British National Front
Encyclopedia
The National Front is a far right
, white
-only political party whose major political activities took place during the 1970s and 1980s. Its popularity peaked in the 1979 general election
, when it received 191,719 votes (0.6% of the overall vote).
The British prison service and police services forbid their employees to be members of the party.
The party accounts submitted to the Electoral Commission
in 2007 detailed national profitability. It put up 17 candidates in the 2010 general election and 18 candidates for the 2010 local elections
. The party failed to gain any representation at local or national level.
(MSI), comments on their neo-fascist nature and neo-Nazi
ideals:
" and the "Fourteen Words
", a white nationalist
slogan that states: "We must secure the existence of our people and a future for white children." The party works in open cooperation with the white supremacist
and neo-Nazi
website Stormfront
.
The National Front also stand against immigration
into the United Kingdom
and would introduce a policy of compulsory repatriation of all those of non-European descent as well as closing the borders to all further immigration. The party claims to stand against "American imperialism", and would withdraw from NATO and the European Union
. The party supports the use of capital punishment
for crimes of murder
, rape
, paedophilia and terrorism
. It would reintroduce Section 28
, and support the recriminalization of homosexuality
. The party adopts a strongly pro-life
stance, describing abortion
as a "crime against humanity
" and would repeal the 1967 Abortion Act
. The NF claims to oppose all economic and cultural imperialism
: "Nations should be free to determine their own political systems, their own economic systems and to develop their own culture." Its constitution expresses the fact that it is run by a National Directorate rather than a direct chairman where it is described in section 2 as: "The National Front consists of a confederation of branches co-ordinated by a National Directorate. Additionally a Central Tribunal appointed by the National Directorate is responsible for acting as a final court of appeal in internal disciplinary matters and for acting as a disciplinary tribunal for cases brought directly against individual party members by the National Directorate." It claims that its skinhead phenomenon is no more.
The party is critical of the historical accuracy of the Holocaust
, and is inclined towards Holocaust denial
, but claims that it has no official view about it and defends the right over any historian on the subject. In recent years the party has been in conflict with the British National Party
over such issues as the BNP's attempts to present itself with a more moderate image. The party has described the BNP as part of a "Zionist Occupation Government
". The NF's former national chairman, Tom Holmes
, condemned the BNP as no longer being a white nationalist
party for having a Sikh
columnist in their party newspaper.
when a moderate Conservative Party
was defeated and A. K. Chesterton
, a cousin of the novelist G. K. Chesterton
and leader of the League of Empire Loyalists
(LEL), argued that a patriotic and racialist right wing
party would have won the election. Soon Chesterton opened talks with the 1960s incarnation of the British National Party
(who had already been discussing a possible deal with the new National Democratic 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 Society
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 immigration
and multiculturalist
policies in Britain, and multinational agreements such as the United Nations
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's
neo-Nazi Greater Britain Movement
joined as individual members by a policy of entryism
to circumvent the ban.
who resented immigrant competition in the labour market or simply the appearance of immigrants. The Conservatives came particularly from the Conservative Monday Club
group within the Conservative Party that had been founded in hostile reaction to Harold Macmillan
's "Wind Of Change
" speech. The NF fought on a platform of opposition to communism
and liberalism
, support for Ulster loyalism
, opposition to the European Economic Community
, and the compulsory repatriation
of new Commonwealth
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 demonstrations, particularly in London
, where it often faced anti-fascist
protestors from opposing left-wing groups, including the International Marxist Group
and the International Socialists (later the Socialist Workers Party
). Opponents of the National Front claimed it to be a neo-fascist organization, and its activities were opposed by anti-racist
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 confidence
in him. He was replaced in 1970 by the party's office manager John O'Brien
, a former Conservative and supporter of Enoch Powell
. O'Brien however left when he realised the NF's leadership functions were being systematically taken over by the former Greater Britain Movement
members in order to ensure the party was really being run by John Tyndall
and his deputy Martin Webster
. 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.
The NF sought to expand its influence into the 'white dominions' of the Commonwealth. In 1977 overseas organisations were set up in New Zealand (the New Zealand National Front
), South Africa (the South African National Front
) and in Australia (the National Front Australia
).
A Canadian organisation was also set up (National Front of Canada) but it failed to take off.
Already by 1974, the ITV
documentary
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 populist
John Kingsley Read
. A standoff between Read and his supporters (such as Roy Painter
and Denis Pirie
) 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 Guard
, and Tyndall returned as leader. Read formed the short-lived National Party
, which won two council seats in Blackburn in 1976.
A National Front march through central London on 15 June 1974 led to a 21-year-old man, Kevin Gately
, being killed - and dozens more people (including 39 police officers) being injured - in clashes between the party's supports as well as members of anti-fascist organisations.
During 1976 the movement's fortunes improved, and the NF had up to 14,000 paid members. A campaign was launched in support of Robert Relf
, who had been jailed for refusing to remove a sign from outside his home declaring that it was for sale only to English
buyers (clearly using this term as a code for white
). In the May local election
the NF's best result was in Leicester, where 48 candidates won 14,566 votes, nearly 20% of the total vote. By June, the party's growth rate was its highest ever. In the May 1977 Greater London Council election
, 119,060 votes were cast in favour of the NF and the Liberals
were beaten in 33 out of 92 constituencies.
A police ban on a NF march through Hyde
in October 1977 was defied by Martin Webster who separately marched alone carrying a Union Jack and a sign reading “Defend British Free Speech from Red Terrorism”, surrounded by an estimated 2,500 police and onlookers: he was allowed to march as 'one man' did not constitute a breaking of the ban
. The tactic split the Anti-Nazi League
in two and made a farce of the ban whilst attracting more media publicity for the Front.
in South East London
under an inflammatory slogan claiming that 85% of muggers were black whilst 85% of muggers' victims were white. As the NF was then contesting the Birmingham Ladywood
by-election, such a large march elsewhere was construed as being an attempt to provoke trouble. 270 policemen were injured (56 hospitalised) and over 200 marchers were injured (78 hospitalised) in an attempt to destroy the local police station. The march saw the first use of riot shields on British soil outside of Northern Ireland. The event is often referred to by anti-fascists
as the Battle of Lewisham
along similar lines to the previous Battle of Cable Street
against Oswald Mosley
. 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)].
At the same time, Margaret Thatcher
as opposition leader was moving the Tory party back to the right and away from the moderate Heathite
stance which had caused some Conservatives to join the NF. 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 Action
on 30 January 1978:
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 bankruptcy when all the deposits were lost: most candidates were candidates in name only, and did no electioneering..
Front Deputy Leader Martin Webster
claimed two decades later that the activities of the Anti-Nazi League
played a key part in the NF's collapse at the end of the 1970s, but this claim runs counter to events, for the Anti-Nazi League collapsed in early 1979 amid claims of financial impropriety, with former celebrity supporters such as Brian Clough
disowning the organisation. Furthermore, the NF stood their largest number of parliamentary candidates at the 1979 general election
only a few months later, and met with 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 Harrington
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 MI5
mole Andy Carmichael, who was West Midlands
Regional Organiser for the NF during the 1990s.
