Flag Group
Encyclopedia
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 regrouping outside of the main and diminishing rump of the rest of the party.
who, although a Strasserite by conviction rather than a disciple of Julius Evola
and ruralism, largely supported the young radicals and co-operated with them to remove Martin Webster
, the former ally of Brons' predecessor John Tyndall
, from the party in 1984. However cracks between the two factions soon began to show and a power struggle ensued. This culminated in 1986 when the two wings of the party spilt, with around 3000 of the 5000 registered NF members breaking away with Brons to form a new separate group. The immediate actual cause of the split had been the refusal of the Political Soldiers to contest elections and the Brons group made this the issue on which they started their own group, initially called the National Front Support Group before adopting their more usual Flag Group moniker. Activists such as Martin Wingfield
, Ian Anderson
, Joseph Pearce
and Tom Acton emerged as the new leading figures within this group and the Flag Group initially grew at a much faster rate than the Official National Front, although this was in part due to the Political Soldiers closing off membership of their wing.
and Islamic fundamentalism
activists. Despite these differences with the ONF the Flag Group was not a direct copy of the earlier NF as it was also influenced by 'left-wing' economics ideals of Strasserism, albeit whilst emphasising anti-immigration and anti-Semitism
alongside this. As time went on and Brons was sidelined in favour of Wingfield and Anderson the Flag Group began to look more towards the populism
of the Front National, which was enjoying comparative success in France
at the time, resulting in a return to more basic racist
sentiments and less emphasis on economics as opposed to Strasserism. Amongst their more crudely racialist polices the Flag Group stressed the importance of having large families and included ideas about the white race being bred out of existence in their election literature. Steve Brady, formerly a leading figure in the National Party
, championed this idea within the Flag Group although his other favoured idea, his opposition to Christianity
in particular and religion in general and his desire to see a purely secualr basis for Flag Group nationalism, was not taken up. Wingfield's strategy for growth included recruiting new members at football grounds, a tactic that initially paid dividends.
whilst he and BNP leader John Tyndall
went back to the early 1960s when they were both active in the National Socilaist Movement and so not long after the split Brons contacted Stanley Clayton-Garnett, the BNP's Northern leader, with a view to closer co-operation. Tyndall and Brons met formally in Leeds
in May 1987 to discuss the formation of a 'Nationalist Alliance' to be organised along the lines of the SDP–Liberal Alliance in existence at the time. A Liaison Committee was set up as a result of this meeting and Brons put the idea to the Flag Group's steering committee that same July. The plan however came to nothing as it was rejected by the steering committee and so disavowed by Brons in October 1987. Within the Flag Group it was widely reported that the rejection had happened because of a fear that Tyndall intended only to swallow up the party and make himself sole leader whilst within the BNP it was suggested that the Flag Group's Strasserism made them incompatible with the party. It has also been argued that Flag editor Martin Wingfield, who published an editorial denouncing notions of merger, sabotaged the move because he bore a grudge against Tyndall and his father-in-law Charles Parker
after Wingfiled had attempted, unsuccessfully, to replace the latter as NF organiser in Sussex
some years earlier, a struggle that resulted in Wingfield's temporary expulsion from the NF. Nonetheless the parties did continue to co-operate unofficially whilst Tom Acton also managed to win support for the Group from the influential publisher Anthony Hancock
who had initially favoured the ONF in the split. As well as their monthly newspaper The Flag the group also published a monthly magazine Vanguard and Lonheart, a quarterly.
in the 1987 general election
. By the Vauxhall by-election, 1989
, they had resumed using the National Front name, even though their candidate Ted Budden
faced opposition from Official National Front candidate Patrick Harrington
. Other elections contested included the Epping Forest by-election of December 1988
, the European Parliament election of 1989 in which the West Midlands seat
was fought by Wingfield and the Mid-Staffordshire by-election of March 1990
in which the party finished behind even parody candidate Screaming Lord Sutch
. This policy of contesting elections, invariably with very disappointing results, left the Flag Group with a significant funding shortage. By 1989 the Flag Group had around 1,500 members with most activity centred on the West Midlands
. Another activity centre had been Tower Hamlets although following the failure of the 'Nationalist Alliance' initiative this group, which included future BNP Campaign Director Eddy Butler
, switched en bloc to the BNP.
