BNP: The Fraud Exposed

Nick Griffin's British National Party, already under investigation for breaches of electoral law, is facing fresh allegations of corruption. Panorama uncovers new evidence of financial documents being falsified and fabricated in order to deceive the Electoral Commission. The programme also has evidence of the BNP's failure to declare major donations to the party.

As Darragh MacIntyre reports, the BNP, which is better known for its controversial views on race, is in debt and according to its own published accounts appears to be technically insolvent.

Mon 10 Oct 2011 20:30 BBC One
Thu 13 Oct 2011 04:30 BBC News Channel
Fri 14 Oct 2011 00:25 BBC One (except Northern Ireland, Wales)
Fri 14 Oct 2011 01:25 BBC One (Northern Ireland only)
Sun 16 Oct 2011 20:30 BBC News Channel

BNP facing accusations of fraud

Mr Griffin accused the BBC and Panorama of bias in the reporting of the BNP

The British National Party is under investigation by the European Union and the Metropolitan Police for alleged fraud and breaches of electoral law.

The dual investigations come as a former BNP administrator told the BBC's Panorama programme that she was instructed to falsify invoices. Those invoices were then submitted by the BNP to the Electoral Commission. The BNP has strongly denied any suggestion of wrongdoing.

The allegations come as the party struggles with debts run up during the 2010 general election campaign. Internal party documents seen by Panorama reveal that 12 months ago the BNP owed creditors more than £570,000. Party chairman Nick Griffin recently said the party now owes just £52,000.

Former party worker Marion Thomas said after the 2010 general election she was instructed by the party's treasurer, Clive Jefferson, to alter invoices and in at least one case stamp an outstanding invoice as "paid". The invoices were submitted to the Electoral Commission and had been altered, Mrs Thomas said, in order for it to appear that the BNP had complied with the law on election spending. Asked how she felt about doing this, Mrs Thomas said: "I made my objections known."

She added: "You can't do that, you cannot do that. That is fraud."

Mr Jefferson told the programme that Mrs Thomas' allegations are "untrue".

Mrs Thomas, who now works for Britain First, a rival political organisation, has since been interviewed about her claims by detectives from the Metropolitan Police who are investigating alleged breaches of electoral law by the BNP. That investigation began after Richard Barnbrook, who used to be the BNP member of the London Assembly and Mr Griffin's 2010 election agent, went to the High Court to say that he had submitted printing invoices totalling nearly £10,000 as paid when they too were outstanding.

Mr Griffin also signed those returns. Both he and Mr Barnbrook, who has since been expelled from the party and now sits as an independent in London, have said they acted in good faith, believing the bills had indeed been paid. The High Court judge has referred the case the Director of Public Prosecutions and the Metropolitan Police were notified.

Another former party worker, Alistair Barbour, was recruited to Mr Griffin's European staff after he and one other BNP candidate were elected members of the European Parliament in 2009. Mr Barbour was hired to work on European Parliament business and was to be paid out of the £260,000 pot of EU money that each MEP has available to them to pay for staff and expenses. He told the programme that some money intended for MEP business was diverted to help bolster the party itself.

"Europe was the big cash cow you know, 'let's get our noses in the trough and see what we can get out and... see what we can fund the party with,'" he said of the approach to the MEP funds. He added: "This is what it was all about, party work and just trying to figure out what expenses we could get out of the European Union."

Other party insiders have told the programme that at one point electricity from Nick Griffin's European constituency headquarters on an industrial estate in rural Cumbria was siphoned to the unit next door which served as the BNP's national headquarters.

When the European Parliament's fraud unit, OLAF, travelled to Cumbria five months later to investigate the allegations they found no evidence of an electricity scam but Panorama understands that they continue to investigate other allegations of misuse of European money by the BNP. The BNP has denied using money from the European Union to fund national party work.

Panorama: BNP - The Fraud Exposed, BBC One, Monday, 10 October at 2030BST and then available in the UK on the BBC iPlayer.