Tyndall's leadership was challenged by Andrew Fountaine
after the disaster. Although Tyndall saw off the challenge, Fountaine and his followers split from the party to form the NF Constitutional Movement
. The influential Leicester
branch of the NF also split around this time, leading to the formation of the short lived British Democratic Party
. In the face of these splits, the party's Directorate voted to oust Tyndall as Chairman after he had demanded even more powers. He was replaced by Andrew Brons
: but the 'power behind the throne' was Martin Webster
, who, somewhat surprisingly, had supported his old ally's deposition. After failing to win the rights to the NF name in the courts, Tyndall went on eventually to form the British National Party
.
The party effectively split into two halves during the 1980s, after they had expelled Martin Webster and his partner Peter Salt. On one side were the Political Soldier
ideas of young radicals such as Nick Griffin
, Patrick Harrington
, Phil Andrews and Derek Holland, who were known as the Official National Front
. They had little interest in contesting elections, preferring a revolutionary strategy.
The opposition NF Flag Group
contained the traditionalists such as Ian Anderson
, Martin Wingfield
, 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 election
. The Flag Group did some political dabbling of their own, and the ideas of Social Credit
and Distributism
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 support, but it led to clashes. In the 1989 Vauxhall by-election
, Harrington stood as the Official National Front
candidate against Ted Budden
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 and Griffin's International Third Position
(ITP), leaving the Flag Group under Anderson and Wingfield 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.
Around this time, the NF lost much of its traditional white support as a result of the group's support for non-white radicals such as Louis Farrakhan
.
The former supporters either moved to the British National Party
(BNP), the rapidly declining British Movement
, or to the White Noise umbrella group
Blood and Honour
. Griffin and Holland tried to enlist the financial aid of Libya's Muammar Gaddafi
, but the idea was rejected once the Libyans found out about the NF's reputation as fascist
(a third of Libya's adult male population was exterminated by Benito Mussolini
's troops during World War II
. However, the NF received 5,000 copies of Gaddafi's Green Book, which influenced Andrews to leave the NF to form the Isleworth Community Group, the first of several grassroots groups in English local elections whereby nominally independent candidates stand under a collective flag of convenience
to appear more attractive to voters.
An estimate of membership of the National Front in 1989 put supporters of the Flag Group at about 3,000, and of the 'Political Soldier' faction at about 600, with a number in between embracing Griffin's Third Position
ideas.
decided to change the party name and in 1995 relaunched it as the National Democrats
. The move proved unpopular. Over half of the members continued with the NF under the reluctant leadership of previous deputy leader John McAuley. He later passed the job on to Tom Holmes
. The National Democrats continued to publish the old NF newspaper The Flag for a while. The NF launched a new paper The Flame, which is still published irregularly, but Anderson kept all the old NF printing equipment.
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 January 2010, Tom Holmes resigned the leadership and handed over to Ian Edward.
In February 2010, when the BNP had to change its constitution to allow non-whites into the party because of a High Court
decision, the NF claimed to have received over 1000 membership enquiries from BNP members and said that local BNP branches in Yorkshire and north Lincolnshire had discussed switching over to the NF. Prominent BNP members Chris Jackson and Michael Easter have joined the NF.
On 14 September 2010, the NF publicity officer, Tom Linden, shared a debate with the Social Democratic and Labour Party
MLA
, John Dallat
, on BBC Radio Foyle
about the support the NF had in Coleraine. This gave the NF a chance to air its views, which resulted in the NF Coleraine organiser, Mark Brown, thanking John Dallat for helping the NF double its support in Coleraine through enquiries and membership.
During the 1980s and early 1990s the National Front only fielded a handful of candidates for local elections, but increased this to 19 since 2010.
The National Front have never won a local council seat in an election, but gained a local seat on 3 May 2007 when candidate Simon Deacon was elected unopposed to Markyate
Parish council, near St Albans
(there were ten vacancies but only nine candidates). However Deacon soon defected to the British National Party
, after becoming disillusioned with the direction of the NF.
In March 2010 the NF gained its first ever councillor in Rotherham, John Gamble, who was originally in the BNP and the England First Party
(EFP) but joined the National Front. However, it later appeared that John Gamble was expelled from the NF because he was facing some disciplinary charges and the NF withdrew its whip. Later the same year, a parish councillor from Harrogate, Sam Clayton, defected from the BNP to the NF. However, on 29 November 2010, it was revealed that Clayton had resigned as parish councillor for Bilton in Ainsty with Bickerton ward. As of 2011, the National Front therefore has no local councillors, but gained one uncontested parish councillor in Langley Hill Ward for Langley Parish Council. In September 2011, the NF lost its parish councillor after failing to fill in the right forms for the job.
; however, only 17 were actually fielded.
held on 1 May, the National Front stood five candidates, saving two deposits - 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.
The NF's most significant success in by-election was in the 1973 West Bromwich by-election
: the NF candidate finished third on a high 16%, and saved his deposit for the only time in NF by-election history. This result was largely due to the candidate Martin Webster
's own adopted 'chummy' persona for the campaign as "Big Mart".
the National Front fielded a record of 303 candidates, polling 191,719 votes, but no desposits were saved thus putting the party in extreme financial difficulty. This event is considered a major factor for the downfall of the NF.
and received 27,065 votes and saved no deposits, the average vote being less than 1% in each contested constituency. In 1987, the NF was in a split and only stood one candidate in Bristol East with 286 votes (0.6%) in total.
during the 2010 general election, the NF candidate, Chris Jackson, polled 4.9% (2,236 votes) coming within a whisker of saving his deposit.
Far right
Far-right, extreme right, hard right, radical right, and ultra-right are terms used to discuss the qualitative or quantitative position a group or person occupies within right-wing politics. Far-right politics may involve anti-immigration and anti-integration stances towards groups that are...
, white
White people
White people is a term which usually refers to human beings characterized, at least in part, by the light pigmentation of their skin...
-only political party whose major political activities took place during the 1970s and 1980s. Its popularity peaked in the 1979 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1979
The United Kingdom general election of 1979 was held on 3 May 1979 to elect 635 members to the British House of Commons. The Conservative Party, led by Margaret Thatcher ousted the incumbent Labour government of James Callaghan with a parliamentary majority of 43 seats...
, when it received 191,719 votes (0.6% of the overall vote).
The British prison service and police services forbid their employees to be members of the party.
The party accounts submitted to the Electoral Commission
Electoral Commission (United Kingdom)
The 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. It put up 17 candidates in the 2010 general election and 18 candidates for the 2010 local elections
United Kingdom local elections, 2010
The 2010 United Kingdom local elections were held on Thursday 6 May 2010, when the 2010 general election also took place. Direct elections were held to all 32 London boroughs, all 36 metropolitan boroughs, 76 second-tier district authorities, 20 unitary authorities and various Mayoral posts, all in...
. The party failed to gain any representation at local or national level.
