Andrew Brons

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Andrew Brons (born 1947) was a veteran of far right politics in Britain. He began his political career as a member of the National Socialist Movement until he was seventeen, then joined John Bean's British National Party (not to be confused with the party of the same name formed in 1982) which merged with the League of Empire Loyalists to form the National Front in 1967 [1]. He contested Harrogate for the NF in both 1974 general elections, polling 1186 votes (2.3%) in February and 1030 (2.3%) in October. As NF candidate in the Birmingham Stechford by-election of 31 March 1977 he forced the Liberal candidate into third place, helping his stature to grow within the NF.

Following the poor showing by the NF in the 1979 General Election, Brons was chosen to lead the NF and in doing so broke with his former mentor John Tyndall. Brons would go on to lead the NF in name only from then on. Initially Martin Webster, who became National Activities Organiser, exerted the most influence before the Political Soldier wing of the party became more important. Brons tended to support the Flag Group although he lost influence to Ian Anderson and faded from his leading position. Nevertheless, Brons had links to the Political Soldier wing and he is credited with having introduced the concept of distributism, which formed a central part of the new ideology of the NF, into the party.[2]

Although Brons continued as a leading member and even wrote a number of articles for the Political Soldier-supporting Nationalism Today, he was generally opposed to the views of the Official National Front and resigned from the leadership in 1984.[3] He resigned from the party altogether in 1986, along with Martin Webster and others but, unlike Webster, became involved in the Flag Group.[4] It was Brons who, in 1986, approached Tyndall with a view to a reconciliation between the Flag Group and the modern British National Party but the proposed deal came to nothing after it was repudiated by Martin Wingfield in The Flag newspaper.[5] Brons, who had already faded from any real active influence by this point, though very active in policy development (the massive tome that was produced as the 1983 manifesto contained large contributions from him), articles and policy training sessions, stepped away from politics, concentrating on his position as lecturer at Harrogate College (now part of Leeds Metropolitan University), where he has worked since 1970, teaching A Level Law, and Government & Politics[citation needed].

[edit] Elections contested

Date of election Constituency Party Votes  %
1974 Harrogate NF 1186 2.3
1974 Harrogate NF 1030 2.3
March 31,1977 Birmingham Stechford NF 2995 12.4
1979 Bradford North NF 614 1.3
1983 Leeds East NF 475 1.1

[edit] References

  1. ^ S. Taylor, The National Front in English Politics, London: Macmillan, 1982, p. 62
  2. ^ N. Copsey, Contemporary British Fascism: The British National Party and the Quest for Legitimacy, Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, 2004, p. 33
  3. ^ N. Copsey, Contemporary British Fascism: The British National Party and the Quest for Legitimacy, Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, 2004, p. 35
  4. ^ N. Copsey, Contemporary British Fascism: The British National Party and the Quest for Legitimacy, Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, 2004, p. 37
  5. ^ N. Copsey, Contemporary British Fascism: The British National Party and the Quest for Legitimacy, Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, 2004, pp. 36-8

[edit] See also


v • d • e
Chairmen of the National Front
A. K. Chesterton (1967–1970) • John O'Brien (1970–1971) • John Tyndall (1971–1974) • John Kingsley Read (1974–1976) • John Tyndall (1976–1979) • Andrew Brons (1979–1984) • no overall leader (1984–1990) • Ian Anderson (1990–1995) • John McAuley (1995–c.1998) • Tom Holmes (1998–)