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From: "john tyndall"
To: "Alexander Baron"
References:
Subject: Re: Letter to Nick Griffin
Date: Sat, 4 Jan 2003 03:56:51 -0000
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Dear Mr. Baron,
Thank you for providing me with a copy of your letter to Nick Griffin.
I think that the one and only time we saw each other was when we were both
present at the commital proceedings at Bow Street in Griffin's prosecution
trial in 1998. At that time I, like you, sought to help Griffin in every way
I could -- though in my case I had already started to become 'wise' to him
and his schemes. It was a matter of the cause of free speech and of the BNP,
as far as I was concerned, and this overrode the great misgivings I had come
to have about Griffin himself.
I have come to the conclusion that Nick Griffin is just about the lowest
piece of slime I have ever encountered in forty-odd years of involvement
with radical politics. Contrary to widespread supposition, I was by the late
1990s quite prepared to consider retirement from the leadership of the BNP
in favour of a younger man, but by this time my assessment of the character
of Griffin had led me to believe that this would be a disastrous step were
he the successor.
I have not changed this opinion notwithstanding some very encouraging
election results in the last couple of years -- results that I put down to
hard and intelligent campaigning at local level, plus a tremendous public
disenchantment with Tory/Lib/Lab.
The reference to gas chambers in the 1965 Spearhead was foolish, even though
it applied, of course, to the lowest types of murdering criminals and not to
any particular racial group. Actually, it was not written by me but by
Martin Webster, then a colleague. However, as editor I could have stopped it
going in and I did not. In those days, with public apathy on politics far
worse than now we rather liked to shock people, and this was conceived with
that in mind. It is utterly typical of Griffin that he should now be using
it as a stick against me. By contrast with the 37-year time-gap, Griffin
authorised in 1995 an article in The Rune magazine eulogising the Waffen SS.
I have recently issued to a very limited circle of people a reply to the
latest of Griffin's attacks on me, which appeared in the December BNP
organisers' bulletin. I am sending it here as an attachment. Since it deals
to a great extent with BNP internal business in which you will probably have
no interest, you may well wish to skip over large parts of it. However, it
does provide a few insights into the character of the creature at which it
is aimed -- insights which you may find familiar.
Yours sincerely
JOHN TYNDALL
----- Original Message -----
From: Alexander Baron
To: ;
Sent: Saturday, January 04, 2003 1:16 PM
Subject: Letter to Nick Griffin
>
>
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>
> --
> Alexander Baron
>
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(}{\pntxta )}}\pard\plain \widctlpar \f4\fs20\lang2057 {\b\i\f37\fs28 =
The Griffin tirade
\par }\pard \qc\widctlpar {\b\f37\fs36=20
\par MY ANSWER
\par }\pard \widctlpar {\f37=20
\par }\pard \qc\widctlpar {\b\f37\fs24 by JOHN TYNDALL
\par }\pard \widctlpar {\f37=20
\par }\pard \fi288\widctlpar {\i\f37\fs18 Not for the first time, BNP =
chairman Nick Griffin has used a BNP organisers\rquote=20
bulletin to launch into a tirade against me which is poisonous =
throughout, frequently resorts to lies and in parts shows distinct signs =
of paranoia. I say \ldblquote against me\rdblquote but in fac
t this attack, like others by Mr. Griffin in the past, takes swipes at =
numerous people \endash almost a case of \ldblquote Uncle Tom Cobley =
and all.\rdblquote I refer here to the bulletin issued for December =
2002.
\par The bulletin came just after the publication of the December issue =
of}{\f37\fs18 Spearhead}{\i\f37\fs18 magazine in which we included two =
articles strongly critical of the BNP\rquote s handling of the =
}{\f37\fs18 Dispatches }{\i\f37\fs18=20
programme broadcast on Channel Four TV on the 4}{\i\f37\fs18\super =
th}{\i\f37\fs18=20
November. The attacks on me and others were quite obviously a response =
to those articles. It is noticeable that there was no attempt whatever =
in the bulletin to reply to the points raised in the articles.
