Posted by admin, on Jun 25th, 2011, to Andrew Brons' BNP Ideas web site
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| Chris Roberts, GLA Researcher and successful London Regional Organizer, sacked by Griffin. Chris is Andrew Brons' Campaign Manager and Election Agent |
Andrew Brons’s election agent Chris Roberts has issued a written challenge to British National Party elections officer Clive Jefferson on the validity of the General Members’ Meeting “proxy voting” system sprung on the party last week.
“Dear Clive,” the letter reads. “I understand that for the first time in the history of the party, proxy votes are to be permitted for a General Members meeting and specifically the meeting highlighted above.
“As you are aware the motions proposed for this meeting have a major bearing on a person seeking nomination to become leader of the British National Party. Andrew Brons has declared his intention to seek such nomination and I have agreed to be his election agent.
“In consequence of the foregoing I would draw your attention to the following:
"1) It is my contention that the proxy votes are invalid due to their dispatch and receipt being well outside the permitted time limit, namely 14 days before the convening of such General Members meeting.
"2) The letter accompanying the proxy voting form from Nick Griffin dated 17 June 2011 contained therein, the misleading statement “or move to a largely elected National Executive”. The motion before the GMM will be a minority elected National Executive. It could be argued that members voting by proxy have potentially voted for a motion not in accordance with their perceived intention of a majority elected National Executive. Therefore the proxy votes are technically invalidated.
"3) The proxy voting form allowed only people chosen by the leadership to act as a proxy. This is a clear breach of a member’s right to choose any 2-year British National Party member to be their proxy so long as the person so chosen was attending the GMM.
"4) The motions have not been drafted correctly and the inaccuracies therein invalidate the proxy votes.
"5) Proxy votes received and validated by officers of the British National Party for inclusion at the General Members Meeting of Sunday 26 June 2011 should be available for inspection and verification by persons seeking nomination to the leadership of the British National Party (and / or their election agents), inclusive of the envelopes they were received in.
“In light of the enormous ramifications for a person ultimately successful in any leadership challenge this year (i.e. the possibility of a four or five year term), it is of the utmost importance on behalf of the membership of the British National Party that this General Members meeting is seen to be fair, transparent and in accordance with the legal responsibilities of the party management.
"Therefore, whilst 1), 2), 3) and 4) above, may require adjudication by a court of competent jurisdiction, dependent upon your response hereto, it is surely imperative that 5) above is complied with as a matter of urgency in order that the veracity of the proxy votes are not compromised.
"I await your advices as soon as possible and would appreciate a response no later than the 26th June 2011.
“Yours sincerely
“Chris Roberts
“Leadership Election Agent to Andrew Brons MEP.”
2 Responses to " Andrew Brons’s Election Agent Challenges Clive Jefferson on “Proxy Votes” Issue"
Mercia says:
June 25, 2011 at 2:13 pm
I have no faith in these proxy votes – open to abuse as the system obviously is.
It seems bizarre to me that the powers within the party who have repeatedly condemned postal voting in external elections because of the ease with which electoral fraud may be perpetrated, are now so keen to utilise same for their own ends. It is also bizarre that they are using the same excuses as Labour when they were called upon to justify postal voting – particularly in “BNP areas”.
However, surely it is to everyones advantage, including the current leadership cabal, that immediately after the EGM/GMM that ALL the proxy vote forms received be handed over to an independent body (that is one not selected by the leadership but by show of hands at the EGM/GMM). This ad-hoc body being then charged with contacting a reasonable cross section of alleged proxy voters to verify that they did indeed fill in the form bearing their name and that the form reflects their voting wishes. Such an exercise would both give credibility to the process whilst killing off the general consensus amongst activists that the proxy voting exercise is nothing more than a Mugabe-style scam.
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Wim Wauters says:
June 25, 2011 at 8:05 pm
The latest news is that the proxy/postal votes have been opened at today’s advisory council meeting. Yes, it’s news to me too..
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