“REDS UNDER THE BED” IN BNP TRADE UNION

27-06-2007

The British National Party’s attempt at creating its own trade union appears to have descended into farce - so much so that it’s stopped advertising the laughably named “Solidarity” on its official website.

Although the party and the unionare distinct legal entities, they share plenty of connections.

Solidarity’s main source of advertising is the BNP, and it’s President Clive Potter once stood as a candidate for the party.

Now though, it appears that the union is in meltdown. According to the BNP’s official site, “an unconstitutional attempt has been made to remove General Secretary Pat Harrington from his position”.

What’s more, they claim that efforts have been made to replace him “with an unknown individual from Merseyside whose involvement in the BNP has extended to just a few weeks - during which time the local organiser and activists concluded from his behaviour that he could well be a Marxist agent provocateur.”

In other words, there are reds under the BNP’s bed.

Except that the union’s Vice president Tim Hawke, writing on the Lancaster United Against Facism website, suggests that in reality there are issues of financial probity at stake.

He claims that Harrington (a former leader of the National Front) has been suspended after failing to provide full details of the accounts, which it’s claimed lack “clarity”.

Assuming Hawke’s letter is genuine, it suggests that Solidarity’s problems are self-made, and don’t arise from any outside interference.

You can judge for yourself by reading the his comments in full here

Harrington denies any wrong-doing and claims that "a deliberate attempt is being made to disrupt our Union on a large-scale" (see his comments here)

Either way, it seems that the BNP’s attempts to cash in on the name of the truly heroic Polish union founded by Lech Walesa have come to grief.

All together now - aaaaah!