New party, same old politics? - Investigation

HOPE not hate has recently criticised the English Democrats (ED) for allowing dozens of former BNP members to get involved in the party without any public denunciation of their former political allegiances. ED leader Robin Tilbrook has insisted that all those coming over have left their former racist views behind. He even told a recent English Democrat conference: “They [the former BNP members] will help us become an electorally credible party. We need to be sure they ascribe to civic or cultural nationalism and that they will be an asset to our party, but we do not need to be too defensive”.

The most prominent of the former BNP members in the English Democrats is Chris Beverley. Here, HOPE not hate researchers cast an eye on the validity of Beverley's political conversation.

Chris Beverley, the former Yorkshire BNP organiser and councillor has detached himself from all things BNP and extremist, or at least that is what he would like you to believe. In a speech made to the English Democrats conference held last month, Beverley stated “I endorse the EDP’s opposition to extremism. I oppose all forms of extremism.”

Referring to his former membership of the BNP he continued “We all make mistakes in our lives and we all have ideas that we hold that we change over time but I believe and have come to the realisation that the English Democrats' approach to politics is the only hope that our people have."

Some people will welcome Beverley’s rejection of the BNP and extremism in general, however when the surface is scratched we reveal that the mask of respectability is paper thin.

Beverley recently wrote on his blog about a Leeds English Democrat meeting being held in his home town of Morley. He appealed for people to join the party and as the Leeds branch had recently opened a bank account, suggested prospective members send their membership fees and donations there, circumventing the party’s national office in Norwich.

The Leeds address for membership fees and donations is a familiar one. It’s the same PO Box that Beverley has operated for years. For much of the time it was the contact address for Leeds BNP. It appears to have shifted over to the English Democrats with Beverley too.

Further inspection however, shows that this is still the same PO Box that the BNP’s erstwhile MEP Andrew Brons also uses for his European work. If Beverley is so appalled by the politics of the BNP then why does he still work for one of its MEPs? If Beverley’s politics had changed so much then why has a BNP MEP allowed him to continue to work for him? If there is such a wide difference in political attitudes then why do both the English Democrats and the BNP share a PO Box?

To say the least, it is rather unusual to have two supposed rival political parties sharing the same address. But it does not end there. Along with his wife Joanna who is also an ex BNP councillor, Chris Beverley is listed with Joanna to the very same PO Box for something else, this time called “The Morley Community Trust.” The trust is an organisation set up with the intention of enabling local schools to switch to trust status. Both Chris and Joanna Beverley are listed as directors of the trust.

On his blog, Beverley sells a well known right wing book on English nationalism, instructing potential buyers to send their payments made out to “The Morley Community Trust.”

What sort of trust status the Beverley’s envisage for schools in Morley and Leeds remains a mystery. But as part of his conference speech to the English Democrats, Beverley discussed the notion of large numbers of BNP members jumping ship from the BNP to join both he and his wife in the English Democrats. He told the conference “Only a fraction of those people leaving the BNP will be interested in the English Democrats - only a fraction. The good news for us is that it is only the best people in that party that will have any interest in us. The most intelligent, rational, enlightened decent people - that's the good news for us.”

One of Beverley’s ex-BNP companions at the conference was Andrew Kershaw, an ex BNP official from Kirklees. Kershaw, the ex-secretary and treasurer of Yorkshire BNP has a conviction for racially abusing a police officer during a drunken night out several years ago.

Also photographed with Beverley, this time at a recent English Democrat meeting in Bridlington is the ex BNP organiser for the town Gary Pudsey.

Pudsey who has also previously been a National Front, Blood and Honour and Combat 18 activist was arrested along with 15 others in 1994 for their part in an attack on a bookshop in Nottingham which caused £10,000 worth of damage.

Pudsey displays a number of far right tattoos on his forearms. Pudsey has also previously been photographed with Magnus “Max” Wagegg, an unapologetic ex- Luftwaffe pilot and Nazi, who lived in the West Midlands after the war and became a beacon to far right groups including Combat 18, Blood and Honour and the tiny Aryan Resistance Movement who were active in the area.

Perhaps Kershaw and Pudsey are some of the “intelligent, rational, enlightened decent people” that Chris Beverley refers to?

We certainly wouldn’t use the term “enlightened” when we look at some of the European far right links Chris Beverley has.

Fluent in German, Beverley was a regular guest of the German far right political party the NPD. So close was Beverley to the NPD that he wrote a bi monthly column in the NPD’s newspaper “Deutsche Stimme”.

Beverley also has had ties with the European National Front, an umbrella organisation for some of Europe’s most extreme and openly fascist organisations. They include groups that deny the Holocaust, worship Adolf Hitler and other wartime fascist leaders, and have been linked to terrorism.

Beverley spoke at a European National Front meeting in Feb 2007 hosted by the NPD. The meeting, held in Reisa, Germany was organised by the German skinhead leader Jens Puhse, who ran one of Europe’s largest nazi music mail order businesses.

The ENF brings together some of the most hard line anti-Semitic organisations from Europe. They include La Falange (Spain), Noua Dreapta (Romania), Forza Nuova (Italy), Nationale Alliantie (Holland) along with the Nordiska Förbundet (Sweden).

One of Beverley’s closest German friends is Andreas Heine. Heine is a hard-core Neo Nazi originating from Hamburg and was one of leaders of the Hamburger Sturm group, a group linked to the notorious German Neo Nazi Christian Worch and his Aktionsbüro Norddeutschland.

Hamburger Sturm was banned after police suspected the group of issuing death threats against a German trade union leader in April 2000.

Beverley is also a huge admirer of the Hungarian Neo Fascist party Jobbik and has met with various dignitaries from the party including Jobbik MEP Krisztina Morvai. Jobbik has gained notoriety when it formed its own uniformed militia the “Magyar Garda” often compared to the Hungarian Arrow Cross, the National Socialist party that led Hungary for part of World War Two.

His admiration for Jobbik is to such an extent that he gives away free copies of the parties manifesto to anyone prepared to ask for one, via his personal blog. All Beverley asks is that you cover the postage, by sending in stamps to the same Leeds PO Box Beverley uses for the English Democrats.


Thanks to Nick Lowles at Hope not Hate

English Democrats could become 'electorally credible' as BNP decline

Party has already claimed some defectors, but leader Robin Tilbrook warns new members must be 'genuine converts'

The red and white of the cross of St George was omnipresent, merchandise for sale included t-shirts emblazoned with the demand: 'Justice for the 50 million' and the prizes at an evening raffle included a box set of films by Shane Meadows. It could only be this year's annual conference of the English Democrats — a party whose handful of councillors and one elected mayor count as its achievements to date in its 10-year campaign for an English parliament.

Yet, as around 60 overwhelmingly white male delegates gathered at a hotel function room just outside Leicester at the weekend, a party long used to propping up the lower reaches of election ballots is suddenly being looked at in a new light by many beyond its self-professed membership of 3,500.

Thanks to a combination of factors, the most important of which being the implosion of the British National Party, serious political commentators now suggest the door is open for the EDs to exploit the supposedly significant gap in the electoral market for an anti-immigration, radical right party.

A trickle of disillusioned BNP activists have already defected to the party, which despite its motto of "Not Left, Not Right – Just English" is significantly more hardline on immigration than any at Westminster. They also want to pull out of the EU, ensure that the "public culture" of England should be that of the "indigenous English" and condemn "political correctness" as an "evil ideology".

