Help us to stop the BNP from shamelessly exploiting badly injured soldiers
Last Friday we received an email from the BNP purporting to be from an ordinary member of the public. It asked for people to send in birthday cards to a BNP collection centre in the West Midlands so that they can be delivered to Fusilier Tom James, a badly injured Afghanistan veteran.
Our concern has been that the BNP will attempt to use these birthday cards for political advantage. (Please read our campaign Advisory Notice here explaining our evidence).
Last October we organised a campaign which highlighted the BNP’s distasteful attempts to exploit veterans, supported by Generals Sir Richard Dannatt, Sir Mike Jackson, Lord Guthrie and Major-General Patrick Cordingley. The campaign was also supported by brave veterans such as Andy McNab, Simon Weston and Iraq War commander Colonel Tim Collins.
The lack of transparency on the BNP’s part for this particular campaign is shameful. According to the owner of the picture, Picture It Now, Simon Bennett did not obtain a valid licence to use this picture in this email. In short this nothing more than obtaining good will by deception.
The BNP’s “Fusilier Tom James campaign” has been slammed by members of the veterans community and those who are closely associated with the military.
Major General Patrick Cordingley attacked the BNP’s lack of transparency. He told Nothing British:
“It is just so regrettable that they are being anything less than transparent.”
Simon Darby has already said on his blog that the British National Party intends to use our veterans and the military throughout its election campaign as party political propaganda. But the purpose of this is not to stop the BNP from shamelessly exploiting our veterans, but to remind the public that a party mired in corruption, violence, criminality and un-British behaviour are using shadowy tactics to exploit the heroism of those who are prepared to die for this country.
As very senior former member of the Armed Forces told Nothing British this week, “One of the number one rules in the British forces is that you don’t exploits our boys and girls in the forces.” We couldn’t have put it better ourselves.
Simon Weston, a former veteran of the Falklands War, has said that he “deplored the subterfuge and underhand politics” of the email and the BNP. Mr Weston said that he had no problem with people wanting to send birthday cards to veterans so long as they were “open and honest” but he said it should not be used as a “political ploy”, as with this campaign. He then added that these sorts of shadowy tactics and the BNP’s attempts to play on the “insecurities of ordinary people” was “anti-British”.
Adam Holloway MP, a former Grenadier Guardsman and member of the Defence Select Committee, exclusively told
Nothing British:
“I was with a British Asian Paratroop Regiment mate of mine who has served in Afghanistan and has won loads of medals for this country. A few weeks ago he met some supporters from the BNP in a pub and asked them what have they ever done for this country. They couldn’t answer him. To me that says it all.”
Liam Fox MP, Conservative Shadow Defence, told NB:
“This is a shameless and disgraceful exploitation of our injured service personnel to promote what is a hateful political organisation.”
Veterans Scotland, an organisation that represents all the veterans charities in Scotland, told us they were sending out our memo to all veterans charities in Scotland. COBSEO, the umbrella organisation for UK veterans charities, have also been informed.
Background
Simon Darby has said on his blog that the British National Party intends to use our veterans and the military throughout its election campaign as party political propaganda. But the purpose of this is not to stop the BNP from shamelessly exploiting our veterans, but to remind the public that a party mired in corruption, violence, criminality and un-British behaviour are using shadowy tactics to exploit the heroism of those who are prepared to die for this country.
As very senior former member of the Armed Forces told Nothing British this week, “One of the number one rules in the British forces is that you don’t exploits our boys and girls in the forces.” We couldn’t have put it better ourselves.
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There was nothing in the email even resembling any political propoganda; all you lot have done is politicise his surprise. You have sought to score a cheap point in politicising this call for birthday cards, and have no regard for the privacy of the trooper concerned.
Hypocricy
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AussieAl, we need to see an example of what the BNP is doing in it egregious campaign, I don’t think there’s any way round that.
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Anyone with the slightest intelligence knows that Nick Griffin cares nothing for British soldiers or their families. He is an opportunist who will cash in on any situation that seems plausible. Nick Griffin feeds his adoring follows with a constant diet of fear and he plays on their insecurities, often targeting the most vunerable members of our society.
He has become very wealthy through this method and his current campaign hits a new low, even by his standards.
Tragically his followers won`t or can`t acknowledge this. They refuse to see what`s staring them in the face because they see him as their saviour.
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Do you think Dave will save us?
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Is this from a Dave call me Abdul, oooh my bikes been nicked, hug-a-hussky keep the troops fighting, we need that oil pipeline Cameron?