Policies
The National Front have been described as fascist and neo-fascist. In his book, The New Fascists, Wilkinson, comparing the NF to the Italian Social MovementItalian Social Movement
The Italian Social Movement , and later the Italian Social Movement–National Right , was a neo-fascist and post-fascist political party in Italy. Formed in 1946 by supporters of former Italian dictator Benito Mussolini, the party became the fourth largest party in Italy by the early 1960s...
(MSI), comments on their neo-fascist nature and neo-Nazi
Neo-Nazism
Neo-Nazism consists of post-World War II social or political movements seeking to revive Nazism or some variant thereof.The term neo-Nazism can also refer to the ideology of these movements....
ideals:
"The only other case among the western democracies of a neo-fascist movement making some progress towards creating an effective mass party with at least a chance of winning some leverage, is the National Front (NF) in Britain. It is interesting that the NF, like the MSI, has tried to develop a 'two-track' strategy. On the one hand it follows an opportunistic policy of attempting to present itself as a respectable political party appealing by argument and peaceful persuasion for the support of the British electorate. On the other, its leadership is deeply imbued with Nazi ideas, and though they try to play down their past affiliations with more blatantly Nazi movements, such as Colin Jordan's British National Socialist Movement, they covertly maintain intimate connections with small neo-Nazi cells in Britain and abroad, because all their beliefs and motives make this not only tactically expedient but effective."The party stands for "white family values
Family values
Family values are political and social beliefs that hold the nuclear family to be the essential ethical and moral unit of society. Familialism is the ideology that promotes the family and its values as an institution....
" and the "Fourteen Words
Fourteen Words
The Fourteen Words is a phrase used predominantly by white nationalists. It most commonly refers to the 14-word slogan: "We must secure the existence of our people and a future for White Children", and it can also refer to another 14-word slogan: "Because the beauty of the White Aryan women must...
", a white nationalist
White nationalism
White nationalism is a political ideology which advocates a racial definition of national identity for white people. White separatism and white supremacism are subgroups within white nationalism. The former seek a separate white nation state, while the latter add ideas from social Darwinism and...
slogan that states: "We must secure the existence of our people and a future for white children." The party works in open cooperation with the white supremacist
White supremacy
White supremacy is the belief, and promotion of the belief, that white people are superior to people of other racial backgrounds. The term is sometimes used specifically to describe a political ideology that advocates the social and political dominance by whites.White supremacy, as with racial...
and neo-Nazi
Neo-Nazism
Neo-Nazism consists of post-World War II social or political movements seeking to revive Nazism or some variant thereof.The term neo-Nazism can also refer to the ideology of these movements....
website Stormfront
Stormfront (website)
Stormfront 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 National Front also stand against immigration
Immigration
Immigration is the act of foreigners passing or coming into a country for the purpose of permanent residence...
into the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and would introduce a policy of compulsory repatriation of all those of non-European descent as well as closing the borders to all further immigration. The party claims to stand against "American imperialism", and would withdraw from NATO and the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
. The party supports the use of capital punishment
Capital punishment
Capital punishment, the death penalty, or execution is the sentence of death upon a person by the state as a punishment for an offence. Crimes that can result in a death penalty are known as capital crimes or capital offences. The term capital originates from the Latin capitalis, literally...
for crimes of murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
, rape
Rape
Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or with a person who is incapable of valid consent. The...
, paedophilia and terrorism
Terrorism
Terrorism is the systematic use of terror, especially as a means of coercion. In the international community, however, terrorism has no universally agreed, legally binding, criminal law definition...
. It would reintroduce Section 28
Section 28
Section 28 of the Local Government Act 1988 caused the controversial addition of Section 2A to the 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 Great Britain by section 122 of the Local Government Act 2003...
, and support the recriminalization of homosexuality
Homosexuality
Homosexuality is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectional, or romantic attractions" primarily or exclusively to people of the same...
. The party adopts a strongly pro-life
Pro-life
Opposition to the legalization of abortion is centered around the pro-life, or anti-abortion, movement, a social and political movement opposing elective abortion on moral grounds and supporting its legal prohibition or restriction...
stance, describing abortion
Abortion
Abortion is defined as the termination of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo prior to viability. An abortion can occur spontaneously, in which case it is usually called a miscarriage, or it can be purposely induced...
as a "crime against humanity
Crime against humanity
Crimes against humanity, as defined by the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court Explanatory Memorandum, "are particularly odious offenses 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 Act
Abortion in the United Kingdom
Abortion 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...
. The NF claims to oppose all economic and cultural imperialism
Cultural imperialism
Cultural imperialism is the domination of one culture over another. Cultural imperialism can take the form of a general attitude or an active, formal and deliberate policy, including military action. Economic or technological factors may also play a role...
: "Nations should be free to determine their own political systems, their own economic systems and to develop their own culture." Its constitution expresses the fact that it is run by a National Directorate rather than a direct chairman where it is described in section 2 as: "The National Front consists of a confederation of branches co-ordinated by a National Directorate. Additionally a Central Tribunal appointed by the National Directorate is responsible for acting as a final court of appeal in internal disciplinary matters and for acting as a disciplinary tribunal for cases brought directly against individual party members by the National Directorate." It claims that its skinhead phenomenon is no more.
The party is critical of the historical accuracy of the Holocaust
The Holocaust
The Holocaust , also known as the Shoah , was the genocide of approximately six million European Jews and millions of others during World War II, a programme of systematic state-sponsored murder by Nazi...
, and is inclined towards Holocaust denial
Holocaust denial
Holocaust denial is the act of denying the genocide of Jews in World War II, usually referred to as the Holocaust. The key claims of Holocaust denial are: the German Nazi government had no official policy or intention of exterminating Jews, Nazi authorities did not use extermination camps and gas...
, but claims that it has no official view about it and defends the right over any historian on the subject. In recent years the party has been in conflict with the British National Party
British National Party
The British National Party is a British far-right political party formed as a splinter group from the National Front by John Tyndall in 1982...
over such issues as the BNP's attempts to present itself with a more moderate image. The party has described the BNP as part of a "Zionist Occupation Government
Zionist Occupation Government
Zionist 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 former national chairman, Tom Holmes
Tom Holmes
Thomas Frank Holmes was the chairman of the far-right British political party, the National Front and a long standing member of the movement, he has been involved in Nationalist politics since 1958....
, condemned the BNP as no longer being a white nationalist
White nationalism
White nationalism is a political ideology which advocates a racial definition of national identity for white people. White separatism and white supremacism are subgroups within white nationalism. The former seek a separate white nation state, while the latter add ideas from social Darwinism and...
party for having a Sikh
Sikhism
Sikhism is a monotheistic religion founded during the 15th century in the Punjab region, by Guru Nanak Dev and continued to progress with ten successive Sikh Gurus . It is the fifth-largest organized religion in the world and one of the fastest-growing...
columnist in their party newspaper.
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 electionUnited Kingdom general election, 1966
The 1966 United Kingdom 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 a mere 17 months previously in 1964 had an unworkably small majority of only 4 MPs...
when a moderate Conservative Party
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
was defeated and A. K. Chesterton
A. K. Chesterton
Arthur 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. His cousin, the author G. K...