Indeed, as party leader Robin Tilbrook said on Saturday, a new opportunity for the English Democrats was that "some of the people who wanted to do their honest best for our country but made the mistake of joining the BNP are now joining us and will help us become that electorally credible party. We need to be sure that such people are genuine converts to a more civic or cultural nationalism and that they will be an asset to our party, but we do not need to be too defensive."

The conference was addressed by one such convert, former BNP councilor Chris Beverley, who sought to address concerns that the English Democrats would be "deluged" by ex-BNP members, insisting instead that the importance of those coming over was that they tended to be "quality" activists who could make a difference.

"To me, the English Democrats are the real exciting new hope for us and there is huge potential for the party to do well," the Guardian was told by Beverley, who spoke glowingly of his new political home after spending 14 years – "my entire adult life" – in the BNP, which he likened to a cult. Even so, observers note that Beverley remains the constituency officer of Andrew Brons, one of the BNP's two MEPs, who recently challenged Nick Griffin for the leadership of that party.

In addition, another key figure who is awaiting a decision on his application to join the English Democrats is Eddy Butler, the BNP's former national organiser, an architect of past local election successes and a major rival to Griffin's leadership within the divided party.

"People like Butler and Beverley, who is important because he can run and win elections, have been flirting with the English Democrats as an alternative vehicle because in their minds, and in the minds of political commentators, there is significant potential in British politics for a radical rightwing party," according to Matthew Goodwin, author of New British Fascism: Rise of the BNP.

While Goodwin doesn't count English nationalism by itself as a vote winner, he suggests that a new radical right force could grow by tapping into public anxiety over immigration, law and order and hostility towards established parties.

"The test for the English Democrats will come if more people shift over. There might be awkward questions in the party among those who want it to remain BNP-free and those who would want to open up the door to all of these renegades on the right, much like what the NF was in the late 1960s. If it really starts to suck in BNP members and organisers, then you have something that is potentially very interesting - because there is unquestionably still a great deal of potential for a radical anti-establishment rightwing party."

Guardian

BNP faces meltdown at local polls after defections and infighting

Party to field 450 fewer candidates than in 2007 as leader Nick Griffin comes under pressure over organisation's finances

The British National party is facing political meltdown in next month's local elections after a string of defections and growing concern over its finances.

Dozens of prominent BNP figures have either been suspended or have resigned and in the past few weeks several former members have announced they are to stand for rival far-right and nationalist organisations.

The BNP is standing around 250 candidates in next month's elections, compared with approximately 700 in the equivalent polls in 2007.

The turmoil comes as the Electoral Commission announced this week that the party had "failed to comply with the legal requirement to keep adequate financial records" for the second year running, further increasing the pressure on the BNP leader, Nick Griffin, who fought off a leadership challenge last year.

"The position of the party is extremely dire," said Professor Matthew Goodwin, from Nottingham University, an expert on far-right politics. "The defections and rebellions are going strong and we have seen a whole host of key figures leave to join other far-right groups … Nick Griffin is becoming increasingly isolated."

The BNP says it is focusing on the elections to the Welsh assembly, where it claims it could secure two seats, but anti-Griffin rebels say the BNP should be making more progress in England as cuts bite and economic instability increases.

"There is growing anger within the party because there was a period when it looked like Nick Griffin may have been able to force the BNP into the political mainstream," said a spokesman for the anti-racist campaign Hope not Hate. "But it is clear Nick Griffin will himself be the BNP's nemesis. His mismanagement, arrogance and dictatorial leadership have dragged his own party off a political cliff."

The BNP's election prospects took a blow earlier this month when it emerged that around 15 former members, including some key figures such as former Yorkshire organiser Chris Beverley, had defected and are standing for the English Democrats in next month's elections. On his blog Beverley said it had been a "huge decision" and blamed the actions of Griffin and his leadership team for the party's problems.

Goodwin said: "There are just over 200 BNP candidates but there are 390 far-right candidates in total so what we are seeing quite clearly is that the far right is splintering, not just among one or two parties but among a whole host of groups and factions … it is the classic case of far-right parties in the UK shooting themselves in the foot."

Analysts say BNP infighting has allowed other far-right and nationalist groups to come to the fore. Organisations such as the English Defence League, the English Democrats and the British Freedom party are now challenging the BNP, but perhaps its biggest threat is a resurgent UK Independence party, which beat both the Conservatives and Lib Dems to come second in a byelection in Barnsley last month.

"The activists that are frustrated with the incompetence of the BNP are going to the EDL or other rightwing factions and many [former voters] are going to Ukip if they want something more respectable," said Goodwin. "The BNP are being outflanked on all sides."

Opponents say the defections and wider splits mean the party is struggling to stand candidates in some of its core areas.

BNP spokesman Simon Darby dismissed the defections, saying: "People have gone, that is it … but wait and see about that, I think they are going to regret that, just wait and see."

He defended Griffin, insisting he was still a popular leader and that it was "a miracle" the party was still operating following what he said was a relentless campaign to undermine it by the media and the state. "I am just pleased we are still here putting up a campaign in seats we may win … we are still in the game and are looking to regroup after all the dust has settled on this election," he said.

Griffin has come under growing pressure since the BNP's poor showing in last year's general and council elections, when it lost all but two of the 28 councillors up for re-election and was wiped out in its east London stronghold of Barking and Dagenham. It now has 23 councillors, compared with 54 a year ago, and several senior figures, including election co-ordinator Eddie Butler and London assembly member Richard Barnbrook, have come out against Griffin.

The rebels' anger is focused on Griffin's leadership style and concern about the party's debts which were exacerbated this week when the Electoral Commission said the BNP had failed to keep adequate financial records for the second year running.

"We have sought an urgent meeting with the party to discuss the steps they need to take to comply with the law," said a spokesman for the commission.

The party is reportedly £500,000 in debt although Darby said that the figure was "coming down".

"We are making good progress on that, that debt will be serviced," he added.

Although a poor showing in next month's elections would increase the pressure on Griffin to stand down, Goodwin said that remains unlikely.

"Griffin will hang on because the BNP constitution means it is almost impossible to oust him... [He] is doing the party in, it is not connecting with voters, they are running out of money but he is not going to go anywhere... they truly are a fading star and it is almost entirely because of Griffin's incompetence."

The Guardian

Newsflash – Chris Beverley defects to the English Democrats

Chris Beverley, a Leeds BNP stalwart and personal assistant to Andrew Brons, the BNP MEP for Yorkshire and the Humber has defected to the English Democrats Party (EDP) and is standing for them as a candidate in the forthcoming local elections in Leeds.

Beverley, who is also Brons Constituency Officer manager and the BNP’s long term link-man with the openly neo-Nazi National Democratic Party (NPD) in Germany is standing for the EDP in Morley South on 5 May. Beverley was also responsible for posting photographs of anti-BNP campaigners to Redwatch together with his then sidekick Mark Collett whose pronouncements on the virtues of the Hitler and the Third Reich became widely known as a result of the undercover television documentary Young, Nazi and Proud.

The move comes after Beverley, who is well liked and respected within the BNP, was recently suspended by the party chairman Nick Griffin as part of his on-going war on internal dissent within the party which has become increasingly vocal in its criticism of his lacklustre leadership.

Beverely who describes his decision to defect to the EDP as “huge” has promised to reveal his reasons to for defecting from the BNP tomorrow morning. “I am very excited about the coming campaign,” said Beverley, “and am proud to have been selected as a candidate for the English Democrats”.

