July 27, 2011

BNP - the disastrous war of the roses

A ferocious "war of the roses" over the leadership of the far-right British National Party has left it badly split and potentially mortally wounded.

Nick Griffin squeaked home by just nine votes in this week's national ballot of party members to retain the chairmanship he has held since 1999.

Griffin, who sits as Member of the European Parliament for the North West region, faced a strong challenge from the other side of the Pennines.

His only rival in the contest was the party's other MEP - Yorkshire and the Humber's Andrew Brons.

"Probably, this was the worst mandate the Chairman could win," Brons wrote to his supporters on his BNP Ideas website shortly after the result was announced.

"In effect, the party is split from head to toe and there remain grave questions of doubt over the fitness of many existing officers of the party to exercise control over its operations."

It is a far cry from the high point of the 2009 European Parliamentary elections when Griffin and Brons shocked the political establishment by mustering enough popular support to take the party's first seats in a UK national election.

Their European seats were both won by the narrowest of margins, but it raised expectations that the self-proclaimed defenders of the "British indigenous population" could be on the verge of further breakthroughs.

Griffin defiant


Instead, Griffin's disastrous appearance on the BBC's Question Time a few months later and an embarrassing result in the 2010 general election has led to vicious infighting which could yet see the BNP implode.

In his own statement issued shortly after the election Nick Griffin said: "The time for division and disruption is over; now is the time to heal. Now is the time to move on. Now is the time to get back to work.

"We have a party to build and a nation to save. Let us go forward together!"

Griffin's rallying call might be too late.

In an online video election webcast recorded at the start of the campaign, Andrew Brons said members and activists had been voting with their feet for at least and year and leaving the party.

'Civil war'

At one stage he claimed a third of the membership and two thirds of its activists had left because of what he called Griffin's "unnecessary civil war" to stifle opposition.

The BNP has always been cagey about its total membership but this election for its national leader reveals just how small it has become. The number of ballot papers returned was just 2,316.

In fact, across every council in Yorkshire, the party could muster just 50 candidates at the 2011 elections earlier this year. Not a single one mustered enough votes to become a councillor.

The nightmare is not over for Nick Griffin or the BNP.

In his latest blog "Reply to Dissatisfied Supporters" Andrew Brons issues a clear warning: "If the leadership wants peace, he can have peace and we can get on with work that will contribute towards our substantive aims.

"If on the other hand if he were to choose war, he would meet an equal and opposite force."

BBC News

15 comments:

Anonymous said...

ARE WE WITNESSING TWO FOR THE PRICE OF ONE?i say this with a smile on my face.9xzuluGENIUS

Landale said...

Oh BOGOF! ;-)

They'll all be fighting I'd guess by the end of next week :-)

Mr Creosote will burst as a result :-)

Silly, silly Fascists

Anonymous said...

from Butler's blog :

News has reached me that yet another BNP councillor has resigned the whip. This time it is Martyn Findley, councillor for Barpool ward in Nuneaton and Bedworth in the West Midlands. I know Martyn is a conscientious councillor.

John P said...

So how many do they have left now, it's got to be around 10 or so.

NewsHound said...

CROMIES: WE FOUND GOD AND LEFT THE BNP: -

http://www.halifaxcourier.co.uk/news/local/we_found_god_and_left_the_bnp_1_3618239

(WHAT ABOUT THE SWINGING PARTIES???)

Anonymous said...

read This:

http://www.democracyforum.co.uk/bnp/97856-we-found-god-left-bnp.html

Talking about the Cromies, the conversation goes onto the Very fake Rev West whom they call on the BDF a "true Christian!"

Anonymous said...

Yes I think around 10

NewsHound said...

ITALY MEP BACKS THE IDEALS OF BREIVIK: -

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-14315108

NewsHound said...

POLICE INVESTIGATE DEATH THREATS TO GEORGE GALLOWAY: -

http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/home-news/police-to-probe-facebook-death-threat-to-galloway-1.1114395

Anonymous said...

Norway kill maniac had emailed top BNP officials

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/3718804/Mass-murderer-Anders-Breivik-emailed-some-of-Britains-most-notorious-far-right-extremists-just-over-an-hour-before-he-launched-his-massacre-The-Sun-can-reveal.html?OTC-RSS&ATTR=News

Anonymous said...

Police to probe Facebook death threat to Galloway

http://www.heraldscotland.com/mobile/news/home-news/police-to-probe-facebook-death-threat-to-galloway-1.1114395

Anonymous said...

Given the closeness of the result, it may now be the case that Brons will stay in rather than leave as looked the case until recently.

Who knows.

Anonymous said...

If there's one downside to all this, it's becoming apparent that Brons will be difficult to unseat in the next Euros. His hardline politics is going to command a lot of support among the far right both inside and outside the BNP and he'd be no less dangerous as an independent.

John P said...

Anonymous said...

If there's one downside to all this, it's becoming apparent that Brons will be difficult to unseat in the next Euros. His hardline politics is going to command a lot of support among the far right both inside and outside the BNP and he'd be no less dangerous as an independent.

1:28 PM, July 28, 2011

Brons has said all along that he is only going to serve one term.

LoyalBronsite said...

The BNP is done for. It's time Mr. Brons struck whilst the iron is hot and takes control of a new, moderate, legit, professional Party and does away with the baggage.

Britain is in a mess and it needs a Party with protectionist policies, but we need to shake off the far-right element who are in it purely for blind racism.

Mr. Brons is the man to do that!