BNP Stall In Exeter

The BNP held a brief stall in Exeter High Street yesterday, and faced with various opponents including the Socialist Party and complaints from the public which attracted the Police, they were forced to pack up and retreat. Unfortunately the Police then made everyone pack up their stalls for the sake of appearing 'even-handed'.

Next Saturday we are encouraging every Community, Campaign and Political group to come and bring a stall to the High Street so that we send the message loud and clear that the BNP are not welcome in Exeter, and also that we will not let them spoil it for the rest of us and allow the Police or Council to stop groups from having stalls in the Town Centre.

BNP out of Devon!

According to the Express & Echo, the BNP recently held a 'secret meeting' of up to 100 people in Broadclyst, near Exeter. The meeting was organised by one Colin Fribbens, a Parish Councillor who runs a local youth group. The meeting has caused a storm of controversy, with letters flying in to the Echo, mostly from BNP supporters, and local parents removing their kids from the youth group. A couple have also complained to the local authority about being intimidated by BNP canvassers in Broadclyst.

Some of the letters in support of the BNP have been ridiculous, and it seems there are a lot of people being taken in by the BNP's propaganda, accepting it at face value. These people need to be educated as to the nature of the BNP as an organisation, as this is a Party whose leading members nationally have a combined total running to well over 100 convictions for a huge range of offences including gun and knife crime, explosives offences, violent assaults, racist assaults, domestic violence and armed robbery. The BNP is not only a racist and certainly formerly an openly fascist organisation, it is also chock full of thugs, and racist and violent attacks generally increase where there is BNP activity.

One woman- Jane Holmes of Exeter, writes she has "Fear of a terrorist bomb attack" in Exeter, as if the BNP will somehow protect her from this. She seems unaware that the London Nail Bomber, David Copeland, was a member of the BNP and even acted as a Steward at some of their meetings. He carried out a 13 day bombing campaign across London in 1999, the bombs killed three, including a pregnant woman, and injured 129, four of whom lost limbs. No warnings were given. I was in Brixton High Street in 1999 when the bomb there detonated and witnessed the carnage first hand. I have seen the violence at rallies and marches organised by the BNP, and have met the victims of vicious racist attacks conducted by BNP thugs. When asked his motivation for carrying out the bombings against Black & Bengali Communities, Copeland replied "Because I don't like them, I want them out of this country, I'm a national socialist, Nazi, whatever you want to call me, I believe in the master race."

Another woman who attended the meeting, Vicky O'Hara, from Ottery St Mary, says that they are all 'nice people'. She would do well to understand the nature of the organisation she and her husband are getting involved with. The BNP's annual 'Red, White and Blue Festival' has been held at a number of locations, and features performances from skinhead bands and attracts crowds of football hooligans sporting swastika tattoos and giving Nazi salutes. There has been violence associated with every event.

The BNP have sought, in the last decade, to bury these truths about their nature, and to apply a thin veneer of respectability to their activities. They have dropped marches and rallies and abandoned (at least openly) their paramilitary activities. But they are still a Party of hate, and they offer no solutions for the people of Devon. Look at their dismal record where they have been elected to Councils: in Burnley two Councillors were convicted for violent offences and one resigned stating: "I keep asking myself how could I have been so stupid as to have anything to do with them." In Blackburn a Councillor left the BNP after complaining about the drug dealers and football hooligans who dominated his local BNP branch. He also criticised the Burnley BNP councillors as useless. No BNP Councillor has successfully moved a motion to assist local people in any way on any Council on which they are represented, and their attendance records are dismal.

We have to combat the growing number of people in Devon getting conned into believing the BNP's lies and half truths, revealing to them the truth about the Party they are joining, so that they understand what they are getting themselves into. I don't believe most of these individuals clearly understand the nature of the beast, and consider the BNP as a political alternative, as Socialists we have to fight back with ideas, offering a far more clear and appealing alternative for the people of Devon.