\par Since reading the bulletin I have considered what kind of response, =
if any, I should make. Here there are five options:-
\par }{\i\f37=20
\par {\pntext\pard\plain\fs20 (1) \tab}}\pard \widctlpar{\*\pn =
\pnlvlbody\pndec\pnb0\pni0\pnf4\pnfs20\pnstart1\pnindent283\pnhang{\pntxt=
b (}{\pntxta ) }}{\i\f37\fs18 To ignore it completely.
\par {\pntext\pard\plain\fs20 (2) \tab}To use the columns of }{\f37\fs18 =
Spearhead}{\i\f37\fs18 to answer it in detail.
\par {\pntext\pard\plain\fs20 (3) \tab}To produce such a detailed answer =
and send it only to the BNP organisers (such as I have the addresses of) =
who would have read the bulletin
\par {\pntext\pard\plain\fs20 (4) \tab}To produce the detailed answer =
and send it out only to those who request it.
\par {\pntext\pard\plain\fs20 (5) \tab}To use the columns of }{\f37\fs18 =
Spearhead}{\i\f37\fs18 to engage in a strong counter-attack against Mr. =
Gri
ffin which, in addition to dealing with the allegations in the bulletin, =
makes other points of condemnation against him, of which I have many on =
file and which could be backed up by the testimony of others, including =
people who once were his firm supporte
rs.
\par }\pard \fi288\widctlpar {\i\f37=20
\par }{\i\f37\fs18=20
After some reflection, I have opted for solution (4), while keeping =
other solutions on hold to be employed should circumstances call for =
them. We should all be able to agree on one thing: that these exchanges =
between Mr. Griffin and his supporters, on=20
the one hand, and me and mine, on the other, are not good for the BNP; =
that they are harmful to party morale; and that they detract from the =
energy and effort which we should all together be putting into the =
battle against our external political enemies.=20
The vast majority of party members and supporters \endash whether they =
take Mr. Griffin\rquote s side or mine, and including the considerable =
number who prefer to take no side \endash would like to see this =
conflict brought to an end.
\par While thoroughly sharing that sentiment,=20
I should add just one qualifying observation. It is that the BNP enjoyed =
complete internal harmony for some 14 years from its foundation in 1982 =
up to 1996, when Mr. Griffin joined it and a dissident faction began to =
gather round him which engaged in regu
lar jibes against the then leadership, partly by private word of mouth =
and partly through the medium of the magazine }{\f37\fs18 =
Patriot}{\i\f37\fs18 . That year marked the watermark of transition from =
a united party to a divided party \endash=20
though for three years afterwards I declined myself to engage in any =
divisive activities or talk, despite knowing what was going on in the =
ranks of my opponents. Only after we had put}{\i\f37 }{\i\f37\fs18=20
behind us the general election of 1997 and the Euro elections of 1999 =
did I come out into the open, face the deep divisions that had been sown =
in the party and endeavour to fight my corner in that conflict. When =
seen in the light of this background, talk=20
by Mr. Griffin and other opponents of mine of \lquote =
divisiveness\rquote constitute the most despicable humbug.=20
\par I should add one further truth which may surprise some people but =
which I think ought to be made known. From the moment of my =
60}{\i\f37\fs18\super th}{\i\f37\fs18=20
birthday in 1994, I began to think seriously about stepping down from =
the BNP leadership at an appropriate time not too far in the future in =
order to make way for a younger man, and I actually began to see some =
genuine attractions in a life free of the s
tresses of that job. I hoped very much that a would-be successor might =
appear who had the personal qualities and commitment that would enable =
me to
hand over the reins to him with confidence, and thereafter give him my =
wholehearted support. To put it in a nutshell \endash and =
notwithstanding the propaganda of Mr. Griffin, Tony Lecomber and others =
\endash=20
I never had any problems with the idea of letting go the BNP =
leadership.
