March 30, 2009

BNP turns to deception as donation fatigue sets in

Sonia Gable investigates the BNP’s latest scam to get money out of its supporters

The fifth begging letter from the British National Party this year shows that the party may have reached the limit of its members’ and supporters’ financial resources and is resorting to yet more lies to fill its coffers.

The letter, printed on garish yellow paper and sent in the second week of March, was a second attempt to raise money for the party’s “Rapid Expansion Plan”. The party was “struggling due to unprecedented growth”, according to the first appeal sent out at the end of February. So many people were “flocking to the BNP” that “we cannot cope”. So “I need you to support the party’s ‘Rapid Expansion Plan’ NOW”, demanded Nick Griffin, the party leader, followed by three exclamation marks.

The BNP needed to win a seat in the European election but it also had to have a “telecommunications system” and a “central administration office to deal with the current huge increase in enquiries, party membership and organisational growth” and the “40,000 – 75,000” enquiries and membership applications that would result from the distribution of “over 30 million leaflets across the UK” over the next six months.

On and on the six-page letter went, bandying about the word “professional” and claiming that £85,150 was needed to cope with a projected 400% growth in the party’s “database” in the next six months.

And the money was needed quickly: Griffin needed “to put the orders in next week”. There was even a marketing brochure for the “professional communications system for medium-sized enterprises” that Griffin said he wanted to buy for £28,650, though nothing about how the BNP’s largely incompetent staff would ever learn how to use it.

Clearly the money was not forthcoming, not in a week or even three. And the problem would not go away. In fact between the February and March letters “we have become even more popular”, Griffin claimed, because of the party’s “massive victory in the Swanley council election”. Only a party with so few councillors could trumpet a single council by-election win as a massive national victory.

Griffin’s marketing consultant, Jim Dowson, must have advised him that outlining the political need for the desired equipment was all very well, but the appeal might work better if supporters thought they were getting a bargain and at the same time benefiting party members. “Normally, the set up costs for what we are doing would cost over £200,000,” the March letter said, “but by using companies owned by members and supporters we have cut the cost down to £85,150”.

The brochure that came with the February letter had one strange omission, the name of the company that was offering the “HiPath 3000” system the BNP wanted to buy. A search readily revealed a five-year-old brochure with an identical front page, except for the inclusion of the company’s name and website. The company was Siemens, the Germany-based global conglomerate operating in IT, communications, energy and many other industries. It was hardly a company owned by a BNP member.

A spokesperson for Siemens Enterprise Communications, which makes the HiPath system, said the company was completely unaware of the BNP’s use of its graphics in its campaign. The system was normally sold to customers through resellers, who would use Siemens’s product information in their own branded brochures. However resellers would not lift Siemens’s images and design in this way and would certainly not produce a brochure without their own name on it.

She also thought it strange that anyone would issue a brochure produced in 2004 for an old version of the communications system that is no longer sold.

So what is going on? Is Griffin afraid to admit that he wants to spend his members’ donations on a product from a German-owned company? Or is the brochure just window dressing, the supplier’s name omitted to make it easier for Griffin to fob members off with some second-hand second-rate equipment bought from Dowson or his ilk, just like the BNP’s “truth truck”, better known as the lie lorry.

Perhaps it is simply that the BNP is worried that any publicity will scare the reseller off. After all, nobody respectable wants to be seen doing business with the BNP.

Fed up

Even before the latest letter, BNP members and supporters were getting thoroughly fed up with the stream of letters from Griffin asking for donations to support this, that or other aspect of the BNP’s “growth” and its European election effort.

The year had barely started when Griffin’s “new year address” landed on hard-pressed supporters’ doormats, with a plea to contribute to the party’s “People’s Defence Fund”. The fund had been set up following the publication on the internet of the BNP members’ list last November, with the aim of raising money to “employ legal experts to defend those of our people suffering hardship, discrimination and persecution in their employment for being members of this party”.

The People’s Defence Fund also had a wider political purpose: to “give a bloody nose to all those little press creeps and the Lab/Tory/Lib Dem sycophants who have built careers on the back of attacking the BNP and our long-suffering people”.

The new year address followed six appeals in 2008 for the “Building to Grow fund”, the London election campaign, to buy the “truth truck” and to publish and distribute the outrageously racist Racism Cuts Both Ways pamphlet. Griffin claimed that all these appeals achieved “amazing results”.