Quite how EDP members themselves will react when news filters down that the party leadership have allowed a hard line fascist to join their ranks will be of interest.

Hope not hate

Brewing up in Yorkshire

It's been a pretty devastating couple of months for the BNP in Yorkshire, even more so than the rest of the country. Here are some brief highlights:-

The granny pornmeister Ian Kitchen becoming and then resigning as the Yorks organiser in place of the slightly effectual Chris Beverley -

Jordan "woodteats" Pont laughably becoming the Sheffield organiser -

A very bad result in the recent Barnsley By-Election and the "OMG the other parties have used a graphic designer who knows what they are doing" response -

Nick Griffins' number one bestest fan Tom Holmes is

'staying at the crisis centre for a while, they're helping me with my medication'

Hurry back soon Tom, your political talents are our greatest fear -

The very funny spat between Adam Walker who is the third Yorkshire organiser this year and Nick Cass who set up a "this is not a BNP Reform Meeting" a couple of weeks ago and is now suspended for six months which will rule him out of running for the leadership this year.

Now comes the news that earlier today Chris Beverley, Andy Kershaw (no not that one this is a different one) and Gary Pudsey have been suspended by text message (classy touch) to stop them attending a Yorkshire officials meeting tonight. This in turn has led to the usual wailing and gnashing of teeth from members on various fora, blogs and Facebook pages and the slowly dawning realisation that the BNP is well on it's way to being finished.

BNP plays musical chairs

Nick Griffin has reshuffled several of the top positions in his dysfunctional British National Party in an attempt to maintain control, reward his supporters and sideline any criticism of his dictatorship.

Chris Beverley has been sacked as regional organiser of the big Yorkshire and The Humber region, one of the two that elected BNP representatives to the European Parliament in 2009. His replacement is Ian Kitchen, the party’s Wakefield organiser and Griffin loyalist. The BNP claims this will allow Beverley to spend more time on his European constituency job for Andrew Brons, the region’s BNP MEP.

Eddy Butler, who was expelled from the BNP after unsuccessfully challenging Griffin for the leadership last year, took a more jaundiced view. Claiming the party was desperate for Beverley not to show up Jefferson by achieving a better result in the coming Barnsley by-election than in Oldham, he added: “Chris Beverley was one of the last remaining competent Regional Organisers, one of the last capable election campaigners and one of the last independent voices left on the Advisory Council. As such his replacement was inevitable and long overdue.”

Stephen Squire has taken over as the party’s London organiser after serving a six-month apprenticeship under Griffin himself, who stepped in as the acting London organiser after the party’s May election debacle and the departures of a series of previous organisers.

Clive Jefferson has given up his job as North West regional organiser, to spend more time on the elections department, according to the BNP. The party’s elections function is sorely in need of competent leadership after a string of by-election failures, but whether Jefferson will be able to devote any more time to it is unclear. He also heads the BNP’s failing treasury department, which for three years has failed to maintain anything near adequate financial records, resulting in the party failing to achieve clean audit reports for 2008 and 2009, with 2010 expected to be similar.

In addition Jefferson, who has difficulty writing coherently, has just been appointed editor of the party’s Voice of Freedom newspaper, replacing Martin Wingfield, who Butler says is very “much out of favour”, though he remains communications and campaigns officer for Griffin’s European constituency.

Jefferson’s replacement in the North West region is Mike Whitby, the party’s Liverpool organiser. Whitby became Liverpool organiser at a heated branch meeting last July when Jefferson kicked out all the existing officers in a purge of dissidents. They had committed the crime of supporting Butler’s challenge.

Whitby seems suitably qualified to move the party towards the “increased militancy” that Griffin promised last December. After clashes between BNP activists and anti-fascists in Liverpool, which resulted in an assault conviction for one BNP man, Whitby promised that anti-fascists’ identities would end up on “a website far worse than Red Watch”, the hate site that encourages supporters to attack anti-fascists and their homes and families.

Another post Jefferson has given up is National Organiser, which has gone to Adam Walker, who also regains his job as staff manager. Walker works closely with Patrick Harrington, Griffin’s old mate from their days in the National Front Political Soldiers. Harrington was appointed the BNP’s head of human resources last autumn, but appears to act more as a general manager for Griffin. Many party members resent Harrington’s presence at the helm because he remains leader of a rival political party, albeit a very small one.

Butler claims that Walker was promoted “just to boost his profile in case he is needed as an alternative Chairman, should something ghastly in the realms of the judiciary happen to Nick Griffin”.

Finally, Jennifer Matthys, Griffin’s eldest daughter, is gradually assuming a greater role and now runs all party operations from a small office in Wigton, Cumbria. But according to Butler, “not enough money is coming in each week to cover the basics, via the appeals that Pat Harrington is now tasked with producing”. Perhaps engineering the departure of Jim Dowson, Griffin’s fundraising consultant, and Paul Golding, the party’s former national communications officer, was not one of Harrington’s smartest moves.

After Griffin announced last summer that he would relinquish the leadership of the party in 2013, speculation mounted that he was grooming her as his replacement, following the example of Marine Le Pen, who has just succeeded her father as leader of the National Front in France. However unlike Ms Le Pen, a lawyer who has held senior roles in the party for over 12 years and has built a firm political base as a regional councillor, Matthys has few qualifications for leadership and is unlikely to be accepted by party members in that role for some considerable time.

Searchlight / HOPE not hate by Sonia Gable

BNP's Griffin Adams Corbett Adams to stand in Oldham East by-election (possibly)

There are times when I worry about Nick Griffin and his happy band of idiots. On the one hand, they claim to be able to run an entire country, while on the other they are clearly unable to organise a piss-up in a pub.

Take the coming Oldham East and Saddleworth by-election, called following the eviction of former Labour MP Phil Woolas for telling porkies about one of his opponents. Seeing an opportunity to get his ghastly face before the public again (and seemingly unconcerned at the bewilderment of his Euro-constituents, to whom he is expected to have some commitment) Nick Griffin promptly announced that he was intending to stand at the invitation, he claimed, of the local BNP branch. Though not according to the people in the BNP who communicate with us, who claim that he had parachuted himself in, in the same way that he did in Barking at the General Election, where he won a derisory 4,916 votes despite a full-on campaign in the constituency.

Presumably Griffin has realised that standing and losing in every seat in the country is not likely to enhance whatever credibility he thinks he has, because just a couple of days after the party announced his candidacy, rumour suggested that he had changed his mind and that Derek Adams, a favourite of the idiotic Clive Jefferson and a stooge candidate in the most recent (and most farcical) BNP leadership election, was to stand instead, to the fury of the local group.

Just a day later, long-time activist and liaison to BNP-friendly far-right groups in Germany, Chris Beverley, wrote on his Morley Patriot blog;

'I was in Oldham this afternoon with Andrew Brons and two Leeds activists to help with an activity in the town connected with the upcoming by-election in the Oldham East and Saddleworth constituency...Our candidate in the election is long-term local activist Anita Corbett who has stood for election in Oldham on a number of occasions.'

Now, a mere two days after this announcement, former BNP elections officer Eddy Butler has further news for us. He writes;

'Clive Jefferson would seem to have got his way and has ran roughshod over the local branch and imposed Derek Adams as the BNP candidate in the forthcoming Oldham East and Saddleworth by-election. I expect Derek Adams to be announced as the candidate at the press conference due to be held later today (Monday).

