Toad-faced leader of right-wing party expelled as ‘disruptive influence’
What a shame it wasn’t Nigel Farage.
It could have been, considering the description. Turns out it was only Nick Griffin.
He stepped down as leader of the BNP after the disastrous collapse of its vote in the European Parliament elections, when he lost his seat. It seems the extremist members of the British public had found another far-right party to support, headed by another toad-faced leader (as intimated in our headline).
Now the backlash: The BNP’s conduct committee – and you’re probably no less amazed than anyone else at the revelation that it has one – launched an investigation into Griffin’s behaviour when he stepped down as leader in July (after 15 years). Announcing its decision to kick him out, the committee said he had sought to “destabilise” the party and “embroil it in factionalism”.
In return, he tweeted an accusation that the party’s new leadership was indulging in “plastic gangster games” – which is hardly an insult as that’s what the BNP does normally, isn’t it?
Griffin appeared on the BBC’s Question Time in 2009, after the BNP gained six per cent of the vote in that year’s European elections.
The appearance provoked widespread protest from the public. One can only wonder how many of those people now support UKIP.
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It’s no shame to UKIP that at their Conference there were many ex-Labour voters – some even put forward motions that were voted on. Democracy at it’s finest. You betray your fear – why is it a shame that it wasn’t Farage? You’d rather see him go than Griffin? Are you betraying your own real politics here?
No, but you seem to be showing yours.
“The appearance provoked widespread protest from the public. One can only wonder how many of those people now support UKIP.”
Quite.
I’ve always thought Farage looks a little like Kermit the Frog, rather than a toad. I see a resemblance between Griffin and Baron Greenback from the Dangermouse cartoons.
I agree about Griffin. Farage I often see as Toad from The Wind in the Willows – a sort of bon viveur who latches onto particular ideas with glee and doesn’t care how much damage they are likely to cause.
The Farage analogy can only be taken so far though. Toad loses interest in his latest obsession almost as rapidly as it catches his eye, whereas Farage never lets any fixation go, especially a fixation on foreigners.
I first noticed the Griffin/Greenback resemblance after the riots in 2011. The weekend after the chaos in Salford, Griffin and the BNP activists came into town, feeling this was the ideal time to go recruit-hunting. I was walking through Eccles Cross, and there was Griffin himself, offering his sickly grins, sordid party literature, and a handshake to anyone passing. I thought, “Didn’t I see him in a cartoon with David Jason and Terry Scott doing the voices when I was at school?”
(When he offered me a handshake, I told him that I am Jewish. He withdrew the proffered hand rather quickly…..)
I’m not Jewish but if people like Griffin come near me, I reckon I’ll say I am.
Personally I liked the guy, say what you will about him and but the BNP warned us of the tragedies of Rotherham and other cases before it became to light
Hitler was nice to dogs. So I guess that genocide-of-millions thing and attempt to conquer all of Europe in the name of Liebensraum is only one side of the story, yeah?
We all have little peccadilloes.