\par My reluctance to do so at the time in question was due to one =
factor and one factor alone: }{\b\i\f37\fs18 my assessment, after three =
years of close acquaintance and collaboration, of the character of Nick =
Griffin}{\i\f37\fs18=20
, the only contender on the horizon. Putting
it bluntly, I had found that he was just an opportunist and a liar; =
that he was in nationalist politics solely for himself; that politically =
he was a complete fake, swapping ideologies and convictions with =
bewildering regularity according to what audienc
e he was trying to impress; and that he had absolutely no conception of =
the ideals of}{\b\i\f37\fs18 loyalty}{\i\f37\fs18 and }{\b\i\f37\fs18 =
honour}{\i\f37\fs18=20
that should form the cornerstones of our nationalist creed. In addition =
to this, I detected in him a certain streak of craziness, which I =
discussed with a few colleagues \endash only to find that they had come =
independently to similar conclusions.
\par Why then did I not get rid of Mr. Griffin? That I should have done =
remains an arguable point. On the credit side, he showed certain =
capabilities, particularly as a writer, and I needed to mobilise all =
available talents in the party in preparation for two=20
vital election campaigns in three years.
\par Nothing that has happened in the intervening period, including some =
very welcome election results, has induced me to change m
y mind over Nick Griffin; on the contrary, everything that I have =
witnessed has served only to strengthen my views about him. The contents =
of the December bulletin are only the latest example.}{\f37\fs18=20
\par }{\f37=20
\par }\pard \widctlpar {\b\f37\fs36 Mr. Griffin\rquote s attack
\par }\pard \fi288\widctlpar {\f37=20
\par The bulletin piece begins with a charge that }{\i\f37 =
Spearhead}{\f37 magazine has engaged in \ldblquote a disgraceful =
collection of factional jibes and carping.\rdblquote As with our =
criticisms of the }{\i\f37 Dispatches}{\f37=20
programme, it would be far better if Mr. Griffin dealt with the \lquote =
jibes\rquote , as he calls them, and answered them. As I have said on a =
number of occasions, }{\i\f37 Spearhead}{\f37 \endash=20
which was supporting the BNP from back in the 1980s when Mr. Griffin =
was regularly attacking it \endash=20
will voice criticism of the party when it is deserved and praise when =
it is deserved. Mr. Griffin fails to mention the numerous occasions when =
we have giv
en such praise. Where criticism is concerned, we have in fact only =
published a fraction of what we might have published, such have been the =
numerous bad moves made by the party and Mr. Griffin over this time. Of =
course, one would imagine that no=20
\ldblquote factional jibes and carping\rdblquote against me and my =
allies have been engaged in by Mr. Griffin and his supporters! Do you =
really want me to issue a list of these? It would be a big and =
time-consuming task, and you would probabl
y be bored reading them long before you had finished.
\par Next, Mr. Griffin says in the bulletin that \ldblquote The =
editorial information box (of }{\i\f37 Spearhead}{\f37 ) has been =
changed to remove any reference to supporting the BNP\'85\rdblquote =
Clearly, Mr. Griffin is depending here on his or
ganisers not having any continuum of copies of our magazine whereby they =
may check on this, because the fact is that the information box to which =
he refers }{\i\f37 never has had}{\f37=20
any reference to the magazine supporting the BNP or any other specific =
party. He knows this to be applicable from at least 1996 onwards because =
he was its editor at that time and subsequently for three years. In =
other words, Mr. Griffin is, as is his fre
quent habit, playing games with the truth in the hope that no one will =
notice.
\par This habit of playing games with the truth goes far beyond what he =
has written in the December organisers\rquote=20
bulletin. I have myself witnessed him on television, just after the =
announcement of the Burnley victory last May, stating before the =
millions of viewers that \lquote the previous leadership\rquote=20
of the party showed no interest in contesting council elections \endash =
news that will be strange to those who worked hard to achieve the =
victory at Millwall in 1993 and again to achieve near-victories in =
council elections right across=20
East London a few months afterwards, to say nothing of the many other =
areas we fought as and where we had the active teams to do so.
