This Constitution, the 11th edition, ceased to operate on 14th February 2010, when an Extraordinary General Meeting of the BNP, following on from an in principle decision taken by the Voting Members at last autumn’s Annual Conference, voted by an overwhelming majority to adopt a new version 12.1. The new Constitution, while building on the now defunct one, is massively expanded and far fit for purpose. It will be published shortly after the court hearing with the Equalities Commission on March 9th.
CONSTITUTION OF THE BRITISH NATIONAL PARTY
Eleventh Edition
Published August 2009
Printed & published by the British National Party
FREE POST British Heritage, PO Box 14, Welshpool SY21 0WE
FOREWORD
The British National Party was formed from a merger of like-minded patriotic organisations and founded on April 7th 1982 at a press conference in London.
Following the first ever election for the National Chairmanship in 1999, which saw a change of leadership, it was resolved to make the first major changes to the Party’s Constitution since its formation.
At a General Members’ Meeting held on March 11th 2000 in Milton Keynes, those present voted unanimously for a series of amendments to Sections 1, 4 and 12; to introduce a new Section 5, and to add the new Section 5 and the old Section 12 (now 13) to Sections 1 and 4 which cannot be changed without a two-third majority of members voting at a General Members’ Meeting. Another amendment to Section 4 was carried overwhelmingly.
The changes were necessary so s to take into account changes in global politics and to be able to comply with the political and legal necessity for internal financial transparency.
At an EGM on Sunday 17th August 2008, other changes were incorporated to further democratise the Party, widen the representation of the Advisory Council and define the Voting Membership. These changes were confirmed at a subsequent EGM held on 15th November 2008. In August 2009 an amendment was made to take account of the new category of Life Member.
SECTION 1: POLITICAL OBJECTIVES
1) The British National Party shall be a political party which shall be referred to throughout the rest of this Constitution as “the party”.
2) The political objectives of the party are set out in the following Statement of Principles:-
(a) The British National Party is a party of British Nationalism committed to the principle of national sovereignty in all British affairs. It is pledged to the restoration of the unity and integrity of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. It believes that the indigenous peoples of the entire British Isles, and their descendants overseas, form a single brotherhood of peoples, and is pledged therefore to adapt or create political, cultural, economic and military institutions with the aim of fostering the closest possible partnership between these peoples.
(b) The British National Party stands for the preservation of the national and ethnic character of the British people and is wholly opposed to any form of racial integration between British and non-European peoples. It is therefore committed to stemming and reversing the tide of non-white immigration and to restoring, by legal changes, negotiation and consent, the overwhelmingly white make up of the British population that existed in Britain prior to 1948.
(c) The British National Party is pledged to the maintenance of a private-enterprise economy operating within a broad framework of national economic policy. It is opposed to international monopoly capitalism and to laissez-faire free trade and free movement of plant and capital. Social stability and contentment is best achieved by the many enjoying a personal stake in our society. Accordingly, we believe that private property should be encouraged and spread to as many individual members of our nation as possible. We recognise that finance exists to serve the nation and its industries, rather than the other way around.
(d) The British National Party is implacably opposed to Marxism and liberal-capitalist globalism, which undermine our standard of living, human and ecological welfare, freedom and national identity.
(e) The British National Party stands for a policy of armed neutrality in international and military affairs. We are pledged to ensure that the lives of British servicemen are not risked in international quarrels in which no national interest of our own is at stake.
(f) The British National Party will introduce a Bill of Rights, establishing as absolute the right of all British people to effective freedom of speech, assembly and worship. The undemocratic power of the mass media and vested interest groups will be curbed by the introduction of a statutory right of reply and tougher penalties for corruption in public affairs. We favour a devolved, democratic system in which political decisions are made by ordinary citizens at the most local level of government possible. We are pledged to extend and rejuvenate democratic government by means of electronic media and Citizens’ Initiative referenda, and by returning to Parliament the powers that have been appropriated by the EU.
3) Any changes of policy such as may be needed to adapt to changing circumstances are permissible only insofar as they do not run contrary to any of the aforementioned
principles.