BBC

Trouble in store for BNP bosses

Dowson: Left of pic (with glasses) at funeral

BNP leader Nick Griffin is trying to wriggle out of a Belfast employment tribunal because he fears for his safety.

Griffin and other leaders from the far-right group are due to attend a hearing later this month after an employee from their now defunct Belfast call centre took a case. The BNP is being represented by extreme right union Solidarity - run by his best pal and former National Front buddy - Patrick Harrington. Harrington has written to the Tribunal asking for both reporting restrictions and even for the Tribunal to be heard outside Northern Ireland - but both requests were turned down.

Meanwhile the Sunday World has learned that Griffin visited Belfast in May to support his election candidates - just days after he failed to turn up for an earlier Tribunal hearing - citing fears for his safety as the reason.

Amongst the people the BNP leaders are concerned about bumping into are irate business owners who the race hate party have refused to pay. The flailing party, which is currently in the middle of factional struggle, has been besieged by financial woes and acrimony for the last two years which led to it closing its controversial call centre in Dundonald last year, leaving its former employees penniless in the run up to Christmas.

Four call centre staff are owed monies by the party including the wife of a serving PSNI police sergeant, but all but one have shied away from pursuing their monies owed. The rest fear intimidation from both the BNP and angry businesses here.

Last month we reported how Belfast printers ROMAC went to the wall after being owed over £40,000 by the BNP.

The pursuit of monies owed by some businesses here took a sinister turn when the families of senior BNP members were allegedly visited by “Ulster heavies” in a desperate search for cash. Nine people in Belfast and two in England were arrested on suspicion of blackmail but charges were later dropped.

Local cops are now believed to be investigating an allegation of false imprisonment against some BNP members after they allegedly sent their heavies to hold one former employee against her will in a desperate bid to retrieve evidence of their spiralling out of control accounts. English police are currently also investigating claims that the BNP submitted fraudulent accounts last year after their electoral demise.

So acute and humiliating are the BNP's financial difficulties, that an English judge recently gave leave to one individual to recoup monies owed against BNP officials directly after a ruling that individual representatives' of the party could be held liable for the BNP's unpaid debts. Bailiffs even turned up at the farmhouse of BNP leader Nick Griffin to recoup one debt, taking away his beloved Skoda motor car to the delight of antiracist and antifascist campaigners.

“As a rule we do not have much time or sympathy with businesses that trade with fascists,” said Simon Cressy from the antifascist organisation Hope Not Hate. “However, in this case we would urge all local businesses that are owed monies by the BNP to try and recoup the money they are owed from local BNP officials.

“When they stood in the elections here earlier this year, the BNP claimed to be representing the interests of local people like they really cared. Perhaps they should cough up by way of an apology.”

Tomorrow night the BBC's current affairs show Panorama will air a programme that is expected to throw more light on the BNP's dodgy dealings and financial mismanagement.

Last week the party's thirty year old former treasurer died in suspicious circumstances, which the BNP tried to portray as a suicide linked to the BNP's investigation of the BNP's financial affairs. It is believed that David Hannam who used to work in the party's Belfast office, succumbed to a heart attack brought on by excessive use of anti-depressants.

Hannam's death caused a number of BNP officers to quit the party in disgust at the BNP's reaction to his passing. Describing the BNP's reaction as an “abuse”, one former official accused the BNP leadership of preparing to use the dead man as a scapegoat for their alleged corruption.

Another former treasurer is expected to shed light on up to £300,000 of missing party funds in the programme.

The party's former financial guru, Belfast based businessman Jim Dowson is expected to claim that the party owes him in excess of £160,000 for servicing the party's call centre.

Dowson claims to have severed links with the party when he became aware that they were not paying their bills. He is believed to supporting the claim by a former employee that they were unfairly dismissed without due process.

Harrington refused to comment as to whether the BNP would be attending any hearing at first telling us that the case had gone to arbitration which it had not. He then told us that any further comment would be in contempt of court.

Sunday World via Hope not hate

Aylesbury woman reprimanded for racist attacks

A woman from Aylesbury has been given a 12 week suspended sentence for a year and 200 hours unpaid work, for her part in racist attacks against a mosque in Hartlepool and Asian-run businesses near Sunderland.