Article by SB, a Socialist Party member in Tiverton.

Plymouth Power! A book review of Todd Gray's 'Blackshirts in Devon'

There may be many Devonians alive today who probably don’t even realise they have grandparents or great grandparents who are heroes/heroines, There are no statues or plaques in their honour or anniversary tributes but there should be. Perhaps the new Tory Council could arrange a ceremony on the Hoe!

We know a great deal about the effects of the Second World War on places like Exeter and Plymouth but little about the pre-war struggles against the home-grown variety of fascism. A book by Exeter-based historian Todd Gray tells the story at last - ‘The Blackshirts in Devon’.

Gray uses a wide variety of sources to put the story together – local police and Labour Party branch secretary reports, newspaper coverage and national Home Office material. He also provides a wealth of detail from Devonian fascists themselves - letters, newspapers and journals. Unfortunately, there is one major gap in the book – the stories told by anti-fascists, especially how they organised against the fascist threat. Despite that, Gray has given us a fascinating slice of Devon history.

Nationally, Oswald Mosley founded the British Union of Fascists (BUF) in 1932. Within a year BUF branches had been formed across Devon, the first in Plymouth in July 1933. There were small numbers of BUF members in places like Exmouth, Torbay and North Devon and these relied heavily on a few national BUF organisers to keep them going. It’s clear, though, that wherever the BUF attempted to spread their propaganda, there was often local opposition - in Sidmouth an angry crowd threw a fascist into the river.

The main centres of BUF activity were Plymouth and Exeter. According to local police and Labour Party reports, the Plymouth Branch had over a thousand members at its height in 1934. We don’t know what these members’ levels of commitment were. There were various options – regularly buying BUF newspapers and journals, taking part in branch meetings, attending major public meetings, donating regularly. Some may have just joined to gain access to all the facilities available at the large headquarters in Lockyer Street. In the beginning there were about 50-100 active members who organised and attended outdoor meetings, sold newspapers in the street and acted as stewards at street and larger public meetings. In all this seriousness, there were lighter moments in the book – Plymouth BUF members were forced to change their uniforms as they were being mistaken for tram conductors!

Plymouth BUF met with opposition from the start. As the months went by this grew in numbers and temper, heckling and harassing at virtually every public event organised by the fascists. This constant harrying wore the BUF down. This can be seen by charting the number of stewards they were able to muster at certain meetings. In February 1934 they had about 60. On April 6th (in the Octagon) there were 14 and at a September meeting at Prince Rock only 3 were available. For most of 1934 the police were having great difficulty in keeping order at all. At one point (on June 13th 1934), they were unable to cope with such a large and hostile crowd of anti-fascists without the intervention of a passing navy patrol!

A BUF branch had existed in Exeter since late 1933 and became the main centre of fascist activity in Devon after the Plymouth branch’s collapse. There was a brief flurry of activity in 1936 and 1937 but they made little headway – partly because of organised opposition by local anti-fascists but also because as the War loomed, the increasing association of the BUF with German Nazism damaged their credibility even further. The Exeter Branch became so weak and ineffective it was forced into joint activity with Dorchester fascists.

Gray acknowledges the effect of anti-fascists in reducing the possible influence of the BUF in Devon but concluded that changes in tactics as a result of decisions made in London by Mosley were the main reason for the decline – he mentions the adoption in Plymouth of the violent tactics employed by the BUF in the East End of London, resulting in the loss of the Plymouth branch in 1935.

But large-scale opposition had already severely dented the BUF influence in Plymouth by the end of the summer of 1934 – witness the substantially reduced numbers of stewards the BUF could muster by then. Plymouth BUF had become so beleaguered by the anti-fascists that a last desperate bid to bolster them was made by arranging a public meeting addressed by Mosley in early October 1934, along with importing violent BUF toughs from other parts of the country, particularly the East End of London. This led to more violent disorder, including a confrontation in the Market Square on October 11th. The Western Morning News reported that about 10,000 anti-fascists were present. As a result of these disturbances, three fascists were imprisoned at Exeter following assault charges. By November 1934 the Plymouth BUF had virtually disappeared, thanks to the efforts, all told, of thousands of Plymothians.

