The Brexit Party, the RCP and the Brighton bomb

 

 

The Brexit Party are having two rallies in North West England on Saturday 4 May in Flyde and on Monday 6 May in Chester. Attending both rallies will be Nigel Farage, Ann Widdecombe and the Brexit Party candidates for that region – including Claire Fox.

Ms Fox joined the Revolutionary Communist Party (RCP) while she was at Warwick university in the early 1980’s. She talked about it in this “Spanner Media” interview and also in this “Daily Politico” one. In the latter she said, “I joined the RCP (Revolutionary Communist Party) in the early 80s. I’d be in it still but it was wound up at the end of the nineties. So now I’m party-less, but still optimistic.”

One thing I have to emphasise is that Leninist organisations like the RCP have a “Party Line” to which members have to adhere in public. If someone is a long-term member, as Ms Fox was in this case, it can be safely assumed they agreed with the central tenets of the organisation. One of those tenets for the RCP was unconditional support for the IRA including defending their right to carry out their bombing campaign no matter the consequences.

On 12 October 1984, the IRA bombed the Grand Hotel Brighton with the intention of assassinating Prime Minster Margaret Thatcher and her Cabinet. The Conservative Party conference was taking place there. Five people were murdered — Sir Anthony Berry MP, Eric Taylor, Lady Jeanne Shattock, Lady Muriel Maclean and Roberta Wakeham. Something which may be of particular interest to voters in NW England is that Eric Taylor was North-West Area Chairman of the Conservative Party. He was born in Oldham and “was a councillor and alderman on Oldham Council from 1961 to 1974 and a magistrate from 1966”.

Eric Taylor OBE.

The RCP’s newspaper the next step (no. 53 November 1984) carried this report of the Brighton bombing with the following statement — “We support unconditionally the right of the Irish people to carry out their struggle for national liberation in whatever way they choose”.

In the same issue there was a report on a demonstration by the RCP’s front organisation, the Irish Freedom Movement (IFM), at the conference with the headline — “Irish freedom fighters are not British criminals”.

Ann Widdecombe was at that conference. In her memoirs (Strictly Ann: The Autobiography) she recalls her feelings about the release of prisoners under the Good Friday Agreement and an incident where someone wanted to introduce her to Patrick Magee who planted the bomb.

She went on to recount why she did not wish to be introduced:

Lady Jeanne Shattock.

I am not aware of Ann Widdecombe”s views on Claire Fox being on the Brexit Party for NW England or if she is fully aware of Ms Fox’s views in 1993 and, more importantly, now on the Warrington bombing. But, as I said at the start, they will be campaigning together in the region on Saturday 4 May and Monday 6 May. Neither am I aware of what Claire Fox’s views are now on the Brighton bombing and whether they are different to when she was a member of the RCP.

Something which might give a clue to Ms Fox’s present attitude to the Brighton bombing is a tweet sent out from Colin Parry when he discussed the Warrington atrocity with her.

The question remains — why is Claire Fox still on the Brexit Party list for NW England?

Comments (11)

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  1. John B Dick says:

    A piece of work by John Rogan of such a quality that I will now read anything he writes, even if it is his supermarket shopping list.

    He probably did it without leaving the sofa.

    I hear that Boris Johnston gets paid annually the price of a house for his weekly column.

  2. Jerry says:

    Bella seems to be obsessed with RCP/LM/Spiked and this writer is no different. Ms Fox (whose opinions on occasion I agree with and other times do not) is to the best of my knowledge the same age as me. In 1984, to my shame, I also was of a political persuasion that took glee from the Brighton Bombing. I also even more shamefully was still into Prog Rock. People move on. A more interesting question would be to ask if the HM Leader of the Opposition and his Deputy still defend the Brighton bombers, as they did at the time..

    1. Paddy Pepper says:

      Did you bother to read Colin Parry’s tweet? It shows that Fox clearly has *not* moved on.

  3. Philip Young says:

    Seems like the elite are worried about the Brexit party.If they are not a serious party why dig up this rubbish
    If mainstream parties delivered Brexit like they promised we wouldn’t be voting for the Brexit party.

    1. “The elite”

      People who dont like being blown up = “the elite” : )

      1. Mike says:

        Labour party, Liberal party, Brexity party, Conservative party, boozy party: whatever brand of “elite” they’re subject to facts like https://www.the-brexitparty.com/uk-mp-profiles . Those who can see the story behind statistics and history are emerging and publishing.

  4. Alistair MacKichan says:

    Those of us who abhor the increasingly Imperial EU, want a Scotland outside that neoliberal conglomerate. The EU is failing the people of France, Greece, Catalonia etc badly, and the Euro zone is a doomed economic failure. I believe we need Leftist, Pro-Irish Independence, non-Unionist Brexiteers like Claire Fox seems to be. Irish Liberation is a cause which has only got its partial Irish Inde at the cost of many lives. It is open to debate whether Scotland can get out from under the Westminster fist without similar popular resistance.

    1. David Pike says:

      My goodness..have you learned nothing from history.Scotland unlike Ireland In the 70s is not subject to occupation by a foreign army..ie the British army..there is no need for an armed struggle to achieve Scottish independence..and Ireland will be united without the need to resort to the use of arms

    2. Andy S says:

      Is that really a call for democratic means to be replaced or supplemented by death squads and bombs ?

  5. Sandy Robertson says:

    Indeed. Why is she there? We are told UKIP shouldn’t be associating with Carl Benjamin because of a joke or Tommy Robinson because he’s against the Islamification of Britain, yet she gets a pass in MSM. Sorry – I forgot the media and political class approve of politicised violence when it’s against someone they dislike, viz Tommy Robinson.

  6. Jenny Tizard says:

    Excellent research. Let’s hope there’s a big bust up of the Brexiteers!

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