A Personal Statement on the Registration of the National Front as a Political Party
As the registered Treasurer of the National Front until a few
days ago, I alone had the legal capacity to renew the party's registration with
the Electoral Commission. Carrying out this routine procedure was made
problematic, though, because re-registering the party required that I complete
and sign an RP8 form stating that the details of the party's registration with
the EC were correct. However, the details were not correct as they named the
party's former Chairman Ian Edward, who resigned in May 2013, as its registered
Leader and Nominating Officer. At a subsequent Directorate meeting, Kevin Bryan
was elected as Chairman (and so, leader) and Dave MacDonald as Nominating
Officer.
Replacement officers are notified to the Electoral Commission by submission of an RP4 form. Ian Edward initially wrote to the EC informing them of his resignations and asking them to remove his details from the National Front's profile. The EC replied that they could not do this without an RP4 form signed by me as the remaining registered official and the replacement officers. I prepared the relevant forms and sent them to Ian Edward for signing and forwarding to the Electoral Commission for action. After receiving the forms, Ian Edward had a 'change of heart' and decided that he would do everything possible to prevent the party from functioning, including not allowing the registration of new officers.
In October 2013, the party's re-registration fell due. I consulted the Electoral Commission and was informed that, if Edward persisted in refusing to sign an RP4 form they would 'probably' eventually agree to change our registered details with his consent. I therefore submitted our re-registration with a covering letter reminding them of our change of officers. However, the advice from the EC turned out to be incorrect.
There are no loop-holes in the PPERA 1998 (the Act Of Parliament which introduced the registration of political parties) which allow for an officer to be removed from a party's registration without his consent. Nor, because this situation has not arisen before are there any legal precedents for dealing with it.
The party and its members spent a fair amount of money on consulting solicitors and barristers. We were quoted a figure for taking a court case against Edward to its conclusion, which would have resulted in a Pyrrhic victory, as we would have been left in debt and unable to mount a significant election campaign as a result. In the meantime, Edward's spite was preventing the party from standing in elections, which was damaging morale and recruitment.
At a Directorate meeting on July 4th, it was agreed in principle that the National Front's registration with the Electoral Commission should be allowed to lapse and a new application naming the correct officers be submitted. I discussed our decision with officials of the Electoral Commission and, in the week leading up to the deadline, the EC contacted me to ask whether we were still committed to this course of action or if I would be re-registering the party. I and other members spoke to staff at the EC on many occasions and at no time was it ever suggested that the EC would refuse any application to renew the party's registration.
Except for the bare fact that the National Front is not presently a registered party, the article on the Heritage and Destiny website and that -by or from the same 'source'- on the Searchlight website are complete fabrications.
The name 'National Front' is 'protected' until January 1st. This means that the Electoral Commission will disallow any attempts to register a party with this (or any similar) name, unless I re-register it with the details current at the time its registration lapsed. This, I will not do. An application to re-register the National Front with the Electoral Commission containing the details of the officers of the party chosen by its Directorate (consisting of regional representatives and members elected by the membership of the party) will be submitted in January. Before that, the EC will write to me outlining the criteria they will use to decide between applicants in the event that more than one application to register a party with the name 'National Front' is received (as seems possible).
It is disappointing that the NF will not be a registered party for a short period of time, but this has happened before (in 2006/7) and, of course, for the first 30 years of its existence the party was 'unregistered' as no Electoral Commission existed.
I would like to thank all National Front members for their unselfish loyalty to the party, their humbling dedication to the cause of British racial nationalism and, above all, their patience over the last eighteen stressful months. I hope that members have been kept informed of developments, as far as possible, at local meetings, but I would also like to apologise to any who feel they have been 'kept in the dark'. The officers of the party have pursued every possible option to protect the party's existence and resolve this unprecedented crisis.
In a few short months, the re-registration of the party should be completed. We have suffered damage, but stability should see us recover and make steady progress in the months and years following that.
We can make a start by ensuring that Sunday's Remembrance parade is dignified, disciplined and well-supported and follow it up by getting the maximum possible number of renewals and new members in before January so that we can hit the ground running in 2015.
