Just when we thought we’d lost, and lost again…

The EGM of last weekend isn’t as bad as we first thought, well, not now we’ve had time to digest the contents of the new amendments, and once written up, they will be placed online.

Why are they not so bad we hear you mutter, well, it goes like this…

Mr Nicholas John Griffin, was insisting on an amendment that would give him the right to sit upon his increasingly prickly throne for 4 years without being challenged. But, because he lost, the fail-safe’s put in to prevent a mad ( which Griffin clearly is) leader remaining in situ come into force, and this our dear readers means that Griffin cannot be challenged once a year, but THRICE!

How on earth could he have missed this? Well, he missed it because not only was, Mr Nicholas John Griffin, to lazy to write those amendments, as he clearly thought he was going to win. He was also to damned lazy to read them, but to late now, Mr Griffin, they were voted upon and passed.

Who was this genius responsible for the following? We’d like to know, as the man is clearly a friend of the democratic process, and possibly a future BNP leader.

Challenge 1, can be done on Oct/Nov of each year if 20 paid up voting members request it at the annual AGM.

Challenge 2, can be triggered at any time by 2/3rds of the AC impeaching, Mr Griffin, for gross misconduct, and we all know he’s done plenty of that.

Challenge 3, can be done annually after local elections are out of the way and requires no more than 250 signatures, a walk in the park for any serious challenger who would have Griffin in court in the likelihood he should refuse, or tamper, with the membership list.

So, there we have it readers, REAL POLITICS, in action, and there’s certain to be plenty of that over the coming months.

BTW, we hear, Mr Griffin, is away on a sulk because he knows, and is aware of, what he thought we’d missed. Well, we all know now, and we reckon he must be feeling like a proper clown. We couldn't find an image of a stitched up kipper...

Update:

Motion 1

Advisory Council

Passed with an amendment defining what a Voting member is – namely a full member with two years continuous membership, who has attended a training event within the year, who is an activist as certified by their Regional Organiser (includes councillors, and officers) and who makes a financial contribution (exempt officers and councillors)



S.5.1. Replace "the organisers of the party's four strongest regions" with "all Regional Organisers".



S.5.2. replace "three times a year" with "four times a year"



Motion 2

Leadership Elections

Passed with amendment deleting all references to election years and 4 yearly term –and replacing 10 Voting Members and 100 members of 24 months standing as nominators to 1/5 of all members of over 24 months continuous membership with the total number of 2 year members being declared on 1st July every year.



The whole of the existing Section 4 should be replaced with:



S.4.1. Elections for the post of National Chairman shall be held every
four years, starting in 2009. Nominations shall open on 20th July in each
leadership election year and close at noon on 10th August. The election
shall be held on a 'one member, one vote' basis in a secret postal ballot
of all members paid up by 1st of July.

S.4.2. Any member of the party may become a candidate for the post of
National Chairman of the party provided that person has on or before the
close of nominations is and has been a fully paid up member of the party
for a minimum of five consecutive years, and has secured the signatures on
his or her nomination paper of ten current Voting Members and one hundred
members each with a minimum of 24 months continuous membership. Each
member can only nominate one candidate.

S.4.3. Notification of a leadership election shall be issued in the
September issue of British Nationalist, while the October issue will
include an A4 manifesto sheet from each candidate (designed and supplied
by them) and a ballot paper, and will be sent by post to all members,
including those who normally receive their bulletins electronically.

S.4.4. A prerecorded debate between the candidates shall be publicised on
BNPtv, a private page on the BNP website will give each candidate up to
six sides of A4 designed by them, the party magazine shall give each
candidate equal space to set out their ideas, and at least three hustings
meetings will be held with equal time for each candidate in different
parts of the country and be open to all paid up members from the areas in
question. In the event that unavoidable external circumstances render any
of these methods of communication impractical they may be omitted or
replaced as decided by a simple majority vote of a special meeting of the
Advisory Council.

S.4.5. The ballot papers shall be kept unopen-ed until the post has
arrived on the third Thursday of October, where all received ballots shall
be opened and counted under the supervision of two senior officials
appointed by the AC who are not candidates, together with the candidates
and up to two scrutineers each.

