The
British National Front (most commonly called the
National Front, and often known as the
NF) is a far-right and
whitesWhite people is a term which usually refers to human beings characterized, at least in part, by the light pigmentation of their skin...
-only
BritishThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
political party whose major political activities were during the 1970s and 1980s. Where in the
1979 general electionThe United Kingdom general election of 1979 was held on 3 May 1979 and is regarded as a pivotal point in 20th century British politics. The Conservatives under Margaret Thatcher defeated James Callaghan's incumbent Labour government in what would prove to be the first of four consecutive general...
, in party polled 191,719 votes, 0.6% of the vote overall. It is widely considered a racist group, and the British prison service and police services forbid membership of the National Front (as well as the
British National PartyThe British National Party is a far-right, whites-only political party in the United Kingdom, formed as a splinter group of the British National Front by John Tyndall in 1982. The party's current chairman is Nick Griffin, himself a former national organiser of the National Front.The BNP is not...
and
Combat 18Combat 18 is the "armed wing" of the racist British neo-Nazi organisation Blood & Honour. Combat 18's involvement has been suspected in numerous deaths of immigrants, non-whites and other members involved in a bloody civil war inside the group...
).
The National Front has stated that it is not a
neo-NaziThe term neo-Nazism refers to any post-World War II social or political movement seeking to revive Nazism, or some variant that echoes core aspects of Nazism.The term can also refer to the ideology of those movements....
party, the NF celebrates Remembrance Day every year, and that it is a democratic political movement. In their own words; "We believe in
Social justiceSocial justice is a notion used to describe a society with a greater degree of economic egalitarianism through progressive taxation, income redistribution, or even property redistribution, policies aimed toward achieving that which developmental economists refer to as equality of opportunity and...
, National Freedom and the introduction of a
Bill of RightsThe British Bill of Rights can refer to:* The Bill of Rights 1689 - An Act of the Parliament of England made following the Glorious Revolution, considered one of the fundamental parts of the British constitution....
for everyone." The NF claims to oppose all economic and
cultural imperialismCultural imperialism is the practice of promoting, distinguishing, separating, or artificially injecting the culture of one society into another. It is usually the case that the former belongs to a large, economically or militarily powerful nation and the latter belongs to a smaller, less important...
. "Nations should be free to determine their own political systems, their own economic systems and to develop their own culture." The party claims to stand for "white
family valuesFamily values are political and social beliefs that hold the Nuclear family to be the essential ethical and moral unit of society. The phrase has different meanings in different cultures...
" and "fight for the
Fourteen WordsThe Fourteen Words is a phrase used by white nationalists. It refers to both the 14-word slogan: "We must secure the existence of our people and a future for white children.", and the 14-word slogan: "Because the beauty of the White Aryan woman must not perish from the earth." Both 14-word slogans...
." The party works in open cooperation with the white supremacist and neo-Nazi
hate siteA hate site is a website that promotes hatred, typically against a specific race, religion nationality, sex or sexual orientation. Most of these sites contain Internet forums, for user interaction, and news briefs that emphasize a particular viewpoint...
StormfrontStormfront is a white nationalist and supremacist neo-Nazi Internet forum that has been described as the Internet's first major hate site.Stormfront began as an online bulletin board system in the early 1990s before being established as a website in 1995 by former Ku Klux Klan leader and white...
.
The NF is not overtly anti-semitic, having stood
Orthodox JewishOrthodox Judaism is a formulation of Judaism that adheres to a relatively strict interpretation and application of the laws and ethics first canonized in the Talmudic texts and as subsequently developed and applied by the later authorities known as the Gaonim, Rishonim, and Acharonim.Orthodox...
candidates Albert Elder and Gerry Viner during the 70s in which Elder stood in the
Hendon SouthHendon South was a constituency in the former Municipal Borough of Hendon which returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom...
gaining 290 votes in the
1979 General ElectionThe United Kingdom general election of 1979 was held on 3 May 1979 and is regarded as a pivotal point in 20th century British politics. The Conservatives under Margaret Thatcher defeated James Callaghan's incumbent Labour government in what would prove to be the first of four consecutive general...
. It is critical of the historical accuracy of
The HolocaustThe Holocaust , also known as The Shoah is the term generally used to describe the genocide of approximately six million European Jews during World War II, a program of systematic state-sponsored extermination by Nazi Germany,...
, and openly inclined towards
Holocaust denialHolocaust denial is the claim that the genocide of Jews during World War II—usually referred to as the Holocaust—did not occur at all, or that it did not happen in the manner or to the extent historically recognized....
. The party is
anti-ZionistAnti-Zionism is opposition to Zionism, and a term which has been used to describe several very different religious and political points of view, both historically and in current debates. All these points of view have in common some form of opposition to Zionism, but their diversity of motivation...
, and desribes mainstream media, national governments, and political parties, as the anti-semetic epithet of the
Zionist Occupation GovernmentZionist Occupation Government or Zionist Occupied Government is an antisemitic conspiracy theory which holds that Jews secretly control a given country, while the formal government is a puppet regime....
. The NF's current National Chairman remains
Tom HolmesThomas Frank Holmes is the current chairman of the far-right British political party, the National Front and a long standing member of the movement....
.
The NF has stated that it will be standing "quite a number" of candidates in the
next UK general electionThe next United Kingdom general election will take place in all constituencies of the United Kingdom for seats in the House of Commons due on or before Thursday 3 June 2010....
. The party accounts submitted to the
Electoral CommissionThe Electoral Commission is an independent body set up by the UK Parliament. It regulates party and election finance and sets standards for well-run elections...
in 2007 detailed national profitability. From these accounts, the membership of the NF numbered some 150 nationwide.
Policy
The party claims to fundamentally stand for the decentralization of power to local areas in the name of democracy, and the decentralization of the education system to support the rights of parents. Supporting
freedom of speechFreedom of speech is the freedom to speak without censorship or limitation. The synonymous term freedom of expression is sometimes used to indicate not only freedom of verbal speech but any act of seeking, receiving and imparting information or ideas, regardless of the medium used...