With determination and the continuing loyalty of its members to the party and each other, there is no reason the National Front cannot confound its critics and enemies again and surge ahead once more.
Rally Round the Front!
Nick Walsh
Treasurer,
National Front
Replacement officers are notified to the Electoral Commission by submission of an RP4 form. Ian Edward initially wrote to the EC informing them of his resignations and asking them to remove his details from the National Front's profile. The EC replied that they could not do this without an RP4 form signed by me as the remaining registered official and the replacement officers. I prepared the relevant forms and sent them to Ian Edward for signing and forwarding to the Electoral Commission for action. After receiving the forms, Ian Edward had a 'change of heart' and decided that he would do everything possible to prevent the party from functioning, including not allowing the registration of new officers.
In October 2013, the party's re-registration fell due. I consulted the Electoral Commission and was informed that, if Edward persisted in refusing to sign an RP4 form they would 'probably' eventually agree to change our registered details with his consent. I therefore submitted our re-registration with a covering letter reminding them of our change of officers. However, the advice from the EC turned out to be incorrect.
There are no loop-holes in the PPERA 1998 (the Act Of Parliament which introduced the registration of political parties) which allow for an officer to be removed from a party's registration without his consent. Nor, because this situation has not arisen before are there any legal precedents for dealing with it.
The party and its members spent a fair amount of money on consulting solicitors and barristers. We were quoted a figure for taking a court case against Edward to its conclusion, which would have resulted in a Pyrrhic victory, as we would have been left in debt and unable to mount a significant election campaign as a result. In the meantime, Edward's spite was preventing the party from standing in elections, which was damaging morale and recruitment.
At a Directorate meeting on July 4th, it was agreed in principle that the National Front's registration with the Electoral Commission should be allowed to lapse and a new application naming the correct officers be submitted. I discussed our decision with officials of the Electoral Commission and, in the week leading up to the deadline, the EC contacted me to ask whether we were still committed to this course of action or if I would be re-registering the party. I and other members spoke to staff at the EC on many occasions and at no time was it ever suggested that the EC would refuse any application to renew the party's registration.
Except for the bare fact that the National Front is not presently a registered party, the article on the Heritage and Destiny website and that -by or from the same 'source'- on the Searchlight website are complete fabrications.
The name 'National Front' is 'protected' until January 1st. This means that the Electoral Commission will disallow any attempts to register a party with this (or any similar) name, unless I re-register it with the details current at the time its registration lapsed. This, I will not do. An application to re-register the National Front with the Electoral Commission containing the details of the officers of the party chosen by its Directorate (consisting of regional representatives and members elected by the membership of the party) will be submitted in January. Before that, the EC will write to me outlining the criteria they will use to decide between applicants in the event that more than one application to register a party with the name 'National Front' is received (as seems possible).
It is disappointing that the NF will not be a registered party for a short period of time, but this has happened before (in 2006/7) and, of course, for the first 30 years of its existence the party was 'unregistered' as no Electoral Commission existed.
I would like to thank all National Front members for their unselfish loyalty to the party, their humbling dedication to the cause of British racial nationalism and, above all, their patience over the last eighteen stressful months. I hope that members have been kept informed of developments, as far as possible, at local meetings, but I would also like to apologise to any who feel they have been 'kept in the dark'. The officers of the party have pursued every possible option to protect the party's existence and resolve this unprecedented crisis.
In a few short months, the re-registration of the party should be completed. We have suffered damage, but stability should see us recover and make steady progress in the months and years following that.
We can make a start by ensuring that Sunday's Remembrance parade is dignified, disciplined and well-supported and follow it up by getting the maximum possible number of renewals and new members in before January so that we can hit the ground running in 2015.
With determination and the continuing loyalty of its members to the party and each other, there is no reason the National Front cannot confound its critics and enemies again and surge ahead once more.
Rally Round the Front!
Nick Walsh
Treasurer,
National Front
No comments:
Post a Comment
Anything to say about anything.....