As the 1980s drew to a close, the ONF disintegrated with its place being taken by the International Third Position
and the Third Way
. This allowed the Flag Group to assume sole control of the name, mantle and traditions of NF and effectively signalled the end of the Flag Group as a name. Soon they would attempt to relaunch the NF as the National Democrats
.
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...
political party, formed from one of the two wings of 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 ....
in the 1980s. Formed in opposition to 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...
wing of 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...
it took its name from The Flag, a newspaper the followers of this faction formed after leaving and regrouping outside of the main and diminishing rump of the rest of the party.
Emergence
During the early 1980s the Political Soldier wing of the NF held sway within the party and was on good terms with chairman Andrew BronsAndrew 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...
who, although a Strasserite by conviction rather than a disciple of Julius Evola
Julius Evola
Barone Giulio Cesare Andrea Evola also known as Julius Evola, was an Italian philosopher and esotericist...
and ruralism, largely supported the young radicals and co-operated with them to remove 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...
, the former ally of Brons' predecessor 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...
, from the party in 1984. However cracks between the two factions soon began to show and a power struggle ensued. This culminated in 1986 when the two wings of the party spilt, with around 3000 of the 5000 registered NF members breaking away with Brons to form a new separate group. The immediate actual cause of the split had been the refusal of the Political Soldiers to contest elections and the Brons group made this the issue on which they started their own group, initially called the National Front Support Group before adopting their more usual Flag Group moniker. Activists such as 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:...
, 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...
, Joseph Pearce
Joseph Pearce
Joseph Pearce is an English-born writer, and Writer in Residence and Professor of Literature at Ave Maria University in Ave Maria, Florida; previously he had a comparable position, from 2001, at Ave Maria College in Ypsilanti, Michigan. He is known for a number of literary biographies, many of...
and Tom Acton emerged as the new leading figures within this group and the Flag Group initially grew at a much faster rate than the Official National Front, although this was in part due to the Political Soldiers closing off membership of their wing.
Ideology
The Flag Group rejected the mysticism of the Political Soldiers and the ONF's technique of establishing contacts with non-white groups such as Black PowerBlack Power
Black Power is a political slogan and a name for various associated ideologies. It is used in the movement among people of Black African descent throughout the world, though primarily by African Americans in the United States...
and Islamic fundamentalism
Islamic fundamentalism
Islamic fundamentalism is a term used to describe religious ideologies seen as advocating a return to the "fundamentals" of Islam: the Quran and the Sunnah. Definitions of the term vary. According to Christine L...
activists. Despite these differences with the ONF the Flag Group was not a direct copy of the earlier NF as it was also influenced by 'left-wing' economics ideals of Strasserism, albeit whilst emphasising anti-immigration and anti-Semitism
Anti-Semitism
Antisemitism is suspicion of, hatred toward, or discrimination against Jews for reasons connected to their Jewish heritage. According to a 2005 U.S...
alongside this. As time went on and Brons was sidelined in favour of Wingfield and Anderson the Flag Group began to look more towards the populism
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...
of the Front National, which was enjoying comparative success in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
at the time, resulting in a return to more basic racist
Racism
Racism is the belief that inherent different traits in human racial groups justify discrimination. In the modern English language, the term "racism" is used predominantly as a pejorative epithet. It is applied especially to the practice or advocacy of racial discrimination of a pernicious nature...
sentiments and less emphasis on economics as opposed to Strasserism. Amongst their more crudely racialist polices the Flag Group stressed the importance of having large families and included ideas about the white race being bred out of existence in their election literature. Steve Brady, formerly a leading figure in the 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...
, championed this idea within the Flag Group although his other favoured idea, his opposition to Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
in particular and religion in general and his desire to see a purely secualr basis for Flag Group nationalism, was not taken up. Wingfield's strategy for growth included recruiting new members at football grounds, a tactic that initially paid dividends.