Nineteen year old Charlotte Christina Davies admitted conspiracy to commit racially aggravated criminal damage, after her text messages to her boyfriend - Easington Colliery man, Anthony Donald Smith - offered encouragement for his intention to vandalise Asian property.

Twenty four year old Smith, of Rydale Court, Trimdon, was a member of right-wing group, The English Defence League at the time. He carried out the attacks last November, with fellow EDL member, Darlington man, 32 year old Steven James Vasey, of Eden Crescent.

The crimes were committed by the pair on the eve of Muslim festival, Eid, in response to an incident on Armistice Day in Luton where poppies were set alight by extreme Islamic groups.

Vasey , Smith and an accomplice were masked as they scaled a fence at the Nasir mosque in Hartlepool. They spray-painted the letters 'EDL' and 'NEI' (North East Infidels) along with the phrase, 'no surrender' and images of poppies and the St. George flag.

In Shotton Colliery two Asian-owned businesses suffered vandalism. A store had a window smashed with a brick and a nearby guest house was sprayed with graffiti similar to that of the mosque in Hartleypool.

Smith - a taxi driver - was arrested the following day after his vehicle was linked to the scenes of crime. Text messages on his phone between him and his then girlfriend Aylesbury woman Charlotte Christina Davies referenced going 'Muzzy bashing' and giving the mosque a 'makeover'.

Davies, Smith and Vasey all admitted conspiracy to commit racially aggravated criminal damage. Smith and Vasey have been given a one year custodial sentence.

The trio claim they have severed their ties with the EDL.

mix96

Thanks to NewsHound for the heads-up

A Very Poor Show!

Well it was a damp squib in more ways than one for the first ‘national’ Infidels demonstration in Leeds today when scarcely a handful of Aryan warriors turned up, stood in the rain, were outnumbered by plod and generally failed to make an impression despite all their big talk recently.

In case you don’t know, the infidels faction split off from the English Defence League for several reasons: they don’t like Israel, they don’t like gays and they don’t like the fact that Tommy Lox and Lemon has been getting all that media adulation, especially as it was Snowy what was on the roof at Dudley and is the real hero! FACT! The Infidels dislike of the EDL’s multicultural racism and things like the Tower Hamlets fiasco was upsetting the more excitable elements of the EDL so the ‘leadership’ of John ‘Snowy’ Shaw has been trying to appeal to the more out and out fascist contingent that he feels at home with. This is presumably so they can all discuss The Protocols Of Zion at the Infidels Remedial Readers Club next Monday.

The Infidels don’t like the fact that the EDL liaise with plod so decided to organise a big flash demo ‘somewhere in the North’ to catch Plod out and wrong foot any anti-fascists who may be tempted to turn up and watch them getting drookit. However, their bottle went and they ended up liaising with plod and announcing the Leeds meet up a week or so ago. Consequently, and far be it for us to praise him, PC Plod put them in a kettle and let them absorb some of that fine Yorkshire rainwater that we all know and love for a few hours to cool their ardour. Those Infidels who were hoping for a racist free for all were sorely disappointed and they had to stand about, cold, wet and dying for a wee-wee until they were allowed to disperse. Some ended up in the Slug And Lettuce for a hot cup of cocoa and a bun whilst others headed off to the Hourglass Bar for something a bit more exotic. For the Hourglass is a gay bar and a perfect place for an all male lap dance and a nose full of poppers. Rumours that there is now an Infidel's Gay Division are mainly untrue.

What we can ascertain is that the Infidels are trying to appeal to disenfranchised EDL and BNP members and other hing oots from disparate fascist groupuscules who are fed up with the current fascism-lite on offer and want a bit more argy-bargy! And they’re doing really well from what we have seen so far.

