2004. However, the turnout was just 29%, and the councillor Daniel Kelley retired just 10 months later, claiming he had been an outcast within the council. A new election was held on 23 June 2005, in which this time the Labour candidate gained 51% of the vote, and the BNP came second with 32%.

In the local elections on 4 May 2006, the BNP more than doubled its number of councillors, increasing the number from 20 to 52. The biggest gain was in Barking and Dagenham where the BNP won 11 of the 13 seats it contested. A twelfth seat was awarded to the BNP, following a High Court petition. The BNP also won 3 seats in Epping Forest, 3 in Stoke-on-Trent, 3 in Sandwell, 2 seats in Burnley, 2 in Kirklees, and single seats in Bradford, Havering, Solihull, Redditch, Redbridge, Pendle and Leeds. It was initially declared to have won the Birmingham seat of Kingstanding but this was due to a counting error that was subsequently overturned in court.

On 10 August 2006 the BNP gained its first parish councillor in Wales when Mike Howard of Rhewl Mostyn, Flintshire, previously an Independent, joined the BNP. Hence as of 10 August 2006, the party had 53 councillors in local government.

In the 2007 Scottish Parliament and Welsh Assembly elections the BNP fielded candidates. In the Welsh elections the party fielded 20 candidates, four in each of the five regional lists with party chairman Nick Griffin standing in the South Wales West region. It came fifth behind the major parties in some areas. It did best in north east Wales, polling 9% in Wrexham and 7% in both Alyn and Deeside and in Clwyd South. However, it did not win any seats in the Welsh assembly.

In the Scottish Parliament election the party fielded 32 candidates which entitled the BNP to public funding for its campaign and an election broadcast, prompting criticism from various groups. The BNP received about 1% of the vote and no seats.

In the UK local elections which took place on the same day as the Scottish and Welsh elections, the BNP fielded a record 754 council candidates, more than double the number the previous year. It won increased support in Windsor and Maidenhead but did not increase its number of councillors in Sandwell from 4 and saw its seats in Burnley reduced from seven to four. It won both Hugglescote and Whitwick - the first seats to be won by the BNP in Leicestershire. Before the poll, the BNP's declared aim was to double its number of elected councillors to around a hundred. In the event, it increased its net representation by just one councillor.


London Assembly and mayoral election, 2008

The Evening Standard reported at the beginning of April 2008 that Nick Eriksen, second on the candidates list for the London Assembly election and the party's chief London organiser, is the author of a far-right blog 'Sir John Bull'. On his blog, Eriksen says rape is a "myth" and claims women are like gongs as "they need to be struck regularly". Eriksen was removed as a BNP candidate because of these comments, but his position as a party official remains unclear.

BNP candidate Richard Barnbrook gained a seat in the London Assembly in May 2008, after gaining 5.3% of the vote in the mayoral election. Nationally, the BNP won over one hundred seats throughout the United Kingdom in the May 2008 local elections, which is less than 1% of the total number of seats available.

Alleged internal problems

The internal democracy of the BNP has been criticised by members for giving too much power to the Chairman and for not being widely available for the membership to consult. In 2007 a leadership challenge to Griffin by Colin Auty and previously by Colin Jackson resulted in resignations and expulsions of their supporters and 67 senior activists including many councillors resigning the whip after Councillor Nina Brown claimed that BNP Security had misled her into giving them the key to the home of fellow BNP councillor Sadie Graham in order to ransack it, searching for evidence of her support for Auty's leadership bid.

Smith's uncle Simon Smith was himself suspended for the racial content of his website, before leaving the BNP in 2007 after querying the accounts of the BNP Smith said of Luke Smith, who was awaiting sentencing at the time, for assault.“He was a lovely, lovely lad who, like a lot of people, was just too sensitive to exist in what is effectively an extremely cruel world."

In September 2007, Robin Evans, a BNP councillor in Blackburn, walked out of the party, then wrote a letter to his former colleagues denouncing it as a party of drug-dealers and football hooligans. Evans remains a councillor, describing himself as a "national socialist".

Another, BNP councillor, Maureen Stowe, in Burnley left the party after being repelled by its racist nature. She told the Guardian. "I became a BNP councillor, like most people who voted for me, by believing their lies," she says.

Terry Farr, a councillor in Epping, resigned to spend more time developing his business after a suspension for writing abusive letters to Trevor Phillips.