SECTION 2: MEMBERSHIP
1) The British National Party represents the collective national, environmental, political, racial, folkish, social, cultural, religious and economic interests of the indigenous Anglo-Saxon, Celtic and Norse folk communities of Britain and those we regard as closely related and ethnically assimilated or assimilable aboriginal members of the European race also resident in Britain. Membership of the BNP is strictly defined within the terms of, and our members also self-define themselves within, the legal ambit of a defined ‘racial group’ this being ‘Indigenous Caucasian’ and defined ‘ethnic groups’ emanating from that Race as specified in law in the House of Lords case of Mandla v. Dowell Lee (1983) 1 ALL ER 1062, HL.
2) The indigenous British ethnic groups deriving from the class of ‘Indigenous Caucasian’ consists of members of: i) the Anglo-Saxon folk community; ii) the Celtic Scottish folk community; iii) the Scots-Northern Irish folk community; iv) the Celtic Welsh folk community; v) the Celtic Irish folk community; vi) the Celtic Cornish folk community; vii) the Anglo-Saxon-Celtic folk community; viii) the Celtic-Norse folk community; ix) the Anglo-Saxon-Norse folk community; x) the Anglo-Saxon Indigenous European folk community; xi) members of these ethnic groups which reside either within or outside Europe but ethnically derive from them.
3) Membership of the party shall be open only to those who are 16 years of age or over and whose ethnic origin is listed within sub-section 2.
4) The national leadership of the party shall have the sole right to determine the annual subscription payable by members of the party, subject to the provision that any change on the subscription rate determined during any year shall not take effect until the 1st January of the following year.
5) All new members of the party shall remain probationary members for twenty four months from the date of joining and can have their membership terminated by the party’s National Chairman or by an officer authorised by him to do so without recourse to the disciplinary procedure laid down in Section 6.
6) All rights and privileges of membership of the party shall be withheld from any persons who allow their subscriptions to fall into arrears.
7) No member of the party shall be a member of another political party.
8) The elected National Chairman of the party, or any party official authorised by him, shall be empowered to refuse, without giving reasons, any new application for membership considered not to be in the interests of the party.
9) Persons joining the British National Party agree to work within the party’s Constitution and the principles outlined in Section 1.
10) A persons who pays to be a Life Member still has to serve a two year probationary period, still cannot qualify as a Voting Member for two years, cannot nominate a candidate for National Chairman for two years and cannot stand for the post of National Chairman for five years. The full disciplinary provisions of Section 6 apply to Life Members.
SECTION 3: PARTY LEADERSHIP
1. Once elected, the National Chairman shall have full executive power over all the affairs of the party. This will include:-
(a) Power of appointment to all other executive offices in the party, with the exception of the party auditor, who shall be appointed by the Advisory Council as specified in Section 5 and who shall not be the same person as the National Treasurer. These include the Directors of Administration, Publicity, the National Press Officer and the National Treasurer as well as any other offices which may need to be created as the situation demands. Not all such appointments need necessarily be made by the elected National Chairman directly. They may also be made by subordinate officials. Nevertheless, all such appointments, direct and indirect, are made upon the authority of the elected National Chairman and may be over-ruled by him.
(b) Power to determine, and where necessary change, all organisational structures within the party and to determine all rules and procedures whereby such structures are governed.
(c) Power to determine all routine executive, administrative, policy and tactical decisions made by the party.
2) While the elected National Chairman may at his discretion delegate decision making powers to individual colleagues or to assemblies of his colleagues where he feels that such decisions may be better made, the elected National Chairman shall have ultimate and final authority upon any decision made.
SECTION 4: ELECTIONS TO THE PARTY LEADERSHIP
1) Elections for the post of National Chairman shall be held every year, starting in 2009. Nominations shall open on 20th July in each 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.
2) Any member of the party may become a candidate for the post of National Chairman of the party provided that person is, and has been, on or before the close of nominations, 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 one fifth of the members who have a minimum of 24 months continuous membership. Each member can nominate only one candidate. On July 1st each year a statement will be issued detailing the total number of members with at least 24 months continuous membership.