It appears that Clive believes that UKIP will out poll the BNP which is why he persuaded Nick Griffin not to stand. It is also apparent that neither Clive Jefferson nor Nick Griffin trust the local officers and activists in Oldham which is why they are imposing Derek Adams.

Clive Jefferson is busy upsetting everyone who he sees as getting in his way. There are a number of senior officers who he is busy denigrating. That is how he operates.'

Generally speaking, when it comes to having a pop at Griffin or Jefferson, Butler tends to be on target. And if true, how embarrassing for Griffin's fellow BNP Euro MEP Andrew Brons, who was out campaigning on Saturday with Chris Beverley and Anita Corbett in the latter's bid to take the seat.

Personally, I don't think Griffin has backed off from the seat because of any threat by UKIP or anyone else. Rather, it's that the BNP's disastrous financial situation has got in the way and the party can't afford to get a decent campaign up and running. This is more or less confirmed by Butler, who pointed out in a post on his blog yesterday;

'Most printers used to dealing with such orders have not been paid following the last election. Several of our most reliable printers are taking the BNP to court over unpaid invoices involving in total six figure sums...In short there will be a major problem in getting the leaflets printed in time.'

So who is actually going to stand for the BNP in this entirely unwinnable seat? A local candidate with no leaflets or a leafletless stooge parachuted in by a moron? Either way, it should be a laugh for us.

Green Arrow Bites Off More Than He Can Chew (Again)

Oh dear. Paul “Green Arrow” Morris has done it again.

Just as he's started a shiny new blog (“The British Resistance”), because his last one had become such a laughing stock and the target of so many attacks from his own side, Captain Hogwash has kicked things off all over again by attacking the BNP's resident sacred cow, Andrew (I-Used-To-Be-A-Nazi-But-That-Was-Just-Youthful-Hi-Jinks) Brons.

Generally regarded (by his supporters) as a decent cove and a credit to nationalism (although, next to the competition, Vlad the Impaler might seem a genial old sort), MEP Brons has kept his head down in Brussels, occasionally appearing over the parapet to deliver interminable speeches from the floor on various esoteric subjects to a largely uninterested world.

In a post entitled “So What Will Andrew Brons BNP MEP Do?”, Hogwash addresses the Nation on the pressing matter of Brons' not yet publicly abasing himself before the altar of Griffin, in his customary style that swings between a Uriah Heep-ish, “Ever so 'umble” wheedling and the pompous, “I-Am-The-True-Voice-Of-The-BNP-And-Anyone-Who-Dares-Disagree-With-Me-Is-A-Filthy-Traitor” style that we on the opposition have come to know and enjoy (but never, strangely enough, to fear).

“Now Andrew,” he says at one point – just to show that he's evidently on first name terms with all the Top Brass; “I must confess to being very disappointed in your lack of obvious support for the Chairman over the last few months. I know the history but it was your duty to stand by him and in my opinion you let him down. Make up for it now.”

The real issues for Morris, it seems, are the continued employment in Brons' EU operation of Chris Beverly and Eddy Butler, and the presence on the recent jolly to Brussels of “Self-centred egotist Mick Barnbrook” and Shelly Rose. Shelley Rose is, of course, the young woman allegedly sexually assaulted by Jim Dowson. Any real political party might actually think such allegations worth investigating – even to the extent of inviting the Police to take a look – rather than immediately closing ranks and subjecting the woman to a campaign of poisonous vilification. By the way, that's the same “Mick” Barnbrook of whom a very silly old Welshman once wrote “I honestly did not realise what a trooper he really is. A credit to Bexley and a credit to our Party. I hope one day that Michael becomes our Justice Minister”.

Excuse me. I just did a little bit of sick in my mouth.

The Brussels trip doesn't, to be fair, sound like many people's idea of a good time. A coach and ferry trip to attend a talk on the Battle of Waterloo (presumably delivered in Butler's nasal, Estuarine monotone), followed by a visit to the Parliament with Brons and dinner in a Napoleon theme restaurant.

Hold me back.

But in attacking the trip, Chris Beverley (“get rid of Chris Beverly (sic) – the one who pulls the puppet Butlers (sic) strings.”) and Brons in particular, Morris has, yet again, annoyed the hell out of just about everyone on his own side.

The following day, and a promised article on Chris Beverley (trailed with the sepulchral announcement “More about him in tomorrow's article...”) has failed to appear. Cold feet? Or a swift telling off from Brons to stop being so bloody spiteful and childish?

Indeed; the article that did appear (“Andrew Brons – Caught Between a Rock And A Hard Place”) is so creepily obsequious (“I personally have great admiration for Andrew Brons. The man has courage, style, charm, intelligence...”) that, when the BNP finally goes tits-up, Morris should easily be able to find gainful employment knocking out press releases for Kim Jong Il (or “Un”. Whoever's turn it happens to be in a few week's time...)

Of course, only a cynic would suggest that a large part of Hogwash's ire is down to the fact that he didn't get to go on the junket. Certainly, some of his commentators seem to be upset by this: “It is very disappointing to see reformists reaping benefits when true BNP people are left at home” says Maria Riley-Ward (or “shaydee_lady” as she's known when cutting and pasting her curious EDL / Daily Mail fansite known as the “Derby Patriot”).

Imagine the stuff he'd have come out with if he had been invited.

On second thoughts, don't bother: You might do a little bit of sick in your mouth.

West Yorkshire BNP prove they are still clueless

It comes as no surprise to BNP watchers like myself that the BNP nationally are about as much use as a chocolate fireguard. Here in West Yorkshire they manage to sink just that little bit lower when it comes to stupidity.

Today Chris Beverley uploaded a story to the BNP website regarding his hometown of Morley. As a ex councillor for the town, and being married to a Morley town councillor you would expect him to have some familiarity for the place.

Not so, apparently. Beverley's story was a rather dull affair, attempting to "big up" his wife Joanna. According to hubby Chris, she has a 100 percent attendance record since being elected in 2007. Let's hope Joanna has been visiting the correct town hall then. As the photograph accompanying the story is one of Dewsbury Town Hall in the neighboring district of Kirklees 5 miles away!

New BNP? Same old nazis and thugs

The BNP claims it has changed. A quick review of its election candidates shows that they are the same old nazis, thugs and racists that they always were

Tom Gower
Coventry North East

Gower works full-time as the BNP enquiries officer. He is also the Coventry contact for the racist and pagan Woden’s Folk and was involved in the English Heathen Front (EHF), ‘a racist group espousing “blood and soil” ideology. The EHF was the English “chapter” of the Allgermanische Heidnische Front (AHF), an international network of “tribes” that evolved out of the Norsk Hedensk Front, a group founded in 1993 by Varg Vikernes, the Norwegian black metal musician and murderer whose own brand of heathenism included a heavy dose of national socialism, antisemitism, eugenics and racism.

Shelley Rose
Luton North

A rising star in the BNP, Rose is part of a social group of BNP activists in the East Midlands and an antisemite who wrote on her Facebook page, “I would rather put myself out and pay a bit more at a smaller local shop, than line the pockets of the kikes that run Tesco”. She attended the National Front Remembrance Day parade in 2009 with Chris Hurst, the BNP PPC ‘for Twickenham.

Robin Evans
Blackburn

Evans was once a Blackburn BNP councillor but found the council budget too much to cope with. “It’s all mumbo jumbo, I don’t understand a word of it,” he stated. He resigned from the BNP in 2003 after an internal dispute and joined the openly fascist British National Socialist Party, returning to the BNP.