, a cousin of the novelist G. K. Chesterton
G. K. Chesterton
Gilbert Keith Chesterton, KC*SG was an English writer. His prolific and diverse output included philosophy, ontology, poetry, plays, journalism, public lectures and debates, literary and art criticism, biography, Christian apologetics, and fiction, including fantasy and detective fiction....
and leader of the League of Empire Loyalists
League of Empire Loyalists
The League of Empire Loyalists was a British pressure group , established in 1954, which campaigned against the dissolution of the British Empire. The League was a small group of current or former members of the Conservative Party led by Arthur K...
(LEL), argued that a patriotic and racialist right wing
Right-wing politics
In politics, Right, right-wing and rightist generally refer to support for a hierarchical society justified on the basis of an appeal to natural law or tradition. To varying degrees, the Right rejects the egalitarian objectives of left-wing politics, claiming that the imposition of equality is...
party would have won the election. Soon Chesterton opened talks with the 1960s incarnation of the British National Party
British National Party (1960s)
The British National Party was a far right political party that operated in the United Kingdom from 1960 to 1967. Led by John Bean the group, which was subject to internal divisions during its brief history, established some areas of local support before helping to form the National Front in...
(who had already been discussing a possible deal with the new National Democratic Party
National Democratic Party (UK, 1966)
The National Democratic Party was a right wing political party that operated in the United Kingdom during the 1960s and 1970s. The NDP sought to poisition itself as an early rival to the National Front although ultimately it failed to challenege the position of this group.-Background:The NDP had...
) 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 Society
Racial Preservation Society
The Racial Preservation Society was a right-wing pressure group opposed to immigration and in favour of white nationalism, national preservation and protection in the United Kingdom in the 1960s.-Background:...
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 immigration
Immigration
Immigration is the act of foreigners passing or coming into a country for the purpose of permanent residence...
and multiculturalist
Multiculturalism
Multiculturalism is the appreciation, acceptance or promotion of multiple cultures, applied to the demographic make-up of a specific place, usually at the organizational level, e.g...
policies in Britain, and multinational agreements such as the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement 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's
John Tyndall (politician)
John Hutchyns Tyndall was a British politician who was prominently associated with several fascist/neo-Nazi sects. However, he is best known for leading the National Front in the 1970s and founding the contemporary British National Party in 1982.The most prominent figure in British nationalism...
neo-Nazi Greater Britain Movement
Greater Britain Movement
The Greater Britain Movement was a British far right political group formed by John Tyndall in 1964 after he split from Colin Jordan's National Socialist Movement...
joined as individual members by a policy of entryism
Entryism
Entryism 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 between 16,000 and 20,000 members by 1974, and 50 local branches. Its electoral base largely consisted of blue-collar workers and the self-employedSelf-employment
Self-employment is working for one's self.Self-employed people can also be referred to as a person who works for himself/herself instead of an employer, but drawing income from a trade or business that they operate personally....
who resented immigrant competition in the labour market or simply the appearance of immigrants. The Conservatives came particularly from the Conservative Monday Club
Conservative Monday Club
The 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 Macmillan
Harold Macmillan
Maurice Harold Macmillan, 1st Earl of Stockton, OM, PC was Conservative Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 10 January 1957 to 18 October 1963....
's "Wind Of Change
Wind of Change (speech)
The Wind of Change speech was a historically important address made by British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan to the Parliament of South Africa, on 3 February 1960 in Cape Town. He had spent a month in Africa visiting a number of British colonies, as they were at the time...
" speech. The NF fought on a platform of opposition to communism
Communism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
and liberalism
Liberalism
Liberalism is the belief in the importance of liberty and equal rights. Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but generally, liberals support ideas such as constitutionalism, liberal democracy, free and fair elections, human rights,...
, support for Ulster loyalism
Ulster loyalism
Ulster loyalism is an ideology that is opposed to a united Ireland. It can mean either support for upholding Northern Ireland's status as a constituent part of the United Kingdom , support for Northern Ireland independence, or support for loyalist paramilitaries...
, opposition to the European Economic Community
European Economic Community
The European Economic Community The European Economic Community (EEC) The European Economic Community (EEC) (also known as the Common Market in the English-speaking world, renamed the European Community (EC) in 1993The information in this article primarily covers the EEC's time as an independent...
, and the compulsory repatriation
Repatriation
Repatriation is 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 Commonwealth
Commonwealth of Nations
The Commonwealth of Nations, normally referred to as the Commonwealth and formerly known as the British Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental organisation of fifty-four independent member states...
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.
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, where it often faced anti-fascist
Anti-fascism
Anti-fascism is the opposition to fascist ideologies, groups and individuals, such as that of the resistance movements during World War II. The related term antifa derives from Antifaschismus, which is German for anti-fascism; it refers to individuals and groups on the left of the political...
protestors from opposing left-wing groups, including the International Marxist Group
International Marxist Group
The International Marxist Group was a Trotskyist group in Britain between 1968 and 1982. It was the British Section of the Fourth International. It and its youth organisation had had around 1,000 members and supporters in the late 1970s...
and the International Socialists (later the Socialist Workers Party
Socialist Workers Party (Britain)
The Socialist Workers Party is a far left party in Britain founded by Tony Cliff. The SWP's student section has groups at a number of universities...
). Opponents of the National Front claimed it to be a neo-fascist organization, and its activities were opposed by anti-racist
Anti-racism
Anti-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 confidence
Motion of no confidence
A motion of no confidence is a parliamentary motion whose passing would demonstrate to the head of state that the elected parliament no longer has confidence in the appointed government.-Overview:Typically, when a parliament passes a vote of no...
in him. He was replaced in 1970 by the party's office manager John O'Brien
John O'Brien (UK politician)
John 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 Powell
Enoch Powell
John Enoch Powell, MBE was a British politician, classical scholar, poet, writer, and soldier. He served as a Conservative Party MP and Minister of Health . He attained most prominence in 1968, when he made the controversial Rivers of Blood speech in opposition to mass immigration from...
. O'Brien however left when he realised the NF's leadership functions were being systematically taken over by the former Greater Britain Movement
Greater Britain Movement
The Greater Britain Movement was a British far right political group formed by John Tyndall in 1964 after he split from Colin Jordan's National Socialist Movement...
members in order to ensure the party was really being run by John Tyndall
John Tyndall (politician)
John Hutchyns Tyndall was a British politician who was prominently associated with several fascist/neo-Nazi sects. However, he is best known for leading the National Front in the 1970s and founding the contemporary British National Party in 1982.The most prominent figure in British nationalism...
and his deputy Martin Webster
Martin Webster
Martin Guy Alan Webster is a former leading figure on the far-right in British politics.-Early political activism:An early member of the Young Conservatives, from which he claimed to have been expelled, Webster was associated loosely with the League of Empire Loyalists until he joined the National...
