The SNP took 56 of the 59 seats available in the General Election. They have over 100,000 members and in the General Election took 50% of the total vote.
The English Democrats are 13 years old having been founded by Robin Tillbrook who owns and banks rolls the Party, and it appears is its permanent leader.
Many have assumed wrongly that with the surge in support for the SNP marketed as nationalist, but pro –EU and immigration (so more Marxist) there would be a growth support for English Nationalism. The English Democrats have moved from being a pro-English parliament party to a stance of supporting English independence from the UK. Many of their members are republicans. Moreover, some of their members have also claimed that Muslims can be English. Yes, I find this rather odd too!
Not only does the English Democrats have rather odd and mixed up opinions they have achieved nothing in 13 years of party politics. The exception of Peter Davies gaining the major role in Doncaster (largely on his personal vote).
The English Democrats stood 107 candidates in the 2010 general election. (106 is the minimum number required to qualify for a Party Election Broadcast.) The EDs received 64,826 votes, or 0.3% of the vote in England, won only one deposit in Doncaster North with 5.2% and overall 0.2% of the vote in the United Kingdom.
In the 2015 General Election the English Democrats candidate figure dropped from 107 to 32 candidates. In the General Election 2015 they gained a total of 6,531 votes – a poor average of just 204 per candidate compared to 605 per candidate.
If the British Democrats were to fight the EDs (as they call themselves) we would beat them in 90% of contests. In fact several of our members spent brief periods in the EDs only to realise it doesn’t take party politics very seriously and it is run as a hobby.
Based on local government elections from May the party with the most electability is now clearly the British Democrats. Beyond UKIP all the rest of the so-called patriotic parties have shrunk electorally.
The English separatist movement is going backwards and hasn’t progressed at all electorally in 13 years. The anti-EU and immigration pro- British and UK union movement is still moving forward, though mainly through UKIP, but also with through the British Democrats.
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( Party Official ) The tragedy of this Party is the flawed main Policy of a separate Parliament. The rest of their very comprehensive policy document is superb. I urge all members of this Party to join our British Democratic Party as our mostly encouraging VOTES show that WE ARE THE FUTURE OF NATIONALISM IN OUR COUNTRY.
A mischievous thought – but – should Scotland break away from the United Kingdom would the British Democrats become, by default, the English Democrats? I ask because in such an eventuality the term “British” (in a political context) would be largely meaningless.
You forget about Northern Ireland the biggest party is the DUP (unionist) and Wales the biggest party Labour (unionist).
Indeed. There is a problem with separatism in Scotland which isn't replicated to anywhere near the same extent in Wales or Northern Ireland. In my opinion, this separatism is mostly a poltitical thing (rather than a more serious cultural phenomenom) and its to do with the fact that Scotland votes for the centre-left mostly whereas other parts of the United Kingdom (mostly England) don't. If the Labour Party wasn't so stupidly tribalist they would change the electoral system to one of PR which would help to reveal the fact that the Tories still have quite a bit of support in Scotland whilst Labour has plenty of supporters still in Southern and Eastern England thus largely ending the 'electoral desert' effect of First Past The Post and helping to bring Britain back together.
The Labour Party would be wise to change their tribalist and undemocratic stance on PR soon in order to deal with this problem because if Wales follows the same example of Scotland then the Labour Party is truely snookered!
Also, the United Kingdom would still continue even if Scotland voted for 'independence'. The vote last year was a vote on Scottish SECESSION. However, Great Britain would have ended which would have been a hugely sad thing to have lived through so I am glad the Scots chose to stay. Also, it would have been dangerous as the Troubles in Northern Ireland could have been re-ignited.
Yes, they do have some good policies. Their policy on the economy especially is far more balanced than the ultra-free market/globalist rubbish the Tory Party’s ‘spare wheel’ party of UKIP comes out with which would mainly benefit the ultra-wealthy. Their new stance of supporting English ‘independence’ instead of the previous one of having a devolved parliament has undoubtedly bombed with the electorate and has caused them to lose a large percentage of the support they did have. Their immigration/asylum policies are much more coherent than UKIP’s which are akin to how the Tory Party treats this serious issue ie ‘throwing some meat to the plebs to get them to vote for us’
The reason for this party’s failure has little to do with policy in itself and nearly everything to do with the psychology of getting political support.
The English Democrats was formed by people who wanted to retain their social respectability while feeling themselves to be brave radicals. They found a nice safe line in politics with a whiff of radicalism in the idea of an English parliament. No one is going to reject you socially promoting that and the state is not going to come for you at dawn either. Nor are you going to set the world alight.
Such parties are really just social clubs with a veneer of wanting political change because it makes meetings more exciting. The first thought is to play it safe and not to upset anyone. They attract little energy to propel them and no wonder. They usually end up as a hobby for the person leading them who enjoys the social round they generate.