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.
4) A pre-recorded 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.
5) The ballot papers shall be kept unopened until the post has arrived on the third Thursday of October, when all received ballots shall be opened and counted under the supervision of two senior officials appointed by the Advisory Council who are not candidates, together with the candidates and up to two scrutineers each.
6) The election shall take place on a ‘first past the post’ basis.
7) In any 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 term. In any 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.
8) In the event of a General Election being called before the ballot papers have been posted, the campaign may be suspended at the discretion of the Advisory Council by a simple majority vote, resuming the schedule immediately after polling day.
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.
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.
SECTION 5: ADVISORY COUNCIL
1) The Advisory Council shall be made up of the National Chairman, Deputy Chairman, the national officials of the party and all Regional Organisers. In the event of any disagreement as to who is to serve on the Advisory Council, the decision of the National Chairman shall be final.
2) The Advisory Council shall meet not less than four times a year, and while the agenda for such meetings shall be set by the National Chairman, there shall be a section at each such meeting where any member of the Advisory Council may raise matters of any other business.
3) The Advisory Council shall appoint the Party Auditor, choosing this person by simple majority vote. The Party Auditor shall be entitled to inspect the party’s accounts and financial records at their normal location and at any reasonable time by prior arrangement, and shall supply audited accounts and an auditor’s report to the first Advisory Council meeting in each financial year.
4) The elected National Chairman shall appoint a member of the Advisory Council to serve with him and the National Treasurer as Bequest Trustees. These three trustees shall be responsible for administering any bequests left to the benefit of the party. While the National Chairman may replace one of the other trustees at any time, he may only replace two of them within any six month period with the approval of a majority of the Advisory Council or of members voting at a General Members’ Meeting.
5) In the event of the National Chairman’s wish to replace both trustees being blocked, the interest or income from any bequests held in trust for the party shall continue to be used as the National Chairman sees fit, but he shall be unable to dispose of any capital assets until either the six month period elapses or a meeting of the Advisory Council or a General Members’ Meeting authorises the changing of the second trustee.
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 at any time he deems it necessary. Should such a meeting be called it must be held within forty 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.
7) The elected National Chairman shall appoint a National Treasurer, who shall sit as of right on the Advisory Council for as long as he or she holds this position. The National Treasurer shall administer the central funds of the part, and shall be required to provide to the Chairman and Deputy Chairman, regular accounts of all items of income and expenditure. All cheques paid out from these central funds must bear the signature of two national officials of the party, as approved by the National Chairman.
8) The National Treasurer shall, by prior arrangement be required to make available current financial records for inspection by any member of the Advisory Council at any meeting of the Advisory Council
9) A member of the Advisory Council shall not be removed from the Advisory Council on the day of an Advisory Council meeting.
SECTION 6: DISCIPLINE
1) The disciplinary code of the party is embodied in the Code of Conduct, which comprises Annex 1 of this Constitution.
2) Once the constitutionally defined internal disciplinary mechanisms of the party as outlined in this section are exhausted in regard to the disciplinary procedures and proceedings, then the decision of the disciplinary tribunal is final and binding on the member concerned. As such, members (including those who have been disciplined or expelled) legally affirm and agree that they will not seek any external legal (or non legal) review of any disciplinary tribunal decision or its procedures. They also agree and affirm that they will accept the decision of any disciplinary tribunal as final and binding.
3) Members who have offended against the Code of Conduct or otherwise acted in a manner contrary to the interests of the party shall be liable to disciplinary sanction.
4) Ultimate authority to determine how the ‘interests of the party’ as specified in the above sub-section and in Section 2, sub-section 5, may be defined rests with the elected National Chairman of the party or with any official or group of officials and/or members of the party authorised by him to act in that capacity.
