Nick Griffin fights for survival on threat of BNP coup
Discussion
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/art...
Nick Griffin is to resign as the leader of the British National Party in an attempt to see off an immediate leadership challenge.
He announced yesterday that he would stand down in 2013, after being subjected to growing internal criticism and a number of plots to oust him.
After the election Mr Griffin’s position became increasingly tenuous. He faced calls to resign and party dissidents set up a rival website calling for reform.
According to its website, Mr Griffin will step down to concentrate on his re-election campaign to the European Parliament in 2014. Mr Griffin said: “By then [2013] I would have been leader of the BNP for 15 years and that is long enough. It will be time to make way for a younger person who does not have any baggage which can be used against the party. I then intend to help the other European nationalist parties to achieve the level of sophistication which the BNP has been able to build up because a victory for any one of these parties is a victory to all of us.”
However, there was widespread speculation over whether he would actually stand down. Dan Hodges, a spokesman for Searchlight, a magazine that campaigns against the BNP, said the announcement was a stalling tactic. “This isn’t a resignation, this is a pretty transparent attempt by Nick Griffin to play for time and shore up his position as the leader,” Mr Hodges said. “It is a very naked effort to deflect the growing criticism of him and his disastrous election campaign.”
Margaret Hodge said that it was a desperate attempt to cling to power, “but we so demoralised them that he will probably implode anyway”.
Nick Griffin is to resign as the leader of the British National Party in an attempt to see off an immediate leadership challenge.
He announced yesterday that he would stand down in 2013, after being subjected to growing internal criticism and a number of plots to oust him.
After the election Mr Griffin’s position became increasingly tenuous. He faced calls to resign and party dissidents set up a rival website calling for reform.
According to its website, Mr Griffin will step down to concentrate on his re-election campaign to the European Parliament in 2014. Mr Griffin said: “By then [2013] I would have been leader of the BNP for 15 years and that is long enough. It will be time to make way for a younger person who does not have any baggage which can be used against the party. I then intend to help the other European nationalist parties to achieve the level of sophistication which the BNP has been able to build up because a victory for any one of these parties is a victory to all of us.”
However, there was widespread speculation over whether he would actually stand down. Dan Hodges, a spokesman for Searchlight, a magazine that campaigns against the BNP, said the announcement was a stalling tactic. “This isn’t a resignation, this is a pretty transparent attempt by Nick Griffin to play for time and shore up his position as the leader,” Mr Hodges said. “It is a very naked effort to deflect the growing criticism of him and his disastrous election campaign.”
Margaret Hodge said that it was a desperate attempt to cling to power, “but we so demoralised them that he will probably implode anyway”.
I think the BNP have peaked. They lost almost half their vote compared to the EU elections last year. It'll be interesting to see which route they take with the new leader. Either a softer, more liberal stance, or a skinhead in jackboots.
It sounds like a lot of their members have had enough of Griffin.
It sounds like a lot of their members have had enough of Griffin.
It's hardly a surprise that they didn't get votes at the General Election. Many people, like myself voted BNP during council elections and at mid terms purely as a protest and a means of sending a message to the mainstream parties. I certainly wouldn't have voted for them at times when it would have actually won them a seat on the local council or in Parliament.
Their core vote has remained largely unchanged and comes from the deluded group of people that think these misfits would have the capability to govern.
Personally, I think they are an essential and valuable part of the British political scene, as are UKIP.
pp
Their core vote has remained largely unchanged and comes from the deluded group of people that think these misfits would have the capability to govern.
Personally, I think they are an essential and valuable part of the British political scene, as are UKIP.
pp
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