Campaigns
Campaigns
Is the BNP Racist? : The British National Party
If you enter the question “is the BNP racist ” into the Google search engine, and click the “I feel lucky” button, it will take you to the first result in the search.
At present this is an item on the BNP website which attempts to justify the British National Party’s position. The same happens if you type “is the BNP racist ” into the address bar of a web browser by mistake.
This article looks at the claims made in that article that the British National Party is not racist, through the lens of the claims made, and through the Constitution which forms the basis of the BNP’s own values.
Post from: The Wardman Wire
YBNP’s ‘Billy Brit’ Proves to be a Bit of a Tit: British National Party
I posted Tim Ireland of Bloggerheads’ first Billy the Brit video a few days ago.
And then both of our pieces landed in the top five Google search results for the term “Billy Brit”. Good.
Equally good, Tim’s site seems to optimise well for google.com, while the Wardman Wire did relatively better in google.co.uk. That is a useful variation.
Here is Tim’s second video, which I haven’t posted before, in which Billy Brit tries to rely on the “facts” (ahem) in the BNP Election Leaflet. Click through below to see the video.
As I write this, 17 or 18 of the top 20 search results for “Billy Brit” on both google.co.uk and google.com are critical contemptuous of the BNP. That result will do - for now.
Post from: The Wardman Wire
YBNP’s ‘Billy Brit’ Proves to be a Bit of a Tit: British National Party
How not to do Political Video: Billy the Brit and the British National Party Case Study
“Billy the Brit” is a puppet character invented by the BNP to eulogise “white heroes”, and encourage young people to get involved in their Youth Wing.
Several bloggers, including Chris Applegate, Mike Power and Tim Ireland, have discovered that Billy the Brit, and a spoof video came out this morning rechristening “Billy the Brit” as “Billy the Racist Sh*t”.
This is another impromptu guerilla campaigning project that started with a comment on Twitter, and which was turned into a brilliant spoof video within a few days - with perfect timing for the Elections on June 4. Tim Ireland has a post with a full account.
Post from: The Wardman Wire
How not to do Political Video: Billy the Brit and the British National Party Case Study
Eighty-two million terrorists: German style
They are fighting many of the same battles against an over-intrusive surveillance state in Germany.
This is a campaiging video, entitled “You are a Terrorist”. You need to click through.
Post from: The Wardman Wire
Out of Court Settlement Offered in ex-SPCK Staff Employment Tribunal case to USDAW
Breaking news is that the Employment Tribunal relating to staff of the former SPCK Bookshop Chain has been cancelled, as the Interim Manager has offered an Out of Court settlement, which is likely to be accepted.
I am told that the settlement is likely to be acceptable to USDAW, who have fought a year-long Industrial Tribunal claim against the multi-headed hydra of several organisations created by J Mark Brewer and his brother Philip on behalf of bullied, victimised, sacked and unpaid staff.
This is a direct result of the imposition of an Interim Manager by the Charity Commission, which in turn is a direct result of complaints submitted by campaigning bloggers and others committed to scrutinising the exploitation and mismanagement of the chain by the Brewer Brothers, detailing information that had been discovered over a period of months by a wide network. These complaints happened as far back as last August.
It is also a direct result of a campaign of accurate reporting, initially by Dave Walker, but then by dozens of blogs (including this site) which have discovered information, documented abuses, exposed lies (and probable perjury), and kept on going regardless.
I am hopeful that the fact that the charity is now controlled by the Charity Commission rather than the modern version of Shyster, Flywheel, and Shyster means that payments will be made of unpaid wages going back the best part of two years. Based on information I have picked up over the last months, there are quite substantial sums involved, well into six figures.
Special acknowledgements are due to the legal team at USDAW for dealing with a monstrously complicated case, and the staff who kept on fighting. It is also a victory for blog campaigners and fellow travellers who knitted it all together, especially Dave mentioned above and my colleague at SPCK/SSG News and Information, Phil Groom, and Unity at Ministry of Truth.
Several important aspects of the SPCK case - compensation to one significant group of staff for lost wages, and possibly bullying and victimisation - will have been resolved if this goes through, so we can have a big party. And some ex-staff can take a well-deserved holiday when the money comes through.
Post from: The Wardman Wire
Out of Court Settlement Offered in ex-SPCK Staff Employment Tribunal case to USDAW
The bookshops formerly known as SPCK: Judgement Day?
There’s been plenty going on with the former SPCK bookshops over the last week, as employment tribunals begin today in Bury St. Edmunds to try to rule on the unfair dismissal of 30 former staff members. It says a lot about the serpentine management of the Society of St. Stephen the Great/ENC management Ltd. that the tribunals will be taking 3 days “to consider who the employer of the claimants was at the time they were dismissed” (quote from USDAW press release). If it takes 3 days simply to work that out, then we are clearly in for the long haul here*
Post from: The Wardman Wire
Response to Durham Cathedral expulsion of Shop Lessee from Durham Cathedral Shop
We welcome the statement today from the Dean and Chapter of Durham Cathedral that notice has been served on the current operators and occupiers of Durham Cathedral Shop requiring them to vacate the premises on 30th April 2010. Bearing in mind that a petiton of almost 400 signatures was submitted to the Dean and Chapter in Autumn 2008, we would have preferred action to have been taken far sooner.
The Durham Cathedral Bookshop has been the flagship shop in the chain, supplying much of the turnover and most of the profit, which has enabled the whole chain to stay afloat for the last three years.
Therefore this action - subject to any legal challenges or actions issued by J Mark and Phil Brewer through their management company - will, we hope, be the beginning of the end of the saga of serious mismanagement of the SPCK Bookshop chain from October 2006 to the present.
We are concerned that the time window until April 2010 will give the Brewers an opportunity to manipulate the business further for their personal benefit.
The Durham Shop continues to use the SPCK logo and materials, permission for which were withdrawn a long time ago, to trade with incorrect Employers’ Liability Insurance, and to ignore obligations in the shop lease to stock a wide range of books. It has been an stain on the reputation of Durham Cathedral.
The records of the attempted Bankruptcy revealed that large sums of money. We have documented how sums in excess of $700,000 had been removed from the finances of the Durham Cathedral Bookshop under questionable circumstances to other businesses and charities controlled by the Brewers. Other monies from the Bookshop Chain had been spent in unusual ways for a charity, including the maintenance of an aeroplane owned by Phil Brewer, who was responsible for management of the Durham Cathedral Shop.
The mismanagement of the Durham Cathedral Bookshop, and the whole former-SPCK chain, requires proper investigation and resolution.
Matt Wardman, mattwardman@gmail.com
Phil Groom, groom.phil@googlemail.com
Post from: The Wardman Wire
Response to Durham Cathedral expulsion of Shop Lessee from Durham Cathedral Shop