, freedom of press, the right to fair trial, freedom from arbitrary arrest and the right to stand for public office with no financial limitation. The party claims to stand against "
American imperialismAmerican Empire is a controversial term referring to the political, economic, military and cultural influence of the United States. The concept of an American Empire was first popularized in the aftermath of the Spanish-American War of 1898...
", and would withdraw from
NATOThe North Atlantic Treaty Organization ); ), also called "the Atlantic Alliance", is an intergovernmental military alliance based on the North Atlantic Treaty which was signed on April 4, 1949...
and the
European UnionThe European Union is an economic and political union of 27 Member States, located primarily in Europe. Committed to regional integration, the EU was established by the Treaty of Maastricht on 1 November 1993 upon the foundations of the pre-existing European Economic Community...
. The party would reintroduce
capital punishmentCapital punishment or the death penalty, is the execution of a person by judicial process as a punishment for an offense. Crimes that can result in a death penalty are known as capital crimes or capital offences....
for crimes of
murderMurder, as defined in common law countries, is the unlawful killing of another human being with intent , and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
,
rapeRape, also referred to as sexual assault, is an assault by a person involving sexual intercourse with or without sexual penetration of another person without that person's consent....
, paedophilia and
terrorismTerrorism is the systematic use of terror especially as a means of coercion.At present, there is no internationally agreed definition of terrorism...
and would reintroduce
Section 28Section 28 of the Local Government Act 1988 was a controversial amendment to the United Kingdom's Local Government Act 1986, enacted on 24 May 1988 and repealed on 21 June 2000 in Scotland, and on 18 November 2003 in the rest of the UK by section 122 of the Local Government Act 2003...
, supporting the recriminalization of
homosexualityHomosexuality is the romantic or sexual attraction or behavior among members of the same sex, situationally or as an enduring disposition. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality is considered to lie within the heterosexual-homosexual continuum of human sexuality, and refers to an individual’s...
. The party adopt a strongly
pro-lifeThe pro-life movement is a political and social movement focused chiefly around opposition to abortion, and especially support for the criminalization of abortion. Those involved in the movement generally maintain that human fetuses and embryos are persons, and that therefore they have a right to...
stance, describing
abortionAn abortion is the termination of a pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo. An abortion can occur spontaneously due to complications during pregnancy or can be induced, in humans and other species...
as "
crime against humanityCrimes against humanity, as defined by the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court Explanatory Memorandum, "are particularly odious offences in that they constitute a serious attack on human dignity or grave humiliation or a degradation of one or more human beings...
" and would repeal the
1967 abortion actAbortion has been legal on a wide number of grounds in England and Wales and Scotland since the Abortion Act 1967 was passed. At the time, this legislation was one of the most liberal laws regarding abortion in Europe...
.
Late 1960s: Formation
A move towards unity on the far right had been growing during the 1960s as groups worked more closely together. Impetus was provided by the
1966 general electionThe 1966 UK general election on 31 March 1966 was called by sitting Labour Prime Minister Harold Wilson. Wilson's decision to call an election turned on the fact that his government, elected only two years previously in 1964 had an unworkable small majority of only 4 MPs...
when a moderate
Conservative PartyThe Conservative and Unionist Party, more commonly known as the Conservatives, the Conservative Party, or Tory Party is a conservative political party in the United Kingdom...
was defeated and
A. K. ChestertonArthur Kenneth Chesterton MC was a far right-wing politician and journalist who helped found right-wing organisations in Britain, primarily in opposition to the break-up of the British Empire, and later adopting a broader anti-immigration stance. He is not to be confused with his cousin, the...
, a cousin of the novelist
G. K. ChestertonGilbert Keith Chesterton was one of the most influential English writers of the 20th century. His prolific and diverse output included journalism, philosophy, poetry, biography, Christian apologetics, fantasy and detective fiction....
and leader of the
League of Empire LoyalistsThe League of Empire Loyalists was a pressure group , established in 1954, campaigning against the dissolution of the British Empire in the 1950s and 1960s....
(LEL), argued that a patriotic and racialist
right wingIn politics, right-wing, political right, rightist and the Right are terms used to describe a number of positions and ideologies. They are most commonly used to refer to support for preserving traditional or cultural values and customs or for maintaining some form of social hierarchy or private...
party would have won the election. Soon Chesterton opened talks with the 1960s incarnation of the
British National PartyThe British National Party was a political party that operated in the United Kingdom from 1960 to 1967.The party was formed in 1960 by the merger of the National Labour Party and the White Defence League, two political splinter groups from the League of Empire Loyalists pressure group...
(who had already been discussing a possible deal with the new
National Democratic PartyThe National Democratic Party was a right wing political party that operated in the United Kingdom during the 1960s and 1970s.In 1966, Dr. David Brown, the chairman of the Racial Preservation Society, proposed to form the NDP by merging the RPS with John Bean's British National Party...
) and agreed a merger with them, with the BNP's Philip Maxwell addressing the LEL conference in October 1966. A portion of the
Racial Preservation SocietyThe Racial Preservation Society was a right-wing pressure group opposed to immigration and in favour of white supremacy in the United Kingdom in the 1960s...
led by Robin Beauclair also agreed to participate (although the remainder threw their lot in the NDP, its house political party under David Brown) and so the NF was founded on February 7, 1967.
Its purpose was to oppose
immigrationImmigration is the arrival of new individuals into a habitat or population. It is a biological concept and is important in population ecology, differentiated from emigration and migration.-As a political term:...
and
multiculturalistMulticulturalism is the acceptance of multiple ethnic cultures, for practical reasons and/or for the sake of diversity and applied to the demographic make-up of a specific place, usually at the organizational level, e.g. schools, businesses, neighborhoods, cities or nations...
policies in Britain, and multinational agreements such as the
United NationsThe United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and the achieving of world peace...
or the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation as replacements for negotiated bilateral agreements between nations. The new group placed a ban on neo-Nazi groups being allowed to join the party, but members of
John Tyndall'sJohn Hutchyns Tyndall was a leading figure in British nationalism who led the National Front in the 1970s and founded the British National Party in 1982.- Early life :...
neo-Nazi
Greater Britain MovementThe Greater Britain Movement was a political group formed by John Tyndall in 1964 after he split from Colin Jordan's National Socialist Movement. The split was caused by the marriage of Jordan to Françoise Dior who was originally Tyndall's fiancée. She married Jordan while Tyndall was in prison to...
joined as individual members by a policy of
entryismEntryism is a political tactic by which an organisation or state encourages its members or agents to infiltrate another organisation in an attempt to gain recruits, or take over entirely....
to circumvent the ban.