\par I have not so far used }{\i\f37 Spearhead}{\f37 to expose and =
challenge this lie because if I did so with every \lquote porky\rquote =
that we have heard from Nick\rquote s mouth and pen the magazine really =
would be depressingly full of \ldblquote=20
factional jibes and carping.\rdblquote If you happen to have taped the =
news broadcasts just after the Burnley results, just play them back and =
find out whether I am making this up!
\par A litt
le later, Nick changed his tune on this matter, presumably after a =
number of people had challenged him over the Millwall achievement. =
Instead, he acknowledged Millwall, as he had no choice but to do, but =
was saying that I had been reluctant to contest the
seat and was only persuaded to do so by others in the party\rquote s =
then leadership team. Consult Richard Edmonds, John Morse, or any one of =
several others who were then present and you will find this story =
laughed out of court.
\par I came to know of this particular Griffin lie by pure chance. A =
young lady student visited me a few weeks ago to question me about the =
party\rquote=20
s history for a PhD thesis she was doing. She told me she had spoken to =
Nick Griffin on the same subject and that this was one of his claims! =20
\par The bulletin goes on to attack certain people who have contributed =
articles in }{\i\f37 Spearhead}{\f37 . It is my policy with }{\i\f37 =
Spearhead}{\f37=20
to publish articles where the writers have something interesting to =
say, even when I do not in all respects agree with it. I do so without
regard to other actions or political affiliations, if any, involving =
those writers. For instance, I strongly oppose a number of the political =
stances of the International Third Position, in particular its policy of =
supporting Scottish, Welsh, Ulster (and
indeed English) separatist nationalism and thus Balkanising Britain (a =
policy, incidentally, which not long ago was being espoused by Nick =
Griffin). But if a writer connected with that group sends us an article =
which I think worth publishing, I shall do=20
so. }{\i\f37 Spearhead}{\f37 is an independent magazine, and its =
position in that regard is stated very clearly in the box on page two of =
every issue, to which Mr. Griffin has referred.
\par I might add that Mr. Gareth Hurley, the ITP writer, and I do have =
one thing in common notwithstanding our considerable differences over =
political issues: we have both been colleagues of Nick Griffin and have =
come to identical conclusions about him.
\par Mr. Griffin then goes on to accuse }{\i\f37 Spearhead }{\f37 of =
\ldblquote defences of Nazism.\rdblquote I challenge him to produce any =
proper evidence to support this charge. What we have done is criticise =
writings on his and some of his associates
\rquote part which have attacked Hitler and the Nazis in a very =
misleading and at times thoroughly dishonest way, seizing upon the =
well-worn themes of Hollywood and Zionist propaganda in so doing. =
}{\i\f37 Spearhead}{\f37=20
has not for more than thirty years defended, and it does not today =
defend, \lquote Nazism\rquote . As far as we are concerned, it is a =
non-issue in the Britain of the 21}{\f37\super st}{\f37 century and =
should be interred as appropriate \endash=20
something which Mr. Griffin was not doing when as editor of }{\i\f37 =
The Rune}{\f37 magazine in 1995 he allowed the publication of an =
article which constituted a virtual glorification of the }{\i\f37 =
Waffen}{\f37 }{\i\f37 SS}{\f37 .
