Sunday 17th August 2008, 3.30 pm.
Political Marquee, Red-White-and-Blue Field. Codnor, Derbyshire.
Entry: Paid up current BNP members only. No charge. Current membership card must be shown to gain entry.
As previously announced in the July British Nationalist bulletin, there will be a General Members' Meeting at the end of the RWB this year. Such a meeting is required as a Constitutional requirement to consider a series of changes to the current party Constitution (Ninth edition).
The proposed changes are to sections of the Constitution which are ‘write protected' and cannot be altered except with the support of two-thirds of those members present at such a General Members' Meeting.
The motions in question will be read out, debated and voted on in separate blocks as indicated below. The key aims of the proposed changes are to continue the process of empowering the party's key Voting Members with more control over policy formation and the party's overall direction, to lay down for the first time ever a clear democratic procedure for regular leadership elections, and to enable future Constitutional changes to be voted on by postal ballot.
This last point is believed to be necessary because the Constitution was initially written when the party was a fraction of its current size, so that the prospect of finding a large enough venue to hold potentially thousands of members did not have to be considered.
This is necessary because the leadership believe that certain changes to the Constitution are needed, in order to continue the steady process of modernising and democratising the party, and to put an end to the unsettling effect of rumours of leadership elections every single year under the old system. The entire existing Constitution may be found here (PDF).
The proposals have to be put to the members for approval and rejection, and holding the meeting and votes at the RWB is the only way in which we can guarantee having a large enough venue to hold the unknown number of members who may wish to attend.
Please note that you MUST bring your CURRENT BNP MEMBERSHIP card or you will not be able to vote. Proxy or block votes will not be allowed.
All members are urged to set aside what we hope will not be too much time in order to attend this important meeting, take part in the strictly timed debates, weigh up the pros and cons, and vote according to what they individually believe to be in the best interests of the party.
Motion 1: Advisory Council
S.5.1. Replace “the organisers of the party's four strongest regions” with “all Regional Organisers”.
S.5.2. replace “three times a year” with “four times a year”
Motion 2: Leadership Elections
The whole of the existing Section 4 should be replaced with:
S.4.1. Elections for the post of National Chairman shall be held every four years, starting in 2009. Nominations shall open on 20th July in each leadership election year and close at noon on 10th August. The election shall be held on a ‘one member, one vote' basis in a secret postal ballot of all members paid up by 1st of July.
S.4.2. Any member of the party may become a candidate for the post of National Chairman of the party provided that person has on or before the close of nominations is and has been a fully paid up member of the party for a minimum of five consecutive years, and has secured the signatures on his or her nomination paper of ten current Voting Members and one hundred members each with a minimum of 24 months continuous membership. Each member can only nominate one candidate.
S.4.3. Notification of a leadership election shall be issued in the September issue of British Nationalist, while the October issue will include an A4 manifesto sheet from each candidate (designed and supplied by them) and a ballot paper, and will be sent by post to all members, including those who normally receive their bulletins electronically.
S.4.4. A prerecorded debate between the candidates shall be publicised on BNPtv, a private page on the BNP website will give each candidate up to six sides of A4 designed by them, the party magazine shall give each candidate equal space to set out their ideas, and at least three hustings meetings will be held with equal time for each candidate in different parts of the country and be open to all paid up members from the areas in question. In the event that unavoidable external circumstances render any of these methods of communication impractical they may be omitted or replaced as decided by a simple majority vote of a special meeting of the Advisory Council.
S.4.5. The ballot papers shall be kept unopened until the post has arrived on the third Thursday of October, where all received ballots shall be opened and counted under the supervision of two senior officials appointed by the AC who are not candidates, together with the candidates and up to two scrutinisers each.
S.4.6. The election shall take place on a first past the post basis.
S.4.7. In any election year in which no nominations for the post of National Chairman of the party are received in accordance with Sub-section 2 of this Section, the currently serving holder of the post will be deemed to have received a mandate from the party to hold it for a further full term. In any election year where a leadership challenge is entered the currently serving National Chairman shall be deemed to be nominated automatically should he wish to stand again.
S.4.8. In event of a General Election being called before the ballot papers have been posted, the campaign may be suspended at the discretion of simple majority vote of the AC, resuming the schedule immediately after polling day.
S.4.9. If an outgoing National Chairman is a paid employee of the party and either does not wish to remain as such or is not required as such by the new incumbent, he shall receive severance pay in line with the statutory requirement, plus one month for each year served up to a total of eight years, and one week extra for each year thereafter.
S.4.10. The successful candidate in any such election will be considered as occupying the office of National Chairman immediately on completion of the counting of votes in that election.
Please note that the following proposed alterations are so closely connected to the changes proposed for S.4 that it is necessary to take them together with it as one composite motion 1.
S.5.6. The only other power of the Advisory Council shall be that it may call a General Members' Meeting by a two-thirds majority of Advisory Council members voting in a properly convened meeting with a quorum of two-thirds, even if this is opposed by the National Chairman. Alternatively the National Chairman may call such a meeting or postal ballot at any time he deems it necessary. Should such a meeting or ballot be called, it must be held within 40 days, and the matter which led to it being called shall be put to the members to decide. If a two-thirds majority of those voting should vote against the National Chairman then he is bound to accept that decision or to resign from the leadership, triggering a leadership election in which he may stand if he so wishes.
S.5.7. The National Chairman may also be held to account by a motion proposed and supported in writing by twenty Voting Members and submitted to the party's registered headquarters address not later than 14 days before the date of the Annual Conference. This motion shall then be debated and voted upon by all Voting Members at the conference and, if passed by a minimum two-thirds majority, a leadership election shall be triggered, using the procedures and time-scale laid out in this Constitution, but with the schedule starting from 14 days after the date of the Annual Conference. The previous National Chairman may stand in this election is he so wishes.
S.5.10. A member of the Advisory Council shall not be removed from the Advisory Council on the day of an Advisory Council meeting. General Members' Meetings & Ballots
S.13.2. In the event of the National Chairman or the Advisory Council calling a General Members' Meeting, at least 14 days' notice must be given to all members by post with notification of the proposed motions. All members of the party shall have the right to attend and vote, subject to the provisions of Section 2, Sub-section 6 of this Constitution.
S.13.3. remove “not later than 28 days before the scheduled date of the meeting” and replace “National Chairman” with “Chairman of the meeting.”
Motion 3: Postal ballot option
S.13.5. General Members' Meetings may only be called by the National Chairman or by the Advisory Council in accordance with Section 5 of this Constitution. All matters which may be decided by a General Members' Meeting may also be put to the membership by postal ballot. The motions for such a postal ballot are to be decided by a two thirds majority of the Advisory Council or by the National Chairman and are to be sent out in the first available British Nationalist together with a ballot paper for each paid up member, who should have a minimum of 14 days in which to return the ballot paper. The opening and counting of the ballots is to be witnessed by the proposers and a minimum of two national officers, with all members of the Advisory Council entitled to attend should they so wish.
Motion 4: Determination of Core Policies by Voting Members
(Note: This is part of a rolling programme intended to transfer additional key powers to the Voting Membership, and further changes in that regard are expected in the future as the institution itself develops)
Remove Section 3.1.d.
S.13.4. Add Section 14 to list of protected Sections in S.13.4. and remove reference to ghost ss.6.
S.14.2. Change method of notification of any changes to the Constitution to “or publication on the party's official website.”
Add S.14.3. No proposals to change any part of Section 1 of this Constitution, or to change or adopt any major policy, are to be proposed to either a General Members' Meeting or in a postal ballot until previously passed by the Annual Conference of Voting Members.