“Many Shades of Back–Inside Britain’s Far-Right,” the sensational and much sought-after autobiography by famous veteran nationalist John Bean has been rereleased in a new version.
This fascinating book recounts John’s life in the British nationalist movement. It takes the form of an autobiography, starting with his early life. John’s adventures included experiencing the Blitz, his travels and work in India and then his involvement with the British Union, the (first) British National Party, the National Front and his later activities.
John is probably best known to present-day nationalists as the editor of Identity magazine—well, at least the “previous” one and not the toilet-paper version issued since Nick Griffin fired John because he no longer supported the current party leadership—and the excellence of those issues of Identity shine through in this book which is guaranteed to interest friends and foes alike.
Some of the books’ passages have an eerie resonance, given recent events in the BNP. John quotes AK Chesterton as advising him in person in 1955: “Choose your people with care. Give the crooks and the maniacs a wide berth. Quality in this movement is immeasurably more important than quantity.”
The back cover of the book contains this interesting comment: “John has moderated his political views in recent years and although these pages contained well-reasoned argument, he will still not endear himself to today’s Politically Correct establishment showing a critical respect for the intelligence of people such as Oswald Mosley and AK Chesterton—and for the staying power of John Tyndall and the British National Party.
“Furthermore, he has not recanted his opposition to the policy of mass immigration and offers an opinion on how and why it should be controlled.”
Many Shades of Black is an entertaining, rollicking ride through British Nationalism, written with realism and understanding. If you are looking for a real version of nationalist history, and not the media’s contorted and twisted account, then this book is for you.
Paperback, 260 pages. £12.00 (including postage and packaging). Order online by clicking here.
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The key quote must be this:
“…AK Chesterton as advising him in person in 1955: “Choose your people with care. Give the crooks and the maniacs a wide berth. Quality in this movement is immeasurably more important than quantity.”
Pity Griffin has followed the opposite rule and kept the company of crooks and maniacs. No quality around Griffin – probably because he does not like competition on the part of those who would show him up for what he is: a deceitful, dishonest conman, who keeps the company of low life. Low life does not threaten him.
“Quality in this movement is immeasurably more important than quantity”. How very true! Said in 1955, seven years before I was born, and I feel very middle aged these days! The movement hasn’t learnt since, though, has it? You might have done, Allen, and so have I, but the mass of the members have never learnt this lesson. Until they do, nothing, but nothing will be achieved.
I am very proud to own an autographed copy of the first edition, and must buy a copy of the second. John Bean has a wealth of interesting stories to tell, from which we can learn much, if we will but ponder on the lessons to be learnt from his experiences. Recommended!
Many Shades of Black
John Bean’s political autobiography has been rereleased by Ostara Publications the publishing firm founded by Arthur Kemp.
It records his time with Union Movement, his association with AK Chesterton, the founding of his newspaper Combat and his rocky collaboration with Colin Jordan and John Tyndall; les enfants terribles of the far-right.
In October 1964 John Bean standing in the General Election for the original British National Party in Southall received 3,410 votes, 9.2% of the poll. This was the highest vote recorded for any minority candidate since the Thirties. It was the high point in the old BNP’s fortunes. John Bean wanted to expand and develop the party and seized the chance to amalgamate with the Empire Loyalists and others to form the National Front in 1967. But his social and pro-European policies were dumped.
He wrote in Many Shades of Black:
In the next issue of Combat I pledged my support for the National Front, although I held no executive position at that time I pointed out that: “With the possible exception of the point on the Commonwealth and, in my view, the unfortunate dropping of the BNP proposal of a European Confederation of nation states, NF policy is basically the same as that of the BNP.”
Like all journalists, John Bean glosses over some things and highlights others. But this is a highly readable account of his sincere and genuine attempt to save Britain from finance capitalism and Third World invasion.
The first edition was published in 1999 and ends with the hope that John Tyndall’s BNP will develop into a successful political party:
“…as long as the BNP continues its now more practical approach it has the potential of providing our salvation. Whether it realises this potential remains to be seen.”
Following Nick Griffin’s seizure of power John Bean joined the contemporary BNP and was soon appointed editor of the party magazine Identity. He stood as a candidate in the 2004 European parliamentary election and loyally backed Nick Griffin even after the Question Time fiasco of 2009. But he lost patience soon after and called upon the chairman to stand down and concentrate on his job as MEP for the North West.
He now supports the Andrew Brons faction and contributes to the BNP Ideas website. He recently posted an article calling for a European Confederation. This has been his consistent policy since the days of the original BNP. It’s a perfectly respectable policy but most of his associates are bitterly opposed to any sort of European commitment, even a confederation of sovereign states. It will be interesting to see how long this heresy will be tolerated by the reactionaries in both factions of the party.
Many Shades of Black, price £12.00 is available from: http://www.ostarapublications.com
I did buy the original version, unhappily since lost, and it is certainly a fascinating read with many resonances for today, and with plenty of well remembered nationalist personalities, and even some current ones, putting in an appearance.
I differ from John Bean in his Mosleyite belief in “Europe a Nation”, preferring the Tyndallite dream of a “Greater Britain” with a unified common homeland for the British peoples embracing Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. But even if you are a Tyndallite “reactionary” (as Bill Baillie would have it) like me rather than a Mosleyite, don’t be put off this absorbing book.