11.15am
Fuel protest activist leaves BNP after punch-up
Press AssociationWednesday August 8, 2007Guardian Unlimited
An activist who once led fuel protests across the country and recently secured the BNP's best byelection result in its 25-year history after standing in Tony Blair's constituency has left the party after a punch-up with a senior official.
Andrew Spence polled almost 2,500 votes in last month's Sedgefield contest and beat seven other candidates to finish in fourth place behind the three mainstream parties.
Despite polling almost 9% of the vote to secure the party's best byelection result since it was formed, the County Durham farmer said he had now left the party as it was "not what he thought".
The punch-up happened at the BNP's Red White and Blue festival, in Derbyshire, last weekend and Mr Spence today confirmed he had thrown punches at the party treasurer, John Walker, and got involved with publicity head Mark Collett.
It is not known exactly what sparked the incident but speaking from his County Durham farm today, Mr Spence said: "There was a major disagreement and punches were thrown. " It's really saddened me that it came to this but the BNP is not the party I thought it was."
Mr Spence, who led the September 2000 fuel protests, said he had joined the party in good faith and still supported the rank and file members.
The farmer, who was labelled a "people's champion" for his rallying calls during the protests, added: "I made some good friends and was proud to be in the party.
"When I first joined the party it had a common-sense approach to tackling issues that matter to people.
"I wish the BNP the very best of luck at grass roots level but there are some things that just cannot be forgiven."
The police were not called to the incident which was handled by the festival's own security and no further action is expected to be taken.
The two-and-a-half day event was said to have attracted about 3,000 people from across the UK and as far afield as the US, Sweden, South Africa and Germany.
Party bosses hailed the event a huge success that ran smoothly.
The BNP today said the incident involving Mr Spence and Mr Walker was of "no consequence" and did not detract from the success of the event.
Party press officer Dr Phil Edwards, said today: "This issue is an internal, family matter within the party and of no consequence or interest to anyone outside the party.
"There's no further comment to make about it."
http://politics.guardian.co.uk/farright/story/0,,2144106,00.html
Sam Melia released from jail in time for Christmas, and back with his wife and family.
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Someone has just tried to post the link to this website on here, we have deleted it. WARNING 2008 list online WTF is going on at the BNP ? ...
15 comments:
Good grief.
How many good people can the BNP manage to lose?
Is it some sort of record they are aiming for?
Perhaps they are hoping for a mention in the Guinness Book of Records.
One moment Spence is the blue eyed boy, articles about what a great bloke he is in ID and aren't we lucky to have him ..yawn yawn..
Now he's resigned we are told it's not up to the mugs who go out leafletting night after night to inquire what happened, but the Leadership knows best.
Seems to me the the so-called Leadership Collett,Walker etc are griffin's pal and can do no wrong.
Something is seriously askew.
Anonymous said...
Good grief.
How many good people can the BNP manage to lose?
Well, Griffin got rid of me, and I believe you are on the way out the door also.
Amazing how so many people have overnight gone from being the best thing since sliced bread to 'we knew all along that he was a Searchlight spy [etc etc etc]]. We're going to 'get' him [etc etc etc].
As soon as they are seen as a threat to Griffin, the smears and threats begin.
Anyone in the BNP with any brains should by now by wondering when their turn will come.
"Seems to me the the so-called Leadership Collett,Walker etc are griffin's pal and can do no wrong."
Walker is the idiot who will take the fall for any financial discrepancies, Griffin won't get rid of him till such a time.
Collett is privy to personal info on Griffin's family and life and Griffin will do all he can to appease Collett as he does Lecomber. Collett would sing like a bird if Griffin got rid of him and who knows what tales of the casting couch he could tell, eh?
