October 18, 2010

BNP leaves creditors in the lurch

Any remaining pretence that the BNP is not on the verge of insolvency was blown away when a document headed OFFER OF DEBT COMPROMISE sent by Jim Dowson to the BNP's lengthy list of unpaid creditors surfaced over the weekend.

Dated October 6th (a Wednesday), the document gives the BNP's "preferred" creditors just a few days - until Thursday October 14th - to accept a 20p in the pound settlement, and warns: "Thereafter there is no prospect of your invoices being paid at any time in the forseeable future."

Nakedly attempting to bluff creditors tempted to use the courts to enforce payment, the heavy-handed Dowson claims: "Additionally, the lawyers who have reviewed the underlying contracts to most of the outstanding invoices have advised that most are not enforceable."

This is almost certainly untrue, but it is an admission that the BNP considers any contract entered into with itself is not worth the paper it is written on.

Dowson falsely claims that the "economic downturn" is the cause of the BNP's financial troubles in terminology indicative of how he and Nick Griffin see the party - "The biting economic downturn has made a shipwreck of the financial projections of many businesses, including, it is a regret to say, those of the British National Party."

Later there is a tale (and we suspect that is all it is) of a creditor who took advantage of Dowson's generous offer and then negotiated the same deal with his own creditor, which allegedly "made the difference between his business surviving and going to the wall".

The contents of Dowson's letter are reproduced below (our emphasis added), and a copy of the original may be seen here.
Dear Sir/Madam

OFFER OF DEBT COMPROMISE
Strictly private and confidential,
Not for publication.
Copyright and property title remains with sender
Without prejudice
Subject to contract

I write regarding the matter of payments due on outstanding invoices rendered by you in respect of goods and services utilised in connection with the British National Party.

As you know, today we all find ourselves in an increasingly difficult commercial climate. It is no secret that cash is not only in very short supply for all political parties including the British National Party but in short supply in the wider economy. The British National Party has had to close offices and lay off staff; this is not an easy time for the Party.

The biting economic downturn has made a shipwreck of the financial projections of many businesses, including, it is a regret to say, those of the British National Party. Combined with a massive and still ongoing wave of hugely expensive politically motivated High Court actions by the Commission for Equalities and Human Rights, this makes it simply impossible for the BNP or operations and persons associated with it to pay its outstanding bills in anything like a normal timescale - if indeed at all.

Additionally, the lawyers who have reviewed the underlying contracts to most of the outstanding invoices have advised that most are not enforceable. These two factors combined means that many creditors who have supplied good [sic] and services and which were used in connection with the activities of the British National Party may never be paid.

The situation is very grave, and it is a matter of deep regret to us, but I would rather be very open and honest with you than leave you under the illusion either that money will be forthcoming or that legal action will achieve anything other for you than to throw good money after bad in the shape of futile lawyers' costs.

As you are a highly valued supplier and a creditor with a previous track record of commitment to the British National Party, there is a desire to ensure that you are not one of the unfortunate creditors who are inevitably going to end up with nothing at all.

With this in mind I am authorised to do as much as is humanly possible to resolve the matter of your outstanding invoices.

I am in a position, for a very limited period of time, to offer you, by way of debt compromise and in full and final payment of all your outstanding invoices relating to the supply of goods and services in connection with the British National Party the sum of 20p in every pound (20%) due. The offer remains open until 14th October 2010 and is subject to a short written compromise agreement being entered into by you to formally agree and record the settlement.

I know that this is not what you want to hear, and I am very sorry indeed but this genuinely is the best that can be offered you. In the case of one of three creditors who have already concluded such a deal, the receipt of this one-off immediate payment enabled him to make a similar arrangement with a creditor in turn and actually made the difference between his business surviving and going to the wall.

As a 'preferred' supplier I have written to you first in order that you have first claim on this very limited offer. The funds available are limited and will be allocated among creditors on a first come first agreed basis.

Please feel free to call me on 020 7078 8838 or 079 3466 6831 to discuss this at your convenience. Please be reminded that this offer is for a limited time only. Thereafter there is no prospect of your invoices being paid at any time in the forseeable future.

Yours for and on behalf

[PP'd signature]

James Dowson B.T.h. M.A.
Dowson's tactless missive may well prove the prompt needed for one of the BNP's more substantial creditors to begin legal action against the party, which is clearly not a viable financial entity. The endless appeals fronted by Nick Griffin are falling on deaf ears, hundreds have already failed to renew their memberships, and it is expected that several thousand will fail to renew as the old annual cycle looms.

