11/12/2007

BNP begins to fragment

Hearing that the BNP are in crisis, I accessed their website for further info and yup, its true.

One posting from Sunday gone reads: “This morning, Kenny Smith, Head of Administration and Sadie Graham, Group Development Officer, were expelled from the BNP for, amongst other things, creating and setting up a treasonous blogspot designed to attack and smear fellow party officials.”

There then follows the transcript of a lengthy conversation between Smith and Graham which begs the question ‘Is the BNP hierarchy bugging its membership’?

The question is answered when you read another story entitled "Anti BNP Subversion Stopped Dead' from the same day posted on the BNP site:

“Some months ago, a BNP Intelligence Department was set up, with one of its key initial targets being to track down the source of these problems and provide the evidence needed to expose those responsible and put an end to their subversion.”

Leaving aside the contradictory statement “BNP Intelligence Department” – nah, come on, stop laughing - what is this subversion? The story cites “a string of leaks and misinformation briefings to political opponents, and…internal rumour-mongering designed to damage morale and confidence in the workings of various party departments, and in the leadership generally."

The story continues: “In order to afford the accused a fair hearing at their forthcoming disciplinary tribunals, it is not proper to rehearse the details of the cases against them here at present. It can, however, be said that the prosecution will produce evidence of their heading a secretive bid to force out of positions, or even out of the Party, individuals who were not on ‘their side’ in a sordid factional power-grab, while attempting to cover up serious failings and inefficiencies by individuals on ‘their side’.

“…evidence will be put before the tribunals of an alleged plot by Mr Smith and Miss Graham to pack the Advisory Council with their supporters and to change the Party constitution so as to take power away from the elected leader and the Voting Membership, and concentrate it in their own hands.

“The prosecution also alleges that there is clear evidence of their direct involvement in setting up a disgraceful anti-BNP smear blog and, in the case of Mr. Smith, of serious breaches of accountancy procedures leaving up to £17,000 unaccounted for in the 2006 Central Audit, and of a wilful neglect of the Excalibur merchandising operation constituting attempted financial sabotage in order to create an artificial ‘crisis’ to which their proposals would be presented as the solution.”

As the Stop the BNP website reveals, it would appear that a number of other high ranking Nazis, including several organisers and councillors, have also left the BNP As of last night it seems that five of the party’s 13 regional organisers have resigned, four BNP councillors have withdrawn the whip and are now Independent Nationalist councillors, and five Advisory Council members are backing the rebellion as are several other local branch organisers. There are further resignations in the pipeline.

This crisis, predicted by Searchlight, is the result of an increasingly bitter quarrel between rival factions in the BNP. On one side are the younger and more able organisers and officers, led by Graham and Smith and include Leeds councillor Chris Beverley and the party’s former website creator Steve Blake.

On the other side is the brat pack, a ‘laddish sect’ made up of Mark Collett, head of publicity, party treasurer John Walker, his deputy David Hannam, head of security Martin Reynolds and Bradford councillor Paul Cromie.

For his part, leader Nick Griffin has sided with the brats and now taken action against the former group, party apparatchiks, who run the party operation.

Increasingly frustrated at the leadership’s refusal to act against the amateurish performance and general incompetence of Hannan, Walker and Collett, Smith and Graham set up a blog site to build a campaign against the three men, whom they dismiss as “these sleazy, lying, incompetent scumbags”. Unfortunately for them, the BNP leadership obtained a recording of a telephone conversation in which Smith explained to Graham how she could help with the blog site.

But if Griffin thought the strength of his case against the pair would overshadow any fallout, he was wrong. Within hours of the sackings several other prominent BNP members had walked out in sympathy. Among them are Nina Brown, the Boxtowe organiser and a local parish councillor, Danny Lake, the leader of the Young BNP, and Ian Dawson. Every BNP official in Scotland has resigned.

For further information on the shenanigans at the 'Court of Mad King Nick', download the Searchlight special "BNP in Crisis" document here in pdf format.

Let’s just hope this BNP split does not result in the formation of another neo-nazi organisation. Interestingly, in the hour since I commenced this posting, the BNP have changed their main lead story and, in an attempt to deflect attention from this story, have diverted prying eyes to the split in the SWP-led RESPECT organisation.


Update (1):

Griffin increasingly isolated

Date: 11 December 2007 - Yorkshire joins the rebellion

Nick Griffin is now in dire trouble. If his problems weren't serious enough he will have been greeted with news today that most of the West Yorkshire BNP organisers have joined the rebellion. Among them are organisers for Bradford, York and Huddersfield. In addition, Leeds councillor Chris Beverley has resigned the party whip and one can only presume that former party manager Nick Cass is thinking along the same lines. With these latter two will come activists from Leeds, Dewsbury and Wakefield.

With organisers in Scotland, Northern Ireland, East Midlands and now the all-important West Yorkshire region joining the revolt, Griffin must be feeling very isolated.

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Now operating under the name Real BNP, the dissidents have set up their own website (http://www.realbnp.org.uk/) but they have issued guidance to others disillusioned with the current BNP leadership.