5) In the first instance of any member being believed to have committed an offence as defined in this section, that member will normally be subject to a written reprimand. Such reprimands may be issued by any official senior to the member being reprimanded. A copy of such a reprimand must be forwarded to the National Chairman within seven days. A second such written reprimand within two years would normally be met, upon receipt by the National Chairman of the copy of the said reprimand, with suspension of membership of between one and six months. The suspension to be notified by the National Chairman or other senior official authorised by him, to the member in question.
6) In the event of:
(a) a written reprimand, the member concerned has the right of appeal to the National Chairman;
(b) suspension, the member concerned has the right of appeal to a disciplinary tribunal.
7) In the case of a serious offence being committed and where it is judged that there would be some risk to the well-being of the party in that person continuing to exercise their rights of membership:
(a) the National Chairman or other senior official authorised by him, may immediately suspend or expel from membership any such member prior to a disciplinary tribunal being held to determine whether that person has committed an offence;
(b) The member concerned should, as soon as practically possible thereafter, have in writing the details of the alleged offence.
8) The disciplinary tribunal shall be composed of senior party officials where possible and shall be selected according to the convenience of the party by the National Chairman. Such a tribunal shall consist of a tribunal chairman and at least two other party members. Such a tribunal shall, as far as possible, be conducted in a place and at a time reasonably accessible to the accused and with a minimum of fourteen days notice.
9) The disciplinary tribunal shall have the power to rescind an expulsion; suspend from membership; increase the period of suspension of membership following a failed appeal against such; impose restrictions upon a person; and shall also have the power to expel from membership those guilty of offences against the Code of Conduct or who have otherwise acted in a manner contrary to the interests of the party as outlined above in sub-sections 2 and 3.
10) In the event of a disciplinary tribunal being conducted as specified above, it will be left to the discretion of the official responsible to formulate the precise procedure for the conduct of such an enquiry, though this must be reasonable and fair. Complex cases may call for a tribunal prosecutor to marshal the evidence and present the case.
11) An appeal within two weeks to the National Chairman against a disciplinary tribunal decision or sanction may be made by either the guilty party or the tribunal prosecutor in the event that such a person was needed.
SECTION 7: NATIONWIDE ORGANISATION OF THE PARTY
1) The nationwide organisation of the party shall be divided on a geographical basis into regions, branches, groups and contacts. Additionally specialist circles may be formed from time to time on a non-geographical basis, the membership of which need not necessarily be party members.
2) The region will normally consist of a county or group of counties, determined according to convenience by the party leadership.
3) Within each region the strength of the party will be divided into smaller units to be known as branches, groups and contacts. These will normally be based on cities, towns, parliamentary constituencies or groups thereof, situated in close proximity to each other.
4) Contact, group and branch organisers are appointed/removed by their Regional Organiser and he, in turn, by the National Chairman.
5) As with the regional based party structure, the heads of circles are likewise subordinate to the National Chairman and count as party officials, although their subordinates are not deemed officials within this Constitution.
6) Branch, group and contact organisers will have full authority over the affairs of their branches and groups within the limits of this Constitution. This authority will include the power to appoint all other branch or group officials as are deemed necessary to the running of their local units including fund holders. The latter authority does not apply to contacts, since contacts are a smaller, pre-group phase of organisation. All officials, whether organisers, fund holders etc. must live within the normal geographical area of operations for the group/branch in question. The membership, in any locality or circle, may naturally make their preference clear for their choice of any local official, but the final decision rests with the official responsible for the appointment.
7) All groups and branches must have a fund holder and an organiser. While a fund holder may be appointed by either an organiser or the National Treasurer, only the National Chairman or the National Treasurer may remove a fund holder.
8) Branches, groups and contacts within any region shall be distinguished from one another according to the discretion of the National Chairman using nationally standard criteria. Responsibility for establishing branches, groups and contacts within a region, for determining lines of demarcation between them and for defining the precise criteria whereby a unit qualifies to be registered as a branch shall lie with the Regional Organiser, who shall be answerable in turn to the National Chairman.