Kind regards
Sharon Ebanks
... Sharon - just what does he have on Griffin? Are we talking a secret homosexual relationship? I've often thought that the only reason Griffin must keep him on is because he has stuff. These kinds of things are the reason we need a new party - with plenty of advertisement leading up to its formation - probably a national conference of nationalists getting together to form it. We need a multiple attack against the BNP - to get them off the map to prepare the way for a real alternative. Spence's departure has really rocked alot of people. A few days ago I was still loyal to Griffin myself, but they have just allowed the future of the movement to leave, and have made themselves permanently unelectable. When their accounts are submitted, the membership will be further disillusioned. With plenty of coverage, a new party could be strategically placed. Right from the start we need a policy of accepting nobody with criminal convictions, no one with Swastika tatoos doing the security etc etc. Get enough publicity, and we would only need to take 10-20% of the BNP membership to cause even more financial woes for the party. At the same time, we must be careful not to demonise NG or the leadership - only to point out that we feel them unelectable. That way we are far more likely to win people over, who like me had their hopes raised very high by NG and the BNP.
"Amazing how so many people have overnight gone from being the best thing since sliced bread to 'we knew all along that he was a Searchlight spy [etc etc etc]]. We're going to 'get' him [etc etc etc]."
Don't tell me they are throwing that? What really bothered me about the reaction was that it was the usual 'who cares' reaction. You would think they would be honest enough to express some sadness instead?
Hercule said...
Anonymous said...
Good grief.
How many good people can the BNP manage to lose?
Well, Griffin got rid of me, and I believe you are on the way out the door also.
7:29 PM
You are right Hercule.
I am on the way out of the door too, and I imagine it is a revolving door with a steady stream exiting.
It is a pity that so many of those within the BNP are prepared to defend NG and his Merry Band of Swaggers, at all costs.
They choose to avoid any introspection and therefore the whole Merry Mess just keeps trundling along.
No checks.
No long term plan.
No common decency.
These people who defend most vehemently needn't think that they will be special cases and receive NG's undying love and support, as when they have fulfilled their usefulness and maybe become a liability, their feet won't touch the floor as they are cast aside like a used hanky.
The BNP demands unquestioning loyalty; devotion even, and the most heinous crime is to question the finances.
By the way
Nick Griffin
John Walker
Dave Hannam
Where are those 2006 accounts that are long overdue.
Members money will now have to be used to pay the accruing fines for this ridiculous omission.
"Right from the start we need a policy of accepting nobody with criminal convictions,"
I know what you mean, but that's slightly over the top.
IMHO nationalist parties should be careful about people with serious criminal convictions, but to exclude anyone with any conviction at all would rule out many potentially excellent recruits.
It would have excluded JT for a start, along with Richard Edmonds and John Morse. The esteemed proprietor of this blog would be turned away, and if you included convictions in non-UK courts, so would I (and David Irving) :-(
Lancaster UAF now have a story connecting all this to the resignation of Scott MacLean
"IMHO nationalist parties should be careful about people with serious criminal convictions, but to exclude anyone with any conviction at all would rule out many potentially excellent recruits."
Yes, absolutely, I should have said 'serious' and non-political convictions. I just hope with so many people being chopped, they can pull together a new party soon - and with maximum advertisement (a national conference should do it). And we are still waiting for the accounts ....
"... Sharon - just what does he have on Griffin? Are we talking a secret homosexual relationship? I've often thought that the only reason Griffin must keep him on is because he has stuff."
Why don't you pop around to Colletts and ask him? I can assure you that when under stress he sings like a bird which is why Griffin keeps him close.
Spence was a gift to the BNP. His profile in the fuel strikes was sure to make any party with any intelligence use that profile to further the party.
It is a disaster !
Why is the man management of BNP HQ so bad that we lose him so quickly ?
Anonymous said...
Spence was a gift to the BNP. His profile in the fuel strikes was sure to make any party with any intelligence use that profile to further the party.
It is a disaster !
Why is the man management of BNP HQ so bad that we lose him so quickly ?
11:56 PM
I guess the man-management is so bad because the aims of the BNP leadership are very different from the aims of the average BNP member and activist.
The BNP leadership doesn't care about members, activists, councillors, candidates, winning seats, decency, honesty, loyalty or Britain.
What the BNP leadership does care about however is money.
The BNP leadership cares about power, control, business scams, fleecing the members, diktats, proscriptions, expulsions, threats and bullying.
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