Early 1970s: Growth
The National Front grew during the 1970s and had as many as 20,000 members by 1974. It did particularly well in local elections and polled 44% in Deptford, London (with a splinter group), almost beating the incumbent
LabourThe Labour Party is a centre-left political party in the United Kingdom. Founded at the start of the 20th century, it has been seen since 1920 as the principal party of the Left in England, Scotland and Wales, but not Northern Ireland, where it has only recently begun to organise again...
candidate, who only won due to the split in the vote. It came third in three
parliamentaryThe Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom and British overseas territories. It alone has parliamentary sovereignty, conferring upon it ultimate power over all other political bodies in the UK and its territories...
by-electionA by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections...
s. In only one of these instances — the
Newham South by-election, 1974The Newham South by-election was a by-election held on 23 May 1974 for the British House of Commons constituency of Newham South. It was triggered when Elwyn Jones, the constituency's Labour Party Member of Parliament , was appointed as Lord Chancellor and subsequently awarded a life peerage.The...
(where the candidate was former
Young Communist LeagueThe Young Communist League was or is the name used by the youth wing of various Communist parties around the world. The name YCL of XXX was generally taken by all sections of the Communist Youth International.Examples of YCLs:...
member Mike Lobb) — NF outperformed the
ConservativesThe Conservative and Unionist Party, more commonly known as the Conservatives, the Conservative Party, or Tory Party is a conservative political party in the United Kingdom...
.
Its electoral base largely consisted of blue-collar workers and the
self-employedSelf-employment is where a person works for themselves rather than someone else or a company that they do not own. To be self-employed, an individual is normally highly skilled in a trade or has a niche product or service for their local community. With the creation of the Internet the ability for...
who resented immigrant competition in the labour market or simply the appearance of immigrants. The party also attracted a few disillusioned
ConservativesThe Conservative and Unionist Party, more commonly known as the Conservatives, the Conservative Party, or Tory Party is a conservative political party in the United Kingdom...
, who gave the party much needed electoral expertise and respectability. The Conservatives came particularly from the
Conservative Monday ClubThe Conservative Monday Club is a British pressure-group "on the right-wing of the Conservative Party".-Overview:...
group within the Conservative Party that had been founded in hostile reaction to
Harold MacmillanMaurice Harold Macmillan, 1st Earl of Stockton, OM, PC was a British Conservative politician and Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 10 January 1957 to 18 October 1963....
's "Wind Of Change" speech. The NF fought on a platform of opposition to
communismCommunism is a socioeconomic structure and political ideology that promotes the establishment of an egalitarian, classless, stateless society based on common ownership and control of the means of production and property in general. Karl Marx posited that communism would be the final stage in human...
and
liberalismLiberalism is the belief in the importance of individual freedom. This belief is widely accepted today throughout the world, and was recognized as an important value by many philosophers throughout history...
, support for
Ulster loyalismUlster loyalism is a militant unionist ideology held mostly by Protestants in Northern Ireland. Some individuals claim that Ulster loyalists are working-class unionists willing to use violence in order to achieve their aims...
, opposition to the
European Economic CommunityThe European Economic Community was an international organisation that existed between 1958 and 1993 which was created to bring about economic integration between Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg and the Netherlands.It was...
, and the compulsory
repatriationRepatriation The process of returning a person back to one's place of origin or citizenship. This includes the process of returning refugees or soldiers to their place of origin following a war...
of new
CommonwealthThe Commonwealth of Nations, often referred to as the Commonwealth and previously as the British Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental organisation of fifty-three independent member states. Most of them were formerly part of the British Empire. They co-operate within a framework of common values...
immigrants that were able to come over to Britain because of its unique passport system of the period that allowed Commonwealth citizens to Britain as equal citizens.
A common sight in England in the 1970s, the NF was well-known for its noisy
demonstrationsA demonstration is a form of nonviolent action by groups of people in favor of a political or other cause, normally consisting of walking in a march and a meeting to hear speakers...
, particularly in
London[]London is the capital of England and the United Kingdom. It has been a major settlement for two millennia, and the history of London goes back to its founding by the Romans, when it was named Londinium. London's core, the ancient City of London, the 'square mile', retains its medieval boundaries...
, where it often faced
anti-fascistAnti-fascism is the opposition to fascist ideologies, organizations, governments and individuals. Most major resistance movements during World War II were anti-fascist....
protestors from opposing left-wing groups, including the
International Marxist GroupThe International Marxist Group was a Trotskyist group in Britain between 1968 and 1982. It was the British Section of the Fourth International. It is thought to have had around 1,000 members in the late 1970s...
and the International Socialists (later the
SWPThe Socialist Workers Party claims to be the largest far left party in Britain. It participates in a number of campaigns such as Unite Against Fascism and the Stop the War Coalition...
). Opponents of the National Front claimed it to be a neo-fascist organization, and its activities were opposed by
anti-racistAnti-racism includes beliefs, actions, movements, and policies adopted or developed to oppose racism. In general, anti-racism is intended to promote an egalitarian society in which people do not face discrimination on the basis of their race, however defined...
groups such as Searchlight.
The NF was led at first by Chesterton, who left under a cloud after half of the directorate (led by the NF's major financer, Gordon Marshall) moved a
vote of no confidenceA motion of no confidence is a parliamentary motion traditionally put before a parliament by the opposition in the hope of defeating or weakening a government, or, rarely by an erstwhile supporter who has lost confidence in the government...
in him. He was replaced in 1970 by the party's office manager
John O'BrienJohn O'Brien was a leading figure on the far right of British politics during the early 1970s.A fruit farmer by trade, O'Brien had initially been a member of the Conservative Party in Shrewsbury. A supporter of Enoch Powell, he attempted to organise a 'Powell for Premier' movement following the...
, a former Conservative and supporter of
Enoch PowellJohn Enoch Powell, MBE was a British politician, linguist, writer, academic, soldier and poet.He was a Conservative Party Member of Parliament between 1950 and February 1974, and an Ulster Unionist MP between October 1974 and 1987. He was controversial through most of his career, and his tenure...
