BNP leader Nick Griffin has agreed to ask his party to amend its constitution so it does not discriminate on grounds of race or religion, a court heard.
The UK’s equalities watchdog had argued the BNP broke the Race Relations Act by restricting members to “indigenous Caucasian” people.
The court heard Mr Griffin had agreed to use “all reasonable endeavours” to revise its constitution.
BNP members will be asked to agree to the changes at a meeting in November.
Either the begging letters didn’t raise enough or Fat Nick thought it would be better spent in the upcoming general election.
Will the disgruntled party faithful accept these changes? Who knows, but according to the current BNP consitution (pdf) says…
SECTION 14: REVISIONS TO THIS CONSTITUTION
1) Consideration will regularly be given to changes in this Constitution for the purpose of improving the functional efficiency of the party. Final authority to determine such changes, however, will rest with the elected National Chairman – saving those Sections protected by Section 13, Sub-section4.
So, the Chairman can change most of the constitution as he sees fit. What does Section 13, sub-section 4 say?
Any changes in Sections 1, 4, 5 or 13 of this constitution must be approved by a two thirds majority vote of members attending a General Members’ Meeting.
Follow the number. Follow the numbers.
Section 1 is Political Objectives
Section 4 is Elections to the Party Leadership
Section 5 is Advisory Council
Section 13 is General Members’ Meetings
All the above sections need a two third majority vote of the membership.
Section 2: Membership, doesn’t. Fat Nick, being the Chairman, has the authority to change that section of the constitution all by himself.
So where does that leave the BNP?
Fat Nick has no choice but to change the constitution because the law requires it to be changed and the Chairman has the authority to change it. The party faithful has no say in it. Either the constitution changes or the BNP stop being a legally* legitimate political party.
*Whatever, they will remain a morally illegitimate party.
All this though, will not change the party at all. Consider this, from a report of a public BNP meeting in Cleveleys (via)…
One member offers me a drink as he says: “We’re not intimidating are we? We get a lot of bad press but we’re not thugs.”
But I don’t like what I hear next as around six people put their hands up to request an application form to become a BNP member. One convert shouts: “I’ll have an application form, but not a coloured one!”
It was greeted with laughter by most in the audience, and was a deeply unpleasant reminder of where I was.
…
While inside the building the recruitment drive was in full flow, it was a different story outside as four people got turned away. All were either black or Asian. There were no members of the ethnic minorities inside.
As I left a security guard told me: “After a while it was getting full up so we decided it had to be members only.”
Strange that, as I was given a seat all to myself and I’m not a member. And I swear there was plenty of space.
Leave a Reply