. 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: height of party and success
Between 1973 and 1976 the National Front did their best in local elections, as well as in several general election by-elections. However they never won any seats and at the most just saved one or two deposits. See Electoral Performance below.The NF sought to expand its influence into the 'white dominions' of the Commonwealth. In 1977 overseas organisations were set up in New Zealand (the New Zealand National Front
New Zealand National Front
The New Zealand National Front is a small white nationalist political party in New Zealand.-First formation:Mirroring developments in the UK, a group called the National Front evolved out of the New Zealand branch of the League of Empire Loyalists in 1967...
), South Africa (the South African National Front
South African National Front
The South African National Front, also known as the National Front of South Africa was a neo-fascist organisation in South Africa formed in 1977...
) and in Australia (the National Front Australia
National Front (Australia)
The National Front of Australia was an Australia nationalist and anti-immigrant organisation that existed from 1977 to 1984. It was an initiative of John Tyndall of the British National Front but received no funding from the British NF...
).
A Canadian organisation was also set up (National Front of Canada) but it failed to take off.
Already by 1974, the ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
documentary
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
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 populist
Populism
Populism can be defined as an ideology, political philosophy, or type of discourse. Generally, a common theme compares "the people" against "the elite", and urges social and political system changes. It can also be defined as a rhetorical style employed by members of various political or social...
John Kingsley Read
John Kingsley Read
John 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 1973 having addressed a rally against the arrival of Ugandan...
. A standoff between Read and his supporters (such as Roy Painter
Roy Painter
Roy 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 Pirie
Denis Pirie
Denis Pirie is a veteran of the British far right scene who took a leading role in a number of movements.He 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 Guard
Honor guard
An 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 Party
National Party (UK, 1976)
The National Party was a short-lived British far right political party formed on 6 January 1976 and which dissolved before the 1979 general election...
, which won two council seats in Blackburn in 1976.
A National Front march through central London on 15 June 1974 led to a 21-year-old man, Kevin Gately
Kevin Gately
Kevin Gately was a second year student of mathematics at the University of Warwick who died as a result of injuries received in the Red Lion Square disorders in London on 15 June 1974...
, being killed - and dozens more people (including 39 police officers) being injured - in clashes between the party's supports as well as members of anti-fascist organisations.
During 1976 the movement's fortunes improved, and the NF had up to 14,000 paid members. A campaign was launched in support of Robert Relf
Robert Relf
Robert Relf is a far right British 'race martyr' who briefly became a cause célèbre for the tabloid press in the 1970s.Relf first came to national attention in 1976 when he advertised his house in Leamington Spa as being 'For Sale - to an English family only'...
, who had been jailed for refusing to remove a sign from outside his home declaring that it was for sale only to English
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
buyers (clearly using this term as a code for white
White people
White people is a term which usually refers to human beings characterized, at least in part, by the light pigmentation of their skin...
). In the May local election
Local election
Local elections vary widely across jurisdictions. In electoral systems that roughly follow the Westminster model, a terminology has evolved with roles such as Mayor or Warden to describe the executive of a city, town or region, although the actual means of elections vary...
the NF's best result was in Leicester, where 48 candidates won 14,566 votes, nearly 20% of the total vote. By June, the party's growth rate was its highest ever. In the May 1977 Greater London Council election
Greater London Council election, 1977
Turnout: 2,242,064 people voted-References:*...
, 119,060 votes were cast in favour of the NF and the Liberals
Liberal Party (UK)
The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...
were beaten in 33 out of 92 constituencies.
A police ban on a NF march through Hyde
Hyde, Greater Manchester
Hyde is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Tameside, Greater Manchester, England. As of the 2001 census, the town had a population of 31,253. Historically part of Cheshire, it is northeast of Stockport, west of Glossop and east of Manchester....
in October 1977 was defied by Martin Webster who separately marched alone carrying a Union Jack and a sign reading “Defend British Free Speech from Red Terrorism”, surrounded by an estimated 2,500 police and onlookers: he was allowed to march as 'one man' did not constitute a breaking of the ban
Public Order Act 1936
The Public Order Act 1936 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom passed to control extremist political movements in the 1930s such as the British Union of Fascists ....
. The tactic split the Anti-Nazi League
Anti-Nazi League
The Anti-Nazi League was an organisation set up in 1977 on the initiative of the Socialist Workers Party with sponsorship from some trade unions and the endorsement of a list of prominent people to oppose the rise of far-right groups in the United Kingdom. It was wound down in 1981...
in two and made a farce of the ban whilst attracting more media publicity for the Front.
Late 1970s: riots, infighting 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
Lewisham is a district in South London, England, located in the London Borough of Lewisham. It is situated south-east of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.-History:...
in South East London
South East (London sub region)
The 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...
under an inflammatory slogan claiming that 85% of muggers were black whilst 85% of muggers' victims were white. As the NF was then contesting the Birmingham Ladywood
Birmingham, Ladywood
Birmingham, Ladywood is a borough 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 an attempt to provoke trouble. 270 policemen were injured (56 hospitalised) and over 200 marchers were injured (78 hospitalised) in an attempt to destroy the local police station. The march saw the first use of riot shields on British soil outside of Northern Ireland. The event is often referred to by anti-fascists
Anti-fascism
Anti-fascism is the opposition to fascist ideologies, groups and individuals, such as that of the resistance movements during World War II. The related term antifa derives from Antifaschismus, which is German for anti-fascism; it refers to individuals and groups on the left of the political...
as the Battle of Lewisham
Battle of Lewisham
The Battle of Lewisham refers 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 Street
Battle of Cable Street
The 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, overseeing a march by the British Union of Fascists, led by Oswald Mosley, and anti-fascists, including local Jewish, socialist, anarchist,...
against Oswald Mosley
Oswald Mosley
Sir Oswald Ernald Mosley, 6th Baronet, of Ancoats, was an English 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)].
At the same time, Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990...
as opposition leader was moving the Tory party back to the right and away from the moderate Heathite
Edward Heath
Sir Edward Richard George "Ted" Heath, KG, MBE, PC was a British Conservative politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and as Leader of the Conservative Party ....
stance which had caused some Conservatives to join the NF. Many ex-Tories
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
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 Action
World in Action
World in Action was a British investigative current affairs programme made by Granada Television from 1963 until 1998. Its campaigning journalism frequently had a major impact on events of the day. Its production teams often took audacious risks and gained a solid reputation for its often...
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 bankruptcy when all the deposits were lost: most candidates were candidates in name only, and did no electioneering..