Confident that his members and supporters had bottomless purses or a moronic level of financial acumen, Griffin did not even wait until January was out to launch the party’s appeal for funds to fight the European election. Headed “The Battle for Britain Commences”, it waxed lyrical on how winning “just one” seat in the European Parliament “would put us on the world stage and would lead to an avalanche of popular support throughout this country”.

Controversially a leaflet enclosed with the letter adopted the image of an RAF Spitfire, now revealed to be one flown by the celebrated 303 Squadron of the RAF, made up of Polish airmen rescued from France shortly before the Nazi occupation. The BNP has continued to use the image on its fundraising material in the face of ridicule and accusations of hypocrisy.

The leaflet invited supporters to attend the party’s “2009 European election campaign nationwide roadshow”, which promised “multi-media sound and vision”, speeches from “Chairman Nick Griffin and invited European mystery guest” as well as champagne reception, entertainment and light supper, all at a cost of £30. “I guarantee you will never have seen anything like this,” wrote Griffin.

The reality turned out a bit different. The European mystery guest never showed up and the “roadshow” encountered opposition from local people and last-minute venue cancellations wherever it went.

Hot on the heels of that exuberantly written appeal, full of bold text, underlining and italics, came a more personal and undated letter from Griffin asking supporters to make a standing order of “just £3.00 a week” to “save this country from destruction before it’s too late”.

It was recognition of how our HOPE not hate campaigning was hurting the BNP. “The Labour Party, the liberal media and a whole host of leftist fanatics, led by Searchlight, have now become so concerned about our success, that the latter has employed the services of the WORLD’S TOP campaigning team to prevent us from winning,” wrote Griffin. “Blue State Digital. They’re the team that co-ordinated Barack Obama’s campaign for the White House!

“Your £3 per week can help send Obama’s boys back to Washington with their tails between their legs,” claimed Griffin, after condemning them for being American. Griffin’s own longstanding connections with American nazis are of course quite different.

Those who have responded to these appeals may be regretting it. In January Mark Collett, the BNP’s head of publicity, had to admit responsibility for printing 700,000 “Euro warm up leaflets” without an official imprint, which meant they could not be distributed. We understand that dozens of BNP activists who could have been out canvassing are spending many hours peeling off thousands of tiny stickers to place on the leaflets as straight as they can manage.

The “HiPath 3000” brochure distributed by the BNP likewise has no imprint. Did Collett print that too, in bid to con BNP members into coughing up for their party once more?

* Since Searchlight went to press, the BNP has sent another begging letter, the sixth this year. This one purports to be the “Official Launch 2009 European Election Campaign Fund” – implying that all the fundraising to date, including the Battle for Britain tour, was in some way not official. It also claims that the “Rapid Expansion Plan” appeal succeeded in raising the required £85,000.

Hope not hate

30 comments:

Sadie Grahame :D said...

Donation fatigue set in ages ago for me.

Anonymous said...

Law of diminishing returns really.

So the cost of sending out these appeals must be getting to the stage where they exceed what is sent in.

If I was in the BNP I'd only ever donate to a local branch fund not HQ/Griffin

Flabby bastards said...

They look a right pair of rich porkers.

Wes said...

Is that Miss Piggy with Griffin?

iliacus said...

Dear God, he cuts an impressive figure in that photograph !!!

Has he got Collett stuffed down his shirt-front ??

I think we should be told .......

neowin said...

"scam to get money out of its supporters"

And looking at those two obese rich bastards, you can see why that phrase was used. Don't they look like the fat cats that got the cream.

Anonymous said...

What the fuck has that freak gor round her neck?

Anonymous said...

"What the fuck has that freak gor round her neck?"

Nick Griffin.

Mr Magoo said...

"What the fuck has that freak gor round her neck?"

Nick Griffin.

LOL

They do make a lovely couple though.

Green Gordon said...

Their church-roof appeal thermometer would indicate they have taken in 150k in 2 days...

http://www.democracyforum.co.uk/british-politics-other-parties/58916-bnp-website-raises-150-000-within-2-days.html

Although it hasn't gone up since...

Is there any way of finding out how much they HAVE taken?

seeker said...

Anonymous iliacus said...

Dear God, he cuts an impressive figure in that photograph !!!

Has he got Collett stuffed down his shirt-front ??

I think we should be told .......

7:53 PM, March 30, 2009

I'm sure your more likely to find Collette up Jackie's dress, Nicholarse has a little thing for watching his wife get F*£^") from the little weasel.

