Sunday snippets from the 'quiet revolution'

Our regular readers will recall the incident of Robert Cottage, the BNP member who was not a member. Once the BNP realised that the mad would-be bomber was one of its own, the party stupidly announced that he was not a member in the vain hope that this assertion would cause us to forget the fact. It didn't work of course, because it was untrue.

Now the BNP is trying it on again. Roger Robertson, the former campaign manager for Colin Auty during the recent leadership almost-challenge, has been kicked out for bringing the party into disrepute (like that's possible) but a post on Stormfront claims that he ceased to be a member of the party in January. When asked why the party would hold a tribunal for a member to be sacked when he isn't even a member, the poster (who is, we believe, owl-spotter Simon Darby) declined to answer. Keep on rewriting history, guys...

Oh, they are. The December rebels who Griffin was taking through the High Court have received letters this week from the pig farmer himself, asking that the case be dropped because 'it's your homes at risk' and 'it's in the best interests of' party unity and so on, apparently forgetting that it was he himself who brought the case.

Only speculation, but could it be that His Porkiness has run out of readies? That his real legal advisors (as opposed to the cretinous Lee Barnes) have yet to be paid and are getting a bit shirty? Oh dear, I can feel another appeal coming on...

Talking of appeals, do you remember those bloody awful begging letters that the BNP send out on a regular basis - the ones that look like they should say 'you're a winner' and look like they might have come from Reader's Digest around 1968? We're told these bits of amateurish tat were designed by some Irish advertising 'gurus' who are among the best in their field. Blimey. I'd hate to see the worst. One of our correspondents speculated on the cost of these 'gurus'. We reckon about £4.50 but we'd be interested in hearing your guesses.

Anyway, these letters - probably because the BNP send them out every other week - are not working any more and emails to us suggest very strongly that the membership of the BNP is heartily sick of being scrounged off all the time. In fact, four out of five of the emails we receive now print the name Griffin as Gri££in - the other one prints it as Gri$$in (there's always one) - just showing that feelings are running deep and that the membership is rapidly losing interest in being treated as a cash cow for the Griffin family business. As one former BNP supporter put it;

'These bloody letters are an embarrassment, I’ll not pay another penny so he can go and waste it or lose another blimp'

Is it St Valentine's Day already? If all the rumours are true, we must congratulate Martin Reynolds, the steroid-saturated head of security and smutty pix at the BNP for his apparent new relationship with, we're told, a Ms Diane Smith, an activist and organiser from Norfolk. Also, we're led to believe that nazi-boy Mark Collett is going after older women these days. We're told a romance is blossoming between him and former clog dancer Simone Clarke, Dicky Barnbrook's ex-fake-fiance. Lovely to see that even the BNP can let a little romance into its tarnished soul from time to time. We look forward to reading of a further fake-engagement in the near future. Or maybe even two.

As the world moves beyond credit cards and online transactions, the BNP is reverting to being a mainly cash organisation. Rather than taking money online or via cheque, which would require some records to be kept, this year's Red, White and Blue piss-up isn't, like previous years, a ticket-only affair. Instead, those attending will be required to pay on entry, cash on the door. One wonders why. In the words of the Challenge for Change blog (formerly the Challenge for Leadership blog);

'...is the fact that cash disappears without a trace very easily that makes this such an attractive change to the RWB set-up? Or is it the blithering incompetence of the Treasury Department that has time and time again fouled up so many branch accounts after the RWB and taken months to clear up the mess?'

We believe we know the reasons for the move to cash only. Membership of the BNP is dropping rapidly and the numbers attending the RWB will reflect this, so the party wants to avoid having a record of attendees. There's also the point about cash being easier to move around - a very valid point that, given the party's dire financial position, is probably the main reason for the change. There is though, the anti-RWB demo that is planned for August 16th. The BNP will want to claim that the RWB was even more 'successful' than last year and every other year since it started, despite the demonstration outside. The only way the party will be able to do this is if there is no proper attendance record. Of course, the party will be found out in its lies (it always is) when people start asking where the money has gone (they always do) and the party management has no answer for them (they never have).

And finally, on a similar subject, a word about the BNP's ludicrous and pointless Summer School for activists, organisers and fundholders. As usual, the creepy Simon Darby hailed it as an enormous success, and between them, the party leadership managed to suggest that there was well over two hundred people in attendance. Not so. Just ninety people attended and most of these thought the whole event so poorly managed that they left early.

