BNP Implosion by ‘Malatesta’

Honestly, you pop off abroad for a week – where all those nasty foreigners live! – only to get back and the BNP is imploding in a mass of resignations, allegations and refutations. Leadership challenge? Over. Lee Barnes? GONE. Bankruptcy allegations? Not more? Jings! It’s hard enough getting a handle on the far right at the best of times but it’s taken a few hours to unravel the details. Hopefully the Malatestas can shine a wee bit of light in the midden of the ubermensch whilst finishing off our duty free Toblerones.

And The Winner Is …
Nick Griffin has held on to the leadership after launching a rather shabby campaign against Eddie Butler with all manner of smear tactics – Belgian brothels, photos in pants, ‘gay’ accusations – which came as absolutely no surprise. According to online sources, only 29% of those eligible to vote in the BNP bothered to do so. The BNP is falling apart at the seams with Griffin going mental expelling anyone who has even HEARD of Eddie Butler! However, what has Griffin actually won? A seriously diminished organisation whose infrastructure and finances are a mess. Griffin will no doubt have the begging bowl out again to the fragmented membership many of whom are either ignorant of the situation or just sick of his kleptocracy and all out Muppetry.

Expelled or Resigned?
First, Simon Darby’s resignation, then Mark Collett’s expulsion over dodgy printing costs and his predilection for pre-legal sex, and now Batty Lee Barnes has resigned (or been expelled depending on who you believe). Is there anyone left in the BNP? In his usual not-very-succinct-at-all ‘style’ Bitter Barnes blames the Marmite case, the EHRC case, increased sackings and suspensions, unpaid bills and wages and claims that the BNP is insolvent (and both the BBC and Marketing Week are also alleging that the BNP have settled over Marmite to the tune of £170k). Barnes, not very convincingly, says he regrets covering for Griffin but is glad he has ‘helped 1,000s of people’ and his blog is now peppered with self-justifying rants and backpedalling. Barnes is aware of his rapidly fading significance and has become Simon Bennet’s no.1 fan who he now claims is ‘a real hero of nationalism.’ Oh, right! Batty Barnes is attempting to capitalise on the travails of BNP svengali Jim Dowson and the allegations of sexual fondlement made by Shelley Rose. He is also making allegations of fraud about Griffin and Dowson but the web is full of these kind of things and unless a legal challenge is initiated these are pretty meaningless.

BNP: The Future?
Griffin will no doubt celebrate his victory by chucking more and more loyal and not-so-loyal members out. There is a long list of alleged expulsions knocking around the web and it really is turning into a ‘night of the penknives.’ Liverpool BNP in particular has suffered expulsions following revelations that Tony ‘Hammerhead’ Ward is a cross dresser and prominent member Peter Stafford is gay. The launch of the all new pink BNP was apparently badly attended on Merseyside and the LBNP website has been silent for 2 weeks. All this indicates a massive rift in the BNP which is going to be pretty hard to reconcile but there are several possible outcomes:
1/ Griffin and Dowson will maintain control over a ‘rump’ BNP, seeing as they control the assets, and they can try and rebuild again despite Griffin’s massive loss of credibility and legal and financial problems.
2/ The anti-Griffinites can try and overcome their bitter rivalries to form the New BNP albeit without funds and the organisational acumen of Dowson but with some credibility on the racist right.
3/ The National Front will absorb some of those disillusioned members who fondly remember the ‘glory days’ of getting booted off the streets in the 1970s and 80s by anti-fascists.
However, there are problems with 2 and 3
2/ The anti-Griffinites are so fragmented and bitter, as witnessed with the recent online schism between North West Nationalists and Real Nationalists Online forums, that the chances of them forgiving or forgetting are extremely slim. Unlike their porcine moderators. But more interestingly:
3/ Last year the NF succumbed to a coup by veteran Nazi splitter Eddie Morrison (see Malatesta postings on the NF last year) and it has long been understood that Eddie is a state asset. Did some nefarious force know that Griffin was going to implode the BNP and thus compromise the only viable racist option by getting their men into position in order to further contain and monitor far right extremists?
We shall see …

Conclusion
Griffin has managed to keep his position but is under increasing pressure. His future will be seriously jeopardised if the BNP books are ever investigated properly by the Fraud Squad and all the filthy, fascinating details come out along with the inevitable threats and hair pulling. It is widely reported that Griffin does not have anything of value registered in his name and if it goes horribly wrong then he cannot be found liable and probably has an ‘escape route’ planned. Griffin still maintains his loyal following in the BNP and his MEP position but will the anti-Griffinites stand an independent in the next Euro-election to diminish his vote? All of this mean that the fallout from this week will continue and provide a huge boost for anti-fascists of all stripes everywhere in the UK.


‘Malatesta’
NB: all material by ‘Malatesta’ is copyright free.
Please pass it on to anyone who may find it useful.