Front Deputy Leader Martin Webster
Martin Webster
Martin Guy Alan Webster is a former leading figure on the far-right in British politics.-Early political activism:An early member of the Young Conservatives, from which he claimed to have been expelled, Webster was associated loosely with the League of Empire Loyalists until he joined the National...
claimed two decades later that the activities of the Anti-Nazi League
Anti-Nazi League
The Anti-Nazi League was an organisation set up in 1977 on the initiative of the Socialist Workers Party with sponsorship from some trade unions and the endorsement of a list of prominent people to oppose the rise of far-right groups in the United Kingdom. It was wound down in 1981...
played a key part in the NF's collapse at the end of the 1970s, but this claim runs counter to events, for the Anti-Nazi League collapsed in early 1979 amid claims of financial impropriety, with former celebrity supporters such as Brian Clough
Brian Clough
Brian Howard Clough, OBE was an English footballer and football manager. He is most notable for his success with Derby County and Nottingham Forest. His achievement of winning back-to-back European Cups with Nottingham Forest, a traditionally moderate provincial English club, is considered to be...
disowning the organisation. Furthermore, the NF stood their largest number of parliamentary candidates at the 1979 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1979
The United Kingdom general election of 1979 was held on 3 May 1979 to elect 635 members to the British House of Commons. The Conservative Party, led by Margaret Thatcher ousted the incumbent Labour government of James Callaghan with a parliamentary majority of 43 seats...
only a few months later, and met with 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 Harrington
Patrick Harrington
Patrick "Pat" Harrington is a British Politician, currently General Secretary of Solidarity – The Union for British Workers an organisation affiliated to the British National Party, and a Director of the Third Way think-tank...
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 MI5
MI5
The Security Service, commonly known as MI5 , is the United Kingdom's internal counter-intelligence and security agency and is part of its core intelligence machinery alongside the Secret Intelligence Service focused on foreign threats, Government Communications Headquarters and the Defence...
mole Andy Carmichael, who was West Midlands
West Midlands (region)
The 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.
Tyndall's leadership was challenged by Andrew Fountaine
Andrew Fountaine
Andrew 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 and was the son of Vice Admiral Charles Fountaine who had been naval ADC to King George V...
after the disaster. Although Tyndall saw off the challenge, Fountaine and his followers split from the party to form the NF Constitutional Movement
Constitutional Movement
The 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 National Front...
. The influential Leicester
Leicester
Leicester is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England, and 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 Party
British Democratic Party
The British Democratic Party was a short-lived far-right political party in the United Kingdom. A breakaway group from the National Front the BDP was severely damaged after it became involved in a gun-running sting and was absorbed by the British National Party.-Formation and naming...
. In the face of these splits, the party's Directorate voted to oust Tyndall as Chairman after he had demanded even more powers. He was replaced by Andrew Brons
Andrew Brons
Andrew 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 'power behind the throne' was Martin Webster
Martin Webster
Martin Guy Alan Webster is a former leading figure on the far-right in British politics.-Early political activism:An early member of the Young Conservatives, from which he claimed to have been expelled, Webster was associated loosely with the League of Empire Loyalists until he joined the National...
, who, somewhat surprisingly, had supported his old ally's deposition. After failing to win the rights to the NF name in the courts, Tyndall went on eventually to form the British National Party
British National Party
The British National Party is a British far-right political party formed as a splinter group from the National Front by John Tyndall in 1982...
.
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 Terry Blackham).The party effectively split into two halves during the 1980s, after they had expelled Martin Webster and his partner Peter Salt. On one side were the Political Soldier
Political Soldier
Political 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 Griffin
Nick Griffin
Nicholas John "Nick" Griffin is a British politician, chairman of the British National Party and Member of the European Parliament for North West England....
, Patrick Harrington
Patrick Harrington
Patrick "Pat" Harrington is a British Politician, currently General Secretary of Solidarity – The Union for British Workers an organisation affiliated to the British National Party, and a Director of the Third Way think-tank...
, Phil Andrews and Derek Holland, who were known as the Official National Front
Official National Front
The Official National Front was one of two far-right groups to emerge in the United Kingdom in 1986 following a split within the National Front...
. They had little interest in contesting elections, preferring a revolutionary strategy.
The opposition NF Flag Group
Flag Group
The Flag Group was a British political party, formed from one of the two wings of the National Front in the 1980s. Formed in opposition to the Political Soldier wing of the Official National Front it took its name from The Flag, a newspaper the followers of this faction formed after leaving and...
contained the traditionalists such as Ian Anderson
Ian Anderson (politician)
Ian Hugh Myddleton Anderson was a leading figure on the British far-right in the 1980s and 1990s.- Early background :Anderson was born in Hillingdon...
, Martin Wingfield
Martin Wingfield
Martin Wingfield is a long-standing figure on the far right in British politics. He and his wife, Tina WIngfield, have contested several elections.-National Front:...
, 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 election
United Kingdom general election, 1987
The United Kingdom general election of 1987 was held on 11 June 1987, to elect 650 members to the British House of Commons. The election was the third consecutive election victory for the Conservative Party under the leadership of Margaret Thatcher, who became the first Prime Minister since the 2nd...
. The Flag Group did some political dabbling of their own, and the ideas of Social Credit
Social Credit
Social Credit is an economic philosophy developed by C. H. Douglas , a British engineer, who wrote a book by that name in 1924. Social Credit is described by Douglas as "the policy of a philosophy"; he called his philosophy "practical Christianity"...
and Distributism
Distributism
Distributism is a third-way economic philosophy formulated by such 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 support, but it led to clashes. In the 1989 Vauxhall by-election
Vauxhall by-election, 1989
A 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....
, Harrington stood as the Official National Front
Official National Front
The Official National Front was one of two far-right groups to emerge in the United Kingdom in 1986 following a split within the National Front...
candidate against Ted Budden
Ted Budden
Edward 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 and Griffin's International Third Position
International Third Position
International Third Position ' was a neo-fascist organization formed by the breakaway faction of the neofascist British National Front and Italian neofascists led by Roberto Fiore....
(ITP), leaving the Flag Group under Anderson and Wingfield 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.
Around this time, the NF lost much of its traditional white support as a result of the group's support for non-white radicals such as Louis Farrakhan
Louis Farrakhan
Louis Farrakhan Muhammad, Sr. is the leader of the African-American religious movement the Nation of Islam . He served as the minister of major mosques in Boston and Harlem, and was appointed by the longtime NOI leader, Elijah Muhammad, before his death in 1975, as the National Representative of...
.
The former supporters either moved to the British National Party
British National Party
The British National Party is a British far-right political party formed as a splinter group from the National Front by John Tyndall in 1982...
(BNP), the rapidly declining British Movement
British Movement
The British Movement , later called the British National Socialist Movement , is a British neo-Nazi organisation founded by Colin Jordan in 1968. It grew out of the National Socialist Movement , which was founded in 1962...
, or to the White Noise umbrella group
Umbrella organization
An 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 Honour
Blood and Honour
Blood & Honour is a neo-Nazi music promotion network and political group founded in 1987 with links to Combat 18 and composed of white power skinheads and other white nationalists....
. Griffin and Holland tried to enlist the financial aid of Libya's Muammar Gaddafi
Muammar Gaddafi
Muammar Muhammad Abu Minyar Gaddafi or "September 1942" 20 October 2011), commonly known as Muammar Gaddafi or Colonel Gaddafi, was the official ruler of the Libyan Arab Republic from 1969 to 1977 and then the "Brother Leader" of the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya from 1977 to 2011.He seized power in a...
, but the idea was rejected once the Libyans found out about the NF's reputation as fascist
Fascism
Fascism is a radical authoritarian nationalist political ideology. Fascists seek to rejuvenate their nation based on commitment to the national community as an organic entity, in which individuals are bound together in national identity by suprapersonal connections of ancestry, culture, and blood...