The BNP - failure wherever you look.

Activist is kicked out of BNP

A senior British National Party activist has been booted out of the far right political group.

Hartley Wintney resident Roger Robertson has been kicked out over his part in a bid to overthrow controversial leader Nick Griffin. Mr Robertson was campaign manager for Colin Auty, who planned a leadership bid. However, Mr Auty did not receive enough backing from party members to go ahead with the challenge. As a result Mr Robertson, who has stood as a BNP candidate at a number of recent Hart District Council elections, was hauled before a disciplinary tribunal.

He branded the hearing, held in Exeter on Sunday, a “sham”.

“It was a foregone conclusion,” Mr Robertson told the Fleet News. “I’d already received an email previous to the tribunal saying I was going to be expelled from the party. The interesting thing is that I don’t feel at all disappointed that I’ve been expelled. The fact is that myself and many other like-minded people are being let down by the leader and his sycophant coterie. He surrounds himself with yes men and people who simply obey his orders.

“It’s a shame but to be honest I feel more sorry for some of the good people who are being duped. At least I can see through them and have made my position clear. It’s just a shame that the others can’t see the wood for the trees.”

The tribunal was chaired by south-west England regional organiser Peter Mullins. National nominating officer Michaela MacKenzie and Torbay area organiser Peter Taylor made up the three-member tribunal. Andy McBride, who has taken over from Mr Robertson as the BNP’s south-east regional organiser, read the charges.

Mr Robertson said: “The biggest charge was that I was bringing the party into disrepute by talking to the press. I thought that was a bit hypocritical as we are supposed to live in a democracy. After the tribunal they said I was expelled from the party forthwith — it was absolutely laughable.”

Mr Robertson, who has lived in Hartley Wintney all his life, believes a lot of good would come from his expulsion. He added: “Quite clearly there’s a need for a party that’s whiter than white. We need a party whose members are above reproach. There’s probably about 20 or 30 of us across the country seriously looking at a new party of the right that is completely transparent and comprising people without baggage.”

In an official statement before his disciplinary tribunal, Mr Robertson told BNP members and supporters that it was with “regret” that he and Mr Auty had decided they would not challenge Nick Griffin’s leadership.

He added: “It is extremely disappointing that the challenge fell short by just a few signatures, a major factor being that many members have failed to renew their subscriptions, plus the fact that the churn rate of the membership precludes many who do not have the requisite two years’ qualification to become a voting member.

“Colin was the ideal candidate to lead our party out of the wilderness after nine years of stultifying slow growth under the present chairman. Both Colin and myself wish to thank most sincerely those nearly 90 people who had the courage to put their names to Colin’s nomination. We may well have lost the first skirmish but the battle for a democratic BNP is far from over.”

Mr Robertson said the names of those that did sign Mr Auty’s nomination would not be disclosed to Mr Griffin “or any of his stooges, as we do not want to see another internal bloodbath of dedicated nationalists”.

He added: “Colin has the nomination forms and they will be staying with him — he will not put them to the sword of the hierarchy. This is a sad day for internal democracy — how can we convince the public that we are committed to democratic elections when internally the current leadership seem allergic to them?”

In a statement, BNP legal director Lee Barnes attacked the leadership challenge as “bogus” and “illegal” and said disciplinary measures would be taken to squash the “diversionary and divisive” activity in the bud. The statement added: “This is a deceitful and cynical attempt to divert the party’s attention away from the historic victory in London and to derail the activists’ attention away from the all-important European elections next June.”

Mr Barnes said Mr Auty was a “decent” man who was being used as a puppet by party members who were trying to set up a rival political party.

He added: “It is a cynical attempt by our enemies to try to derail the party and to stop activities to get BNP members elected to the European parliament. The party is on the edge of a historic victory in Europe next year and nothing must stand in the way of getting the demo-cratically elected chairman and others elected.

“Anyone who has already signed or is thinking of signing the nomination forms for Colin Auty will be suspended from party membership pending an internal disciplinary tribunal where members will be tried for conspiracy and treason. Those found guilty will be expelled from the party and proscribed for life.”

Get Hampshire

Colin Auty's BNP leadership challenge collapses after two months of inertia

Nick Griffin (left) and Colin Auty

Almost two months to the day after announcing that he was to challenge Nick Griffin for the leadership of the British National Party, Colin Auty, councillor for Dewsbury East on Kirklees Council, has finally had to admit defeat after he failed to obtain the required amount of signatures that would enable him to go ahead while conforming with the bizarre rules of the BNP.