In October 2007, James Lloyd, a BNP councillor, was disqualified from Sandwell Council for not attending a single meeting in a six month period. This was attributed to business difficulties following the closure of his pub.

Structure

The chairman of the BNP has final say in all policy matters. There are then fifteen further members of the 'party leadership', who have responsibility for various areas of its operations. These executive positions work alongside the Advisory Council, the party's senior policy body. This group meets at least three times a year. Its role is to "inspect the party's accounts, ensuring proper conduct of the party's finances, and to act as a forum for the party's leadership to discuss vital issues and carve out the party's agenda". The Trafalgar Club is the party's fundraising arm.

The party is organised on a regional basis, with 12 regions, based upon the European Parliament constituencies within the UK, each with an organiser. The party also organises four groups that deal with specific areas of activity i.e. Land and People (which deals with rural affairs), Pensioners' Awareness Group, the Friends of European Nationalism (a New Zealand-based organisation) and the Ethnic Liaison Committee, which co-ordinates work with non-whites. The BNP also has 16 specifically defined party officials, with the current holders of the major offices being as follows:

Chairman - Nick Griffin
Deputy Chairman/National Press Officer - Simon Darby
Director of Administration - Kenny Smith
National Treasurer - John Walker
Editor of Identity - John Bean
Editor of Voice of Freedom - Martin Wingfield
Head of Publicity - Mark Collett
Head of Young BNP - Danny Lake
In addition Arthur Kemp is "head of the BNP’s education and training department" and "editor of the BNP’s website".

Legal issues

Claims of repression of free speech

The BNP claims that the mainstream media in the UK do not mention BNP policies, or make reference to statements made by the BNP, though this claim ignores its modest level of support at the national level. The BNP argues that NUJ guidelines on reporting racist organizations forbid journalists who are NUJ members from reporting uncritically on the party.

The BNP has encountered difficulties finding a company prepared to print its monthly publication Voice of Freedom. The Party acquired a printing press in the run up to the 2005 general election, thereby removing its dependency on external printing houses. In September 2005, 60,000 copies of Voice of Freedom, which had been printed in Slovakia, were seized by British police at Dover. The police later admitted this was a mistake and released the impounded literature shortly thereafter.

Party members sometimes conceal their affiliation, which can be deemed unacceptable by employers, unions and co-workers. Police officers are not allowed to be members of the BNP "or similar organisation[s] whose Constitution, aims, objectives or pronouncements may contradict the duty to promote equality". The prison service likewise prohibits membership of the BNP and similar organisations, because it considers them racist. A similar policy has been discussed in the Fire Brigades and Civil Service, but neither has implemented such a proscription. On 24 April 2007 an election broadcast (which was scheduled to air at 9:55PM) was pulled by BBC Radio Wales' lawyers, who believed that the broadcast was defamatory of the Chief Constable of North Wales Police, Richard Brunstrom. The broadcast was made available to download from the BNP's website.

Employment discrimination and other related controversies
BNP members have had various difficulties in employment.

In the case of ASLEF v. United Kingdom, the European Court of Human Rights overturned an employment appeal tribunal ruling that awarded a BNP train driver damages for expulsion. It found that the union the train driver belonged to was entitled to decide who could be a member, and that the UK was in breach of the European Convention on Human Rights in the way it had treated ASLEF. Through publications such as British Nationalist, the BNP has encouraged supportive trade unionists to be open about BNP membership. However, the only other case sparking controversy has been that of Clive Potter, an activist for Solidarity – The Union for British Workers. Potter was expelled from the union, and when he he took his case to the courts, the courts upheld the expulsion and the grounds were based on previous exclusion rather than BNP membership.

In another case, Robert Baggs claimed that he had been discriminated against because of "religion, or similar philosophical belief" after he was refused a job at a GP surgery. His main argument was that the employer was in violation of the Employment (Religious Discrimination) Regulations of 2003. The Employment Tribunal found that membership of the BNP was not a "similar" belief, and the case was rejected. Stuart Chamberlain of management consultants Gee Consult has advised that a similar case might be successful since the removal of the qualification "similar" from philosophical belief by an amendment in 2007. "Cases concerning claims made by British National Party’s (BNP) members that their fascist beliefs were similar to religious beliefs have previously been decided in favour of the employer or potential employer. Under the new law, a strong argument could be made to the contrary. However, this has yet to be tested and there is a clause in the regulations which provide that the beliefs of employees may be required to be in line with the "ethos" of the organisation.