Despite appealing to all ‘Nationalists,’ many on the far-right websites either responded to Snowy’s callout with apathy or they simply had other plans. Other hooligan casuals were no doubt be watching their local footie teams and did not want to waste an afternoon being surrounded by plod in some corner of West Yorkshire’s finest city (despite the great beer and pies down there). There’s another Casuals United do at Blackpool soon that Nazi Jeff ‘Stabber’ Marsh has been puffing of late but this will no doubt be much smaller giving the internecine feuds between the various EDL factions. And it’s going to be cold there boys, so don’t forget your cagoules!

Meanwhile the EDL Angels – or Angles as their more illiterate Twitters call them (and there’s not many angles, more a succession of cellulite-packed curves) – went to that London to shout at Mr Dave in Downing Street on Saturday. Unlike everyone else though they didn’t realise that Mr Dave doesn’t actually live there but resides in Chipping Sodomy and was at a Bring and Buy Sale today.

Although the EDL Angles Demo was originally meant to be an all girls affair the lads decided to back them up in case of trouble and it’s a good job they did because hardly anyone turned up despite the Angles trumpeting it from the top of Hel ‘She’s A Right’ Gower’s shed (where she keeps her emergency Weetabix and Soleros in case the Muslamics take over and ban them!).

The aim of the demo was to present a petition about something or other which had a rather paltry 300 signatures on it. There was originally a lot more but nasty Neo-Lib-Con-Dem-UAF-Searchlight-Photoshopped-Muslamics kept putting rude words on it so they had to delete at least half of them. No doubt it will be the first of Mr Dave’s priorities when he gets to work on Monday morning.

More interestingly is the future of Tommy Robinson which is hanging in the balance. Not unsurprisingly he was found guilty of assault 2 weeks ago for headbutting someone at the Blackburn demo and he is awaiting probation reports. Seeing as he has done a year for assault already – he was happily battering his girlfriend when an off-duty plod intervened and got a kick in the head for his troubles – and he has recently been done for football violence and is basically a career criminal, it doesn’t look good. If he is sent down he may well do another hunger strike between breakfast and lunch whilst he is living it up on the nonce wing again (and unfortunately for Tommy, Nando’s do not deliver to the nick). Then there is the question of who will step into his little tiny trainers and take over the EDL leadership.

Seeing as Snowy has formed his own boys brigade (no girls, no gays, and no Jews!), Guramit Singh flew the coop yonks ago, Joel Titus is banned from such activity and so on, this leaves only Hel ‘Tower of Power’ Gower and ‘Kocaine’ Kev Karol at the office. Gower, who is 70, is incapable of organisation or keeping her trap shut and a lot of EDL people hate her and if Kocaine Kev’s organisational skills are as good as his speeches then they’re pretty fucked. An interesting situation to be sure. The Infidels are likely to step it up a pace and try to capitalise on the EDL’s many misfortunes but seeing as they can hardly get a bus full for their first national demo, it don’t look good.

So what next? Blackpool is unlikely to be massively attended, the EDL’s fortunes continue to decline and the Infidels debut has been a poor do indeed. We shall see.

Many thanks to Malatesta

Adam Walker - Committed to Crown Court

A British National Party activist has been committed to crown court concerning claims he drove a Land Rover at a group of children and
threatened one with a knife.

Former teacher Adam Walker, of Winchester Court, Spennymoor, County Durham, is charged with affray, driving a motor vehicle dangerously and three counts of criminal damage.

Newton Aycliffe Magistrates' Court yesterday (Friday) committed Mr Walker to Durham Crown Court, on November 7, where he is expected to face a new charge of possession of a bladed article. The 42-year-old has not entered any pleas.

The incident is said to have taken place after a march through Spennymoor, on April 23, by the Spennymoor English Cultural Society, to mark St George's Day.

The Northern Echo

The only way is out for Essex

Griffin & Braun: Braun defends Griffin

Thurrock BNP held a meeting [Thursday] night. From the outset it appeared to be the usual sort of BNP meeting: No blacks, Asians or Jews were allowed to attend and there was a bit of argy-bargy in the car park afterwards too. (That might be to do with the large amount of alcohol that was consumed before, during and after the meeting.)

Collectively the group decided that they would not be renewing their party memberships when they expire at the end of the year. This has not gone down too well in the party leadership, as you can imagine.