Issuing a call to ‘Support the resistance – Save the BNP!’ they suggest the following:

1, Do not renew your membership yet!
2, Do not resign from the Party
3, Resign from any official position you hold - Let's to bring the organisation to a grinding halt and show the strength of feeling amongst the working officials that Griffin needs to sack the three chimps and not hardworking Party loyalists.
4, Do not resign as a councillor - ever!
5, Throw off the party whip and declare yourself an Independent Nationalist Councillor.

It seems that a growing number of people are following their lead.

Update (2)

More underhand tactics

Latest news is that ex-BNP Group Development Officer Sadie Graham has called in the police over the removal of property from her home. Seemingly BNP storm troopers entered her house on Saturday and seized, without her permission, whilst she was away form the weekend, her laptop and printer. On a continuing suicide mission, the BNP Press officer, Simon Darby, no doubt on the nod of leader Nick Griffin, released Graham’s private emails and which can now be found in cyber space (http://lancasteruaf.blogspot.com/search/label/Data%20Protection%20Act)

Perhaps the police would like to investigate just what the BNP’s “Intelligence Department” has been up to – whether her home had been entered illegally, for instance, so it could be tapped, whether her mobile phone (a recent acquisition from the Party) had been bugged. and whether the release of her private emails into cyber space is in breach of the Data Protection Act.

A statement from BNP Cllr Nina Brown (East Mids Regional Secretary & Broxtowe Organiser) reads:

I wish to clarify the situation that led to the “raid” on Sadies home and the removal of her personal computer and various other items.

For a couple of years I have been a keyholder to Sadie’s house, originally to feed her cat whilst she was away on holiday, but more recently for local organisers to pick up their monthly orders of the Voice of Freedom, Identity, campaign leaflets etc during Sadies absence. On Saturday morning I spotted the Party van, which I recognised from the monthly literature run, parked outside Sadie’s home, with Martin Reynolds in the drivers seat, his wife Lindsey and several other security guys hanging around the front of Sadies home. I found that slightly odd as I knew that Sadie and Matt were away for the weekend. By the time I had turned the car around and pulled up to the house, four guys were walking down the passage that led from the back of the house to the front. I walked up to the van and spoke to Lindsey through the open window, I asked her if she knew that Sadie and Matt were away, inititally thinking that they had arrived for a security meeting and there had been a mix up with dates. I asked why they were there, but they wouldn’t tell me, which in itself is not so unusual as Security has always been just that, Secure and is never questioned, for obvious reasons. Just for the record, but goes without saying, if I knew what was going on, I would never in a million years have let them in.

The reason I did not question further what they were doing there is, because I knew the guys pretty well from several occasions, including the recent Blackpool Conference and had become to regard them as good friends, as they were with Sadie and Matt. These were the Security Team which we had come to like and trust with our well being at high profile meetings, such as the recent local meeting in
Kimberley, why would I have reason to question their actions? I did say to Lindsey, “Do you want me to call Sadie or will Martin phone them”, at this point Martin was already on his mobile phone, which I assumed was to either Sadie or Matt, Lindsey then got out of the van, obviously now to make sure I would be out of earshot of Martin’s conversation with, who I now believe to be Nick Griffin.

After 20 minutes or so on the phone, which Lindsey and I laughed about as she said “Martin will have to have that phone surgically removed from his ear these days”. Martin got out of the van and walked up to me, I asked him if everything was sorted with them (meaning with Sadie and Matt), and I said to him “So am I ok to let you in?”. He nodded, it was at this point I opened the door and went inside, I picked up our bundle of newspapers, Voice of Freedom which had been left for me just inside the door, they all followed me inside. I then went straight back outside to carry on the conversation with Lindsey, by this time all the guys were inside, I did not see what they were doing as I was standing outside and away from the door. I did see the large printer being put into the van, but I still thought nothing of it as printers, photocopiers etc were sometimes moved around the regions when new ones were acquired. Also I knew that several senior members of the Party had recently received new mobiles and laptops, as Sadie was a high profile member, I guessed she was simply receiving brand new equipment at some point.

Why on earth would I not trust our Security Team, the lefties had always been the enemy, never our own people!

On finding out the full truth later in the day, to me it had now become personal, this left me with no other option but to hand in my resignation from my positions as Parish Councillor and Local Organiser. For over two years I have put my heart and soul into the Party and like others am deeply saddened at recent events. Sadie and Matt have worked tirelessly for the Party, I consider them fantastic people, they have worked above and beyond the cause with the nation and members interests first and foremost. I could not have fulfilled my prior rold of EM Regional Secretary and Broxtowe Organiser and later becoming a Election Candidate in
Kimberley without her full backing and support. I consider Sadie and Matt true friends, I like many others, cannot understand how the Party can function without them.

(statement source: http://lancasteruaf.blogspot.com/)


Sadie Graham's offending email (below) has been posted on the BNP website here:

"I think you are doing ok and the right thing. Don’t worry this stays private. We are forced to do stuff at moment. Ive been handing out wrong amended bank statements for my region to make sure that hannam gets the flak. On another note please let me have the letter asap.Sadie"


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