The long awaited split within the British National Party has finally happened. Despite the rebels insisting that their priority was to remain within the party and campaign for the removal of Nick Griffin as leader it now appears that they are making a real break by standing candidates against the BNP.A few hours ago the rebels launched their Voice of Change website. Hardly the most inspiring site it nevertheless signals a change in tactics. Whilst it continues to claim that they will challenge Griffin in a leadership election in June it is clear that none of the nine sacked party officers believe that a) they will be reinstated and b) that they would stand a chance in any leadership election given that Griffin himself is allowed to decide on the election rules which in last year’s contest included the banning of any campaigning!
Instead, the website makes it clear that they are prepared to stand against Griffin’s BNP. “Voice of Change is an umbrella group to assist candidates who wish to stand as independent nationalists in the local elections in May 2008 and in any local by-elections throughout the year.”
This will badly affect the BNP in Yorkshire, the East Midlands, Scotland and Greater Manchester. In Yorkshire, which has been their most powerful region within the party for some time, there appears only one or two branches which remain loyal to the current leadership. Support for the rebellion is fairly solid across Scotland, though this is a far less important region for the party electorally. The strong East Midlands region will also be affected. While the region is split over support for the rebellion the loss of many of its key organisers, such as Sadie Graham and Wayne McDermott, the region’s competent election organiser, will be a severe blow to BNP in the short term.
The rebels were left with little option but to begin the move towards a separate party. Since announcing their decision to challenge Griffin’s leadership a week ago it is clear that many of their supporters recognised the futility in all this. Over the last 48 hours Searchlight received information from within Yorkshire BNP that many of its key organisers were preparing to make a break. The officers of Hull BNP has been the first to declare themselves as ‘Independent Nationalists’ but we expect others to follow shortly.
The move to support rival candidates will also be music to the ears of Nick Griffin. Whilst he must recognise that the party will suffer in May’s local elections in Yorkshire, and that he is likely to lose the vast majority of the region, he will also know that in the all-important London and European elections, both contested under PR, the internal problems within the BNP is unlikely to affect their vote.
He must also know that any move to support candidates against the BNP will immediately lead to expulsions.
The rebels, now operating under the banner Voice of Change, plan to hold a conference in the East Midlands on Sunday 27 January. Much will become clearer at this event but it is now already evident that the rebels have given up on wrestling control of the BNP away from Griffin and the split has occurred.
BNP in crisis