. O'Brien however left when he realised the NF's leadership functions were being systematically taken over by the former
Greater Britain MovementThe Greater Britain Movement was a political group formed by John Tyndall in 1964 after he split from Colin Jordan's National Socialist Movement. The split was caused by the marriage of Jordan to Françoise Dior who was originally Tyndall's fiancée. She married Jordan while Tyndall was in prison to...
members in order to ensure the party was really being run by
John TyndallJohn Hutchyns Tyndall was a leading figure in British nationalism who led the National Front in the 1970s and founded the British National Party in 1982.- Early life :...
and his deputy
Martin WebsterMartin Guy Alan Webster is a former leading figure on the far-right in British politics.-Early political activism:An early member of the National Labour Party and the League of Empire Loyalists, Webster was John Tyndall's closest ally and followed him in joining the British National Party, the...
. He and the NF's treasurer Clare McDonald led a small group of supporters into John Davis' National Independence Party, and the leadership passed to Tyndall and Webster.
Mid 1970s: Success and infighting
The NF's success in the 1973
West BromwichWest Bromwich is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Sandwell, in the West Midlands, England. It is north west of Birmingham lying on the A41 London-to-Birkenhead road. West Bromwich is part of the Black Country...
by-election shocked many when the NF candidate finished third on 16%, and saved his deposit for the only time in NF history. This result was largely due to the candidate
Martin WebsterMartin Guy Alan Webster is a former leading figure on the far-right in British politics.-Early political activism:An early member of the National Labour Party and the League of Empire Loyalists, Webster was John Tyndall's closest ally and followed him in joining the British National Party, the...
's own adopted 'chummy' persona for the campaign as "Big Mart", and the NF flooding the areas with hired coachloads of supporters over the four weeks of the by-election at the party's expense. The party thereafter enjoyed respectable results, even if it could not win any seats. The NF's first 'elected' councillor won in a by-election for
CarrickfergusCarrickfergus is a large town in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It had a population of 27,201 people recorded in the 2001 Census. The town is the administrative centre for Carrickfergus Borough Council. It is Co. Antrim's oldest town and takes its name from Fergus Mór mac Eirc, the 6th century...
Town councilA town council is a democratically elected form of government for small municipalities or civil parishes. A council may serve as both the representative and executive branch....
in
Northern IrelandNorthern Ireland is a part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and it is situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
in 1975 when the only other candidate dropped out (there was also the temporary defection of two Conservative Councillors in Wandsworth, London, one of whom — Athlene O'Connell — was later accused of failing to have ever severed her NF links).
In 1974, the
ITVITV is a public service network of British commercial television broadcasters, set up under the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC. ITV is the oldest commercial television network in the UK...
documentaryDocumentary film is a broad category of visual expressions that is based on the attempt, in one fashion or another, to "document" reality. Although "documentary film" originally referred to movies shot on film stock, it has subsequently expanded to include video and digital productions that can...
This Week exposed the neo-Nazi pasts (and continued links with Nazis from other countries) of Tyndall and Webster. This resulted in a stormy annual conference two weeks later, where Tyndall was booed with chants of "Nazi! Nazi!" when he tried to make his speech. This led to the leadership being passed to the
populistPopulism is a political discourse that juxtaposes "the people" with "the elites." Populism may comprise an ideology urging social and political system changes and/or a rhetorical style deployed by members of political or social movements...
John Kingsley ReadJohn Kingsley Read was chairman of the British National Front from 1974 to 1976 and a founder of the National Party.A former member of the Conservative Party and chairman of the Blackburn Young Conservatives, Read left to join the NF in the early 1970s.A strong orator, Read rose quickly through...
. A standoff between Read and his supporters (such as
Roy PainterRoy Painter is a British Conservative politician and once candidate who for a time became one of the leading figures on the British far right....
and
Denis PirieDenis Pirie is a veteran of the British far right scene who took a leading role in a number of movements.Pirie began his career as a member of the 1960s British National Party and was appointed a member of the party's national council not long after its foundation...
) and Tyndall and Webster followed, leading to a temporary stand-still in NF growth. Before long, Read and his supporters were forced out by intimidation tactics of Tyndall's
Honour GuardAn honor guard, or ceremonial guard, is a ceremonial unit, usually military in nature and composed of volunteers who are carefully screened for their physical ability and dexterity...
, and Tyndall returned as leader. Read formed the short-lived
National PartyThe National Party was a short-lived British far right political party formed on January 6, 1976 and folding in 1977. It was a splinter group from the National Front , and came about as a result of a dispute within the NF between John Kingsley Read and John Tyndall.-Background and...
, which won two council seats in
BlackburnBlackburn is a large town in Lancashire, England. It lies to the north of the West Pennine Moors on the southern edge of the Ribble Valley, east of the city of Preston, and north-northwest of the city of Manchester. Blackburn is bounded to the south by Darwen, with which it forms the unitary...
in 1976.
Late 1970s: Riot and downfall
If anything encapsulated the NF under Tyndall and Webster it was the events of August 1977, when a large NF march specifically went through the largely non-white areas of
LewishamLewisham is a district in south-east London, England and the principal settlement of the London Borough of Lewisham. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.-History:...
in
South East LondonThe South East is a sub-region of the London Plan corresponding to the London Boroughs of Bexley, Bromley, Greenwich, Lewisham and Southwark. The sub region was established in 2008. The south east has a population of 1,300,000 and is the location of 500,000 jobs. There is a metropolitan centre at...
under an inflammatory slogan claiming that 70% of muggers were black whilst 70% of muggers' victims were white (these figures came courtesy of an ill-worded
press statementA news release, media release, press release or press statement is a written or recorded communication directed at members of the news media for the purpose of announcing something claimed as having news value. Typically, they are mailed, faxed, or e-mailed to assignment editors at newspapers,...
from Chief of the Metropolitan Police Sir
Kenneth NewmanSir Kenneth Leslie Newman, GBE, QPM was Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police from 1982 to 1987 and Chief Constable of the Royal Ulster Constabulary from 1976 to 1980...
that was actually intended to illustrate how poor relations between the black community and the police had become, i.e. black victims of crime seldom bothered to report it ).