Ken Booth
Newcastle upon Tyne Central

Booth is the former North East National Front organiser who caused widespread disgust in 2007 when he compared the Nazi death camp at Auschwitz to Disneyland. He refused to believe the “official figures” of those who died in the Holocaust and did not recognise the “authenticity” of the buildings at Auschwitz.

Lynne Mozar
Buckingham

Mozar, who runs the BNP’s Trafalgar Club fundraising group, is notorious for her appearance on the Sky TV documentary BNP Wives in which “in private sometimes” she admitted calling black people “niggers”. ‘She also claimed that “Pakis” was the ‘“legal term for them [Asians]”. While manning a stall opposite a mosque in Fareham, Mozar shouted “fat slag” at a passerby who questioned her views.

Mathew Tait
Milton Keynes South

Tait, the Buckinghamshire BNP organiser, travelled to the cancelled 2010 American Renaissance conference, where he moaned to those who turned up that the Equality and Human Rights Commission court case had forced the BNP to accept “people who we would wish to not have in our country really to be members of our party”.

Mike Shore
Broxtowe

Until 2003 Shore was the National Front’s East Midlands organiser and treasurer. He was also Midlands convener of a British incarnation of the Ku Klux Klan. His conversion to the BNP came as a surprise to former colleagues.

Richard Hamilton
Milton Keynes North

A former soldier, Hamilton took part in the mock trial and execution of a gollywog at the 2009 BNP Red, White and Blue festival. The News of the World noted that before the trial, “Hamilton’s ghettoblaster blared out songs supporting Hitler and attacking ‘niggers’”. The BNP claimed his membership had been “suspended” as a result of the affair, though evidently not for very long.

Chris Beverley
Morley and Outwood

Beverley is a leading figure in Yorkshire BNP and a key link with the National Democratic Party (NPD) in Germany whose leader believes that Hitler was a “great statesman”. Beverley works as PA and constituency office manager for Andrew Brons, the BNP MEP for Yorkshire and the Humber, and recently refused to condemn Hitler in a radio broadcast saying that he did not hate him.

Ian Meller
Leicestershire North West

Meller, a BNP councillor in North West Leicestershire, is a former National Front activist who took part in a demonstration against a Gay Pride march in Leicester in August 2000. Meller, then 35, was fined £400 and £55 costs for carrying an offensive weapon, believed to have been a chair leg.

Charlotte Lewis
Carshalton and Wallington

Lewis was jailed for six months in 2001 for sending a series of “chilling” death threats to employees of Huntingdon Life Sciences (HLS) animal research laboratory in Cambridgeshire. She posts racist comments on social networking sites but claims she is ‘not a racist but a “racial survivalist”. ‘In 2009 Croydon Council considered taking action against her after she boasted of participating in a racist hate campaign against her neighbours.

Barry Bennett
Gosport

Bennett was, until recently, a regular user of the American-based nazi Stormfront website, despite being half Jewish, “from ancestry not religion” he is keen to stress. “I believe in National Socialism, WW2 style, it was best, no other power had anything like it,” ‘he wrote. “The ideology was fantastic. The culture, nothing like it. If it was here now, I’d defect to Germany.”

Eddy Butler
Harlow

Butler has been involved with the far right since the early 1980s when he was the Tower Hamlets organiser for the National Front. After he joined the BNP he and a team of thugs laid into a group of anti-fascists with hammers and other weapons in east London in 1992. In 1993 he organised the “Rights for whites” campaign that won the BNP its first councillor, Derek Beackon, in a Tower Hamlets by-election, though he only held the seat for seven months. Until his sudden demotion Butler was the BNP’s national organiser and elections officer. He is also standing for Barking and Dagenham council, despite still living in Loughton.

Chris Forster
Hayes and Harlington

A National Front supporter in the 1970s and a former treasurer of the Conservative Monday Club, Forster, who is also standing for Barking and Dagenham council, works as a psychic but failed to foresee Searchlight’s exposé of him in the Evening Standard in 2009. Forster helped compile the BNP’s 2009/10 Barking and Dagenham council budget, which attracted great opprobrium. Hypocritically, he is married to a Chinese woman with whom he has a child.

Tess Culnane
Orpington

Tess Culnane was a BNP member until a row with the party after which she stormed off to join the National Front for which she stood in the 2008 London Assembly election. She also addressed meetings of the openly Nazi British People’s Party. The BNP denounced the NF as “neo-fascist” but this has not proved an impediment to Culnane rejoining the BNP and working for Richard Barnbrook, the BNP’s London Assembly member.

Edward Sheppard
Coventry North West

Sheppard stood for the BNP in the 2001 general election in Coventry North East, but could not stand in 2005 as he was jailed for three years in 2002 for shooting a man at point blank range. Mold Crown Court heard how Christopher Willans had mistakenly knocked on Sheppard’s window, believing it to be part of a property owned by a close friend. ‘On discovering his mistake, Willans apologised to Sheppard and left the area. While walking home Willans was confronted by Sheppard who shot him at close range with a .22 calibre pistol through his car window.

Marlene Guest
Rotherham

Guest is the Rotherham BNP organiser. Like Mozar she appeared on the Sky TV BNP Wives documentary in which she claimed that the number of deaths in the Holocaust had been exaggerated and that the Jews were putting Germany on a guilt trip. ‘Asked if any good had come out of ‘the Holocaust, she replied: “Well, apparently, didn’t they get a lot of dentistry and plastic surgery”, referring to the Nazis’ barbaric “medical experiments”.

Jeffrey Marshall
Eastbury ward, Barking and Dagenham Council

Marshall, the central London BNP organiser, displayed the poisonous side of the BNP in February 2009 following the death of the six-year-old son of David Cameron, the Conservative Party leader. In a cruel and warped outburst against those who had expressed their condolences at the death of Ivan, who suffered from cerebral palsy and epilepsy, Marshall wrote in an internet politics group: “We live in a country today which is unhealthily dominated by an excess of sentimentality towards the weak and unproductive. No good will come of it.”

Marshall continued his sick tirade, stating that although it would be “a kindness” to kill children with disabilities, this was not the same as advocating such a measure as compulsory state policy. “But so what if it is,” he declared. “At least we would all know where we stand. There is actually not a great deal of point in keeping these sort of people alive, after all.”

Sharif Abdel Gawad
Bolton and Undercliffe ward, Bradford Council

Abdel Gawad of Bowling, Bradford, was convicted for possession of heroin by Bradford magistrates in December 2007. He first stood for the BNP in Bradford in May 2006, when his candidacy caused uproar in the party because of his less than Aryan credentials. The party insisted that he was of Armenian descent and most certainly “Christian” not a Muslim. Interviewed by The Independent he said he was “concerned about law and order, particularly the drugs epidemic in Bradford”.

Hope not hate

Student debate called off after violence fear

A student debate featuring two BNP politicians has been cancelled amid fears of violence

Durham Union Society (DUS) abandoned plans for a multiculturalism debate after urgent talks with police. The Unite Against Fascism (UAF) group had vowed to stop the event, and DUS president Anna Birley said the National Union of Students (NUS) planned to send coachloads of students into Durham, putting them between the rival groups.

She said she was confident the debate would have been intelligent, responsible and an opportunity for students to challenge offensive views; and was disappointed the focus had become the threatened confrontation outside.