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Lauren, women should be seen and not heard (just about the only thing i agree with the moslems about)
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It’s an email which asks people to send birthday cards to a wounded soldier.
It’s disgusting the way your advisory notice uses the words “begging letter” as if to imply that the BNP is somehow asking for cash.
Asking people to do the right thing is hardly a con or exploitation.
I’m ashamed that I ever was a tory. I’m proud that I’m in the BNP and I’m proud of my party.
Nothing British is run by a toff who couldn’t give a flying shit about the British white working classes.
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Major General Patrick Cordingley- tory
Adam Holloway – tory
Tim Montgomerie – tory
Liam Fox – tory
Maurice Cousins – tory
Propaganda by the tory party. Sick and Sad.
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Well I don’t think a load of Birthday cards will make Tom James vote BNP, so I wouldn’t worry about it if I were you.
I’ve sent my card, has anyone else?
I just hope he can achieve a good quality of life.
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You people are sick in the head. This was a simple, honest and sincere gesture of appreciation that did not involve politics in any way – and you know it.
You have tried your hardest to make political capital from this, but it will not wash. If Simon Weston or anyone else for that matter wants to speak with me and hear the truth, be a man and phone or email me.
Otherwise, just shut up and move along – there is nothing to see here.
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Must admit I smiled at the Birthday card the BNP sent me, it contained a voucher with £XXX on it (I can’t remember the amount) it was a discount on liife membership.
So to get something you had to spend a lot.
But what’s a small political party to do, when you have no big wealthy friends or unions to bail you out?
Like the old joke, I said to my wife “We have won the lottery!”
She replied “What about the begging letters?”
I said “keep sending them!”
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“One of the number one rules in the British forces is that you don’t exploits our boys and girls in the forces.”
Apart from the shameless photo opportunties that Gordon & co avail themselves of?
The using of our forces in wars of dubious legality & questionable outcome at great expense in human life & taxpayers hard earned money?
The idea that the BNP want you to send a card is a moral crime in comparison to all that?
Will you tell us how many cards were sent to him?
Well come May hopefully we will have a public verdict on all that.
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1. If Cordingley and his like had spent more of his time standing up to the government penny-pinchers, perhaps the Armed Forces today would be stronger and better equipped.
2. At least Darby is being honest. The other parties are doing the same whilst denying it.
3. Adam Holloway MP has a point. Can I re-direct it to the owners of this site. “What have YOU ever done for your country?”
As I am a former paratrooper, perhaps he will be equally interested in my opinion and the similar opinions held by many of my former comrades?
4. Liam Fox MP, who has never served should look to his own party’s use of the Armed Forces. One of the reasons I left that party was it’s shameless promises to the Amed Forces which it promptly forgot when in power. Remember “Options for Change”?
5. Simon Weston is a but simple soul…
6. As a Scot, Veterans Scotland’s stance does not surprise me. The tentacles od socialism reach far and deep.
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Simon seems to have gone from accepting the Queen’s shilling to Mr Murdoch’s shilling, so that means representing Rupert’s interests were ever they may lie.
I have seen him on a NB video & in an ad for the Sun.
Anybody else spotted Simon in something Murdoch related?
We can have a game of Spot Simon instead of Where’s Wally?
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What a embarrassment this site is and the CONservatives are.
I sent my card and well done to the BNP.
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NB has degenerated from irrelevant and innocuous, to irrelevant and nasty. The unadulterated rubbish being dished up in the last week or so, borders on nonsensical, and i can only conclude that the editorial staff are either mad or drunk.
None of this tripe is going to sway one voter in the north of England. Only a vote for the BNP will ensure that the issues of immigration and culture will be addressed.
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Indeed the stuff that NB is coming up with reminds me of the TV prog last night which seemed to be criticizing the BNP for not being radical enough to satisfy white working class lads. The poor be-hooded and be-masked boys are now having to form their own “party” because Nick Griffin has let them down!!!
I think that what with all the lies,deception and wobbling of the main parties Nick Griffin has steered a very straight and consistent path.
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Fan?
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ny
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“The BNP’s core weakness, its saving grace, is its own stupidity. The vast majority of its members are sad, ineffectual and damaged losers”, says Andrew Gilligan. Telegraph Published: 12th Feb 2010.
Judging by these responses, I guess he’s right!
If all of you BNPers are going to hijack (yet another) website comments section, at least try harder and have something coherent to say.
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You’ve finished the iorning then. Did you read the reasponse to Gilligans lazy journalism? much the same response you get, a big thumbs down.
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