As the NF was then contesting the
Birmingham LadywoodBirmingham Ladywood is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election...
by-election, such a large march elsewhere was construed as being deliberately to provoke trouble. 270 policemen were injured (56 hospitalised), over 200 marchers 78 were injured, and an attempt to destroy the local police station saw the first use of riot shields on British soil outside of Northern Ireland.
The event is often referred to by
anti-fascistsAnti-fascism is the opposition to fascist ideologies, organizations, governments and individuals. Most major resistance movements during World War II were anti-fascist....
as the
Battle of LewishamThe Battle of Lewisham is the name sometimes given to the events of 13 August 1977, when an attempt by the far-right National Front to march from New Cross to Lewisham in southeast London led to counter-demonstrations and violent clashes...
., along similar lines to the previous
Battle of Cable StreetThe Battle of Cable Street took place on Sunday 4 October 1936 in Cable Street in the East End of London. It was a clash between the Metropolitan Police Service, overseeing a legal march by the British Union of Fascists, led by Oswald Mosley, and anti-fascists, including local Jewish, socialist,...
against
Oswald MosleySir Oswald Ernald Mosley, 6th Baronet was a British politician, known principally as the founder of the British Union of Fascists...
. In fact, most of those who took part in the riot that day were not members of any anti-fascist or anti-racists groups, but local youths (both black and white).
The real damage to the NF at Lewisham was that plenty of its ordinary members began to have second thoughts about the sort of organisation they were in: seeing little attraction in having bricks and
smoke bombA smoke bomb is a firework designed to produce smoke upon ignition. Smoke bombs are useful to military units, airsoft games, paintball games, and self defense...
s rain down on them just so Tyndall and Webster could have excellent propaganda material and
prime timePrime time or primetime is the block of programming on television during the middle of the evening.The term prime time is often defined in terms of a fixed time period, for example, from 8:00 pm to 11:00 pm...
media coverage.
1979 was a disastrous year for the National Front. The rise to prominence of the newly reinvigorated
Conservative PartyThe Conservative and Unionist Party, more commonly known as the Conservatives, the Conservative Party, or Tory Party is a conservative political party in the United Kingdom...
under
Margaret ThatcherMargaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher LG, OM, PC, FRS served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990 and Leader of the Conservative Party from 1975 to 1990. She is the only woman to have held either post....
was a factor. Thatcher's tough right-wing stance on
immigrationImmigration is the arrival of new individuals into a habitat or population. It is a biological concept and is important in population ecology, differentiated from emigration and migration.-As a political term:...
and
law and orderIn politics, law and order refers to a political platform which supports a strict criminal justice system, especially in relation to violent and property crime, through harsher criminal penalties...
had caused the NF's support to haemorrhage. Many ex-Tories returned to the fold from the NF or its myriad splinter groups in particular after her "Swamping" remarks on the ITV documentary series
World In ActionWorld in Action was a British investigative current affairs programme made by Granada Television from 1963 to 1998. The efforts of its production team not infrequently had a major impact on events of the day...
on 30 January 1978:
"...we do not talk about it [immigration] perhaps as much as we should. In my view, that is one thing that is driving some people to the National Front. They do not agree with the objectives of the National Front, but they say that at least they are talking about some of the problems...If we do not want people to go to extremes...we must show that we are prepared to deal with it. We are a British nation with British characteristics."
Also Tyndall insisted on using party funds to nominate extra candidates so the NF would be standing in 303 seats in order to give the impression of growing strength. This brought the party to the verge of
bankruptcyBankruptcy is a legally declared inability or impairment of ability of an individual or organization to pay its creditors. Creditors may file a bankruptcy petition against a debtor in an effort to recoup a portion of what they are owed or initiate a restructuring...
when all the deposits were lost: most 'candidates' were candidates in name only, and did no electioneering whatsoever.
Front
Deputy LeaderDeputy Leader in the Westminster system is the second-in-command of a political party, behind the party leader. Deputy leaders often become Deputy Prime Minister when their parties are elected to government. In opposition, deputy leaders often lead Question Time sessions when the party leader is away...
Martin WebsterMartin Guy Alan Webster is a former leading figure on the far-right in British politics.-Early political activism:An early member of the National Labour Party and the League of Empire Loyalists, Webster was John Tyndall's closest ally and followed him in joining the British National Party, the...
claimed two decades later that the activities of the
Anti-Nazi LeagueThe Anti-Nazi League was an organisation set up in 1977 on the initiative of the Socialist Workers Party with some sponsorship from some trade unions and the endorsement of a list of prominent people to oppose the rise of what they deemed to be far-right groups in Britain...
played a key part in the NF's collapse at the end of the 1970s, but this claim runs contrary to events: for the
Anti-Nazi LeagueThe Anti-Nazi League was an organisation set up in 1977 on the initiative of the Socialist Workers Party with some sponsorship from some trade unions and the endorsement of a list of prominent people to oppose the rise of what they deemed to be far-right groups in Britain...
collapsed in early 1979 amid claims of financial impropriety, with former celebrity supporters such as
Brian CloughBrian Howard Clough, OBE was an English footballer and subsequently football manager, most notable for his success with Derby County and Nottingham Forest, and his 44 day reign at Leeds United A.F.C...
disowning the organisation. Furthermore, the NF stood their largest number of parliamentary candidates at the
1979 General ElectionThe United Kingdom general election of 1979 was held on 3 May 1979 and is regarded as a pivotal point in 20th century British politics. The Conservatives under Margaret Thatcher defeated James Callaghan's incumbent Labour government in what would prove to be the first of four consecutive general...
only a few months later, and met with surprisingly far less opposition than in previous elections.