Despite what is for it "good news", the Eddy Butler-led reformist wing of the party is in disarray. The Reform Group itself lost momentum some time ago, Butler being criticised for his apparent inertia (and for the unwise decision to take a holiday as the crisis rumbled on). The decision of some reformers to form what will almost certainly prove a short-lived new party has served only to fragment further opposition to Nick Griffin and Jim Dowson, though Butler cannot be too unhappy at the loss of hysterics like Simon Bennett or foul-mouthed friend-losers like Lee Barnes.

Butler soldiers on for all the world as if he had never been expelled from the BNP and as if he were certain that his proposed constitutional reforms will be carried and Nick Griffin toppled.

On the surface his confidence seems misplaced, but Eddy Butler has many friends among apparent Griffin loyalists, and is clearly privy to more information sourced directly from within Griffin's inner circle than he reveals. As Butler himself likes to imply, he has a few tricks in his bag yet, and Butler watchers have a strong sense that he is waiting for something to happen.

Whether or not Butler and his allies ever do wrest control of the BNP from Nick Griffin and Jim Dowson, the party now has a reputation for being financially unsound and utterly untrustworthy, a reputation that will only grow as the Dowson document disseminates ever more widely, as it is certain to do. It is a reputation that will never be easily shaken off, and we do question why Butler - who has put forward no debt repayment plans of his own - would want to take control of a broke and shrunken BNP.

In fact, is that really Eddy's game at all?

37 comments:

Anonymous said...

Dowsons'stupid. If he'd thrown in a watch and a lifetimes worth of Identity the creditors would have gone for this Once-In-A-Lifetime-Only-For-You special offer in their droves.

Kev Scott loves The Jam said...

ROFL.... nice one Denise!

I wonder if Jefferson used to allow such things with his pushers?

Gawd I shudder to think the level of begging that will be spewing out of Nutzie central soon! 'Dear Patriots, the con, dem, neu lab, zionist, commie pact has pushed us against a wall and without further funding my new extension will never be finished, err I mean the party will never survive. Cash as always to Welshpool, yours Nikki'


And... Where the hell did dowson buy his Bth? ( Nazarene college?).

Anonymous said...

As a 'lawyer' meself (& not an 'imaginary' one)I can sat that I'm 99.999% sure the 'unenforceable' point is complete shite. In business to business contracts you can only argue a contract is unenforceable if there are elements of it that totally exclude liability & even then they would be entitled to an element of compensation for goods & services supplied.

gtm

Anonymous said...

They are also phoning around GE candidate's telling them that they are still owe the party money.

Barbara said...

What a brilliant idea, stunning in its simplicity!!

Let it be a template for anyone in debt - simply use this letter with a few tweaks and send it to all creditors offering to repay just 20p in the £ because of the economic situation!!

Bloody hell, even the country could employ this cunning device in order to pay off its national debt!!!

I am so enjoying this.

Anonymous said...

This proves the Fascists are bankrupt, I wonder how much longer they can exist?

Anonymous said...

Get this to the mainstream media and NO ONE will work for the BNP again.

ken red said...

Aye, but think of the poor people these vile leeches conned and all with the protection of the state! The police and Fraud Squad have steadfastly refused to investigate. Thats what worries.
Griffin's worshipper Green Arrow will die of a broken heart!

Wes said...

Question - If the BNP fold and cease to be, what happens to the BNP MEPs? - I know Richard Barnbrook can stay on as an inde, but does Europe have different rules?

Anonymous said...

They are also phoning around GE candidate's telling them that they are still owe the party money.

Wasnt this another scam giffin & dowson tried to pull where a lot of GE candidates that paid their own deposits and got the 5% vote to retain the deposit the party requested that the £500 be paid back to them first ? Anyone out there got more info on this ?

Anonymous said...

They've also asked employees to take a 50% pay cut though I bet that doesn't include Griffin or Dowson!

AndyMinion said...

At last week's pub quiz I didn't have a pound coin handy (having only a twenty pound note) when the jar came around for people's entry fee.

Consequently, I was told to pay next time.

Thanks to Mr Dowson's excellent financial acumen, I shall, therefore, offer just 20p tonight, safe in the knowledge that my "contract" with Little Geoff was unenforcible in a court of law.

Especially because we didn't win.

I wonder if it works with newspaper bills and in restaurants, too?

Bob the Gaffer said...

There's an interesting comment on the Butler blog

"Surely this isn't legal. Once an organisation is insolvent it must stop trading and all its creditors must be treated equally, no special deals."

Sounds right to me.

Dowson is a crook said...

I think I'll join the BNP. Now what's 20% of the membership fee?

Anonymous said...

"this makes it simply impossible for the BNP or operations and persons associated with it to pay its outstanding bills in anything like a normal timescale - if indeed at all...many creditors who have supplied good [sic] and services and which were used in connection with the activities of the British National Party may never be paid."