(a third of Libya's adult male population was exterminated by Benito Mussolini
Benito Mussolini
Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini was an Italian politician who led the National Fascist Party and is credited with being one of the key figures in the creation of Fascism....
's troops during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. However, the NF received 5,000 copies of Gaddafi's Green Book, which influenced Andrews to leave the NF to form the Isleworth Community Group, the first of several grassroots groups in English local elections whereby nominally independent candidates stand under a collective flag of convenience
Flag of convenience
The term flag of convenience describes the business practice of registering a merchant ship in a sovereign state different from that of the ship's owners, and flying that state's civil ensign on the ship. Ships are registered under flags of convenience to reduce operating costs or avoid the...
to appear more attractive to voters.
An estimate of membership of the National Front in 1989 put supporters of the Flag Group at about 3,000, and of the 'Political Soldier' faction at about 600, with a number in between embracing Griffin's Third Position
Third Position
Third Position is a revolutionary nationalist political ideology that emphasizes its opposition to both communism and capitalism. Advocates of Third Position politics typically present themselves as "beyond left and right", instead claiming to syncretize radical ideas from both ends of the...
ideas.
1990s and 2000s
In the 1990s, the NF declined as the BNP began to grow. As a result of this, Ian AndersonIan Anderson (politician)
Ian Hugh Myddleton Anderson was a leading figure on the British far-right in the 1980s and 1990s.- Early background :Anderson was born in Hillingdon...
decided to change the party name and in 1995 relaunched it as the National Democrats
National Democrats (UK)
By the beginning of 2002 the party had ceased political activity. It continued as a pressure group under the name Campaign for National Democracy until 2008; the party officially ceased to exist after the death of its leader at the beginning of 2011....
. The move proved unpopular. Over half of the members continued with the NF under the reluctant leadership of previous deputy leader John McAuley. He later passed the job on to Tom Holmes
Tom Holmes
Thomas Frank Holmes was the chairman of the far-right British political party, the National Front and a long standing member of the movement, he has been involved in Nationalist politics since 1958....
. The National Democrats continued to publish the old NF newspaper The Flag for a while. The NF launched a new paper The Flame, which is still published irregularly, but Anderson kept all the old NF printing equipment.
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 January 2010, Tom Holmes resigned the leadership and handed over to Ian Edward.
In February 2010, when the BNP had to change its constitution to allow non-whites into the party because of a High Court
High Court of Justice
The High Court of Justice is, together with the Court of Appeal and the Crown Court, one of the Senior Courts of England and Wales...
decision, the NF claimed to have received over 1000 membership enquiries from BNP members and said that local BNP branches in Yorkshire and north Lincolnshire had discussed switching over to the NF. Prominent BNP members Chris Jackson and Michael Easter have joined the NF.
On 14 September 2010, the NF publicity officer, Tom Linden, shared a debate with the Social Democratic and Labour Party
Social Democratic and Labour Party
The Social Democratic and Labour Party is a social-democratic, Irish nationalist political party in Northern Ireland. Its basic party platform advocates Irish reunification, and the further devolution of powers while Northern Ireland remains part of the United Kingdom...
MLA
Member of the Legislative Assembly (Northern Ireland)
Member of the Legislative Assembly is a representative elected by the voters to the Northern Ireland Assembly in Northern Ireland.- About :...
, John Dallat
John Dallat
John Dallat is an Irish politician.He attended Coleraine College of Further Education, the North West College of Further and Higher Education, the University of Ulster and University College, Galway before becoming a teacher of business studies.Dallat joined the Social Democratic and Labour Party...
, on BBC Radio Foyle
BBC Radio Foyle
BBC Radio Foyle is a BBC Northern Ireland local radio station, serving County Londonderry in Northern Ireland. It is named after the River Foyle which flows through the city where the station is based. The station broadcasts from BBC's Northland Road studios on 93.1 FM and 792 MW in Derry, County...
about the support the NF had in Coleraine. This gave the NF a chance to air its views, which resulted in the NF Coleraine organiser, Mark Brown, thanking John Dallat for helping the NF double its support in Coleraine through enquiries and membership.
Summary of general election performance
| Year | Number of Candidates | Total votes | Average voters per candidate | Percentage of vote | Saved deposits | Change (percentage points) | Number of MPs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 United Kingdom general election, 1970 The United Kingdom general election of 1970 was held on 18 June 1970, and resulted in a surprise victory for the Conservative Party under leader Edward Heath, who defeated the Labour Party under Harold Wilson. The election also saw the Liberal Party and its new leader Jeremy Thorpe lose half their... |
10 | 11,449 | 1,145 | 0.04 | 0 | N/A | 0 |
| Feb 1974 United Kingdom general election, February 1974 The United Kingdom's general election of February 1974 was held on the 28th of that month. It was the first of two United Kingdom general elections held that year, and the first election since the Second World War not to produce an overall majority in the House of Commons for the winning party,... |
54 | 76,865 | 1,423 | 0.2 | 0 | +0.16 | 0 |
| Oct 1974 United Kingdom general election, October 1974 The United Kingdom general election of October 1974 took place on 10 October 1974 to elect 635 members to the British House of Commons. It was the second general election of that year and resulted in the Labour Party led by Harold Wilson, winning by a tiny majority of 3 seats.The election of... |
90 | 113,843 | 1,265 | 0.4 | 0 | +0.2 | 0 |
| 1979 United Kingdom general election, 1979 The United Kingdom general election of 1979 was held on 3 May 1979 to elect 635 members to the British House of Commons. The Conservative Party, led by Margaret Thatcher ousted the incumbent Labour government of James Callaghan with a parliamentary majority of 43 seats... |
303 | 191,719 | 633 | 0.6 | 0 | +0.2 | 0 |
| 1983 United Kingdom general election, 1983 The 1983 United Kingdom general election was held on 9 June 1983. It gave the Conservative Party under Margaret Thatcher the most decisive election victory since that of Labour in 1945... |
60 | 27,065 | 451 | 0.1 | 0 | -0.5 | 0 |
| 1987 United Kingdom general election, 1987 The United Kingdom general election of 1987 was held on 11 June 1987, to elect 650 members to the British House of Commons. The election was the third consecutive election victory for the Conservative Party under the leadership of Margaret Thatcher, who became the first Prime Minister since the 2nd... |
1 | 286 | 286 | 0.0 | 0 | -0.1 | 0 |
| 1992 United Kingdom general election, 1992 The United Kingdom general election of 1992 was held on 9 April 1992, and was the fourth consecutive victory for the Conservative Party. This election result was one of the biggest surprises in 20th Century politics, as polling leading up to the day of the election showed Labour under leader Neil... |
14 | 4,816 | 344 | 0.1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 |
| 1997 United Kingdom general election, 1997 The United Kingdom general election, 1997 was held on 1 May 1997, more than five years after the previous election on 9 April 1992, to elect 659 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party ended its 18 years in opposition under the leadership of Tony Blair, and won the general... |
6 | 2,716 | 452 | 0.0 | 0 | -0.1 | 0 |
| 2001 United Kingdom general election, 2001 The United Kingdom general election, 2001 was held on Thursday 7 June 2001 to elect 659 members to the British House of Commons. It was dubbed "the quiet landslide" by the media, as the Labour Party was re-elected with another landslide result and only suffered a net loss of 6 seats... |
5 | 2,484 | 497 | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 |
| 2005 United Kingdom general election, 2005 The United Kingdom general election of 2005 was held on Thursday, 5 May 2005 to elect 646 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party under Tony Blair won its third consecutive victory, but with a majority of 66, reduced from 160.... |
13 | 8,029 | 617 | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 |
| 2010 | 17 | 10,784 | 634 | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 |
Local elections
The National Front has contested local elections since the late 1960s, but only did particularly well in local elections from 1973, polling as high as 15% in some councils, but never won any seats In the 1976 local elections the NF notably polled 27.5% of the vote in Sandwell, West Midlands, as well as having polled over 10,000 votes in some councils but still won no council seats The 1976 May local election results were the most impressive for the National Front with the jewel in the crown being Leicester, where 48 candidates won 14,566 votes, nearly 20% of the total vote. However after 1977, the votes began to stagnate and by 1978 the votes in local elections declined.During the 1980s and early 1990s the National Front only fielded a handful of candidates for local elections, but increased this to 19 since 2010.
