UK: Tyndall to challenge for leadership of BNP
01 August 2004
John Tyndall, writing in his magazine Spearhead, has announced that he will challenge BNP leader, Nick Griffin, for the leadership of the British National Party. Tyndall, who led the fascist organisation unchallenged until he was defeated by Griffin in a leadership contest at the end of 1999, expects the new contest to take place in the summer of 2005. The challenge to Griffin had been expected following Griffin's unsuccessful attempt to expel his former leader in August 2003. Then Tyndall was accused of "subversion" and slandering the party leadership.
The divisions have effectively split the party and Tyndall said in July that he would oppose Griffin. He gave a number of reasons. These included "undesirable developments", which include "gimmicks" such as featuring a Sikh writer in the party magazine and election broadcast and Griffin's recent dismissal of an all-white Britain as an unrealistic utopia. A similar criticism was aimed at Griffin for amending the constitution to open the party "to let in non-white members."
Tyndall's second criticism stems from Griffin's failure to secure the election of any Euro candidates in last May's elections. He believes that the party should have concentrated on local elections and spent less time supporting Griffin's political ambitions to become an MEP.
The BNP failed to make a major breakthrough at local level also, increasing its tally of local councillors from 17 to 21, partly because the anti-immigrant vote was split with the UK Independence Party and partly because of strong anti-BNP campaigning. Across Britain around 800,000 people voted for the BNP in the European elections (just less than 5% of the vote) and its best results were in the West Midlands, Yorkshire and Humberside. In the local elections the BNP failed to win control of Burnley and was left with six seats on the council, as before.
If the BNP's electoral ambitions have stalled, they are having greater success on the legal front. In October, Jason Lee, a BNP election candidate and train driver won an unemployment tribunal decision against the train drivers trade union, Aslef. Aslef unanimously voted to exclude BNP members at its 2002 annual conference when its general secretary, Mick Rix, said that they would not tolerate racist and fascists in their ranks. Lee, who did not disclose his BNP membership when he joined the union, will receive a minimum award of £5,000.