S.4.6. The election shall take place on a first past the post basis.

S.4.7. In any election year in which no nominations for the post of
National Chairman of the party are received in accordance with Sub-section
2 of this Section, the currently serving holder of the post will be deemed
to have received a mandate from the party to hold it for a further full
term. In any election year where a leadership challenge is entered the
currently serving National Chairman shall be deemed to be nominated
automatically should he wish to stand again.

S.4.8. In event of a General Election being called before the ballot
papers have been posted, the campaign may be suspended at the discretion
of simple majority vote of the AC, resuming the schedule immediately after
polling day.

S.4.9. If an outgoing National Chairman is a paid employee of the party
and either does not wish to remain as such or is not required as such by
the new incumbent, he shall receive severance pay in line with the
statutory requirement, plus one month for each year served up to a total
of eight years, and one week extra for each year thereafter.

S.4.10. The successful candidate in any such election will be considered
as occupying the office of National Chairman immediately on completion of
the counting of votes in that election.

Please note that the following proposed alterations are so closely
connected to the changes proposed for S.4 that it is necessary to take
them together with it as one composite motion 1.

S.5.6. The only other power of the Advisory Council shall be that it may
call a General Members' Meeting by a two-thirds majority of Advisory
Council members voting in a properly convened meeting with a quorum of
two-thirds, even if this is opposed by the National Chairman.
Alternatively the National Chairman may call such a meeting or postal
ballot at any time he deems it necessary. Should such a meeting or ballot
be called, it must be held within 40 days, and the matter which led to it
being called shall be put to the members to decide. If a two-thirds
majority of those voting should vote against the National Chairman then he
is bound to accept that decision or to resign from the leadership,
triggering a leadership election in which he may stand if he so wishes.

S.5.7. The National Chairman may also be held to account by a motion
proposed and supported in writing by twenty Voting Members and submitted
to the party's registered headquarters address not later than 14 days
before the date of the Annual Conference. This motion shall then be
debated and voted upon by all Voting Members at the conference and, if
passed by a minimum two-thirds majority, a leadership election shall be
triggered, using the procedures and time-scale laid out in this
Constitution, but with the schedule starting from 14 days after the date
of the Annual Conference. The previous National Chairman may stand in this
election is he so wishes.

S.5.10. A member of the Advisory Council shall not be removed from the
Advisory Council on the day of an Advisory Council meeting.
General Members' Meetings & Ballots

S.13.2. In the event of the National Chairman or the Advisory Council
calling a General Members' Meeting, at least 14 days' notice must be given
to all members by post with notification of the proposed motions. All
members of the party shall have the right to attend and vote, subject to
the provisions of Section 2, Sub-section 6 of this Constitution.

S.13.3. remove "not later than 28 days before the scheduled date of the
meeting" and replace "National Chairman" with "Chairman of the meeting."


Not passed - Motion 3

Postal ballot option



S.13.5. General Members' Meetings may only be called by the National
Chairman or by the Advisory Council in accordance with Section 5 of this
Constitution. All matters which may be decided by a General Members'
Meeting may also be put to the membership by postal ballot. The motions
for such a postal ballot are to be decided by a two thirds majority of the
Advisory Council or by the National Chairman and are to be sent out in the
first available British Nationalist together with a ballot paper for each
paid up member, who should have a minimum of 14 days in which to return
the ballot paper. The opening and counting of the ballots is to be
witnessed by the proposers and a minimum of two national officers, with
all members of the Advisory Council entitled to attend should they so
wish.



Not passed Motion 4

Determination of Core Policies by Voting Members

(Note: This is part of a rolling programme intended to transfer additional
key powers to the Voting Membership, and further changes in that regard
are expected in the future as the institution itself develops)



Remove Section 3.1.d.

S.13.4. Add Section 14 to list of protected Sections in S.13.4. and remove
reference to ghost ss.6.

S.14.2. Change method of notification of any changes to the Constitution
to "or publication on the party's official website."

Add S.14.3. No proposals to change any part of Section 1 of this
Constitution, or to change or adopt any major policy, are to be proposed
to either a General Members' Meeting or in a postal ballot until
previously passed by the Annual Conference of Voting Members.