All these events took place about seventy years ago, so what is the relevance of the book now? Well, it finally acknowledges the role of thousands of un-named and unknown Devonians who decided to do something about the fascist poison in their midst. Most of all, though, it’s a testimony to the power the working class has when we are united and act together in enough numbers.

The fight against the fascists of today, the British National Party (BNP), has to be led by the working class ourselves, as it was against Mosley and the BUF in the 1930s. We can’t rely on fine words from MPs, councillors, trade union or religious leaders, sports or showbusiness types. Especially if these people support the anti-working class policies of one of the three main political parties, which have been mainly responsible for people voting for the BNP in the first place! Only the working class has the power to crush any fascist threat, just as only the working class can really change the world for the better.

Book review by DL, a supporter of the Campaign for a New Workers' Party

Exeter branch meeting 8/5/07

In a lively branch meeting, we discussed issues ranging from the Scottish elections to carbon emissions trading to the BNP.

Secretary JT (for reasons of security - BNP members operate a charming website called 'Redwatch' which publishes details of socialists with the aim of fascist thugs beating them up - we use initials in these branch meeting reports) opened the meeting with his analysis of the recent elections. He highlighted the fact that despite New Labour's annihilation in Scotland and retreat in Wales, they had not done so bad in England. In some parts of the country, such as the large northern cities and Coventry, the New Labour vote actually went up. JT pinned this on the fears of many traditional Labour voters of the return of a Tory government, which despite Cameron's soft soaping, is rightly dreaded by most working class people. It may also be due to Blair's imminent departure and illusions that still exist in Gordon Brown. The BNP had not done as well as hoped, and though they gained one seat overall, they lost four seats they previously held, demonstrating that once people see what they are really about they are quickly ditched.

In the discussion that followed this opening, those at the meeting generally agreed with the analysis about the fortunes of the Labour Party. JL also voiced his view that anti-fascist campaigning had to put forward an alternative (in the form of the Campaign for a New Workers' Party) or else be pointless in combating the conditions that the BNP thrive in - the lack of a political alternative to the parties of cuts and privatisation.

Linking the opening discussion with the main discussion on the environment, chair AC noted the progress of the Greens in this election and how they are seen by many as a left wing alternative. Many attending the meeting had examples of opportunism and right wing policies pursued by the Greens, for example voting through budgets cutting services in Lewisham and Kirklees in exchange for a few pitiful concessions such as slightly increased recycling, and proposing increasing already extortionate hospital car parking prices and raising the idea of congestion charging in North Devon.

In the organisational section of the meeting the issue of the press fund was raised - the party needs to replace its ageing printing press with some more modern equipment and, having no rich backers, we rely on the financial sacrifices of our members to get things done. Many Exeter Socialist Party members have pledged outstanding amounts to the fund.

JT raised the request by the Irish Socialist Party for England and Wales Socialist Party members to help with their election campaign. In the May 24th election we hope to have Joe Higgins TD (member of the Irish parliament the Dail) re-elected and Cllr. Clare Daly elected.

Also, with the CNWP conference on Saturday, it was confirmed that there will be 5 CNWP supporters attending what should be a historic and inspiring event.

TA led the main discussion on the environment with a wide ranging introduction touching on the science behind climate change, the wilful inactivity of Governments due to obsession with short term rapid economic growth and close relations with the fossil fuel industry. TA left us all to draw our conclusions when he revealed that the Association of Petroleum Geologists was the only scientific body, presumably twinned with the organisation 'Turkeys Against Christmas'.

TA outlined the forces inherent within capitalism that not only cause this tremendous environmental destruction but also render it incapable of doing anything meaningful to solve the problem - in fact the private free-market in energy means decisions are based on profit not social and environmental need - the prices of different fuels dictating whether they would be used in power stations regardless of the carbon dioxide burning them releases.