Most damning of all, a full set of minutes of National Front Directorate meetings from late 1979 to the 1986 "Third Way" versus "Flag Group" split, deposited by former NF leader
Patrick HarringtonPatrick "Pat" Harrington is one of four members of the National Executive of the National Liberal Party - and a Director of the Third Way think-tank. He was a leading member of the National Front in the 1980s...
in the library of the University of Southampton, revealed that during the party's post-1979 wilderness years they were in the habit of "tipping off the Reds" in order to give their activities greater credibility with the public by being attended by hordes of angry protestors. This fact was later confirmed by
MI5The Security Service commonly known as MI5 , is the United Kingdom's counter-intelligence and security agency and is part of the intelligence machinery alongside the Secret Intelligence Service , Government Communications Headquarters and the Defence Intelligence Staff...
mole Andy Carmichael, who was
West MidlandsThe West Midlands is an official region of England, covering the western half of the area traditionally known as the Midlands. It contains the second most populous British city, Birmingham, and the larger West Midlands conurbation, which includes the city of Wolverhampton and large towns of Dudley,...
Regional Organiser for the NF during the 1990s.
Thus, the three important factors in the NF's collapse were
Margaret ThatcherMargaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher LG, OM, PC, FRS served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990 and Leader of the Conservative Party from 1975 to 1990. She is the only woman to have held either post....
's "swamping" speech designed to cream off the NF vote in key marginal constituencies,
John TyndallJohn Hutchyns Tyndall was a leading figure in British nationalism who led the National Front in the 1970s and founded the British National Party in 1982.- Early life :...
's rash diktat on the NF standing in 303 seats, and - ironically - the collapse of the ANL.
Tyndall's leadership was challenged by
Andrew FountaineAndrew Fountaine was a veteran of the far right scene in British politics.Born into a land-owning Norfolk family, Fountaine was educated at the Army College in Aldershot...
after the disaster. Although Tyndall saw off the challenge, Fountaine and his followers split from the party to form the NF
Constitutional MovementThe Constitutional Movement was a right wing political group in the United Kingdom. It was formed in 1979 by Andrew Fountaine as the National Front Constitutional Movement, a splinter group from the British National Front...
. The influential
LeicesterLeicester is a city and unitary authority area in the East Midlands of England. It is the county town of Leicestershire. The city lies on the River Soar and at the edge of the National Forest...
branch of the NF also split around this time, leading to the formation of the short lived
British Democratic PartyThe British Democratic Party was a short-lived far-right political party in the United Kingdom. It was formed in 1979 when the Leicester branch of the National Front under the leadership of Anthony Reed Herbert broke away from the main party...
. In the face of these splits, the NF members finally rebelled and expelled Tyndall after he demanded even more powers within the party he'd just about bankrupted. He was replaced ostensibly by
Andrew BronsAndrew Henry William Brons is a British politician. Long active in far right politics in Britain, he was elected as a Member of the European Parliament for Yorkshire and the Humber for the British National Party at the 2009 European Parliament election...
: but the real leader was
Martin WebsterMartin Guy Alan Webster is a former leading figure on the far-right in British politics.-Early political activism:An early member of the National Labour Party and the League of Empire Loyalists, Webster was John Tyndall's closest ally and followed him in joining the British National Party, the...
, who much to everyone's surprise, backed the expulsion. After failing to win the rights to the NF name in the courts, Tyndall went on to eventually form the
British National PartyThe British National Party is a far-right, whites-only political party in the United Kingdom, formed as a splinter group of the British National Front by John Tyndall in 1982. The party's current chairman is Nick Griffin, himself a former national organiser of the National Front.The BNP is not...
- ironically, Tyndall and his acolytes had been banned from the original BNP.
1980s: Two National Fronts
The party rapidly declined during the 1980s, although it retained some support in the West Midlands and in parts of London (usually centred around the entourage of Terry Blackham). The party tried in vain to gain support in Northern Ireland on several occasions.
The party effectively split into two halves during the 1980s, after they'd successfully expelled
Martin WebsterMartin Guy Alan Webster is a former leading figure on the far-right in British politics.-Early political activism:An early member of the National Labour Party and the League of Empire Loyalists, Webster was John Tyndall's closest ally and followed him in joining the British National Party, the...
and his partner Peter Salt from the NF. On one side were the
Political SoldierPolitical Soldier is a political concept associated with the Third Position. It played a leading role in Britain's National Front from the late 1970s onwards under young radicals Nick Griffin, Patrick Harrington and Derek Holland of the Official National Front...
ideas of young radicals such as
Nick GriffinNicholas John Griffin is a British politician, chairman of the British National Party and Member of the European Parliament for North West England. He is married with four children, and lives in Wales....
,
Patrick HarringtonPatrick "Pat" Harrington is one of four members of the National Executive of the National Liberal Party - and a Director of the Third Way think-tank. He was a leading member of the National Front in the 1980s...
, Phil Andrews,
Derek HollandDerek Holland is a figure on the European far-right noted for his Catholic Integralism.Holland began his career as a member of the National Front while a student at Leicester Polytechnic where the Young National Front Student Organisation claimed to be influential. After his studies Holland became...
, who were known as the
Third WayThird Position is a nationalist political strand that emphasises its opposition to both communism and capitalism. Advocates of third position views present themselves as neither left nor right.-Argentina:...
. They had little interest in contesting elections, preferring a revolutionary strategy.
The opposition NF
Flag GroupThe Flag Group was one of the two wings of the British National Front in the 1980s and stood in opposition to the Political Soldier wing of the Official National Front...
however contained the traditionalists such as
Ian AndersonIan Hugh Myddleton Anderson was a leading figure on the British far-right in the 1980s and 1990s.- Early background :...
,
Martin WingfieldMartin Wingfield is a long-standing figure on the extreme right in British politics.-National Front:Disillusioned with the Liberal Party, Wingfield joined the National Front in 1976 and quickly rose in the party, winning election to the National Directorate in 1980. He became editor of the...
, Tina 'Tin-Tin' Wingfield, Joe Pearce (initially associated with the Third Way faction) and Steve Brady, who ran candidates under the NF banner in the
1987 general electionThe United Kingdom general election of 1987 was held on 11 June 1987 and was the third consecutive victory for the Conservative Party under the leadership of Margaret Thatcher...
. The Flag faction did some political dabbling of their own, and the ideas of
Social CreditSocial Credit is described by its originator, C. H. Douglas , as "the policy of a philosophy". Douglas called his philosophy "practical Christianity". This philosophy is interdisciplinary in nature, encompassing the fields of economics, political science, history, accounting, and physics...
and
DistributismDistributism, also known as distributionism and distributivism, is a third-way economic philosophy formulated by such Roman Catholic thinkers as G. K...
were popular, but the chief preoccupation was still race relations.