\par=20
\par }\pard \widctlpar {\b\f37\fs24 MI5 INFILTRATION
\par }\pard \fi288\widctlpar {\f37=20
Next, Mr. Griffin refers to an alleged statement by me that the BNP is =
now run by MI5. This is something of an exaggeration but it is not =
entirely devoid of truth. I have believed for some time that government =
agents (probably MI5 but possibly also Specia
l Branch) have infiltrated the BNP qu
ite heavily and today occupy a number of top positions in the party. I =
have my own views as to the probable identities of these people but it =
would be wrong for me to name them because I could be mistaken and thus =
do them an unfair injury. I believe that=20
these agents have in some cases been recruited outside the party and =
subsequently planted in it, and in other cases recruited on the inside =
and \lquote turned\rquote=20
by use of bribery and blackmail. These are very common practices =
employed by state security services all over the world, past and =
present, against dissident political groups.
\par I believe that the remit of these agents, far beyond merely =
providing information to their paymasters, is to cause trouble and =
division and, where possible, to use their influence in promoting =
personnel changes and policy initiatives calculated to harm th
e targeted organisation and thus neutralise it as a threat to the =
established powers.
\par I make no apologies for stating that I believe this has happened to =
the BNP. I do not go so far as to say that the BNP is now \ldblquote run =
by MI5,\rdblquote=20
but I do believe that agents working for that and other hostile bodies, =
very probably including the }{\i\f37 Searchlight}{\f37=20
organisation, have attained sufficient standing and influence in the =
party to play a part in some key personnel and policy decisions.
\par And if people should dismiss my claims as absurd or paranoid, let =
me refer them to the statement made by a Scotland Yard spokesman in the =
}{\i\f37 Daily Express}{\f37 newspaper on the 8}{\f37\super th}{\f37 =
February 1999 that \ldblquote=20
intelligence officers will infiltrate far Right groups like the British =
National Party\rdblquote=20
with a view to breaking them up and closing them down. What does Mr. =
Griffin think these intelligence officers have been doing since -- =
sitting on their hands?
\par In his bulletin Mr. Griffin makes reference to numerous other =
people in such a way as to insinuate that they are my close political =
associates an
d allies, whereas the fact is that they are only people with whom I have =
some friendly contact and nothing more. I make it a rule these days =
\endash and I suggest a wise one to anyone involved in political work =
\endash=20
to fall out with as few people as possible, in f
act the very minimum necessary. It was a rule I did not stick to =
sufficiently in my younger days as a nationalist campaigner, with =
sometimes regrettable results. The rule means maintaining amicable =
relations with people and occasionally co-operating in ar
ea
s where there is common ground, while agreeing to disagree in other =
areas where there is not common ground. In that regard I have for the =
past two years or so maintained friendly contact with Steve and Sharron =
Edwards (former leaders of the West Midlands=20
BNP), while disagreeing with their decision to leave the BNP and take =
part in the Freedom Party breakaway. In a looser way, I have had =
occasional contact with Eddy Morrison, while I have made it perfectly =
plain to him that I do not support his White Natio
na
list Party venture. I have told all these people that I believe the only =
way forward for nationalism in Britain is through the BNP, and I have =
strongly discouraged all schemes to promote our cause outside the BNP =
(at least where political parties are conc
erned; there is room for separate non-party activities). However, the =
fact that I have not always been successful in this is not a reason to =
treat these people as \lquote enemies\rquote=20
. In fact, I have a great deal of sympathy with Mr. and Mrs. Edwards =
over the way the
y were treated when in the BNP by Nick Griffin, despite their originally =
being among his leading supporters. We still disagree over some matters, =
most of all the existence of the Freedom Party, but we are in total =
agreement over the matter of Nick Griffin
. What these two people now have to say about Mr. Griffin, after once =
regarding and treating him as a friend, eclipses any language I have =
ever used on the subject, at least publicly!