The leadership's current form suggests that having budgeted on Essex coming to the aid of the party that they've probably already gone out and spent the Nazi lucre on staples, bottles of cheap cider and glass coffee tables. And golf clubs.

The fall out started this morning when the combined forces of what is left of the BNP's membership in Essex exchanged pleasantries.

Griffin's infamous lap dog, Mick Braun of "spray pakis (sic) and poofs with hydrocholic (sic) acid" fame, described the decision as akin to when Rodney Trotter took over the tenants association in 'Only Fools and Horses'. I assume it was that he was referring to, as apparently the other Griffin sycophant Clive Jefferson has also earned himself the moniker "Rodney" in honour of said show.

Karne McGinn of Thurrock BNP, formerly a racial comrade of Braun's, hit back. Having been told by the impressively optimistic Braun that he and the rest of Thurrock BNP could be "replaced", McGinn suggested that any replacements that Braun and Herr Griffin could drum up would be "ethnic candidates or maybe South American". Touché! That's got to be a dig at "charismatic" Carlos Cortiglia, the formerly anti-British Uruguayan who is now standing for the BNP in the London Mayoral elections. Is he not ethnic too, by the way?

Warren Parrish, a veteran activist and candidate close to the BNP's first councillor Derek Beackon announced that he would not be renewing his membership either, as the BNP was "no longer" the party that he trusted. Braun reply was swift labelling Parrish a "Nazi" to which Parrish replied "The only reason I haven't been active recently was that you showed up and f**ked everything up in Essex".

Then there came a new angle. I'm going to refer to it from now on as the "Ferguson Factor". I know that Sir Alex- a former shop steward and passionate trade unionist won't appreciate it, but there then followed an analogy that Nick Griffin was a winner rather like the manager of Manchester United!

If the football analogies continue, there's a small token of our appreciation available to the first person that can provide us with a picture of Clive Jefferson under an umbrella so that we can run the obligatory "Wally with a Brolly" headline.

Derek Beackon (left) with Warren Parrish

Matthew Collins at Hope not hate

BNP candidate denies having a conviction

The BNP by-election candidate yesterday insisted he had not been in trouble with the law claiming he was a victim of a smear campaign.
Danny Cooke, 29, hopes to be elected as ward councillor for St Helen's in next weeks poll.
On Monday, a Daniel Paul Cooke, 29, appeared before Barnsley magistrates and admitted criminal damage. The address given was Commercial Road, Skelmanthorpe.
He was bailed until November 7th for a pre-sentence report.
When The Chronicle contacted Danny on Wednesday to ask if it was him he said "no" and said he had been out in Huddersfield all day.
Yesterday The Chronicle was shown documents linked to the case which included the Skelmanthorpe address and another on Highstone Road, Wosbrough Common.
Highstone Road is listed as Danny's address on his nomination form for the election. The electoral register shows a Daniel P Cooke lives there.
Yesterday Danny said he lived on Highstone Road but insisted he had not been in court "I've no idea. it's certainly not me"
He said he was employed in security and could not work if he had a conviction.
When told The Chronicle like to report on the mystery he said there was another Danial Cooke who lived in Wosbrough.
He said various stories about him were being put around the St Helen's Ward, Athersley. "It's probably and English Democrats smear campaign." he said.
A woman called Rachel Firth lives at the address in Skelmanthorpe. Newspaper reports on the internet claim Danny Cooke has a girlfriend called Rachel Firth but Danny denied knowing her.
The pair are friends on Facebook. When told this Danny said he had about 1000 friends and he did not know them all.
I know of her. She's not my girlfriend

Barnsley Chronicle


Clicky for bigger

EDL member gets ASBO over park clash

An English Defence League member who become involved with a clash with Muslims in Hyde Park has been banned from attending future marches without notifying police in advance.

Brian Bristow, 38, of no fixed address, was one of three men who admitted threatening behaviour towards a man running a stall providing Islamic literature near Speakers' Corner, in October last year. The victim was verbally abused and had his possessions thrown around.

