Former BNP councillor brands Griffin greedy, BNP policies as 'foolish and dangerous'

You may remember the curious story of John Oddy, member of Bay of Colwyn Town Council (the equivalent of a parish council) and the former North Wales Organiser for the British National Party.

It was he who, back in May of this year, caused some embarrassment to the BNP when he and his two newly-elected colleagues Paul and Sue Harley, resigned at their very first council meeting less than a week after being co-opted (not elected) to their local council.

Nobody was quite sure why the Harleys had resigned but Oddy seemed to have stood down to avoid being kicked out, as we discovered the day after his resignation when this appeared in his local paper:

'A BNP town councillor was yesterday fined for using his mobile phone while at the wheel of his car.

Last October a police officer spotted John Oddy, 51, driving along the promenade at Colwyn Bay while using his phone, a court heard. Oddy, of West Promenade, Colwyn Bay, did not appear for the hearing before Llandudno magistrates but was found guilty and fined £100 with three penalty points and must pay £75 costs.

Oddy – driving a Jaguar – was “speaking about a media matter to a friend or colleague,” the court heard.'

Jaguars and BNP members are never a good combination - look at Clive Jefferson.

Now Oddy has joined the growing band of former BNP councillors who have chosen to speak out against the leader Nick Griffin. Sadie Graham, you may recall, described Griffin as a 'liar and coward', while Colin Auty referred to him as a ruthless 'crook and liar'. Former BNP town councillor in Oddy's neck of the woods, Pat Pattison, described the BNP as intolerably racist.

Oddy, writing on his blog, has a fair amount to say about the BNP, its not so glorious leader and its policies.

• The party has policies that are not only unworkable but foolish and dangerous.
• Do not forget the roots of the BNP lay in the National Front and so there are causes for concern there
• The present leadership of the party have cut their teeth on scandal and controversy, Nick Griffin, being a prime example.
• Nick Griffin...can no longer lead the party effectively
• [Griffin] carries too much baggage
• [He] has become too greedy
• [He] has scant regard for the real members.
• If the party wishes to loose the “Racist” stigma then they must also loose Nick and a few of his cronies...
• I would like to see a change of Party Leadership...'

Sadly, despite all this, Oddy announces that 'given the opportunity, yes I would vote for them'. Given his comments, we have to ask. Why?