The problems facing Nick Griffin and the British National Party are well-documented: up to the gunnel in debt, riven by internal strife and losing members in droves.. Matters came to a head when Andrew Brons and Griffin contested the leadership of the BNP, the latter winning by a very small margin. Brons resigned from the BNP and, as expected, now has formed a new party called the British Democratic Party.
I would not expect many of the remaining BNP members to jump ship and join the BDP. But what of those who have left? Some dropped out of party politics, some joined other right-wing parties, but the greatest influx of ex-BNP members was enjoyed by the English Democrats, including two members of Brons' staff.
Will the English Democrats retain their ex-BNP members? They must be hoping beyond hope that they do. Some ED members left the party when the ex-BNP influx began, joined the Conservative Party, or UKIP or gave up party politics. I very much doubt ex- ED members will rejoin the party should the ex-BNP members shuffle off (or run) to the BDP.
The recent electoral success of UKIP has been a disaster for the English Democrats. The ED 'puffed-up' its chances of beating UKIP in the Rotherham by-election. The posts prior to the election on the website English Passport (recently re-named Kingdom of England Passport) controlled by a leading officer of the ED are hilarious. http://kentcommunityactivist.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/english-democrats-humiliated-by-ukip.html
Having failed to demolish UKIP (which in any event was not going to happen) the ED now is about to be assailed by the BDP.
There doesn't seem to be anywhere for the English Democrats to go except downward, which in one sense is a shame as it is a party with a clear English civic nationalist message: that England should have an English parliament within a federal UK. Unfortunately the party has accrued toxic baggage, so English civic nationalists will have to to look elsewhere for a political home.
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