Auty, a councillor since 2006, was formerly one of Nick Griffin's blue-eyed boys, particularly after he irritated the Muslim MP for Dewsbury Shahid Malik by singing a song outside his contituency office claiming that the Dewsbury district, mainly populated by the Asian community, was rife with drug dealers and paedophiles. Though he was reported to the Standards Board for England, the Board eventually cleared him, leaving him free to continue singing his rubbish and playing with the ghastly Red Claire, a band that includes the repulsive Bradford BNP councillor Paul Cromie.

Up to this time, Auty had provided much of the 'music' that was sold by the dire Great White Records (GWR), though his popularity with the Griffinites in the BNP was about to be tested when he gave his clear backing to the dissident side in the December 2007 rebellion. Indeed, he was one of more than sixty party members to add his name to a blog set up by a group using the name The Real BNP, which was simply a front for Sadie Graham, Steve Blake, Kenny Smith et al.

Auty announced that he would be challenging Griffin for the leadership of the party on May 2nd and was almost instantly attacked by the lunatic excuse for a legal advisor to the BNP, Lee Barnes. Describing Auty as, among other things, a 'puupet' (a word that has no meaning in any language and apparently only exists inside Barnes' very odd head), Barnes stated in a letter to the membership that the Auty challenge was 'illegal' under party rules and that anyone who supported it would be 'tried for conspiracy and treason'.

That the BNP was desperate to fend off this challenge using any means possible was made clear by this threatening statement in Barnes' letter:

'Anyone who has already signed or is thinking of signing or intending to sign the nomination forms for Colin Autty will be suspended from Party membership pending an internal dispclinary tribunal where members will be tried for conspiracy and treason as per the Constitutition Section 6. (3) Section 7 – failure to use the correct channels to express concerns, 8 - spreading false and malicious rumours about Party officials and members, and behaviour likely to bring the Party into disrepute. Those found guilty of conspiracy and treason will be expelled from the Party and proscibred for life.'

Proscibred?

This appalling missive was followed a week later by another, this time sent out to those the party considered to be activists (branch fundholders, chairs, organisers and so on) from Eddy Butler, the party's National Elections Officer, who described Auty in no uncertain terms as a 'joke candidate' and a 'no-hoper', warning that if the challenge went ahead;

'There will be pressure, perhaps unstoppable pressure, to change the rules so that leadership challenges can only take place every four years.'

By the end of May, it was clear that the Auty campaign was in trouble. Some of the rebels had been expelled while others were backing down under pressure and returning to the fold. Discussion of the challenge was banned on the BNP's own forum and Stormfront, the forum for the many nazis in the BNP's ranks, was awash with anti-Auty propaganda - much of it instigated by a character calling himself 'Walk towards the light' (Lee Barnes).

Auty was denied a platform of any kind at any branch. Even his singing engagements were cancelled (though that might just have been because his songs are crap and he sounds like a cross between Tiny Tim and George Formby). He was even denied access to the membership to campaign for his signatures on the dubious grounds that to allow him access to the list would be a breach of the Data Protection Act, which didn't seem to stop the anti-Auty letters from Barnes and Butler going out.

Since the end of May, virtually nothing much has happened on the three pro-Auty sites except for the odd post that served no purpose - until a week and a half ago, that is, when Auty obviously realised that his campaign was doomed unless he spoke out. This he did, with a vengeance, branding Nick Griffin as ruthless and desperate, and as a crook and a liar. We wouldn't disagree with any of those epithets.

In a spectacular post, which should really have kicked off his campaign for it to have succeeded, Auty ripped into Griffin, referring to his 'shady and downright deceitful dealings', his habit of 'concocting lies about [his enemies] concerning financial irregularities' and how the rest of the Advisory Council (the BNP's toothless ruling body) would 'very often sit in silence through fear of becoming the next victim'.

Auty made it clear that money is Griffin's only driving factor, that 'the books are always cooked' and ended by referring to Griffin as a 'totalitarian'.

Too little, too late.

Late last night, Roger Robertson, Auty's campaign manager, laid it on the line.

'I regret to inform those members and supporters of the BNP that, this evening, 30th June, after consultation with Colin, we have acknowledged that there will not be a challenge to Nick Griffin's leadership in 2008.

