UK Freedom Party
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Freedom Party is a small right wing political party that may no longer really exist, although a website called English Democratic Party claims to be a successor (not to be confused with the mainstream English Democrats Party).
Born of the Revolutionary Conservative Caucus the party was founded in December 2000 by former members of the British National Party (BNP) who were disaffected with the party's refusal to moderate its position on race and after an internal feud between the BNP leadership and Steve and Sharron Edwards, both former BNP activists in the West Midlands. Sharron Edwards is now the deputy chairman of the Freedom Party, and represents Womborne Ward on South Staffordshire District Council, while Steve Edwards is its national agent. The chairman is Adrian Davies. Michael Newland is the treasurer.
Most of the leadership are prominent in the Bloomsbury Forum, a right-wing discussion group.
The party is primarily anti-immigration, although it claims to place more of an emphasis on culture rather than race. It is more moderate on issues such as race than the British National Party, a party with which it has a stormy relationship. It believes in a Keynesian approach to the economy, and is also protectionist. At present it has one councillor in the West Midlands.
In 2004 the Freedom Party was involved in founding the English Lobby, a pressure group and electoral coalition which campaigns for the recognition of St George's Day and the creation of an English Parliament. The Third Way supports the group. The party has since withdrawn from the Lobby.
Freedom Party's only candidate in the 2005 general election was Adrian Davies, who contested South Staffordshire. The death of a candidate led to this election there being postponed from May 5th to June 23rd. On that day, the Freedom Party polled 473 votes, 1.7% of all those cast.
The party did not contest any seats in the 2006 local elections. Steve Edwards who normally contests the Tipton Green ward in Dudley has put his support behind a Muslim Conservative Party candidate. Some believe that this will undermine the BNP's chances of electoral success in the area.
The party is focusing all of its efforts on the 2007 English local council elections in a bid to get Sharron Edwards re-elected and gain more council seats.
