Constitutional Movement
Encyclopedia
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
. Offering a more moderate alternative to the NF, the Constitutional Movement claimed to have 2000 members by 1980.
and his associate Martin Webster
and in particular their adherence to neo-Nazi principles rather than what the critics believed to be the vote-winning alternative of a more populist
British nationalism. Already by 1978 Andrew Fountaine had become the focal point for a number of members of the anti-Tyndall faction and their position was strengthened by the 1979 general election
in which the NF put forward the greatest number of candidates in its history but failed to make any headway with the electorate.
The party was born in a time of serious division in the British far right and competed with a number of other parties for attention. Such was the confusion at the time that party operations were even based at Excalibur House (London, EC2), which continued to be the HQ of the main NF. Fountaine had split from the NF in opposition to what he claimed was the increasing Nazism
amongst the leadership, the encouragment of links with violent subcultures such as football hooliganism
and Nazi skinheads as well as a strong current of homosexuality
which he claimed existed amongst the leadership. The new party ambitiously launched itself as an alternative to the Conservaitve Party
and hoped to win votes and members from the right-wing of the Tories. Like the British Democratic Party
, which broke away from the NF at the time, the party sought to distance itself from the vote-losing open Nazism
that both groups associated with John Tyndall, Martin Webster and the other leaders of the NF. The Movement produced its own newspaper, Frontline News as well as a magazine Excalibur, the latter edited by Terry Savage, a veteran of the National Labour Party
.
although the results proved disappointing and during the course of the campaign their Excalibur House HQ was damaged by a fire and a campaigner, Anthony Donnelly, was murdered in Hackney
. Following this disastrous election Fountaine announced his retirement from politics, leaving the Constitutional Movement without a strong leader.
The failure of this campaign, in which the party lost out to both the original NF and the New National Front, saw the party go in to decline. Not long after this the party was contacted by Tyndall, Ray Hill
and Charles Parker
as part of their Committee for Nationalist Unity initiative in which they were aiming to forge a united far-right group from the NNF, Hill's wing of the British Movement
and other groups such as the Constitutional Movement. Although the group did not join this initiative it lost Robin May, the main organiser in the East End of London
, to Tyndall's group. A number of party members followed May and joined him in attending the March 1982 meeting at Charing Cross Hotel in which Tyndall, Parker, Hill, Kenneth McKilliam and John Peacock announced the conversion of the Committee for Nationalist Unity into the British National Party
.
. However the Nationalist Party performed very poorly in this election and the next time the party hit the headlines was when one former member, Richard Franklin, was revealed as a Conservative candidate in local elections in 1983.
The Nationalist Party made its last appearance in a 1984 by-election in the Southgate constituency, with James Kershaw polling only 80 votes in a seat won by Michael Portillo
. The party was gone soon after this, with most of the members joining the British National Party.
1981 Greater London Council Election
1983 General Election
Croydon North West by-election, 1981
Enfield Southgate by-election, 1984
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...
. It was formed in 1979 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...
as the National Front Constitutional Movement, a splinter group from the National Front
British National Front
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 ....
. Offering a more moderate alternative to the NF, the Constitutional Movement claimed to have 2000 members by 1980.
Formation
Within the National Front in the late 1970s there was a growing disaffection with the leadership of John TyndallJohn 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 associate 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...
and in particular their adherence to neo-Nazi principles rather than what the critics believed to be the vote-winning alternative of a more 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...
British nationalism. Already by 1978 Andrew Fountaine had become the focal point for a number of members of the anti-Tyndall faction and their position was strengthened by 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...
in which the NF put forward the greatest number of candidates in its history but failed to make any headway with the electorate.
The party was born in a time of serious division in the British far right and competed with a number of other parties for attention. Such was the confusion at the time that party operations were even based at Excalibur House (London, EC2), which continued to be the HQ of the main NF. Fountaine had split from the NF in opposition to what he claimed was the increasing Nazism
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
amongst the leadership, the encouragment of links with violent subcultures such as football hooliganism
Football hooliganism
Football hooliganism, sometimes referred to by the British media as the English Disease, is unruly and destructive behaviour—such as brawls, vandalism and intimidation—by association football club fans...
and Nazi skinheads as well as a strong current 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...
which he claimed existed amongst the leadership. The new party ambitiously launched itself as an alternative to the Conservaitve 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...
and hoped to win votes and members from the right-wing of the Tories. Like the 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...
, which broke away from the NF at the time, the party sought to distance itself from the vote-losing open Nazism
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
that both groups associated with John Tyndall, Martin Webster and the other leaders of the NF. The Movement produced its own newspaper, Frontline News as well as a magazine Excalibur, the latter edited by Terry Savage, a veteran of the National Labour Party
National Labour Party (UK, 1957)
The National Labour Party was a far right political party founded in 1957 by John Bean. The party campaigned on a platform of white nationalism, opposition to non-white immigration and anti-Semitism.-Formation:...