Mr. Arthur Redfearn was a bus driver whose BNP membership was unknown to his employer, Serco, until he was elected as a councillor. He was dismissed as the employers were concerned that he might endanger their contract with a local authority to transport vulnerable people of various ethnicities from a day centre. The decision by the Employment Tribunal summarises: "where an employee who is a member of a racist group (in this case the BNP political party) is dismissed because of the danger that his continuing employment might lead to violence in the workplace, the dismissal can properly be regarded as being for legitimate health and safety reasons and will not be unlawful race discrimination." Redfearn had been represented by the BNP legal officer, Lee Barnes, who had argued at the Employment Tribunal that Redfearn had been racially discriminated against over his BNP membership because the BNP is a whites-only organisation and was treated unfairly in comparison to racist organisations who were non-white.

In 2002, a BNP candidate and Regional Organiser, Kevin Scott, was dismissed from the B&Q hardware store in Gateshead. Management said this was not due to his party membership but due to "low morale" amongst other staff who did not want to work with him and due to the numbers of calls from customers expressing their disapproval. Scott settled out of court for an undisclosed sum, although the BNP had pledged to support any action.

Organisations which ban BNP membership

Police

Membership of the BNP, C18 and the National Front in the police forces was specifically prohibited by David Blunkett, following an undercover TV exposure of racism in a police training centre. Despite this, Simon Darby has claimed that the BNP still has members who remain covert. Police authorities have taken this very seriously and Manchester Police Authority have viewed footage taken at BNP events in order to identify off-duty officers in attendance at a BNP St George's Day rally, wearing BNP badges and T-shirts, with the slogan "Love Britain or Fuck Off". A retired police officer, standing as a European Assembly candidate, Inspector Phazey, has said that he was a member in defiance of the prohibition and that other serving officers remained members. He denied that he was a racist or that the police were institutionally racist, saying;

Of course you heard words like Paki and nigger, but it didn't mean much more than someone saying Paddy for an Irishman or Jerry for a German. It was just the language of working-class blokes. There was a fair bit of leg-pulling but it was never malicious. I remember there was one officer who, whenever an Asian officer came into the room, would go, 'Coon, coon,' like he was making the noise of a pigeon. But it was a joke. It's like saying Paddies are as thick as two short planks or Jocks [i.e. Scots] are tight-fisted. It was just jokes in the canteen. You'll get that anywhere when you have men in their 20s and 30s together.

A Police Community Support Officer, Ellis Hammond, was found to be a BNP member after he was discovered stockpiling weapons at his home, including tasers.

After a recent leak of alleged BNP membership lists to the Internet, a number of police forces are investigating officers whose names appeared on the list.

In March 2009, Pc Steve Bettley, of Merseyside Police a policeman whose name was allegedly on the leaked list was dismissed, despite the Police misconduct panel reporting "the panel confirmed there was no evidence that Pc Bettley had ever displayed any racist views or discriminatory behaviour in the workplace.".

Prison service

A ban on BNP membership was imposed by Martin Narey, Director of the Prison Service in 2002. Narey told the BBC that he received hate mail and a death threat as a result.

Other professions

Bans on BNP membership in the probation service and the civil services have been under consideration. A proposal to ban the BNP from Dorset Fire Brigade, proposed by the management and the Fire Brigades Union, was turned down by the Fire Authority. The chairman of the BNP-linked trade union "Solidarity", Adam Walker, was dismissed by his college for accessing BNP websites and posting comments. He has been summoned to a hearing of the General Teaching Council, which could result in him being banned from working as a teacher in England. His brother, Mark Walker, was suspended from another college. His supporters told the press that he had also been suspended for accessing the BNP website and had been victimised because of his political beliefs. However, a report by the NSPCC found that "a substantial amount of emails indicating a sexual relationship between himself and a 17-year-old former Sunnydale student have been recovered from Mr Walker’s school laptop and the school server." The Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service has refused to act against a BNP council candidate, Ian Johnson, after he wrote in his election leaflets that he was a retained firefighter, despite Fire Brigades Union pressure to do so.

Liam Birch, a sociology student standing as a BNP council candidate for Southway was dismissed as assistant warden at Plymouth University, when his BNP membership was known via an internet blog concerning the Holocaust, in which he declared "The Jews declared war on Germany, not the other way round".

