Walker/Jefferson: The Demise of the British National Party

Walker/Jefferson: The Demise of the British National Party

Clive Jefferson and Adam Walker

Reading pages of Hope Not Hate or other pages in Internet referring to what happened to the British National Party, the truth of the matter is that most of what happened to the British National Party has been self-inflicted.

Practically every negative event that led to its fall from grace has been linked to mishandling and bad management of one kind or another.

The organisation came to prominence after winning two seats in the European Parliament on the back of an anti-immigration stance that also led to a Referendum on EU Membership that in 2016, several year later, produced Brexit when the British National Party itself went through a series of scandals, electoral losses and leadership challenges that sent the organisation into the shadows of political activity in the United Kingdom.

Before that, in 2006, the British National Party had won 12 seats in the London Borough of Barking and this was followed in 2008 by the election of Richard Barnbrook as London Assembly Member, setting the tone for what was going to happen during the European Election of 2009.  

After the departure of John Tyndall - former National Front politician - with the arrival of Nick Griffin, for many years the name British National Party was closely associated with its Leader that as a Cambridge University graduate had a taste and talent for mass media. Wherever Nick Griffin went, mass media were not far behind and the organisation was constantly in the public limelight. Nick Griffin made the British National Party a household name and as the popularity of so called mainstream political parties was floundering people who had never even thought about supporting the British National Party voted in rows leading to the election of Nick Griffin and Andrew Brons as Members of the European Parliament. All was well. The organisation has established a foothold in London of all places, in Europe, but the House of Commons remained an elusive target.

Having a Member of the London Assembly, 12 Councillors in Barking and 2 MEPs was impressive but in practical terms it couldn't make much of a difference from a political point of view. The struggle had to continue by means of constant campaigning as little could be done with such a small number of elected representatives. The British National Party could bark from behind the fence but the real game was taking place elsewhere in the hands of so called mainstream political parties. It could have made a difference in financial terms as monies were flowing in and this would have allowed important organisational developments that could have strengthened the British National Party to make it able to win more seats to then become a force to be reckoned with.

Infighting and bad decision making exposed the organisation to ridicule as everybody interested in destroying the British National Party could take advantage of all the mistakes being made. Unity in the European Parliament didn't last. Very soon, there were distinct factions that were at each other's throats and this spread downwards affecting the grassroots of the organisation whose efforts had made possible electoral success. 

Electoral gains based on slogans couldn't last long without serious political hard-work. Central Office sucked the life out of the branches of the organisation that had made success possible and disintegration followed. Some blamed Nick Griffin for all the ills of the organisation but they seldom paid any attention to the fact that far too many people were merely interested in slogans as they had no inclination in getting involved with the laborious workings of politics. For a organisation to remain a meaningful political force it is necessary that after promising the Earth there is some kind of delivery to justify trust in the organisation.

Unavoidably, all electoral success was quickly wiped-out and lessons were not learnt. Infighting continued. Today, the British National Party has invisible Leader (Adam Walker) and invisible Deputy Leader (Clive Jefferson). Its Central Office has been practically dismantled. Local and Regional Organisers have been dismissed or have walked away. The organisation has less than 500 members. Even the man that stood as Candidate in several elections including the 2016 London Assembly Election (Dave Furness) and was also its main speaker in dealings with mass media as Press Officer has been banned from speaking to mass media.

The BNP Leadership - Adam Walker and Clive Jefferson - will be challenged in court accused of financial irregularities and of changing legally protected areas of the party's Constitution but unless the faithful find a Messiah to deliver them from political evil the chances of being able to revive what was a very successful organisation hang in the balance.

With Adam Walker as Leader (a Karate instructor and former military man with no political experience and no mass media experience whatsoever) -  and with Clive Jefferson as Deputy Leader and National Treasurer (a retired engineer of whom two companies were closed down by the Inland Revenue for failure to produce proper accounts), the organisation has no hope in hell of achieving political prominence any time soon.

In spite of all odds, the grassroots made up of members and former members of the British National Party remain hopeful. They are not just praying for a miracle but actively working to turn things around for good in an organisation that is being used by Adam Walker and Clive Jefferson to supplement their incomes using legacies, donations and membership fees to support themselves.