Simon Assas, from the UAF, called it a victory for common sense and for people who wanted to stand up against racism and fascism. He said a Jewish student had reported a changed atmosphere on campus since the debate was announced. However, a BNP spokesman said the enemies of free speech had won the day and that students would not like the “book-burners of the UAF dictating what they can and cannot listen to”.

Police said they did not ask for the debate to be cancelled.

Many students are angry it has been called off. A Facebook group called Durham University Students for Freedom of Speech quickly gained more than 1,900 members. Co-founder Paul Nicholls called for a peaceful protest against what he said was the NUS betrayal of students outside the chamber on the day the debate would have been held.

NUS president Wes Streeting said the NUS believed there was no place on university campuses for the BNP; and that the idea the NUS, rather than the BNP, had caused a welfare and public order issue was preposterous.

University registrar Carolyn Fowler said the university was not prepared to provide an occasion for extremist groups to engage in provocative and intimidating demonstrations, and that it supported the DUS decision. The debate was due to take place this Friday. Speakers were to be Kulveer Ranger, an advisor to Boris Johnson, Conservative MP Edward Leigh, BNP MEP Andrew Brons and Chris Beverley, a BNP councillor in Leeds.

Northern Echo

Ed Balls accused of wooing the anti-immigrant vote

Ed Balls has been accused of wooing the anti-immigrant vote in his new constituency as he fights to remain an MP in the face of a resurgent Conservative Party and one of the highest BNP memberships in the country.

The Tories have made defeating the Schools Secretary a priority, hoping for an upset similar to the ousting of Michael Portillo in 1997 on a 17.4 per cent swing to Labour. The Tories need a 12.3 per cent swing to take Morley and Outwood, which Mr Balls will fight after his current seat, Normanton, is abolished. They believe that they will be helped by declining Labour support over the past 15 years, Mr Balls’s “Marmite” character and improvements in their own campaign.

At the very least, they hope, their efforts will tie down Gordon Brown’s closest adviser during the campaign.

Mr Balls, who is expected to run for the Labour leadership if the party is defeated at the general election, is visiting the West Yorkshire constituency every week. The Unite and Unison unions are helping to fund his campaign and he is arranging ministerial visits to nearby schools, paid for by public money.

But the party arousing the most interest locally is the BNP. Figures, including Keith Robinson, the president of Morley Chamber of Commerce, said that they understand why the far-right candidate is popular.

In response, Mr Balls is taking on local immigration concerns. But he is risking accusations of “dogwhistle politics” for issuing “immigration surveys” to local residents and holding local meetings focused on the issue.

A visit to the constituency by The Times found widespread sympathy for the BNP, despite the small number of foreign immigrants in the area compared with neighbouring Dewsbury, Bradford and Leeds. Many were happy to speak about their admiration for the party’s local tactics.

“I think a lot of people see Chris Beverley (the Morley South BNP councillor running against Mr Balls) as an upright citizen who cares for the issues of the town,” said Mark Robinson, who runs Cucina Café, a bar and restaurant. “He never talks about race and has been very clever about assisting in the town — shopping for elderly people during the snow — which is what people like.” He did not say how he would vote, even though Mr Balls regularly eats in his restaurant.

Mr Balls’s immigration survey, similar to leaflets used by Labour in the West Midlands, works by promoting existing party policy in the form of a questionnaire.

“Do you support the updating of our immigration laws so that migrants who want to settle here must learn to speak English, YES or NO or NOT SURE”, it asks.

Or whether “a probationary period should be passed before they are able to claim state benefits” and if “the Australian points-based system will be good for our area”.

This is balanced with a question asking when immigration is acceptable. “Do you think that people with high levels of skills such as computer specialists, doctors, etc, should be able to come to this country if there are job vacancies that can’t be filled?”

BNP membership information, leaked in 2008, revealed that the Morley area had 90 members of the far-right party, the highest number of any constituency. Morley Town Council has two BNP members.

One senior Tory said that the leaflet was the sign of a “dogwhistle” campaign, comparing it with Michael Howard’s 2005 “Are you thinking what I’m thinking” election campaign.

But Jon Cruddas, the Labour MP for Dagenham, who leads the party’s campaigns against the BNP, defended Mr Balls’s tactics. “The ‘Are you thinking what I’m thinking’ Tory campaign was pernicious because it simply called for an emotive reaction. The right way to campaign against the BNP is to talk about remedies, which this leaflet does,” he said.

“The idea that there are no-go areas, such as immigration, has to be lanced. People have to be reassured you are aware of the issue and you understand the sheer velocity of the change over the last decade.”

Mr Balls has a battle to take the seat, despite a notional majority of 9,784, according to UK Polling Report, after the Tories designated it a battleground seat and sent William Hague to the area for a poster launch.

At the local elections in 2008, Labour came fourth across the five wards in the new seat, trailing the BNP. The result in Stanley and Outwood East, which mostly falls in Normanton, was a particular shock since the Conservatives took the seat directly from Labour.

While plans are being drawn up for David Cameron to hold a “Cameron Direct” meeting, there is little sign of enthusiasm for his brand of conservatism in the area.

Karen Wilson, 45, a part-time waitress, received a call from Mr Cameron. She complained about the discrepancy between the education of her sons, 14 and 12, one of whom goes to a grammar school and the other to a comprehensive.

“He said that education was something they were looking at the moment. But I felt he was not really listening to what I was saying.” She said that she was unlikely to vote Tory again.

Mr Balls’s efficient local office, serving both his future and current constituents, has won plaudits. It is helped by £31,902 given in 2008 by Unison, and £5,000 given last year by Unite.

Michelle Austerfield, a charity helper, said a problem with her benefits was sorted “overnight” by his team.

Mr Balls has even made public spending pledges — promises to Morley businessmen that he will help to open doors with the regional development agency, Yorkshire Forward, for money towards a new nightlife development in the town centre.

But Philip Boyes, an electrician in Leeds who lives in Outwood, said that Mr Balls’s work was a stepping stone for his national ambitions. He was outraged at tales from his wife, who works at the local school, who reported that staff were discouraged from raising problems with Mr Balls, the Schools Secretary, when he visited.

“I will vote Tory because the country has been living beyond its means,” he said. However, he sympathised with those who turned to the BNP. “At the moment if they got in power it would be anarchy. But if they got rid of one or two of their extremist policies they would be electable.”

Mr Robinson, president of Morley Chamber of Commerce, said that he understood why people supported the BNP.

“Their ideas strike a chord in most people’s minds. Their candidate is a personable young chap. But it’s frustrating because you can look back to times when a similar situation (with growing far-right support) happened in Europe and look how that turned out.”

TimesOnline

Fight night in Leeds

Searchlight reports from inside the highly charged Yorkshire meeting

The long trailed Fight night in Leeds City Centre yesterday turned into a pantomime as rival factions within the BNP slugged it out over a mince pie and a Christmas sherry. Leading the proceedings was local football hooligan Tony MacDonald, better known to Searchlight supporters as Tony Mac. Smashing a glass on a table he charged at Mark Collett promising to “cut your throat”, forcing the much maligned and recently demoted graphic designer to flee out the fire escape.

The rest of the evening was no less exciting as speaker after speaker spewed poison into the festive air. The highlight of the evening for me personally was the confirmation of the existence of a photo of Nick Griffin doing a Nazi salute. More of this later.