Simone Clarke was a principal ballerina at the English National Ballet and a deputy for the entertainer's union Equity. Clarke's membership of the BNP was unknown until exposed by an undercover Guardian journalist in 2006. Her performances were picketted by anti-fascists demanding her sacking. However the ENB refused to do so, as she had done nothing else to warrant this. She was supported by Equity.

In February 2009 the General Synod of the Church of England voted to ban its clergy from joining the BNP.


Association with violence

Historically the BNP has been associated in the public mind with violent protest and clashes with anti-BNP organisations. Critics of the BNP assert that a significant minority of elected BNP politicians have criminal records and that the party is more tolerant of the criminal actions of some of its members than other parties would be.

In the past, Nick Griffin has defended the threat of violence in furthering the party's aims. After the BNP won its first council seat in 1993, he wrote: "The electors of Millwall did not back a postmodernist rightist party, but what they perceived to be a strong, disciplined organisation with the ability to back up its slogan 'Defend Rights for Whites' with well-directed boots and fists. When the crunch comes, power is the product of force and will, not of rational debate." In 1997, believing he was addressing members of the French Front National, he said: It is more important to control the streets of a city than its council chambers." In January 1986, when Griffin was Deputy Chair of the NF, he advised his audience at an anti-IRA rally to use the "traditional British methods of the brick, the boot and the fist."

The BNP defends itself by arguing that over 20% of the working population has some criminal record or another and that a large proportion of MPs, councillors and activists in the other three main parties also have unsatisfactory past records.

A BBC Panorama programme reported on a number of BNP members who have had criminal convictions, some racially motivated. The BBC's list is extensive. Some of the more notable convictions include:

In 1998, Nick Griffin was convicted of violating section 19 of the Public Order Act 1986, relating to incitement to racial hatred. He received a nine-month prison sentence, suspended for two years, and was fined £2,300.
Kevin Scott, the BNP's North East regional organiser, has two convictions for assault and using threatening words and behaviour.
Joe Owens, now expelled but previously a BNP candidate in Merseyside and former bodyguard to Nick Griffin, has served eight months in prison for sending razor blades in the post to Jewish people and another term for carrying CS gas and knuckledusters.
Tony Wentworth, former BNP student organiser, was convicted alongside Mr Owens for assaulting demonstrators at an anti-BNP event in 2003.
Colin Smith, BNP South East London organiser has 17 convictions for burglary, theft, stealing cars, possession of drugs and assaulting a police officer.

Tony Lecomber cases

Tony Lecomber was jailed for possessing explosives in 1985, after a nail bomb exploded while he was carrying it to the offices of the Workers' Revolutionary Party; and again for three years in 1991, for assaulting a Jewish teacher who was removing a BNP sticker at a London Underground station. He was Propaganda Director of the BNP at the time of the latter conviction. He was Nick Griffin's key deputy in the party from 1999 until January 2006.) Nick Griffin has written of the latter conviction is that "in reality he defended himself after being attacked by a far-left thug who was a close comrade of the IRA 'active service unit' that planted the Harrod's Bomb" and that "Tony Lecomber is no longer even a member of the British National Party". Martin Webster and Joe Owens have both asserted that Lecomber's departure from the party followed his failed attempt to recruit Owens to murder members of the political establishment.

Robert Cottage case

In October 2006, Robert Cottage, a BNP candidate earlier in the year for election to represent Colne on Pendle Council, "was arrested under the Explosives Act on suspicion of possessing chemicals that may be capable of making an explosion."[209] Cottage was also reported as having possessed the largest quantity of explosives of its type ever found in this country. Cottage's party membership was said to have lapsed at the time of the arrest. An associate of Cottage, David Bolus Jackson, whom he had met at a BNP meeting was also arrested at this time.

The case came before Manchester Crown Court on 12 February 2007 where it was claimed by the prosecution that Cottage had plans to assassinate Tony Blair and Liberal Democrat peer Lord Greaves. Cottage pleaded guilty to one count of the possession of explosives, but denied the count pertaining to conspiracy to cause an explosion. Jackson pleaded not guilty. In a statement read in court by the prosecution counsel, Cottage's wife said that he believed that "civil war" was imminent in the UK.