Despite the hype surrounding the Farage mirage I still expected them to do somewhat better than they did. They were dismal. I was a member of the ED’ s some time ago, but it seems the party is basically Mr Tilbrook going on telly every now and then…and not a great deal else. They don’t do anything, and it’s difficult to understand what they really stand for. ED is now the accepted pc term for impotence. ED by name, ED by nature.
The Eng Dems had a great opportunity to benefit from the train wreck of the BNP. Although it did manage to attract some former BNP officials and members, it has largely failed to retain them. Unfortunately the Eng Dems are a party of the armchair, not streets.
The EDs are OK, after all, they allow ex-BNP members to join. They recognise the reality of race by the recognition of ‘the English people’ as a racial group, but also have a civic nationalist element by talking of ‘the people of England’, ie anyone who just happens to be living here. They have a nice edge, being able to display the lovely looking cross of St George symbol. They are flexibly open to economic ideas, and not dogmatic. Tilbrook is a nice bloke also. I don’t know what the answer to Nationalism’s present cul de sac is, but without anger (generated by the race issue) I do not see how a non establishment party of real change can get anywhere. Griffin and his minions spent years purging Nationalism of race and John Tyndall’s influence. Now what’s left? Those that got it wrong whimpering on the sidelines.
The English Democrats want an independent England that means breaking the UK and supporting the aims of Sein Fein, SDLP, SNP and Plaid. They are not a nice Party. They have gone nowhere because of this.
Indeed. They were a party in support of devolution yet have now become a separatist one like the SNP etc. Because of this change,their already limited support has nosedived to extremely miniscule levels. Their poor support can also be accounted for by the fact that very few people have ever heard of them.
Their economic ideas are pretty good. They reject the kind of extreme free market fundamentalism that characterises the Tory Party and its little brother party of Nigel Farage and company and are more pragmatic which is the kind of stance this country needs. Yes, if you are able to 'see between the lines' it is evident this party recognises there are some ETHNIC nations in these islands including the English – something economic and social globalists like the Conservatives and UKIP reject so it is not surprising, therefore, that their immigration/asylum policy is much more coherent. Indeed, one of their demands is for a point-based system for immigration BUT UNLIKE UKIP they view this as NOT an excuse for continual mass immigration.
( Party Official ) With respect , the many great Nationalists within the E.D.’S should have a look at our Policy Document , see we are for REAL and JOIN US !
In response to J’s comment. A non establishment patriotic party doing well in Britain does seem some way off. But a defeatist mentality will ensure it is never achieved.
For now it’s all the user friendly UKIP, who are admittedly getting a lot of votes. As sure as night follows day, the problems Britain faces will escalate, we’ll face an increased terror threat, more crime and social division, rioting , unsustainable population growth, urbanisation etc.
Though we are dealing with a socially conditioned indigenous population, who are terrified of being branded or thought of as ”racist”, there needs to be an alternative to the sham of UKIP…. that can’t be done overnight or by a party like the BNP, who are damaged beyond repair. Too much baggage.
Neither can a party like the English Democrats progress any further than they already have in 14 years. Which is zilch. I should know, I was in them. I bear not one of them a single grudge, but the ED’s do not have the heart for it… apart from the English Parliament stuff, what they say about immigration is not a great deal different to UKIP…ie and as has been remarked here, they are a party of the armchair, not the streets.
I joined the British Democrats, because this party is genuine, and has the heart for the fight.
Remove the plank in thine own eye before worrying the mote in thy brothers.
Its the old old story . Slinging mud at each other . I admit the ED are a strange outfit. But nowt will or can happens whilst the Nationalist vote is split. We think the Scots got the wool pulled over their eyes easy enough, by the SNP, Marxist to the core. But then Scotland has always been to the left, of sensible.
I think our only hope is the loosely called right, now receiving inroads within the EU. are all we’ve got . Good intentions didn’t get UKIP anywhere . Our system stinks . Europe has a better chance with their far more democratic system to turn the tables on the new soviet EU .
The SNP are, of course, total frauds and anyone with even the most rudimentary knowledge of politics and different political philosophies knows this but I would dispute your clam that Scotland has always been to the left of 'sensible'. What many Scots hate is the sort of unthinking, extreme globalist economic neo-liberal policies of parties like the Tories and UKIP in particular. When the Tory Party had more sensible and balanced economic policies, Scots voted for them in large numbers. Indeed, the Conservative Party is the ONLY major party in Britain to have ever received the majority of the Scottish vote. This was achieved back in the 1955 general election. Bascially, the majority of Scots reject 'Thatcherism' NOT 'conservatism' or 'Right-wing' policies.
A British Party can’t be Nationalist, it is Unionist! Unionism seeks to suppress the Nationalism of all four Home Nations and as such the term British Nationalist is an oxymoron!
It can be. In the past (admittedly we are talking quite a few decades back here ie the 1950's and earlier) the Conservative and Unionist Party used to combine support for a civic British nationalism/patriotism with support for anti-immigration policies (ie ethnic nationalism)
You have to understand that the MSM are people destroying Nationalism, and making it un-electable. After failure after failure nationalists lose hope and then the infighting starts just like BNP