Earlier in the day, the men had attended an EDL rally outside the Israeli embassy in Kensington, which ended in a confrontation between EDL members and anti-fascist campaigners in Hyde Park.

At Woolwich Crown Court on August 3, Bristow was jailed for seven days and ordered to pay £400 costs and £10 compensation after admitting using threatening behaviour. At the same court on Thursday, he was given a conviction-related ASBO (CRASBO) as part of his sentence.

The five-year CRASBO prohibits Bristow from attending any EDL march, demonstration or similar event in England and Wales without have notified a specified email account of Westminster police at least seven days before the event. He must also not use words or behaviour which might cause harassment, alarm or distress, or be in possession of alcohol or controlled substances, in a public place on the day of a notified event.

In sentencing the men, the judge condemned the "thuggish behaviour" they had demonstrated.

Detective constable Andy Haworth said: "We have to strike a balance between people's right to protest and the right of individuals to go about their daily business. However, we will not tolerate individuals using protest as a front for committing acts of violence and disorder, and hope the antisocial behaviour order will send a message to others."

Westminster Chronicle

BNP man faces gun charges

A former parish councillor and BNP activist has appeared in court on firearms charges.

The trial of David Lucas, 51, of South Road, Lakenheath, began at Ipswich Crown Court on Wednesday. Lucas is charged with possessing a gun capable of firing flares 500ft into the air – labelled ‘potentially lethal’ by prosecutors. He is also charged with having ammunition for the gun which he purchased more than three years ago in Alaska.

On Wednesday, jurors were shown the orange gun, made largely from plastic, which still bears a $24.99 price sticker.

Martyn Levett, prosecuting, told the court that police had arrested Lucas after searching Black Dyke Farm, in Hockwold, on August 18 last year. Officers found the gun and ammunition on a shelf inside a portable building. Experts examined the items and decided the gun and ammunition were, under the 1968 Firearms Act, items which required a firearms certificate to possess.

Lucas, who admitted he did not hold a firearms certificate, challenged whether the items were covered by the Firearms Act and claims he was not holding them illegally.

Mr Levett said the gun, an Orion Signal Launcher, was found with 11 flares of a 12 bore size.

“If carelessly pointed at someone the effect would be potentially lethal,” he said.

He added that a second firearms expert had also examined the gun and agreed that it was covered by the Firearms Act.

Lucas stood as a BNP candidate in the European elections in 2009 and has previously served on Lakenheath Parish Council. In June last year he was given a one year prison sentence suspended for one year for possessing ammunition and gunpowder.

The trial is expected to finish today.

Bury Free Press

Southend Councillor Suspended Over English Defence League Claims

A Conservative councillor in Southend has been suspended amid claims he attended a meeting of a far-right group.

Essex MEP Richard Howitt formally wrote to Southend Borough Council's Leader and Chief Executive calling for the inquiry in to Kursaal ward councillor Blaine Robin. It's over allegations published by the national political website Political Scrapbook which detailed individuals who supported the English Defence League.

In the letter, Richard Howitt cites the report as showing clear evidence from Facebook and from a YouTube video that Cllr Blaine Robin took part in a meeting of the EDL while they were planning their recent demonstration in East London. During that demonstration 60 arrests were made including for assaulting the police, and Cllr Blaine was apparently praised personally by the EDL's leader on camera at the meeting.

In a statement Rochford and Southend East Conservative Association told Heart they 'abhor and condemn far-right groups such as the English Defence League'.

"We have recently been made aware that one of our members, Cllr Blaine Robin, attended a meeting of the EDL and as a result of this we have decided to temporarily suspend his party membership pending an internal investigation by the Conservative Party.

"We would like to make it clear that Blaine has been active in fighting against racism and intolerance for many years and that at this stage it appears his behaviour in associating with the EDL represents a serious error of judgement but no more. However, given the controversy surrounding this group we feel it is appropriate that we take this action in order to fully reassure members of the community who may be concerned."

heart

Thanks to NewsHound for the heads-up

Did you hear the one about a slow news day?