The jury in the trial was unable to reach verdicts and the case was set for retrial in July 2007, when, once again, the jury failed to reach a verdict. The prosecution indicated that it would not seek a further retrial. On 31 July 2007, Cottage was sentenced to two and a half years imprisonment for the charge he had admitted of possessing explosives.


Opposition

The BNP is condemned by many sections of the mainstream media, including right-wing newspapers, such as the Daily Mail. Representatives of the three major mainstream political parties all condemn the BNP, although the party has taken council seats from them all in various areas. High-ranking politicians from each of the mainstream parties have, at various times, called for their own supporters to vote for anyone but the BNP.

Following pressure from Trevor Phillips, Chairman of the Commission for Racial Equality, the major parties stand candidates in seats that they are unlikely to win. This is designed to enhance the choice available to voters in the expectation that this will reduce the BNP vote.

In the run up to the May 2006 local council elections, Labour minister Margaret Hodge claimed that 8 out of 10 voters from her constituency were thinking of voting for the BNP. When the BNP subsequently took 12 seats on Barking and Dagenham Council, local Labour activists shunned her approach as demonstrably generating hundreds of extra votes for the BNP. She still urges her progressive base to argue against ignoring the politics of the nationalist movement.

Amongst the most visible and vocal opponents of the BNP and other far right-wing groups are Unite Against Fascism and Searchlight. Unite Against Fascism, which aims to unite the broadest possible spectrum to oppose the BNP and the far-right, includes the Anti-Nazi League (ANL), the National Assembly Against Racism (NAAR), and the Student Assembly Against Racism (SAAR). It also includes faith and community leaders and politicians from the Labour Party, the Conservative Party, RESPECT, the Liberal Democrats, the Green Party, the Socialist Workers Party and the United Kingdom Independence Party. Searchlight magazine has monitored the activities of the BNP and its members for many years, and has published many articles highly critical of them.

Some opponents of fascism[who?] call for no positive coverage to be given to groups or individuals enunciating what they describe as "hate speech". Such a tactic states that the BNP and similar parties should be ignored by both rival politicians and the media. A more militant position is that of "No Platform", which seeks to deny perceived fascist hate speech any sort of platform. The policy is most commonly associated with university student unions and debating societies, but has also resulted in BNP candidates being banned from speaking at various hustings meetings around the country.

Examples of the "no platform" policy being operated include:

Complaints directed at the Leeds Student newspaper after it published a full-page article/interview with Nick Griffin. The Leeds Unite Against Fascism (LUAF) group accused the publication of breaching Leeds University Students' Union 'No Platform' policy, whereby extremist organisations are prohibited from expressing their views on campus.
An invitation to Nick Griffin by the University of St Andrews Union Debating Society to participate in a debate on multiculturalism was condemned, then withdrawn after protests.
Examples of more direct action against the BNP include obstruction of BNP activists who set up stalls in shopping centres. For example, members of the Scottish Socialist Party in Edinburgh surrounded a BNP publicity stall, forcing it to close. Anti-Fascist Action is the group most associated with this sort of direct action, criticised by more liberal anti-fascists (for example in the Anti-Nazi League) as squadism.

The BNP claims that such cases exemplify how political correctness is being used to silence it and suppress its right to freedom of speech.

The Anti-Nazi League-organised group, Love Music Hate Racism, held a concert in Trafalgar Square ahead of the 2006 local elections, aimed at getting people not to vote for the BNP, which claimed 50,000 people attended, according to the organiser, while the The Daily Telegraph put the number substantially lower at just 3,000.

In May 2007 a presentation by Nick Griffin was organised by Danny Lake, Young BNP organiser and a politics student, to be held at the University of Bath. The University administration agreed to hosting the meeting on the grounds of freedom of speech, yet it was opposed by a sizable portion of the student and lecturer population. At a meeting of the Student Union a motion was passed to criticise the BNP and oppose the meeting, mainly due to the BNP's opposition to the Unions equal opportunities policy, the fact that the meeting was an invitation only event with no opposition debate and that it was to be held on the first day of the exam period. The University later withdrew permission for the event due to concerns over the large number of people opposing the meeting and possible disruption it could cause.

