johnwest

Thanks for all the extra info!

girlfriday

To VOR, Sharon and Steve Edwards did not so much split, but were effectively kicked out of the BNP. I have personal knowledge of Ian Anderson and , yes I have to admit, knew him in the early 1980's. He was a one time chairman of the NF, but fell foul of Griffin and a number of other NF associates by about 1986. There is a book in print, though you will find find it hard getting a copy, called something like "attempted murder of the National Front", in which it outlines Anderson's alleged attempts to bring the party down.

I recall also, though he did not know who I was when I rang, ringing him to enquire about printing costs (the Flag will print leaflets for 'any' patriotic party - but not the BNP!). In fact he calls them "fascists", which considering his many years at the National Front, especially as a candidate, is quite amusing, as he desparately tries (but fails) to bury his past.

mark starr

Go to www.the-flag.co.uk and make your own decision.
I subscribe to the newspaper , most of what is written is sense.

jim h

The latest issue ,132, deals with political correctness and highlights many of the type of stupidities referred to in one of the other sections of the forum.
The paper is right wing but has never given me the impression that it is obnoxious right.

girlfriday

The fact remains that Ian Anderson would never be accepted as a member of UKIP due to his high profile membership in the past of the NF and the follow-on Nat Dems.

No one has suggested - to my knowledge - that what he writes is nonsense or "obnoxious right" (whatever that is), and there are those on the centre-left that regard UKIP as "obnoxious right", so shouldn't throw stones in glass houses etc, when using marxist terminology.

C_steam

Is this still a live site? - most pages have "This Page Will Shortly Be Upadted - Octobr 2004"

ryansoton

The Flag is an interesting read with some very good articles. If it is produced by an x member of the NF then I would not support such a paper. Then again as we are all closet racists according to Tory Boy perhaps we can but it on the sly

BASILDON BOY

UKIP should copy the tabloid style layout of the flag and print something similar!

TheFlag

I thought you might like to hear from the horse's mouth: The Flag is a privately owned publication and has been for some years and I am its editor. It does not take a party political line, but has given critical support to UKIP and to other democratic anti-EU groups for some time. Because of its independence it does allow the paper to criticise the actions of both individuals and groups without fear of 'disciplinary' consequences. For example we printed a fairly heavy attack on Kilroy-Silk when he was aiming for the UKIP leadership, which may have assisted his demise.
We also try to offer active assitance to many groups in the form of advice, printing facilities, advertising of activities, meetings, etc.
As regards myself, it is perfectly true that I was once the chairman of the National Front, but this was some ten or more years ago. Contrary to the beliefs of people like the BBC, not everyone in the NF was an evil, racist thug, indeed I met many very pleasant, sensible people then, and some of these now happily belong to current, democratic political parties.
For many years I attempted to change the NF by expelling the lunatic fringe and was moderately successful in this, however the name and its reputation attracted more lunatics back in and in the end we attempted to halt this by changing the name and were again reasonably successful, however by that time a more attractive democratic party was on the scene - UKIP and there seemed little point in carrying on as a smaller rival.
It may be said that I am 'bitter and twisted' about the BNP, but that is because I expelled many of them from the NF and I know only too well what they are like - any doubts, just read last week's Mail on Sunday magazine's interview with BNP leader Nick Griffin.
As regards myself, please note that there are many factual innaccuracies in the Wikipedia entry, however in reply to one or two comments on this site, I did go to Pembroke College, Oxford where I studied Zoology and later switched to Agriculture, however I left after two years without graduating. You might like to consider my position, having stood as an NF parliamentary candidate, while a student, in Oxford at a time when the largest political group in the University was the Socialist Workers' Party who had a policy of violent confrontation - I still have both the photographs and the scars.
I believe that The Flag now serves a useful purpose, with articles that are relevant to the man in the street, as well as to the dedicated anti-EU activist. We act as a recruiting agent for anti-EU groups as well as trying to galvanise people INTO phpbb_action by covering activities and events. It acts as a bridge across the centre right and also sells extensively to Conservative Party members, and since David Cameron's election this sector has been growing rapidly.
The Flag may not be to everyone's taste, but I hope people will see it for what it is, a genuine attempt to be informative and useful - rather than approaching it like a BBC journalist - with a bigoted and prejudiced preconception

Ian Anderson

C_steam

Great - and very clear - post ian.

'Bout time your site took paypal...............