The contest was held at the Dog and Gun in Leeds City Centre, a regular meeting place for the BNP. We were greeted on our arrival by Ian Dawson handing out questions for the audience to ask party leader Nick Griffin and Collett. Though the meeting had been organised by the Griffin faction it was clear that his opponents had taken up his challenge to attend. The majority of the 120 present had already decided that Collett had to go even before the meeting had begun.

There was some commotion over the arrival of the heavy mob, led by Tony Mac and ably supported by his old thuggish sidekicks Army Dave and friends. Many were not even BNP members but Griffin decided to not push the issue. Rules, it appears, could always be broken.

Griffin strode in confidently with Mark Collett, Dave Hannam, John Walker, Arthur Kemp, Simon Darby and a whole gaggle of BNP security guards. Ian Dawson was slightly less self-assured as rumours spread that he was for the chop that evening. We slipped in at the back, sitting just in front of Tony Mac and friends who stood berating Collett for most of the meeting. Well, at least the part for which they were there anyway.

The format of the meeting was agreed, with Griffin speaking first, followed then by Ian Dawson, Mark Collett and Chris Beverley. The impartial [sic] Simon Darby was chairing the meeting.

If Griffin had hoped to win over some doubters he certainly did his best to fail from the outset. His deliberately rude outbursts at Dawson and Beverley, coupled with his desire to have Dawson removed altogether, only infuriated the crowd. Tony Mac, meanwhile, appeared oblivious to the proceedings, fixated as was with making threats towards Collett. Little Nazi Boy (as comedian Russell Brand likes to call him) was obviously scared to death and appeared to spend most of the meeting eyeing out exits if he needed to make a quick getaway.

And so the contest began. Griffin opened by listing the various charges against the rebels, who he referred to as “vermin”. To howls of protest he continued, claiming that the party had been correct in taking Sadie Graham’s computer and more evidence of wrongdoing was going to be released shortly. He accused Kenny Smith of “stealing” £4,000 from the party and questioned Chris Beverley’s honesty by saying that when Beverley ran Excalibur he claimed a stock worth £60,000 but when this was handed over this proved to be only £6,000.

He even had a word or two to say about Dawson. Claiming that he knew that there was at least one Searchlight mole in the room (the room suddenly got very hot at this point!), he told the audience that he also suspected that either Steve Blake or Ian Dawson of working for Searchlight because of certain emails that had come into our possession. Dawson jumped to protest his innocence, “I’m not a Searchlight mole” he shouted to Griffin’s obvious amusement. While this set off another set of anti-Collett shouts, some around me did question the speed he denied this claim. Hmmm, interesting...

Anyway, with the crowd howling, and Tony Mac still threatening all sorts to the increasingly white-faced Collett, it was Ian Dawson’s turn to respond. And so he did, attacking the party leadership and defending the actions of the rebels. I have to admit that it was hard to hear actually what Dawson was saying above the screams from behind me.

According to the script it was then meant to be the turn of Mark Collett to speak but in what was obviously a clearly planned intervention, Griffin rose to reply. Pushing aside the protests from the audience, Simon Darby explained that serious allegations had been made against the party leader so it was only right that he should be allowed to respond. This sent the crowd into a frenzy, not least from the barbarian behind me.

With Collett due to speak Tony Mac had decided that he had had enough. Shouting “I’m going to kill you”, “I’m going to cut your throat”, he charged forward, smashing a glass on the side of the table as he headed straight for Collett.

All hell broke loose, as the security team moved forward to block the charge. Of course, their priority was protecting Griffin so Collett was left to fend for himself. He did, at some haste, by fleeing like a whimpering dog out of the fire escape!

Complete chaos broke out, though given the audience and the background to the meeting it was hardly surprising. In the ensuing pandemonium at least a quarter of the audience walked out, some in disgust, others in fear of their lives. All this could have been caught on BNP TV, which had been filming the meeting, had it not been for Tony Mac of making a point of pushing over the camera.

Some people have said that Griffin was punched but hand on heart I cannot say I saw that.

However, the evening was not over yet. In fact, this fight was not even the highlight of the proceedings. That came when an angry Tony Mac publicly confronted Griffin over his claims that the rebels were Nazis. “I have a picture of you in Scotland with Blood and Honour giving a Nazi salute. Do you deny that?

“If you do then it’ll be in the Sunday papers.”

Griffin looked on in silence, his face creasing up in horror.

“Ok,” said Tony Mac, “it’ll be in the Sunday papers”.

As peace started to descend on the place there was confusion about what to do. With so many people having fled many thought that the meeting should close. Arguing against this view was Kirklees councillor Colin Auty. “I want the meeting to be reconvened,” he demanded. “The people of Yorkshire have the right to be heard.” However, he then stormed out!

The meeting did continue, minus a few of the heavies. Collett meanwhile had decided that the fire escape in mid-December was not a place to hang out for too long and slipped back into the room. All credit to the young man, he had found some confidence from somewhere, though of course others would have described it as stupidity. He called a reluctant Dave Hannam up to the front of the room and to Dave’s horror he announced: “Me and Dave are not paedophiles.” I wanted to burst out laughing, though fortunately there were plenty of others to do that for me. “We had gone out with a big group of lads and these two beautiful women cracked on to us,” he continued. “We didn’t know that they were only 15.” If he was thinking that this chummy explanation for events in Blackpool last year would turn the crowd in his favour he was mistaken.

The meeting then descended into mayhem, with accusation being met with counter-accusation. Collett even turned on Dawson and graphically accused him of infidelity at the recent RWB.

There was an attempted vote of no confidence in Mark Collett, as had been pre-arranged by Dawson, but Griffin moved in to block this from happening. Griffin recognised that Collett had done lots of stupid things, particularly the Young, Nazi and Proud video, but then claimed that these youthful indiscretions would be ironed out with time. He even equated Collett’s behaviour with his own time in the National Front. Griffin went on to say that there was nothing wrong with Collett being ambitious, and yes, maybe, in 10 or 15 years time he would become leader of the BNP.

One of the final questions was asked by Leeds member Peter Hollins. He had sat their quietly throughout the whole meeting and then explained how he had thought about joining the party long before he did. When he eventually made the plunge he had met Collett and found him very helpful and friendly. However, events had made him change his mind and he proceeded to destroy Collett’s character, even accusing him of having a personality disorder. With that he announced that this was going to be his last party meeting as he had had enough.

Collett just sat there in shock. I, meanwhile, wanted to cheer old Peter for finally seeing sense but I thought that might be inappropriate, especially with Kemp scanning the room for the Searchlight mole.

One final moment of hilarity, amongst the many I do not have the time to go into at this stage, was Chris Beverley’s apology for his outspoken remarks against Keighley’s Angela Clarke, who had been hounded out of the party amidst a quite sexist smear campaign. Beverley, it appears, is remorseful for his minor part in this. Griffin smiled on and then, when Beverley had finished, began quoting from some emails Beverley had sent him where he was far more outspoken and insulting about Clarke then he had cared to acknowledge.

Yorkshire BNP is not split, it is totally opposed to the Griffin faction and this meeting only seems to have reinforced this position. There appears no chance of reconciliation in Yorkshire with even the sacking of Collett now probably no longer being enough. As for the young ‘Nazi Boy’, I simply can’t see how he can continue to live in Leeds, not least for fear of bumping into Tony Mac. The Leeds United hooligan was still issuing threats as he left the room.

Griffin appears to be ready to jettison the region. Having boasted that the matter had been resolved in every other region of the country he is clearly taking a hard line approach in this county regardless of the consequences. However, starting again might be difficult as there is clearly no-one to work with.