Affiliated organisations

Officially linked groups

The Trafalgar Club is the BNP fundraising club, and the name the party uses to book hotels and conference facilities.
The BNP Ethnic Liaison Committee is an organisation that people from ethnic minorities can join. The committee has joined with BNP members in staging demonstrations.
Great White Records is a record label launched in January 2006 that is described by the BNP as "a patriotic label." It launched a campaign to introduce British folk music to schoolchildren. Most of the songs were sung by Doncaster folk musician Lee Haggan, and were written by Nick Griffin.
Albion Life Insurance was set up in September 2006 as an insurance brokerage company on behalf of the BNP. Its stated aim is to "secure a robust financial situation for the BNP." The officers of Albion Life are all members of the BNP.
The BNP obtains funding from the sale of books and heraldic or Norse jewellery. These are usually sold through its Excalibur brand.

Political parties

The BNP and the French Front National have co-operated on numerous occasions. Jean-Marie Le Pen visited the UK in 2004 to assist launching the BNP's European Parliament campaign and Nick Griffin repaid the favour by sending a delegation of BNP officials to the FN's annual 'First of May Joan of Arc parade' in Paris in 2006. The BNP has links with Germany's National Democratic Party (NPD). Griffin addressed an NPD rally in August 2002, headed by Udo Voigt, who Gerhard Schroeder accused of trying to remove immigrants from eastern Germany. According to Stop the BNP, NPD activists have attended BNP events in the UK. In the run-up to the 2004 European Parliament election campaign, Nick Griffin visited Sweden to give the National Democrat Party his endorsement. Members of the Swedish National Democrats were present at the BNP's Red White and Blue rally, which took place over the weekend of 20-21 August 2005.

Alleged front organisations

Solidarity – The Union for British Workers Solidarity's president, Patrick Harrington, and the BNP both deny that Solidarity is a BNP front organization.

Civil Liberty (UK)

The Christian Council of Britain was set up by BNP members and supporters to organise Christians "in defence of traditional Christian values". Mainstream Christian groups have criticised the BNP for using Christianity to further its agenda.

Relations with neo-Nazi, terrorist and paramilitary groups

While Griffin was still a leading figure in the National Front, he was a close associate of Roberto Fiore, an Italian who, having fled to London, was convicted in absentia of belonging to the Nuclei Armati Rivoluzionari, a terrorist group that was alleged to have carried out the Bologna massacre, which killed 85 people and injured 200 others in a railway station. However, no connection to the bombing was ever proven, and the case is still open.

The group Combat 18 (C18), was formed in 1992 (although not originally under this name), to act as stewards for BNP rallies, which were often attacked by groups such as Anti-Fascist Action. C18's first publicly-acknowledged terror action was an incendiary attack on a Communist Party premises in March 1992. The BNP did not repudiate the attack until nearly two years later, when John Tyndall did so in an Organisers Bulletin on 14 December 1993. In his bulletin, Tyndall acknowledged that C18 had set itself up as "the disciplinary enforcement apparatus of the BNP", and claimed that C18 had been infiltrated by state informers. In 2002, Adrian Marsden was elected as a councillor for the BNP, having previously had his house raided by the Special Branch in raids on Combat 18 supporters in 1999.

When Tyndall was still chairman, the BNP's 1995 national rally was addressed by William Luther Pierce, the then-head of the US National Alliance. Pierce wrote the novel The Turner Diaries, allegedly an inspiration for Timothy McVeigh to carry out the Oklahoma city bombing which killed 168 people. The American Friends of the BNP, a party offshoot headed by Mark Cotterill, was still having extensive contacts with the National Alliance as recently as 2003; as documented at length by Nick Ryan in his book Homeland: Into A World of Hate.

Redwatch, a website that publicises the names and addresses of left-wing and anti-fascist activists — and which has led to death threats, harassment and a knife attack — was set up by ex-BNP member Simon Sheppard in 2001. The BNP has warned its members not to use the website.

David Copeland, who exploded nail bombs in the diverse communities of Brick Lane in the East End and Brixton and at the Admiral Duncan pub in the heart of London's homosexual community in Soho, was a former BNP member. Although the BNP distanced itself from Copeland, Griffin wrote in the aftermath of the bombing that homosexuals protesting against the murders were "flaunting their perversion in front of the world's journalists, [and] showed just why so many ordinary people find these creatures disgusting".

The BNP has been accused of attempting to assimilate the Loyalist paramilitaries in Northern Ireland

Griffin has urged white nationalists to join the BNP and use the ballot box instead of violence if only for the sake of their judicial activism. Openly neo-Nazi groups such as the British Peoples Party, Blood and Honour, and the November 9th Society naturally oppose the BNP.