Anonymous said...

No doubt this will be more equipment rented to the party by Dowson - just like the truth truck!

Anonymous said...

"Their church-roof appeal thermometer would indicate they have taken in 150k in 2 days...

Although it hasn't gone up since..."

Thus suggesting that the BNP was lying and will continue to do so.

"Is there any way of finding out how much they HAVE taken?"

Not really. We might see in the annual report but can we believe ANYTHING we're told in the annual report?

Anonymous said...

"If I was in the BNP I'd only ever donate to a local branch fund not HQ/Griffin"

It wouldn't make much difference, the 'central office' routinely steals from the branches.

"Is there any way of finding out how much they HAVE taken?"

Probably not, iirc for the past two years the auditors won't approve their accounts, basically politely saying that they're fraudulent, so it's unlikely you'll ever know.

Anonymous said...

"She also thought it strange that anyone would issue a brochure produced in 2004 for an old version of the communications system that is no longer sold."

Its because the whole thing is another scam.

Anonymous said...

Those Accounts in Full:

2008 / 2009 OUTGOING COSTS

Staff Costs £1,000,000,000,000

Merchandising / Promotion £0.50

Leaflet Design Fees £2,000,000

55 Litre Drum Tippex £35.99

Hadjuk Split Season Tickets £450

Envelopes / Postage £95,000,000

Web Site / Multimedia Costs

Hosting £2.99
Domain £1.99
Content £2.50
Broadband £9.99

Satellite Subscription +add ons
*Two Girls in Tub (PPV) £4.99
*Up the Kybher Ass (PPV) £3.50

TOTAL OUTGOINGS ########## ERROR

INCOME

Membership Fees £25.00
Merchandising £50.00
Off the Book donations £2,000
Foreign Contributions £1,000
Personal Appearances £0.75
Third Party (Solidarity) £1.50

TOTAL INCOME = DISMAL

Greggs Overcooked Pasty said...

The "Decentralised Office" is obviously an extra income for Paedo Boy Collett to get even richer at the members expense.

Tha fact that most members swallow this bullshit just goes to say that most if not all of the "masterrace" have substandard aryan IQs, lol

PeeWee said...

You find many anti-Christian Odinists who support the BNP on Stormponce.

John P said...

looks like he is on his way to a heart attack or stroke hopefully

Decembrist anti-Griffinite said...

"I'm sure your more likely to find Collette (sic) up Jackie's dress, Nicholarse has a little thing for watching his wife get F*£^") from the little weasel."

I'll agree with that but as one of the December Six about to cost Nicholarse and his sidekick Darby a six figure sum, I'm keeping schtum.

Anonymous said...

Martin Webster told me Griffin had a stroke many years ago. Can't think what he meant.

byebyebnp said...

A nice lady from my political party (Lib Dems) has just rung to ask for money - and then immediately apologised as "I've just noticed that you very kindly made a donation in November, and we like to leave it at least six months before asking again".

As opposed to the BNP :

"It's six minutes since you last gave - send us some f***ing money"

copyright. N Griffin

Anonymous said...

"Those Accounts in Full..."

You forgot

Super-size tub KY - £79.99

Anonymous said...

That couple do not look well. Both overweight and high colour.

Barbara Suzuki said...

Clearly they are both unwell, all the signs of unhealthy self-indulgence.

cromie's nemasis said...

Wander what happened to ugly fat perverted swinger Cromie and his unaccounted donations to the party.

Those who own the trowels must therefore dig!

cromie's nemasis said...

When millionare paul cromie finds out what was happening to his money he'd go ape shit.

Anonymous said...

"Wander what happened to ugly fat perverted swinger Cromie and his unaccounted donations to the party.

Those who own the trowels must therefore dig!"

How about giving us a hint.

Unknown said...

NICK GRIFFAN IS RIGHT OUT OF ORDER
AS A PRACTISING CHRISTIAN AND MEMBER OF THE BNP I AM SHOCKED BY THE MAN HIS TOP TEAM ROUND HIM ARE YES MEN ITS TIME FOR GRFFIN TO GO.YOUDO NOT USE PICTURES OF JESUS AND SCRIPTURE TEXTS FOR POLICICAL POSTERS I SHALL BE SNDING MY CARD BACK THEY CAN PUT IT WERE SUN DONT SHINE

BrochuresPrintingOnline.com said...

Your article will bring awareness to the people about the cost of sending legal appeals. Thanks for an informative post.