Busy day for me today. I've been working in Belfast on quite a good story that should annoy a few fascists when it comes out. One naughty type even suggested that I would be punished for it. (Word is that he seems to thrive on that kind of activity).

Being in Belfast, I took the opportunity to visit and talk to some of the businessmen and women who fell hook line and sinker for the BNP's promise to pay their bills on time. In most cases, they just did not pay at all. The BNP has left a real trail of destruction over there.

Traditionally we have no truck at all with people 'who lie down with dogs' but Northern Ireland has a low wage economy and a sense of desperation prevails in the case of small businesses trying to make just enough money to get by. And the BNP did not just rip off one community, they spread their tentacles right across the communities. On that point I was a little bemused...

That was until I picked up a story in today's Irish herald. I don't know the writer, Claire Murphy, but she got a story between her teeth and most certainly ran with it, no questions asked!

"BNP plans Irish wing to oppose immigration" wrote Claire. Initially I thought it would be in line with the BNP's traditional plans for the Irish. I assumed that Nick Griffin was sending his lardy security team to the Emerald Isle to build some kind of wall to stop the Irish visiting Britain. But no, the BNP is apparently "agitating" (whatever that means), for the "establishment of an 'Irish National Party' and believes there are already like-minded groups in existence." So, why would the British "agitate" for one then?

Claire also writes that the BNP "grew in popularity in the last UK election". Maybe it's an old story. I believe the correct word or term to describe their last election results is actually "decimated". A quick look on google would show that. Even just a little knowledge of the subject too, actually.

Not only that, Nick Griffin is described as the leader of the "anti-immigration lobby." Apparently not an Imperialist apologist, then?

Still, at the end of the day it was pretty run of the mill reporting, actually. One does not expect an Irish journalist to remind its readership, warn even, that the BNP is more than "traditionally" an anti-Irish party. Perhaps this explains why Patrick Harrington refuses to join them? He launched his own "party" on St Patrick's Day long ago and has stuck with that tiny grouping and the allegations that he is some kind of pro-IRA supporter ever since. (Perhaps that's the punishment he thinks I deserve?)

I shouldn't be the one to give any Irish journalist a history lesson. There are many excellent Irish journalists who will no doubt over the next few days pour scorn on Claire's story. Least of all, why would Ireland want an Irish model of a British party? Wasn't there some kind of dispute that went on and on for a few hundred years based on a similar premise?

Claire fails to mention or perhaps even remind her readers of a little bit of shameful English history. My father, who is Irish, never let me forget it. The BNP more than a little harks back to and longs for an era when one could quite happily refuse board and lodging to "Blacks, Irish and Dogs". if one so desired, one could even put it up in the front window of one's house or hotel.

But the story goes a lot deeper and is far more sinister than that. During the most dark and horrifying days of conflict in Northern Ireland, the BNP's security wing, Combat 18 (C18), peddled drugs and provided guns and bullets for the Loyalist murder squads in Northern Ireland (when they were not also grassing up their Loyalist friends, that is).

"Bog trotters" I seem to recall was one way that the BNP referred to the Irish. They even ran trips to Northern Ireland to help stoke up the fires of sectarianism.

Only a couple of years ago there was almost a revolt by the revolting members of Liverpool BNP when the Irish tricolour appeared on the banner of the local party. "The Irish tricolour is a terrorist flag" protested one senior member.

Historically, the last time a group in Ireland rose up against that country's progressive and anti-Imperialist traditions, they ended up on a half empty boat heading to fight for the Fascists under Franco. When they got there, most of them ended up getting shot by fellow fascists!

These days there will obviously be people in the BNP of Irish descent and heritage. The BNP's founder John Tyndall was even of Irish descent. This says more about the great things of this country than it does about the BNP's policies.

What Claire Murphy could really have done with mentioning is that under the BNP's policies, there would be no Ireland at all. It would be just another part of Britain under British control.

Still, I guess having almost bled the north of the Island dry, like the parasite that the BNP is, it has to try to bleed another part of the body dry just to survive.

Thanks to HOPE not Hate