The New Nationalist Party was a small,
far-right
Far-right politics, also referred to as the extreme right or right-wing extremism, are political beliefs and actions further to the right of the left–right political spectrum than the standard political right, particularly in terms of being ...
political party founded by former members of the
British National Party (BNP) in 2006. It was based in the
West Midlands
West or Occident is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sun sets on the Earth.
Etymology
The word "west" is a Germanic word passed into some ...
and its most prominent member was the former BNP member
Sharon Ebanks Sharon Elizabeth Ebanks (born 1963 or 1964) former member of the British National Party and one of the founder members of the New Nationalist Party. In 2006, she was wrongly declared elected to Birmingham City Council.
BNP activism
Ebanks was th ...
. Earlier in 2006, Ebanks was briefly a councillor in the
Kingstanding ward in
Birmingham before being forced to resign when it was shown that she had been awarded it due to counting irregularities despite losing the election.
The party, which used the slogan "Neither Left nor Right, but British", was registered with the
Electoral Commission on 11 December 2006 and deregistered on 1 November 2008.
Campaigns
Unlike the BNP, which now generally tends to be hostile towards
Islam
Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...
, the NNP stated that it was less critical of external influences, and that it concentrated more on local, community based politics. The party was also involved with a campaign to combat drug dealers in schools in Birmingham.
The party also took a leading role in the campaign to save Kingstanding community centre from demolition, with Ebanks accusing local councillors of lying after they stated the building had been condemned as unsafe due to the presence of asbestos.
Leading members
The party held its inaugural meeting in January 2007 in the
West Midlands
West or Occident is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sun sets on the Earth.
Etymology
The word "west" is a Germanic word passed into some ...
. Officials appointed at that time were Sharon Ebanks (chairman), Dave Cheetham (deputy chairman), Keith Axon (treasurer), Matthew Benton (nominating officer), Tom Simpson (party legal officer), Maureen Davies (national fundraiser) and David Williams (website editor).
The NNP did not have any elected councillors or Members of Parliament, nor did it inherit any councillors who had belonged to the BNP.
Policies
Unlike an earlier breakaway, the
England First Party
The England First Party (EFP) was an English nationalist and far-right political party. It had two councillors on Blackburn with Darwen council between 2006 and 2007.
Formation and policies
They were formed in 2004 by Mark Cotterill who ha ...
, which supports
English nationalism, the NNP remained supportive of
British nationalism, although it campaigned to make
St George's Day a national holiday.
According to the NNP website the party's policies included:
* Increasing spending on the
National Health Service, and putting in safeguards to prevent "
health tourism
Medical tourism refers to people traveling abroad to obtain medical treatment. In the past, this usually referred to those who traveled from less-developed countries to major medical centers in highly developed countries for treatment unavailable a ...
" in the future.
* Abolition of the "
postcode lottery" in health care.
* Withdrawal from
North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and withdrawal of
British Forces Germany
British Forces Germany (''BFG'') was the generic name for the three services of the British Armed Forces, made up of service personnel, UK Civil Servants, and dependents (family members), based in Germany. It was established following the Second ...
to areas of the United Kingdom that are in need of economic regeneration.
* Preservation of the UK's strategic nuclear deterrent.
* Repeal of the
European Communities Act 1972 and the establishment of
fair trade
Fair trade is an arrangement designed to help producers in developing countries achieve sustainable and equitable trade relationships. The fair trade movement combines the payment of higher prices to exporters with improved social and enviro ...
links with
Commonwealth of Nations countries.
* Imposition of a complete ban on immigration, and deportation of all illegal immigrants and foreign criminals residing in British jails.
* Outlawing
affirmative action practices in the workplace.
* Increasing the basic state pension to an acceptable level.
* Britain's role as a
G8 country will be one of a humanitarian nature, with the aim of ending
Third World poverty, through positive G8 policies.
Its policy base was dismissed by the ''
Daily Mirror'' which described the party as being "anti-European, anti-immigrant party. But wants free dental care for all, which is nice."
Electoral activity
The NNP's first foray into electoral politics came at the
2007 local elections with the party standing four candidates in
Birmingham and one each in
North Tyneside and
Teesside. The presence of the party in local elections in
Birmingham was by the ''
Birmingham Mail'' as effectively ending any hope of the BNP gaining a council seat in the city due to a split far right vote. This was proven correct as the BNP's vote in the city fell considerably from its previous level.
It obtained 357 votes across Birmingham and only 59 votes in Whitley Bay ward, North Tyneside. Ebanks managed 171 votes in Kingstanding and was not elected.
Labour Party councillor Peter Kane, who won the seat, claimed that with the failure of the NNP "the Kingstanding people are sending out the message that we are a community which will solve problems together."
References
External links
BNP report on KingstandingChairman's speech in Leeds
{{UK far right
British National Party breakaway groups
Eurosceptic parties in the United Kingdom
Political parties established in 2006
Far-right political parties in the United Kingdom
Defunct political parties in England
Political parties disestablished in 2008
2006 establishments in the United Kingdom
2008 disestablishments in the United Kingdom