\par=20
\par }\pard \widctlpar {\b\f37\fs24 DAMNED BY ASSOCIATION!}{\f37=20
\par }\pard \fi288\widctlpar {\f37 In another cheap little piece of =
innuendo, Mr. Gr
iffin uses the bulletin to establish an association between me and =
Martin Webster by saying that a person at whose home I have stayed when =
in the North of England, Pete Barker, is \ldblquote Webster\rquote s =
northern confidant.\rdblquote=20
This is quite pathetic. Pete has offered to
put me up on three occasions when I have been in Lancashire and I have =
accepted his offer because I find his company congenial, as I do that of =
friends of his who have sometimes been present at his home on such =
occasions. To imply that this means that we
agree on everything politically would be absurd, although we probably =
do agree on much. Pete Barker\rquote s connection with Martin Webster =
(if any) is his business, not mine. I have no such connection \endash=20
and have had none since I resigned as National Front chairman in 1980, =
mainly over the issue of Webster\rquote=20
s homosexuality. Interestingly enough, Mr. Griffin at that time was a =
close associate and friend of Mr. Webster and supported him in that =
conflict. For him now to be using Webster\rquote s name as a stick with =
which to beat me really takes the biscuit.
\par In the same section of the bulletin Mr. Griffin speaks of my having =
\ldblquote fallen out with nearly all of these people in the =
past\rdblquote and that I am well aware of their record of betrayal, =
splitting and failure.\rdblquote=20
If there were space and time here, and if I were so inclined, I could =
document Mr. Griffin\rquote=20
s own record in these regards dating back to the 1980s and right up to =
1999, and I could produce ample affidavits from others in so doing. In =
fact, in every organisation in which he ha
s played a part, including the BNP, he has been a catalyst of internal =
division. Talk to anyone who was closely and actively involved in the =
National Front in the 1980s and ask him or her about the achievements of =
Nick Griffin in disrupting and fragmentin
g that party at the time.
\par Running my eye over the list of the various people Mr. Griffin =
ropes into his attacks on me, I am reminded that this is far from the =
first time I have seen such lists issuing from his pen. Slagging off =
almost everybody in sight see
ms to be a regular habit with him when he runs out of arguments, and the =
tendency is repetitive: he engages in numerous allegations against them =
and slurs on their character without any attempt to produce concrete =
evidence to back up his claims. This was=20
done recently against nationalists like Peter Rushton and Bob James, two =
others who have fallen foul of him, and I see that Peter is again =
mentioned in the latest Griffin diatribe against me.
\par Another person included in Mr. Griffin\rquote s symphony of smears =
is Ri
ck Fawcus of Tyr Services. Again, Rick and I just have friendly contact =
with each other; we are not close political associates; he has his way =
of serving the cause and I have mine. Various charges are made by Mr. =
Griffin against him concerning alleged=20
\lquote theft\rquote=20
of monies claimed as belonging to the BNP. It is for Mr. Fawcus to deal =
with these charges in his own way, as he tells me he intends to do; they =
are not my business. However, one thing that he has told me is that he =
protested against one such charge in
a letter to Mr. Griffin\rquote s confederate Tony Lecomber and received =
a reply apologising and acknow- ledging that there was nothing for him =
to answer for. He has heard nothing from Griffin & Co. over any other =
alleged \lquote thefts\rquote=20
. Why not? =20
\par What do all these people have in common? And what do they have in =
common with me? They have all come to know Nick Griffin through personal =
experience and they have all reached the same conclusions about him. =
That is why they have been put on the \lquote=20
hit list\rquote \endash a hit list which will assuredly grow in the =
future as their ranks are swelled.