Having two parties within one saved the NF from oblivion after 1979, when the phrase "let a thousand initiatives bloom" was coined to allow internal diversity in the hope of recapturing success, but inevitably it led to clashes bordering on high farce: at the
Vauxhall by-electionA by-election for the United Kingdom House of Commons was held in the constituency of Vauxhall on the 15th June 1989, following the resignation of sitting Member of Parliament Stuart Holland....
Patrick Harrington stood as the
Official National FrontThe Official National Front was the leading movement within the British National Front during the 1980s and stood opposed to the Flag Group.The ONF emerged in the late 1970s when young radicals such as Nick Griffin, Derek Holland, Patrick Harrington and David Kerr became attracted to Third Position...
candidate against
Ted BuddenEdward Budden was a veteran of the far right in the United Kingdom who was well-known in such circles for his satirical columns that appeared in a number of publications down the years....
for the Flag NF, both sides cat-calling at one another during the declaration of the result.
By 1990, the Political Soldiers had fallen out with one another, splintering into Harrington's
Third Way (UK)The National Liberal Party, The Third Way is a United Kingdom political party that was formed on 17 March 1990 as The Third Way. In 2006, the Third Way registered the name National Liberal Party - the Third Way with the Electoral Commission....
, and Griffin's
International Third PositionInternational Third Position ' was a neo-fascist organization formed by the breakaway faction of the neofascist British National Front and Italian neofascists lead by Roberto Fiore....
(ITP), leaving the Flag Group under
Ian AndersonIan Hugh Myddleton Anderson was a leading figure on the British far-right in the 1980s and 1990s.- Early background :...
and
Martin WingfieldMartin Wingfield is a long-standing figure on the extreme right in British politics.-National Front:Disillusioned with the Liberal Party, Wingfield joined the National Front in 1976 and quickly rose in the party, winning election to the National Directorate in 1980. He became editor of the...
to continue alone. Griffin's pamphlet "Attempted Murder". gave a very colourful - if biased and somewhat bitter - overview of this period of the NF's history.
Despite popular and tabloid media perceptions (and the line propagated by
Searchlight), the NF actually lost a lot of racist skinhead support as a result of the group's support for non-white radicals such as
Louis FarrakhanLouis Farrakhan is the National Representative of the Nation of Islam. He is an advocate for black interests, and a critic of American society...
. The former supporters either moved to the
British National PartyThe British National Party is a far-right, whites-only political party in the United Kingdom, formed as a splinter group of the British National Front by John Tyndall in 1982. The party's current chairman is Nick Griffin, himself a former national organiser of the National Front.The BNP is not...
, the rapidly declining
British MovementThe British Movement was a British neo-Nazi political party founded by Colin Jordan in 1968. It grew out of the National Socialist Movement, which was founded in 1962.-Development:...
, or simply to the
White Noise umbrella groupAn umbrella organization is an association of institutions, who work together formally to coordinate activities or pool resources. In business, political, or other environments, one group, the umbrella organization, provides resources and often an identity to the smaller organizations...
Blood and HonourBlood & Honour is a neo-Nazi music promotion network founded in 1987 and composed of white power skinheads and other white nationalists. The group organizes white power concerts by Rock Against Communism bands and distributes a magazine of the same name. There are official divisions in several...
. Meanwhile, leftist and non-political
skinheadA skinhead is a member of a subculture that originated among working class youths in the United Kingdom in the 1960s, and then spread to other parts of the world. Named for their close-cropped or shaven heads, the first skinheads were greatly influenced by West Indian rude boys and British mods,...
s — particularly those in
Oi!Oi! is a working class street-level subgenre of punk rock that originated in the United Kingdom in the late 1970s.The music and associated subculture had the goal of promoting unity between punks, skinheads and other non-aligned working class youths...
bands such as the
Angelic UpstartsAngelic Upstarts are an English rock band formed in South Shields in 1977. The punk rock/Oi! band espoused an anti-fascist and socialist working class philosophy, and have been associated with the skinhead subculture...
,
Peter and the Test Tube BabiesPeter and the Test Tube Babies are a punk rock band formed from a small town Peacehaven, England in 1978 by Del Strangefish and Peter Bywaters. Due to their humorous tongue-in-cheek lyrics, they have been considered part of the Punk Pathetique subgenre...
and the
Toy DollsToy Dolls are an English punk rock band formed in 1979. Departing from the angry lyrics and music often associated with punk rock, Toy Dolls worked within the aesthetics of punk to express a sense of fun, with songs such as "Yul Brynner Was A Skinhead", "My Girlfriend's Dad's A Vicar" and "James...
— spoke out against the NF's racist views or made it clear they had no interest in politics. Around this time, one pro-NF skinhead
fanzineA fanzine is a nonprofessional and nonofficial publication produced by fans of a particular cultural phenomenon for the pleasure of others who share their interest...
asked the
Macc LadsThe Macc Lads were a punk and hard rock band from Macclesfield, UK. Self-proclaimed "rudest crudest lewdest drunkest band in Christendom", The Macc Lads became notorious for their irreverent and foul mouthed lyrics, political incorrectness, drinking, sexism and homophobia...
to perform at a
White Noise fundraiser even though their guitarist,
The Beater, was Asian.
Nick Griffin and Derek Holland even tried to enlist the financial aid of Libya's
Muammar al-GaddafiMuammar Abu Minyar al-Gaddafi
1 has been the de facto leader of Libya since a coup in 1969....
, but this was promptly rejected once the Libyans found out about the NF's reputation as
fascist (a third of Libya's male population was exterminated by Mussolini's
fascistFascism, , comprises a radical and authoritarian nationalist political ideology and a corporatist economic ideology developed in Italy. Fascists believe that nations and/or races are in perpetual conflict whereby only the strong can survive by being healthy, vital, and by asserting themselves in...
troops during
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including all great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
). However, the NF received five thousand copies of Gadaffi's
Green BookThe Green Book is a book written by the Libyan leader Muammar al-Qaddafi, first published in 1975, outlining his views on democracy and his political philosophy.It consists of three parts:...