These two statement alone clearly indicate that the BNP is insolvent and the Electoral Commission should be informed of this. I think the EC has the right to stop the party operating if it suspects it is in fact operating illegally. Of course, the police should be taking an interest too, because any further debt taken on by the BNP after the letter was sent out is clearly fraud.

kendra said...

There is a new party to replace the bnp but will t last? They don't as a rule.

Landale said...

@kendra "There is a new party to replace the bnp but will t last? They don't as a rule."

One thing I'm sure I saw on a copy of one of their petitions/appeals they had recently said "British National Party 2010"

Does that mean that is what they're trading as perhaps?

AndyMinion said...

Have they paid for their "First Class" "South Derbyshire" Conference Venue yet?

Anonymous said...

As a 'preferred' supplier I have written to you first in order that you have first claim on this very limited offer.

Being a "preferred" supplier means you are privileged to supply the BNP at an 80% discount while waiting ages to get the 20%!

What a couple of 'Del-Boys' Dowson and Griffin are.

Anonymous said...

Get this to the mainstream media and NO ONE will work for the BNP again.

Most of the mainstream media treat the BNP with kid gloves and like to portray them as victim (i.e. Queen's Garden Party). The BNP has high level sympathisers at sub-editor level at both the Express and Mail who make sure that the really damaging stuff is rarely seen by their readers.

That's why blogs like this are so important.

Kev Scott loves The Jam said...

Has anyone forwarded this to the british hospitality association?

http://www.bha.org.uk/

Anonymous said...

My understanding is that the preferred supplier of legal services to the bnp at the moment is Jane Phillips. I assume this would be the same Jane Phillips who allegedly ok'ed the publication of the infamous marmite gate youtube film & drafted the incomprehensible & problematic mark 12 Constitution.

The 'full & final payment & compromise agreement' mention is designed to forestall any further claims after the 20p in the £1 is paid. Unfortunately this tactic only works if the debts are in dispute. I think any creditor could (& should) take the offer & then case after the BNP for the rest.

gtm

Rah said...

Please donate all you can to help the Nazi BNP out of this mess.

Have you seen the price of entrance into comedy clubs these days?

John P said...

Kev Scott loves The Jam said...

Has anyone forwarded this to the british hospitality association?

http://www.bha.org.uk/

3:55 PM, October 18, 2010

I've just forwarded it to the Electoral Commission asking for their comments.

Anonymous said...

Any business that consented to work with the BNP deserves to be bankrupted

Anonymous said...

"Any business that consented to work with the BNP deserves to be bankrupted"

Too bloody right!

Anonymous said...

That means instead of getting £5 for an aldi cheeseburger at RWB chris vanns will now only be getting £1 oops.

Santa said...

There's an interesting footnote to the article about this on the Eddy Butler blog

"I will return to the more serious business of constitutional revision in my next article..."

So constitutional revision is of more importance than the BNP's lying, corruption and complete financial ineptitude is it? Idiot.

AndyMinion said...

Just noticed that Paul Morris has been very quiet on the subject so far.

No doubt he's composing a witty, erudite and eminently reasonable explanation for it all as we speak.

Anonymous said...

"They are also phoning around GE candidate's telling them that they are still owe the party money."

That puts the lie to any suspicions that the Electoral Expense Returns were accurate. Surely the Electoral Commision must take action now/ I know what a hole I would have dug for myself if I had tried to compromise a debt this late after an election !

Old Sailor

Anonymous said...

Do you think if I sent a similar letter to Barclaycard they would accept it????

Also if I remember correctly they still have a large outstanding unpaid bill with Royal Mail, and as Royal Mail is still at the moment funded by the British taxpayer of which I am one I object most strongly if the Royal Mail were to take up this offer from BNP.

tulip

Anonymous said...

Unfortunately, most of the BNP's suppliers are sympathsiers so they'll fall for yet another one of Griffin's scams.

Chris Roberts said...

Anybody noticed that the BNP website has not been updated since Sun, 17/10/2010 - 18:35.

AndyMinion said...

Further to my earlier comment, tried the Dowson Strategy at Pub Quiz last night.

Didn't work.

Also, lost Quiz. Again.

Bugger.

Anonymous said...

Anyone else surprised that this hasn't been mentioned in any mainstream newspapers or on TV?

Very strange!?!

Anonymous said...

I saw Dowson's letter posted on a forum the other day and have only just stopped laughing.

Has anyone forwarded this astonishing letter to the Electoral Commission yet? If not, I think somebody should. I think they might be most interested.

Anonymous said...

Many thanks for the information.