The National Front have never won a local council seat in an election, but gained a local seat on 3 May 2007 when candidate Simon Deacon was elected unopposed to Markyate
Markyate
Markyate is a village and civil parish 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...
Parish council, near St Albans
St Albans
St 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 is a historic market town, and is now a sought-after dormitory town within the London commuter belt...
(there were ten vacancies but only nine candidates). However Deacon soon defected to the British National Party
British National Party
The British National Party is a British far-right political party formed as a splinter group from the National Front by John Tyndall in 1982...
, after becoming disillusioned with the direction of the NF.
In March 2010 the NF gained its first ever councillor in Rotherham, John Gamble, who was originally in the BNP and the England First Party
England First Party
The England First Party is a minor English nationalist political party. It had two councillors on Blackburn with Darwen council between 2006 and 2007.-Formation and policies:...
(EFP) but joined the National Front. However, it later appeared that John Gamble was expelled from the NF because he was facing some disciplinary charges and the NF withdrew its whip. Later the same year, a parish councillor from Harrogate, Sam Clayton, defected from the BNP to the NF. However, on 29 November 2010, it was revealed that Clayton had resigned as parish councillor for Bilton in Ainsty with Bickerton ward. As of 2011, the National Front therefore has no local councillors, but gained one uncontested parish councillor in Langley Hill Ward for Langley Parish Council. In September 2011, the NF lost its parish councillor after failing to fill in the right forms for the job.
2011
The National Front planned to stand over 30 candidates in the 2011 local electionsUnited Kingdom local elections, 2011
The 2011 United Kingdom local elections were held on Thursday 5 May 2011. In England, direct elections were held in all 36 Metropolitan boroughs, 194 Second-tier district authorities, 49 unitary authorities and various mayoral posts, meaning local elections took place in all parts of England with...
; however, only 17 were actually fielded.
London Assembly
In the 2008 London Assembly electionLondon Assembly election, 2008
An 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, the National Front stood five candidates, saving two deposits - 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.
General elections
The National Front has contested general elections since 1970.The NF's most significant success in by-election was in the 1973 West Bromwich by-election
West Bromwich by-election, 1973
The West Bromwich by-election of 24 May 1973 was held after the appointment of Labour Member of Parliament Maurice Foley to the European Commission...
: the NF candidate finished third on a high 16%, and saved his deposit for the only time in NF by-election history. This result was largely due to the candidate Martin Webster
Martin Webster
Martin Guy Alan Webster is a former leading figure on the far-right in British politics.-Early political activism:An early member of the Young Conservatives, from which he claimed to have been expelled, Webster was associated loosely with the League of Empire Loyalists until he joined the National...
's own adopted 'chummy' persona for the campaign as "Big Mart".
1979
In the 1979 general electionUnited Kingdom general election, 1979
The United Kingdom general election of 1979 was held on 3 May 1979 to elect 635 members to the British House of Commons. The Conservative Party, led by Margaret Thatcher ousted the incumbent Labour government of James Callaghan with a parliamentary majority of 43 seats...
the National Front fielded a record of 303 candidates, polling 191,719 votes, but no desposits were saved thus putting the party in extreme financial difficulty. This event is considered a major factor for the downfall of the NF.
1983-1987
The National Front fielded 60 candidates in the 1983 general electionUnited Kingdom general election, 1983
The 1983 United Kingdom general election was held on 9 June 1983. It gave the Conservative Party under Margaret Thatcher the most decisive election victory since that of Labour in 1945...
and received 27,065 votes and saved no deposits, the average vote being less than 1% in each contested constituency. In 1987, the NF was in a split and only stood one candidate in Bristol East with 286 votes (0.6%) in total.
1992-2010
Since 1992, the National Front has never fielded more than nineteen candidates in a British general election (as low as five in 2001). None has saved their deposit, with their average percentage share of the vote being around 1%. However, in RochdaleRochdale (UK Parliament constituency)
Rochdale is a county 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.-Boundaries:...
during the 2010 general election, the NF candidate, Chris Jackson, polled 4.9% (2,236 votes) coming within a whisker of saving his deposit.
Scottish Parliament
The National Front stood for the first time ever in the Scottish Parliament general election, 2011 by fielding six candidates - one for the North East region and five (three of whom stood for the North East region too) for the constituencies. It gained 1,515 votes (0.08%) for the constituencies nationwide and 640 votes (0.2%) for the North East region. It failed to win any seats or save any deposits.See also
- National Front (UK) election results
- Nationalism in the United KingdomNationalism in the United KingdomNationalism in the United Kingdom may refer to:* British nationalism* English nationalism* Scottish nationalism * Welsh nationalism* Irish nationalism* Ulster nationalism* Cornish nationalism...
- South African National FrontSouth African National FrontThe South African National Front, also known as the National Front of South Africa was a neo-fascist organisation in South Africa formed in 1977...
- New Zealand National FrontNew Zealand National FrontThe New Zealand National Front is a small white nationalist political party in New Zealand.-First formation:Mirroring developments in the UK, a group called the National Front evolved out of the New Zealand branch of the League of Empire Loyalists in 1967...
- National Front AustraliaNational Front (Australia)The National Front of Australia was an Australia nationalist and anti-immigrant organisation that existed from 1977 to 1984. It was an initiative of John Tyndall of the British National Front but received no funding from the British NF...
- British National PartyBritish National PartyThe British National Party is a British far-right political party formed as a splinter group from the National Front by John Tyndall in 1982...
- National DemocratsNational Democrats (UK)By the beginning of 2002 the party had ceased political activity. It continued as a pressure group under the name Campaign for National Democracy until 2008; the party officially ceased to exist after the death of its leader at the beginning of 2011....