It is extremely disappointing that the challenge fell short by just a few signatures; a major factor being that many members have failed to renew their 2008 subscriptions plus the fact that the churn rate of the membership precludes many who do not have the requisite 2 years qualification to become a voting member.

Colin was the ideal candidate to lead our Party out of the wilderness after 9 years of stultifying slow growth under the present Chairman.

I will not here dilate upon the reasons for the challenge to Nick Griffin's leadership. This will come next week after my 'tribunal' on 6th July when I become an ex-member of the BNP.

Suffice it to say that both Colin and myself wish to thank most sincerely those nearly 90 people who had the courage to put their names to Colin's nomination.

We may well have lost the first skirmish but the battle for a democratic BNP is far from over.

Roger Robertson

Ed - The names of those who did sign will not be disclosed to Griffin or any of his stooges, as we do not want to see another internal bloodbath of dedicated nationalists.

Colin Auty has the nomination forms and they will be staying with Colin - he will not put them to the sword of the hierarchy. This is a sad day for internal democracy - how can we convince the public that we are committed to democratic elections when internally the current leadership seem allergic to them?'

No great surprises there but a couple of things pop up out of the letter as being of rather more than passing interest, the main one being the comment regarding the fact that 'many members have failed to renew their 2008 subscriptions'.

This fits in with what we and other anti-fascist groups are being told is the case - that the BNP is haemorrhaging members far faster than it can sign them up, something that might explain the increasing number and increasingly desperate tone of the begging letters that are constantly sent out to a weary membership. I spoke to a former member by phone last night who informed me that he and his partner had received no less than FOUR in the past few days. As he says, no joke when you're only just managing to survive yourself.

The other remarkable comment in this letter is the reason the Auty team will refuse to hand over the nomination forms. As Robertson puts it, 'we do not want to see another internal bloodbath of dedicated nationalists...[Auty] will not put them to the sword of the hierarchy'. Fear, it seems, is a major factor in the modern British National Party - a party that continually (and laughably) claims to be the most democratic party that exists.

We shall watch Colin Auty's continuing career in the BNP and as a BNP councillor with great interest, though not, we suspect, for long.

Rebel faction still in a state of limbo

The strategy of the rebels faction is no clearer a day after they met to discuss tactics. Nick Lowles reports from inside the rebels’ den.

About 120 rebels, drawn from around the country, met in Brinsley Parish Hall yesterday afternoon. With a police helicopter buzzing overhead they discussed the limited options available to them.

The rebel leaders were clearly boosted by the attendance, coming as it did amid signs that the rebellion was faltering and the leaders were falling out amongst themselves. The upbeat mood amongst many in the audience showed that there was still life left in the troublemakers.

It was clear from the opening speakers that there were disagreements amongst the rebel leadership. Some, like former South East regional organiser Roger Robertson, were keen to form a new party immediately. Others, including Steve Blake and veteran London nazi Richard Edmonds, wanted to remain in the BNP and fight for a change of leadership.

However, even amongst the latter group there were differences. Should Griffin be challenged this year or next? Who had the credibility to be a strong candidate? Who was still a party member?

Some of the old Tyndallites were keen for Chris Jackson to run again. The newer rebels were lukewarm to this idea and even suggested delaying a challenge to 2009 for fear of being seen to disrupt the London elections.

Others, meanwhile, pointed out the shortcomings in a leadership challenge. Declaring a candidate now would likely lead to that person’s expulsion before too long. Waiting until 2009 could allow the Griffin-led BNP to win in London and possibly gain MEPs a year later. Against this background any challenge would be futile.

There was no clearer position about standing in the forthcoming May elections. There was a general consensus that the Griffin camp would block any attempts by the rebels to stand on the BNP ticket so that left standing as ‘Independent nationalists’, as many seem prepared to do. However, surely that would automatically lead to their expulsion from the party and so be at odds with the overall strategy of trying to win it back from within.

There appeared an acceptance that they would eventually be out of the party but few wanted to publicly propose establishing a rival to the BNP immediately. It almost seems as though they wanted to wait to be thrown out, a course many believe is inevitable, but the reality is that this would be a drawn out affair and in the meantime the rebellion would slowly disintegrate and be forgotten.

