So Andrew Brons MEP, who previously challenged Nick Griffin
for the leadership of the BNP, has quit the party.
The Guardian reports:
One of the two British National Party Euro-MPs has left the far-right movement and made claims that he has been "constructively dismissed".
Andrew Brons was elected alongside the BNP's leader, Nick Griffin, in the European Parliament elections of 2009 at the height of the party's popularity.
The BNP has been hit by in-fighting and defections over the past two years. Seventeen months ago Mr Brons tried to oust Mr Griffin from the leadership but failed by just nine votes.
What is the cause of all this fighting within the far right, you may ask? To answer that question I defer to Matthew Collins, author of Hate: My Life in the British Far Right. It is, says Matthew, because ‘everyone wants to be Führer’.
In light of the publication of his book, we spoke to Matt about divisions in the far right movement, the link between austerity measures and the rise of the far right, and more. You can watch the interview here and for the full tale of Matt’s experience in the far right, the book provides an excellent account…
What do you do when everything you know and believe in crashes down around you in a hail of fists and boots, flying chairs and broken glass? And not just once, but seemingly every time you leave the house? When it seemed that no one was listening, that Matthew Collins was just another white face from a council estate, and that there was nowhere else to go and nothing else to do, the violence and racism of the far-right offered him an alluring escape from the mediocrity of school, work and boredom. In 1980s Britain, the belligerent sentiments of a few hundred lonely white men went almost unnoticed, but this tiny minority had grand designs. Ignored and marginalised, and fuelled by alcohol and violence, they built a party that would go on to hold seats in council chambers across England and in the European Parliament. Hidden behind those large Union Jack flags were individuals - Collins included – seemingly prepared to bomb and kill to make their violent dreams a reality. But what do you do when you realise that the burning hatred, vehement patriotism and thirst for confrontation that haunts you – from the playground to the pub to the ballot box – stems from your own insecurities and isolation? The answer? You switch sides.
Buy the book here.