English Democrats Party
The English Democrats Party is a British political party which aims to establish an English Parliament.[1]
The party was registered with the Electoral Commission on 15 November 1999. It is led by the solicitor Robin Tilbrook and registered to his home address in Ongar, Essex. [2] In the 2005 General Election the party contested 23 constituencies and spent a total of £3,501 on campaigning. [3] According to its website the key issues for the party are Immigration, English Identity, The EU and Political Correctness. [4]
Far-right links
The English Democrats website rejects accusations that the party is racist, and says it has no links with the BNP.[5] However, it has been accused of flirting with other far-right groups.
In April 2008, Fathers4Justice campaigner Matt O'Connor resigned as the party's London mayoral candidate, accusing it of working with BNP splinter group, England First:
- I realised the English Democrats were working with ‘England First’ and had no choice other than to resign there and then.
- They present themselves as respectable ‘Middle England’ with leading members being solicitors and housewives.
- But the reality is something far different.
- Social events run by the party brought out the real feelings of key members and it was very uncomfortable for me and the people I had innocently invited along, many of whom advised me to leave after what they had seen and heard.[6]
In April 2009, former Blackburn England First councillor Michael Johnson became the English Democrats North West chairman, according to the Lancashire Telegraph.[7]
In May 2009 English nationalist blogger Gareth Young accused the English Democrats of allying with England First in a bid to win over BNP voters:
- It has long been the EDP's policy to extract English nationalists "firstly from UKIP" and then "from the BNP", with the aim of making converts to English nationalism, and not only BNP and UKIP members themselves but potentially the parties they desert. The inherent risks of such a policy to the broader civic movement for an English parliament appear to be lost on a desperate EDP leadership who atlast count had loaned the party £101,447 of their own money (Robin Tilbrook, £54,447; Steve Uncles, £17,000; Christine Constable, £30,000) with little by way of electoral reward.[8]
People
National Executive
- Robin Tilbrook - National Chairman and Treasurer
- David Lane - National Secretary
- Steven Uncles - National Membership Secretary
- Michael Cassidy - Policy Chairman
- Sara Box - Editor, English Voice
- Ed Abrams - National Spokesman
- Sean Varnham - National Youth Chairman
- Michael Turner - Director of fundraising
- Steve Garrett
- Lee Pickering
- Steve Foreman
- Kim Gandy[9]
Others
- Gary Bushell[10]
- Stephen Gash - former national membership secretary[11]
Contact
- PO Box 1066
- NORWICH
- ENGLAND
- NR14 6ZJ
- Telephone: 0907 004 1066
- Website: http://www.englishdemocrats.org.uk
Notes
- ↑ Manifesto and Constitution (pdf), p22, accessed 9 November 2009.
- ↑ Electoral Commission, Register of political parties, English Democrats Party
- ↑ Electoral Commission, Register of campaign expenditure, English Democrats Party
- ↑ Screengrab of English Democrats Website, 25 May 2009, 06:18
- ↑ Why have an English party, English Democrats, accessed 9 November 2009.
- ↑ Mike Brooke, O'Connor accuses English Democrats of BNP link after quitting race for Mayor, East London Adverstiser, 25 April 2008.
- ↑ Blackburn councillor joins English Democrats to stand against BNP, 29 April 2009.
- ↑ Gareth Young, English nationalism vs British nationalism, OurKingdom, openDemocracy, 16 May 2009.
- ↑ National Council, English Democrats, accessed 9 November 2009.
- ↑ Patrons, English Democrats, accessed 9 November 2009.
- ↑ SCOTLAND THE FREE, Cumberland News, 22 June 2007.