.
Development
The party campaigned for the 1981 GLC electionGreater London Council election, 1981
Turnout: 2,250,118 people voted. All parties shown.This was the last election to the GLC. The Conservative government of Margaret Thatcher took the decision to abolish the council in the mid-1980s. For more information on this see the article, Greater London Council. Following the abolition of...
although the results proved disappointing and during the course of the campaign their Excalibur House HQ was damaged by a fire and a campaigner, Anthony Donnelly, was murdered in Hackney
London Borough of Hackney
The London Borough of Hackney is a London borough of North/North East London, and forms part of inner London. The local authority is Hackney London Borough Council....
. Following this disastrous election Fountaine announced his retirement from politics, leaving the Constitutional Movement without a strong leader.
The failure of this campaign, in which the party lost out to both the original NF and the New National Front, saw the party go in to decline. Not long after this the party was contacted by Tyndall, Ray Hill
Ray Hill
Ray Hill was a leading figure in the British far right who went on to become a well-known informant.Born in Lancashire, he spent three years in the army before making his first steps in the far right with the Racial Preservation Society in Leicester in the late 1960s...
and Charles Parker
Charles Parker (UK politician)
Charles Parker was a leading member of the British National Party in its early years and provided the group with much of its funding.A leading businessman in Brighton, Parker and his wife joined the British National Front in 1975...
as part of their Committee for Nationalist Unity initiative in which they were aiming to forge a united far-right group from the NNF, Hill's wing of the 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...
and other groups such as the Constitutional Movement. Although the group did not join this initiative it lost Robin May, the main organiser in the East End of London
East End of London
The East End of London, also known simply as the East End, is the area of London, England, United Kingdom, east of the medieval walled City of London and north of the River Thames. Although not defined by universally accepted formal boundaries, the River Lea can be considered another boundary...
, to Tyndall's group. A number of party members followed May and joined him in attending the March 1982 meeting at Charing Cross Hotel in which Tyndall, Parker, Hill, Kenneth McKilliam and John Peacock announced the conversion of the Committee for Nationalist Unity into 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...
.
Disappearance
The Constitutional Movement changed its name to the Nationalist Party soon after the formation of the BNP and under this title it contested five seats 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...
. However the Nationalist Party performed very poorly in this election and the next time the party hit the headlines was when one former member, Richard Franklin, was revealed as a Conservative candidate in local elections in 1983.
The Nationalist Party made its last appearance in a 1984 by-election in the Southgate constituency, with James Kershaw polling only 80 votes in a seat won by Michael Portillo
Michael Portillo
Michael Denzil Xavier Portillo is a British journalist, broadcaster, and former Conservative Party politician and Cabinet Minister...
. The party was gone soon after this, with most of the members joining the British National Party.
1981 Greater London Council ElectionGreater London Council election, 1981Turnout: 2,250,118 people voted. All parties shown.This was the last election to the GLC. The Conservative government of Margaret Thatcher took the decision to abolish the council in the mid-1980s. For more information on this see the article, Greater London Council. Following the abolition of...
| Votes | % | Change | Results |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4,857 | 0.2 | N/A | No seats |
1983 General ElectionUnited Kingdom general election, 1983The 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...
| Constituency | Candidate | Votes | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coventry South West Coventry South West (UK Parliament constituency) Coventry South West was a parliamentary constituency in the city of Coventry. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.... |
M Williamson | 214 | 0.43 |
| Hendon North Hendon North (UK Parliament constituency) Hendon North was a constituency in the former Municipal Borough of Hendon which returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom... |
Bernard Franklin | 194 | 0.52 |
| Hull North | Robert Tenney | 222 | 0.44 |
| Stockport Stockport (UK Parliament constituency) Stockport 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.-Boundaries:... |
Ken Walker | 194 | 0.44 |
| Southwark and Bermondsey Southwark and Bermondsey (UK Parliament constituency) Southwark and Bermondsey was a parliamentary constituency centred on the Bermondsey district of South London. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.-History:... |
Scott McKenzie | 50 | 0.15 |
Croydon North West by-election, 1981Croydon North West by-election, 1981The Croydon North West by-election took place on 22 October 1981. It was caused by the death of Conservative Member of Parliament Robert Taylor on 18 June 1981.The Conservative Party selected John Butterfill, then vice-chairman of Guildford Conservative Association...
| Candidate | Votes | % |
|---|---|---|
| Susan McKenzie | 111 | 0.3 |
Enfield Southgate by-election, 1984Enfield Southgate by-election, 1984The Enfield Southgate by-election, 1984 was a parliamentary by-election held on 13 December 1984 for the British House of Commons constituency of Enfield Southgate.- Previous MP :...
| Candidate | Votes | % |
|---|---|---|
| James Kershaw | 80 | 0.2 |