\par=20
\par }\pard \widctlpar {\b\f37\fs24 GRIFFIN THE TARGET, NOT THE PARTY
\par }\pard \fi288\widctlpar {\f37 In the midst of this diatribe, Mr. =
Griffin accuses me of \lquote courting\rquote these people in my bid to =
\lquote pull down\rquote=20
the BNP. Here he makes the mistake, common to many of his kind, of =
speaking of himself and the party/cause/nation as if the two were =
synonymous, Nick
Griffin is not the BNP, any more than I was the BNP when I was leader. =
I make no bones about the fact that I wish to see Mr. Griffin removed as =
BNP leader in the fullness of time and will do whatever I can to that =
end within the boundaries of the party
\rquote s constitution. In this, I am far more honest and up-front about =
my intentions than Mr. Griffin was when in 1997 he declared in a =
}{\i\f37 Spearhead}{\f37 article (he was then editor) that he had no =
intention for \ldblquote=20
quite some years to come\rdblquote of bidding to become party leader. =
But in equating my intention to remove Mr. Griffin with \lquote pulling =
down\rquote the BNP he is engaging in a monumental piece of conceit, =
not to say delusions of grande
ur. I have given my life to building up the BNP. I had been doing so for =
14 years before Mr. Griffin entered it. I have not the slightest =
intention now of allowing it to be destroyed, \lquote pulled down\rquote =
or whatever other expression Mr. Griffin might like to use. I can =
assure Mr. Griffin that his demise will not mean the demise of the BNP.
\par This is what makes so preposterous and ridiculous the claim also =
made in the bulletin that I harbour an \ldblquote intention to break =
away\rdblquote \endash by which I must presume he means launch a ne
w and separate party. Once again, Mr. Griffin is here engaging in one of =
his not infrequent resorts to lies and fantasy. I have no such intention =
whatever, and to every suggestion that people have made to me that I do =
such a thing I have turned the idea d
own flat. I have in fact as good as been offered the leadership of =
certain rival parties if I break with the BNP, and I have likewise =
turned those offers down flat. I need no lessons from Mr. Griffin on =
loyalty to the BNP -- nor indeed on loyalty }{
\i\f37 per se}{\f37 .
\par As an attempted back-up to the \lquote breakaway\rquote=20
claim, Mr. Griffin goes on to allege that I have been trying to get =
myself expelled. But this is not going to happen, he assures everybody. =
If I choose to renew my membership for the coming year (which I have =
recently done) my application \ldblquote=20
will of course be accepted.\rdblquote=20
\par Now that really is interesting! In the recent past a number of =
party activists have been expelled or proscribed just by a sweeping wave =
of Mr. Griffin\rquote s arm and with no proper judicial or disciplinary =
p
rocedure employed to find them guilty of anything, but John Tyndall, who =
on the \lquote evidence\rquote=20
of Mr. Griffin has been a much naughtier boy than any of these people, =
is to be allowed to stay! This surely is a case of disciplinary =
decisions being made for reas
ons of political expediency rather than for reasons of discipline and =
justice. I am not being expelled -- essentially so as not to give me an =
excuse to launch a breakaway party. In fact, if there were the slightest =
evidence that I was planning a breakaway
party I very definitely }{\i\f37 should}{\f37=20
be expelled. Mr. Griffin knows very well that I have no such plans, =
otherwise he would summon me to a disciplinary trial and produce the =
evidence, then have me kicked out. As it is, what he seems to want is to =
have the luxury of }{\i\f37 accusing}{\f37=20
me of planning a breakaway while not taking the action that obviously =
should be taken if I were! What kind of internal discipline is that? I =
would submit that it is all of a piece with the \lquote =
discipline\rquote=20
whereby others have been excommunicated from the party for no greater =
crime than speaking less than respectfully about Mr. Griffin!
\par=20
\par }\pard \widctlpar {\b\f37\fs24 THE LAWSON LEGACY AND THE USE OF =
MONEY
\par }\pard \fi288\widctlpar {\f37 I should finally say a word about =
another matter to which Mr. Griffin refers in his bulletin and which he =
has also mentioned in a recent }{\i\f37 Identity}{\f37=20
article. This is a sum of money bequeathed to me personally back in =
1991 by one John Lawson, decd. I believe that I have dealt perfectly =
adequately with this matter in a statement printed in }{\i\f37 =
Spearhead}{\f37 in February 2000 (copies available=20
on request). Actually, the sum in question was not \'a356,000, as Mr. =
Griffin has claimed, but a slightly smaller sum. I did not make this =
money available for use by the BNP under Mr. Griffin because I had no =
confidence in the party\rquote=20
s financial administratio
n at that time and have not had since. A number of others, including the =
then party treasurer, came to the same conclusions later in the year =
2000. I believe now that large sums of money are presently being badly =
mis-spent by the party in having a grossly
inflated payroll for full-time and part-time staff, comprising (at the =
last count) 30 people! No, that is not a typo \endash }{\i\f37 30 =
people!}{\f37=20
If I surrender to Mr. Griffin that portion of the Lawson legacy in my =
possession, I suspect that much of it will be thrown down the drain in =
the upkeep of this ridiculous payroll. That I am not prepared to do.
