Thread: Are minor parties a waste of time?

Originally Posted by Mr Rob

"Certain politicians" does not equal "the politicians". One can always switch to a larger font size, I suppose.....

The politicians that matter.
Prime Ministers and senior government figures.

Originally Posted by Oliver Cromwell

I do not see the EDP remaining as the largest English party for more than a year or two. If the EPP takes off, then it will have better policies, more activists and hopefully more finance behind it than the EDP. Resources count in politics, so we might well see a real EDP versus EPP fight. Should be interesting!

I seriously doubt it, and I'm not writing from the bias of being a party member, as I put England before party -

but - these micro English parties have had a decade to usurp the EDP, yet they haven't even come close. The EDP has the existing membership, the infrastructure, the media coverage, many links to its name from standing in elections etc.

Nope - can't see it happening.

.....deleted

Your general priciples are excellent, but are you saying a new party should be formed or just a pressure group? I really can't see the public voting for anything other than what they recognise as a political party.

Originally Posted by BGD

Apologies in advance if the following is not altogether clear.. I am falling asleep!

I have been thinking recently of how to overcome both the ennui of the general public to politics and the fracturing of much of the political fringe.

As I have suggested recently on the BNP sub-site here (yes ‘he’s one of them’) I think a solution might be the following.

To run alongside the various political groups there should be a national pressure group created with a set of principles that are formulated so that it alienates few and receives wide assent on what might be termed the broad patriotic right.

This core set of principles would be agreed in advance with as wide a selection of the leadership of every patriotic grouping, political party, association and periodical as possible.

Why this group?

To create a more conducive political climate among the lackadaisical British public, to bring and develop talent and resources (financial and otherwise) out of the mass of ghettoised political groups and the general population and invest it into a broad based movement. To push the political culture rightwards (or back to centre depending on how you look at it). To eventually prise members of the general public away from the two main parties.

Principles?

The pressure group would agree a necessarily small set of principles. It could then seek a select range of significant people to sit on a steering committee and an advisory group: intellectuals, general political actors and one or two public personalities all to lend it some gravitas and credibility. It is understood that it is not feasible for the final principles to include everyone's hobby-horses.

My own list of principles would include:

• · (Near) Zero immigration.
• · Removal from the EU politically (trade with them as an associated country)
• · Freedom of speech, freedom of association, freedom of choice (removal of all discrimination laws)
• · Regional (national) parliaments within the union
• · Limited state
• · We are a European (British) culture and our culture and traditions take precedence

Membership?

The pressure group would seek members across the whole breadth of the broad patriotic right: Libertarians, anti-Europeans, regional nats, Nationalists, right wing Conservatives, even some traditional Labour supporters, some greens and assorted others.

It would be hoped that through the previously suggested liaison with the leadership of existing political groups (most of the political parties on here for instance) who would see that it not being any threat to their existence (as it is not campaigning for election and is not taking a significant amount of time or money) and having much to gain they would promote it to their members. If successful it might capture many thousands across all the variegated patriotic grouplets and be much larger than any single one or combination perhaps. The group could also be set up to incentivise each member to bring in 3/5/10 new members each.

The pressure group would campaign for its principles to be enacted through the media (articles, research, polling,press, television, stunts) and face to face local campaigning by its members.

It would officially endorse those political parties who it deemed would further its limited aims, perhaps written out into a constitution (and without bringing it into disrepute).

So as the group becomes entrenched in the general consciousness it would also become associated with those political parties who it had endorsed as upholding its values. This could be shown by its banner or ribbon displayed on election literature and other visible signs. Members of the public could see this political party was officially endorsed and therefore consider voting for it.

Importantly too, it would make the fractured ‘broad patriotic right’ larger than the sum of its parts. You aren't campaigning for a blueprint of the political party to whom you belong but for a basic set of principles that you wish the British public to recognise, assent to and eventually vote for. So the political parties could still promote their niche policies. Inevitably some would prove themselves fitter than the others and some would lose the fight for existence.

The non-controversiality of the group would allow the membership to campaign widely and without concerns of intimidation to their being or to their livelihood and members would utilise the resources and the training gained from the main group for their individual parties. It would drive down some barriers that exist at present between the hundreds of splinters and allow an awareness of a broad based bigger movement to form.

When (if) eventually the general principles espoused by the pressure group are openly agreed upon by a wide sector of the general public then those parties that don’t agree with them will be shown to be at odds with the political sentiments of the population and will be inclined to accommodate them or find it rough going politically.

Obviously the thoughts behind this are a form of UK tea partying but more for our specific circumstances in Europe and at the end of days.

I'll try and tackle any cannon fire tomorrow!

Very good policies.
Much like what I propose.

Originally Posted by Brit-Nat

I've already discussed this with BGD on my site (here). I'm in agreement with those policies, but like I said, these policies would need broad support, we know that most nationalists will agree with them, but what about the Tories and the politically homeless?

I also agree with making it a formal membership organisation. Nationalists seem to enjoy just belonging to a club.

This is what we must get away from.
We need a party that gets support of Nationalists, Populists, Traditional Conservatives and Unionists.