Griffin would not have been too concerned with the outcome of this meeting. It finished with the rebels being in the worst possible position. They are no longer in the party (or at least in positions of influence) in any real sense yet they have backed away from launching an alternative party at a time when they still have a degree of support around the country. Launching a new party is of course not easy and would alienate some of their key supporters who wanted to remain in the BNP but when is there ever a good time to split. The answer surely has to be when you can achieve your maximum influence and that is certainly now and not after a possible BNP London or European victory.

One day the rebels will surely look back at the meeting as being an opportunity wasted. Massed in the room were many of the BNP’s super activists and surely a nucleus of a new party and if ever they had the momentum to launch an alternative the time is now. Throughout Griffin’s career he has shown himself to be a master of factionalism and spitefulness and as night follows day it is clear that over the next few months he will drive his opponents out of the party one way or another.

In the meantime we can enjoy watching the spectacle of official BNP candidates standing against ‘Independent Nationalists’ in some of their key local authority areas in Yorkshire and the North West.

Stop the BNP

BNP activist barred from BNP meeting

A former senior British National Party activist was thrown out of a meeting over his part in a bid to overthrow controversial leader Nick Griffin.

Hartley Wintney resident Roger Robertson (right in picture) tried to attend the BNP meeting in Sandhurst Community Hall on Monday night but was barred.

Mr Robertson, who has stood down as the BNP’s south-east England regional organiser to set up a rival faction, said: “One of the chaps acting as security on the door said ‘sorry Roger, you can’t come in’. I forced my way past him and there was a little shouting match in which I said I was entitled to attend the meeting because I am a fully paid-up member. I thought it would be best if I kept it low key so I said ‘OK I will leave but I’m not happy with this because I am perfectly entitled to be here’.”

Hart district and Hampshire county councillor Jonathan Glen said: “It doesn’t surprise me in the slightest that Roger is trying to distance himself from mainstream BNP policy. Roger is now a parish councillor in Hartley Wintney and I am quite sure he wishes to fulfil his duties in an honourable way and not be associated with the extreme politics of the far right BNP.

“I welcome the news that Roger has seen the light on the road to Damascus. Maturity is a wonderful experience. I’m quite certain that Roger was feeling as uncomfortable in the circle of BNP members as the rest of us. There is no place in politics for racist agendas.”

Mr Robertson, who has stood as a BNP candidate at a number of recent Hart District Council elections, has now joined the newly-launched Voice of Change, an independent pressure group trying to bring about a leadership challenge to Mr Griffin. He will chair a meeting of the group in Nottingham on Sunday. Among the items up for discussion will be ways in which it can pressure the leadership into listening to its membership.

Mr Robertson, who has lived in Hartley Wintney all his life, admitted: “We have an internal split within the BNP. There is a group of us who are not happy with the way the party is being run, a lack of transparency in financial terms and the baggage of senior members. A lot of us who are not as out and out as some members have got tainted with the same brush,” he claimed.

“Nick Griffin is proving himself to be not capable of carrying on as party leader so we are looking to remove him.”

The official statement added: “Nick Griffin arrogantly told some of the expelled personnel to get on with their ‘non-political lives’ as if he has a monopoly of nationalist politics. Thankfully for the future of our people and our country Mr Griffin deludes himself. The movement is much bigger than one man’s ego and the Voice of Change will take the nationalist message to new levels of success without the sleaze, immorality and financial corruption of Griffin’s cabal, a message which millions of our beleaguered kinfolk are eager to heed.”

Mr Robertson believes that at least 100 senior party members are unhappy with Mr Griffin’s style of leadership.

He added: “I’ve resigned as the BNP regional organiser because I just cannot be party to various things that have been going on. As a result I am one of the ringleaders of the rebel faction and that is why they barred me from the meeting.”

Mr Robertson believed the Voice of Change could transform the party, which was widely viewed as racist. He said: “I think a lot of people will now sit up and say ‘hold on, this is what we want’. They may have thought the previous leader was a step too far and as a result they may not have been able to vote for the party previously, but they could now.”

The BNP said it expelled two senior members, Sadie Graham and Kenny Smith, who it accused of “gross misconduct” for masterminding a blog site critical of Mr Griffin and demanding the sacking of Mr Collett and Mr Hannam. It also accused the pair of illegally hacking into email accounts of BNP members, including Mr Griffin.

BNP deputy leader Simon Darby said the vast majority of the party’s 10,000 members were behind Mr Griffin’s leadership. He denied the BNP was irrevocably split, claiming it was simply going through a cyclical period of “tension”, the like of which had characterised the party’s history.

Sandhurst News and Mail