\par Most of that portion of the legacy still remaining after the =
expenditure of about half of it on the Euro Election in 1999 is still =
intact, though a small portion has had to be used to make good =
shortfalls in the income of }{\i\f37 Spearhead}{\f37=20
as a result of Mr. Griffin\rquote=20
s action in sabotaging its circulation through the BNP. The greater part =
will be placed again at the disposal of the party if and when I have =
confidence in the people in charge. None of it, I can assure everyone, =
will be used t
o finance any breakaway party in any circumstances, notwithstanding Mr. =
Griffin\rquote s allegation that that is my plan.
\par It is interesting that Mr. Griffin in his bulletin refers to the =
\lquote huge difference\rquote that the residue of the Lawson legacy =
would make to the party\rquote=20
s chances of winning seats in the European Parliament in 2004. He might =
also have mentioned the London mayoral election in the same year, =
regarding which he is now flying a kite for the idea of=20
an electoral pact with the multi-racialists of UKIP under the terms of =
which the BNP would stand down in favour of the UKIP candidate. Well, I =
might suggest that what would make a huge difference to the party\rquote =
s chances in both those elections is the reduction of its presently huge =
payroll to a number about a quarter of the present size, and then the =
re-allocation of the money saved to either or both of these elections. =
How about it Nick?
\par=20
\par }\pard \widctlpar {\b\f37\fs24 HYSTERIA
\par }\pard \fi288\widctlpar {\f37 I would say in conclusion that Mr. =
Griffin\rquote=20
s attack on me in his bulletin has about it the flavour of an hysterical =
chorus girl spitting venom at a theatre critic who has had the temerity =
to point out some flaws in her act. I suggest that it would be far=20
better that some of the issues of genuine internal controversy within =
the BNP, which are causing real concern to many members, should be =
properly addressed and discussed. Among these I would number not only =
the recent }{\i\f37 Dispatches}{\f37=20
TV programme but also hints by Mr. Griffin that he would like to admit =
non-white members; a dropping of the party\rquote=20
s commitment to an eventual all-white Britain; the plan (at one time) to =
adopt as council candidate for Oldham a woman with three half-black =
children by (I am told) three separate black sex partners; the granting =
of a regular column in the party\rquote=20
s newspaper to a Sikh writer; not least, the suggested electoral pact =
with UKIP just referred to.
\par What Mr. Griffin seems determined upon is that we will not have a =
serious internal debate on these matters. Rather than this, he just =
lashes out in personal abuse at those who dare to raise them. It is not =
convincing and it is not impressive. Most of all,
it is not the sign of a leader who has the confidence that he is right. =
=20
\par If there is anything in the Griffin bulletin which anyone thinks ha
s not been adequately answered in this document, please let me know and =
I will provide clarification. I have already had a few advance requests =
for the document, not by people who seriously believe Mr. Griffin\rquote =
s allegations but only so that it may serve as a source of reference =
when talking to any who may believe them.
\par=20
\par }\pard \widctlpar {\f37 JOHN TYNDALL
\par PO Box 2471
\par Hove
\par East Sussex BN3 4DT
\par (January 2003)
\par =20
\par }\pard \fi288\widctlpar {\f37 =20
\par =20
\par=20
\par=20
\par=20
\par =20
\par=20
\par =20
\par }}
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