For me, meanwhile, the night was over. I walked out into the cold Yorkshire evening air with a smile on my face. The meeting had been as dreadful as we predicted. It had been wonderful. I got out my mobile and began ringing the Sunday newspapers. There was, after all, a photo of Griffin in Scotland to sell.

(Searchlight makes no comment on the allegations of theft made by Nick Griffin. We are simply reporting what was said at the meeting.)

Stop The BNP

BNP fundraising dinner fiasco

Until a few days ago, the British National Party's Yorkshire region was expecting at least 100 and potentially up to 150 fools to attend a secretive fundraising dinner and put their hands in their pockets in an attempt to replenish the party's empty coffers.

But at the last count only about 40 diners had signed up for tonight's fancy three-course Italian meal with wine at the Sorrento Italian restaurant in Low Moor near Bradford.

Those organising the event include Nick Cass, recently sacked from his national position as Party Manager, and Ian Dawson, who has just resigned as the BNP's Head of Group Support. Others involved are Peter Hollings, who runs a fireplace business, Ged Munns, the BNP's Yorkshire region fund-holder, who runs the Super Cut men's hairdresser in Leeds, and the BNP's Leeds councillor Chris Beverley.

Mr Hart, who runs the restaurant, appears to have put the chance of making some money over any principles in allowing the right-wing extremists in. He might come to regret his decision if the restaurant's public link with the BNP drives away other customers.

Ordinary BNP street thugs were not welcome at the dinner. With tickets priced at £45 a head for members and £50 for non-members, the organisers were looking to attract a more upmarket type of customer – those with the means to rescue the BNP from its deep financial crisis.

The BNP's accounts for 2005 – the last set submitted to the Electoral Commission – revealed a party on the verge of bankruptcy. Since then the party has claimed that its finances have returned to a state of good health.

Yet the BNP has declared only four donations of £5,000 upwards in the past two years, a total of £28,263, all from a Mr Charles Wentworth. And three months after the deadline the BNP has not yet submitted its 2006 accounts, incurring a fine of up to £1,000.

Full-time staff including party leader Nick Griffin himself are on half pay and waiting weeks for their expenses. Most are struggling to pay their mortgages or rent.

The BNP must have breathed a sigh of relief when Gordon Brown decided not to hold a general election next month. BNP local units had been told to fight as many general election seats as possible but were going to have to fund the full cost themselves, with the exception of Richard Barnbrook in Barking, who merited special favours. BNP head office was desperately trying to raise £15,000 to pay for the party's election broadcast.

As if the party's financial woes were not enough, the BNP is also in internal chaos. Cass and Dawson are not the only leading lights in the BNP who have resigned their positions or left the party altogether recently. Others include Andrew Spence, who achieved the BNP's best ever poll result in July in the by-election in Tony Blair's former Sedgefield seat.

Even "Doc Phil Edwards", one of the party's best known public faces, has stepped down as press officer, claiming he wanted to concentrate more fully on his business interests.

Many officers, including Cllr Beverley, one of Griffin's most loyal supporters, are moaning about the way Griffin has surrounded himself with a coterie of men who are mostly not party members and sometimes not even British. It is this clique that now decides BNP policy. Party stalwarts who want to attend the AGM must first receive ideological training from a former sergeant in the feared South African Security Police under the apartheid regime.

Griffin will be the keynote speaker at the dinner, the advertised purpose of which is to raise money for the 2009 European elections. He will have his job cut out persuading the BNP's wealthier local supporters, who include two or three millionaires, that the party is not about to collapse.

They may be unwilling to dig deep into their pockets to pay fines for the late submission of the party accounts, for which many senior members are blaming the incompetence of the party's national treasurer and deputy treasurer.

Donors will also worry about the threat to their previous anonymity from the dozens of senior party members who are publicly voicing their dissatisfaction with the way the 8,400-strong party with just 48 councillors nationwide is being driven to a political standstill through what most see as Griffin's managerial ineptitude.

It is that dissatisfaction that led to the tip-off to us about tonight's dinner, probably from one of those still waiting for the party to pay their wages.

Stop the BNP

The BNP on a roll: two more down and another two yet to be confirmed

A few weeks back, a comment was made to one of our posts to the effect that Nick Cass had been sacked as Party Manager and Ian Dawson, the BNP's former Head of Group Support Officer and well-known photographer for Redwatch, had resigned.

Since then, it has been confirmed that party management has been handed over to a three-person team - Tony Brewer, Martin Clutterbuck and Michaela MacKenzie - though the party has stayed remarkably tight-lipped about Cass and has avoided mentioning Dawson at all. The apparent reason the BNP has said nothing openly about the resignation of Ian Dawson might well have something to do with his resignation letter which we're assured is a real shocker, ripping into the much-despised Mark Collett and Great White Record's disastrous director, Dave Hannam, both of whom he accuses of undermining morale, incompetence and just about everything else.

Since the comment was made, very little has leaked out from the party (unusually) except for the unconfirmed news that Chris Beverley had 'resigned from the BNP's Advisory Council and been thrown out of his job heading up the money-spinning Excalibur (which sells overpriced tat to gullible BNP members), to be replaced by Nick Griffin's new blue-eyed boy Arthur Kemp, who you can read about here.

Now we hear that Sadie Graham has also resigned (before she was sacked) as the party's Director of Group Development, a post formerly held by the violent bomber Tony Lecomber, who apparently is still hanging around in the BNP doing odd jobs for Nick Griffin, despite having been sacked back in January 2006 and proscribed in April of this year.

The chaos within the BNP seems, at the moment, to be profound. While sackings and resignations seem to be occurring with startling regularity and Griffin seems to be surrounding himself with an informal coterie of close advisors (former South African police spy Arthur Kemp, the BNP's very own terrorist Tony Lecomber, the BNP's universally-derided and rubbishy legal 'expert' Lee Barnes, the new Press Officer Simon Darby and the General Secretary of the BNP-hijacked fake-union Solidarity, Patrick Harrington) members are being expected to just shut up and do the bidding of the party, most of which seems to be handing over vast amounts of money for various lost causes - the current biggie being the staggering £200,000 the party seems to want to throw away on the pointless attempt to replace Ken Livingstone with pornmeister Dicky Barnbrook as London's Mayor.

You'll note that out of the little gang of five that Griffin keeps close, the only actual party member appears to be Simon Darby unless Kemp has joined up in the past few weeks. One wonders what the membership feels about that.

In the last month or two we've seen some pretty high-profile sackings/resignations from the party - Andrew Spence, Jonathan Bowden, former Deputy Chairman of the party Scott McLean and former Press Officer Phil Edwards. Now, if the rumours are all true - and we suspect they are - another four have bitten the dust virtually unnoticed by the membership. Chaos seems to be reigning supreme in the BNP, particularly since the recent leadership challenge which seems to have been designed solely to weed out the dissenters from the ranks. Unfortunately (though not for us) an awful lot of the BNP's more valuable officers and members seem to be getting caught up in the action and are getting the heave-ho along with the 'vermin' that Griffin swore to get rid of.

Party members who take the time to watch the soap opera that the BNP has become must be cringing as every new disaster emerges and wondering why the hell they wasted thirty quid on joining a party that seems determined to implode despite the help offered to it by idiots like Labour's Margaret Hodge and the Conservative's Sayeeda Warsi.

Did we say soap opera? We meant to say farce.