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29/05/2009 - A call from the Times PDF Print E-mail

I had two very strange telephone conversations yesterday and today with a Journalist from the Times - Fiona Hamilton. Earlier in the week Fiona wrote an article about a £5000 donation made to our Union brotherhood by BNP Leader Nick Griffin. As reported elsewhere on our Site Nick had been given a donation to use as he saw fit - at his absolute discretion. He decided to give it to our Union as he was impressed by our defence of some of his members who were being persecuted by Bosses on account of their political views. It is now alleged that the donation was part of an attempted 'Sting' operation. The idea, it is said, was to get Nick Griffin to keep the money personally or to smuggle it into BNP funds in contravention of electoral law. He, however, seems more honest than most of our current elected representatives! So the Sting backfired and Fiona doesn't seem very happy.

 
Fiona asked me unusual questions which I want to summarise and answer here.
 
1. Fiona asked me if I had attended meetings of the BNP. I have looked at my diaries and I can state that I have attended only three such meetings, one in Durham, one in Newcastle and a Red, White and Blue festival. At each I was given the opportunity of promoting our Union. I attended at my own expense and without recourse to Union funds. I make no secret of the fact that I am a long-standing personal friend of Mr Griffin. I am also a member of a different Party (the National Liberal Party) which has significant policy differences with the BNP and stands against them and supports alternative candidates at elections. I attend many different political meetings (most recently in support of the Palestinians and Tamils) and am happy to speak at any gathering to promote our Union. Please feel free to send invites!
 
2. Fiona asked me if we were an "all-White Union". Anyone perusing our website will see that we clearly state that membership is open to people of all ethnic and Faith backgrounds. I told her this and she asked how many members were drawn from non-white communities. Our Union keeps no figures on this but I told her that I personally knew six. Although we are a small Union I have not met every member. I told Fiona that we had recently reached a good settlement for one of our members who is a Tamil. I offered to E-mail further information to Fiona on this point but sadly she has not yet contacted me (as she promised) with her E-mail address.
 
3. Fiona asked me if we gave money to the BNP. We don't. In fact we don't have a Political Fund and give money to no Party. This is in contrast to many establishment Unions who donate large sums to Labour and even have block votes within that Party. Our members support different Parties and exercise their own judgement in such matters. A number are members of the BNP as other Unions have refused to offer them protection in employment matters. We, in contrast, are happy to protect the Human and Employment rights of all.
 
I don't know what kind of article Fiona intends to write. Perhaps it will be fair and objective. Let's hope so. It would make a refreshing change.

Comments

avatar Completely Blank
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125 guests and one member - me - this evening at 11:55pm. Looks like The Times is giving the union some more interest.
Saturday 30 May 2009, 00:56
avatar Completely Blank
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Fair and objective? Sadly, Ms Hamilton's article is nothing of the kind. She has rehashed the fantasies of our disgraced former president and his four or five misguided followers. They have done their damnedest to disrupt our union over the past two years when their attempted coup d'etat failed. Mr Potter and company have avoided facing our union's members. They were not ousted. They failed to stand for election preferring to snipe from the sidelines while nursing the fanstasy that Mr Potter is really the 'president' of a parallel union: some sort of Union King over the Water hoping that his hour will come. Bad news, Traitor. We don't want you. We will never want you.
Saturday 30 May 2009, 09:11
avatar David
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Ms Hamilton is part of the media anti BNP frenzy, and was never going to be positive about it or our Union. She was probably behind the attempted £5k scam, and is now trying to salvage what she can of her story.

In reality, there is no story - and everyone can see that.
Saturday 30 May 2009, 18:26
avatar Shoreditch
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Here's the link to Fiona Hamilton's latest article in the Times:

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article6390817.ece

To be honest, I feel sorry for her - there's no story here whatsoever. Once again, it's absolute rubbish. Is she some sort of conspiracy-theo ry nut? She seems to have an anti-Solidarity agenda and is twisting everything to fit her theory. If I was her, I'd be ashamed to call myself a 'journalist'.

Still, some good has come from this publicity - as I write there's 60 guests visiting the Solidarity site!
Saturday 30 May 2009, 22:48
avatar Shoreditch
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Just having another look at the site traffic since Fiona Hamilton attached Solidarity Trade Union. As I write there's 96 guests and 2 members online!

There's probably enough folks to start up an on-line Forum!!!
Thursday 04 June 2009, 22:42
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