There were many viable solutions in terms of energy conservation and using greener energy, and while individuals did have a responsibility to act in an environmentally friendly way, ultimately this would be a drop in the ocean while big business pollutes the planet.

In the discussion following TA's lead off, the fact that science is not divorced from society was raised. For instance, the original report of the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) written by scientists and much more robust in its conclusions and recommendations, was watered down dramatically by Governments to make it more vague and avoid pinning the blame on Governments and big business.

The idea of a democratically planned economy as a counterpoint to the capitalist free market anarchy we currently live in was also raised. In a democratically planned economy, long term decisions would be democratically made regarding energy generation, enabling mass construction of renewable energy facilities, coupled with a programme of energy efficiency. For example, Cuba, a planned economy (not democratically planned, so there are inefficiences and flaws) was able to pursue a programme of replacing all of its lightbulbs with energy efficient lightbulbs. Cuba is also recognised by the UN as the only environmentally sustainable country in the world. If a poor country which doesn't have the undoubted advantages of having its planning democratically controlled, think what democratic socialist planning could achieve in a rich country like Britain.

All the capitalist apologists can muster is a 'carbon emissions trading scheme' - whereby licences to pollute are bought and sold in a kind of stock exchange. In other words, the capitalists have even found a way to make money out of environmental damage! The scheme is ineffective at reducing carbon dioxide emissions though.

The issue of 'Green taxes' was also raised. As socialists we would oppose all taxes such as Green taxes, that disproportionately affect ordinary working class people - a tax on air travel would prevent a normal family from going abroad on holiday, but the rich Government minister would be able to travel without restriction! We favour democratic socialist planning as a solution to environmental problems, not reducing living conditions for ordinary people.

As luck would have it, there happens to be an excellent article on alternative energy sources in this week's copy of the socialist, the weekly newspaper of the Socialist Party, an indispensible read for workers and youth: http://www.socialistparty.org.uk/2007/485/index.html?id=pp1183.htm

Apologies to any who attended yesterday's meeting whose contributions I have missed off, I do remember it being an excellent discussion with a lot of interesting, relevant and insightful points put forward by all those who spoke, but I can't remember everything and didn't take extensive notes, and this post has gone on quite long anyway. It would be great though if we could have a bit of debate in the comments section on some of the points raised at the meeting.

3rd May elections and recent activity

On Saturday 28th April, Devon Socialist Party members and CNWP supporters leafletted the Ilfracombe East ward with anti-BNP leaflets. The leaflets put forward class arguments and posed the question of a new alternative to the main parties for workers. The BNP candidate subsequently failed miserably, garnering just 63 votes. Also on the 28th, members did stalls in Exeter and Taunton and sold over 30 newspapers. On the Sunday, members travelled up to Bristol to assist with Tom Baldwin's election campaign in Windmill Hill. He got a good vote in the end, and was praised by the PCS union for his answers to the questions they asked of all council candidates.

We expressed our solidarity with the striking PCS members on 1st May.

There will be a full analysis of the local, Scottish and Welsh elections on here shortly, including the votes for Socialist Alternative candidates, the state of the BNP vote and lessons for anti-fascist work and the situation in Scotland.

Fight the fascist BNP in North Devon

The BNP have raised their ugly heads in North Devon - they are standing a candidate called Dave Moore in the Ilfracombe East ward for North Devon District Council. Now, this bloke doesn't stand much chance of winning, but he might do well enough for the BNP to establish a foothold in Ilfracombe, a town where the attractive tourist-friendly sea front masks a great deal of poverty and deprivation.

North Devon Socialist Party is conducting a mass leafleting of the ward on Saturday 28th April. We need as many people to come along as possible to help, regardless of whether you are a member of the party. This is partly because of the scale of the task, partly as a show of strength. Please email Socialist Party Devon if you can help: socialistpartydevon@gmail.com