Development
Brons had a history of low-level co-operation with the British National PartyBritish 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...
whilst he and BNP leader 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...
went back to the early 1960s when they were both active in the National Socilaist Movement and so not long after the split Brons contacted Stanley Clayton-Garnett, the BNP's Northern leader, with a view to closer co-operation. Tyndall and Brons met formally in Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
in May 1987 to discuss the formation of a 'Nationalist Alliance' to be organised along the lines of the SDP–Liberal Alliance in existence at the time. A Liaison Committee was set up as a result of this meeting and Brons put the idea to the Flag Group's steering committee that same July. The plan however came to nothing as it was rejected by the steering committee and so disavowed by Brons in October 1987. Within the Flag Group it was widely reported that the rejection had happened because of a fear that Tyndall intended only to swallow up the party and make himself sole leader whilst within the BNP it was suggested that the Flag Group's Strasserism made them incompatible with the party. It has also been argued that Flag editor Martin Wingfield, who published an editorial denouncing notions of merger, sabotaged the move because he bore a grudge against Tyndall and his father-in-law 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...
after Wingfiled had attempted, unsuccessfully, to replace the latter as NF organiser in Sussex
Sussex
Sussex , from the Old English Sūþsēaxe , is an historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. It is bounded on the north by Surrey, east by Kent, south by the English Channel, and west by Hampshire, and is divided for local government into West...
some years earlier, a struggle that resulted in Wingfield's temporary expulsion from the NF. Nonetheless the parties did continue to co-operate unofficially whilst Tom Acton also managed to win support for the Group from the influential publisher Anthony Hancock
Anthony Hancock (publisher)
Anthony Hancock has been a member of various far right groups in the United Kingdom and, as a publisher, has produced literature for almost all of Britain's right-wing extremists....
who had initially favoured the ONF in the split. As well as their monthly newspaper The Flag the group also published a monthly magazine Vanguard and Lonheart, a quarterly.
Decline
As a separate group, the Flag Group contested Bristol EastBristol East (UK Parliament constituency)
Bristol East 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:...
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...
. By the Vauxhall by-election, 1989
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....
, they had resumed using the National Front name, even though their candidate 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....
faced opposition from Official National Front candidate 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...
. Other elections contested included the Epping Forest by-election of December 1988
Epping Forest by-election, 1988
A by-election was held in the House of Commons constituency of Epping Forest on 18 December 1988 following the death of Conservative Member of Parliament Sir John Biggs-Davison. The result was a hold for the Conservative Party.-Candidates:...
, the European Parliament election of 1989 in which the West Midlands seat
West Midlands (European Parliament constituency)
West Midlands is a constituency of the European Parliament. For 2009 it elected 6 MEPs using the d'Hondt method of party-list proportional representation. The constituency will also elect a "virtual MEP" who will be able to sit in the Parliament if the Treaty of Lisbon comes into effect...
was fought by Wingfield and the Mid-Staffordshire by-election of March 1990
Mid Staffordshire by-election, 1990
The Mid Staffordshire constituency of the United Kingdom Parliament held a by-election on 22 March 1990. The result was the election of Labour candidate Sylvia Heal to succeed the previous Conservative Member of Parliament John Heddle, who had precipitated the byelection by committing...
in which the party finished behind even parody candidate Screaming Lord Sutch
Screaming Lord Sutch
David Edward Sutch , also known as "Screaming Lord Sutch, 3rd Earl of Harrow", or simply "Screaming Lord Sutch", was a musician from the United Kingdom...
. This policy of contesting elections, invariably with very disappointing results, left the Flag Group with a significant funding shortage. By 1989 the Flag Group had around 1,500 members with most activity centred on the 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,...
. Another activity centre had been Tower Hamlets although following the failure of the 'Nationalist Alliance' initiative this group, which included future BNP Campaign Director Eddy Butler
Eddy Butler
Eddy Butler is a former National Elections Officer of the British National Party and was dubbed the party's "elections guru" by its newspaper, Voice of Freedom, until being suspended and expelled from the BNP in 2010 by Nick Griffin.Butler was originally the Tower Hamlets organiser for the...
, switched en bloc to the BNP.
As the 1980s drew to a close, the ONF disintegrated with its place being taken by the 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....
and the Third Way
Third Way (UK)
The National Liberal Party – The Third Way is a United Kingdom political party that was formed on 17 March 1990 as The Third Way. In 2006, the Third Way registered the name National Liberal Party – The Third Way with the Electoral Commission....
. This allowed the Flag Group to assume sole control of the name, mantle and traditions of NF and effectively signalled the end of the Flag Group as a name. Soon they would attempt to relaunch the NF 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....
.