, which influenced Phil Andrews into leaving the NF to form the successful Isleworth Community Group, the first of several such "grassroots" groups in English local elections whereby nominally independent candidates stand under a collective
flag of convenienceA ship is said to be flying a flag of convenience if it is registered in a foreign country "for purposes of reducing operating costs or avoiding government regulations"....
to appear more attractive to voters..
1990s and 2000s
In the 1990s, the NF declined as the
British National PartyThe British National Party is a far-right, whites-only political party in the United Kingdom, formed as a splinter group of the British National Front by John Tyndall in 1982. The party's current chairman is Nick Griffin, himself a former national organiser of the National Front.The BNP is not...
(BNP) began to grow. As a result of this,
Ian AndersonIan Hugh Myddleton Anderson was a leading figure on the British far-right in the 1980s and 1990s.- Early background :...
decided to change the party name and in 1995 relaunched it as the
National DemocratsThe National Democrats is a Far-Right Nationalist party in the United Kingdom that has campaigned against immigration and political asylum. According to the 2007 accounts filed with the Electoral Commission it had two members, which must be presumed to be its leader Ian Anderson and its treasurer...
. The move proved unpopular (and the name change
Ballot ResultBallot Result is a posthumous live compilation album by Minutemen.The story of Ballot Result starts with the Tour-Spiel EP in 1984. The Minutemen had been given a copy of a tape of a live radio performance for the Virgin Vinyl Show they had done in Tucson, Arizona, four songs of which they used for...
much disputed). Over half of the 600 members continued the NF under the reluctant leadership of previous deputy leader John McAuley. He later passed the job onto
Tom HolmesThomas Frank Holmes is the current chairman of the far-right British political party, the National Front and a long standing member of the movement....
. The National Democrats continued to publish the old NF newspaper
The Flag for a while, and beat the NF at the
Uxbridge by-election of 1997Uxbridge is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.-Boundaries:1885-1918: The parliamentary constituency of Uxbridge was created as the westernmost county division of the historic county of Middlesex...
in which the candidates were the respective party leaders. The NF launched a new paper
The Flame, which is still published irregularly, but Anderson kept all the old NF printing equipment.
The party fielded seven candidates at the
1997 General ElectionThe UK general election, 1997 was held on 1 May 1997, more than five years after the previous election on 9 April 1992. The Labour Party won the general election in a landslide victory with 418 seats, the most seats the party has ever held...
. Notably, the NF and BNP did not stand against each other in any seat at that election. It fielded 13 candidates at the
2005 General ElectionThe United Kingdom general election of 2005 was held on Thursday, 5 May 2005 to elect members to the House of Commons.The Labour Party under Tony Blair won its third consecutive victory, but with a reduced overall majority of 66 and they failed to gain any new seats...
, none of whom saved their deposit. The NF's current National Chairman remains
Tom HolmesThomas Frank Holmes is the current chairman of the far-right British political party, the National Front and a long standing member of the movement....
.
The National Front gained a local council seat on 3 May 2007 when candidate Simon Deacon was elected unopposed to
MarkyateMarkyate is a village in north-west Hertfordshire close to the border with Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire.-Geography:Having a number of former names, including Markyate Street and Mergyate, it has been a part of all three counties since it was first founded as the county boundaries have changed...
Parish council, near
St AlbansSt Albans is a city in southern Hertfordshire, England, around north of central London, which forms the main urban area of the City and District of St Albans. It was a settlement of pre-Roman origin named Verlamion by the Ancient British, Catuvellauni tribe...
(there were 10 vacancies but only 9 candidates). It had been 32 years since the NF's only previous councillor was elected. However Deacon soon defected to the British National Party, after becoming disillusioned with the direction of the NF. The NF had hoped that
Tom HolmesThomas Frank Holmes is the current chairman of the far-right British political party, the National Front and a long standing member of the movement....
could also win the Nelson ward council seat on
Great YarmouthGreat Yarmouth, often known to locals as Yarmouth, is a coastal town in Norfolk, England. It is at the mouth of the River Yare, 20 miles east of Norwich....
Borough Council; he polled 22.9% of the votes cast.
There has been a repositioning of the NF's policy on marches and demonstrations since the expulsion from the party in 2007 of Terry Blackham, the former National Activities Organiser. These have been reduced in favour of electoral campaigning. In the
London Assembly election, 2008An election to the Assembly of London took place on 1 May 2008, along with the London mayoral election, 2008. The Conservatives gained 2 seats, Labour gained one seat, the Liberal Democrats lost two seats, and United Kingdom Independence Party or One London as they became were wiped out...
held on 1 May, Paul Winnett of the NF polled 11,288 votes (5.56% of those cast) in the Bexley and Bromley constituency. In the Greenwich and Lewisham constituency, Tess Culnane polled 8,509 votes (5.79% of those cast) coming ahead of the UK Independence Party. Tess Culnane also stood in the atypical
Haltemprice and Howden by-election, 2008The 2008 Haltemprice and Howden by-election was a by-election for the UK Parliamentary constituency of Haltemprice and Howden, which took place on 10 July 2008...
held on 10 July, coming fourth with 544 votes (2.3%).
See also
- British National Front election results
The British National Front's election results in parliamentary elections are shown below.-By-elections, 1967-1970:-----General election, 18 June 1970:-----By-elections, 1970-1974:-----General elections, 28 February and 10 October 1974:...
- Nationalism in the United Kingdom
Nationalism in the United Kingdom may refer to:* British nationalism* English nationalism* Scottish nationalism* Welsh nationalism* Irish nationalism* Ulster nationalism* Cornish self-government movement...
- South African National Front
The South African National Front was an overseas branch of John Tyndall’s National Front which developed a short-lived but notorious existence for itself....
- British National Party
The British National Party is a far-right, whites-only political party in the United Kingdom, formed as a splinter group of the British National Front by John Tyndall in 1982. The party's current chairman is Nick Griffin, himself a former national organiser of the National Front.The BNP is not...
- National Democrats
The National Democrats is a Far-Right Nationalist party in the United Kingdom that has campaigned against immigration and political asylum. According to the 2007 accounts filed with the Electoral Commission it had two members, which must be presumed to be its leader Ian Anderson and its treasurer...
External links