SECTION 8: PARTY MONIES AND PROPERTY
1) CENTRAL FUNDS
(a) Property or funds entrusted to, or held by, a member or ex-member or any body or unit of the party for party purposes, shall be held and used by him, or her, or them, as trustee for the party for the time being, subject to any lawful and constitutional directive imposed or given by the donor or the person entrusting the property or funds to the said trustee.
(b) A trustee shall, if so required by the elected National Chairman of the party or any official thus authorised by him, transfer ownership and possession of property and funds held in trust for and on behalf of the party to any person or persons nominated as trustees for the party thereby. Every such trustee shall, so far as may be within his or her power, obey the directions of the National Chairman or any official authorised by him as to the use or disposal of property or funds held by them for and on behalf of the party.
(c) Save the exception provided for in Section 8, sub-section 1, para. (d) below, no official other than the National Treasurer and the National Chairman or some official authorised by him, may commit or involve the party in any expenditure of central funds or any other form of transaction without the written consent of the National Chairman or official authorised by him for such a purpose.
(d) The central funds of the party shall be administered by a National Treasurer, who shall be required to keep regular accounts of all items of income and expenditure and who shall not be the same person as the party auditor. All cheques paid out from these central funds must bear the signature of the National Treasurer and one other party official to be appointed by the National Chairman. The National Chairman shall determine, by arrangement with the National Treasurer, the maximum limit on any item of expenditure which may be made without his (the National Chairman’s) consent.
(e) All debts and liabilities properly incurred by the party at a national level shall be solely the responsibility of the National Chairman.
2) LOCAL FUNDS
(a) All local funds of the party shall be administered by the Regional Treasurer in a single regional account, appointed in accordance with the provisions of Section 7, sub-section 6, who shall be required to keep regular accounts of all items of income and expenditure concerned, and to keep and submit to the relevant authorities, all records required under the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 and any subsequent related legislation. All cheques paid out from the regional funds must bear the signature of the Regional Treasurer and Regional Organiser. Limits of expenditure for any local funds shall be determined in accordance with the same procedure as that specified in the foregoing sub-section.
(b) Regions may operate other accounts subject to the prior approval of the National Treasurer and their being operated in accordance with the requirements of the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 and any subsequent related legislation.
(c) Contact areas, as distinct from groups and branches, do not raise money to be administered by the Regional Treasurer. Contacts, for the purposes of the law, are treated as individuals and are not able to collect or receive donations. Any monies raised by individuals for the immediate furtherance of the party in a contact area (e.g. the purchase of leaflets or papers etc.) are permissible.
(d) No local unit may operate any kind of account.
(e) In the event that, for any reason, local funds are not able to be administered by the Regional Treasurer, then the funds will be administered by the National Treasurer or another treasurer appointed by either him or the National Chairman.
(f) Any financial undertakings entered into by any local unit or region of the party are the sole responsibility of that local unit/region, and no party organisation outside that unit/region may be charged with liability for debts arising therefrom. No organiser shall commit his branch/group to spend against future anticipated income and thereby place his unit in debt. All debts and liabilities incurred by any local unit shall be the personal responsibility of the organiser of that unit/region and not that of the party.
(g) The arrangements for the method and frequency whereby regional treasurers keep the National Treasurer and local units within the region informed of the position of the regional account shall be determined by the National Treasurer who shall have the right, and is expected, to inspect all regional financial records on reasonable notice.
(h) In the event of a local unit disbanding for any reason, all monies and property belonging to that unit shall revert automatically to the ownership of the party and the custody of the Regional Treasurer of the party.
SECTION 9: PUBLICATION OF PARTY LITERATURE
1) All publication of party literature at local level and on local initiative will require the consent of the party’s Director of Publicity. This consent may be obtained by either the prior submission of any such literature for inspection by the party’s Director of Publicity or by his granting to the local official concerned authority to print such literature as he sees fit.
2) The elected National Chairman will reserve the absolute right to order to be withdrawn from distribution any item of party literature or other publicity material published which does not comply with the aforementioned rules or which, in its content or quality of production, does not reflect creditably on the party.
SECTION 10: STATEMENTS TO THE MEDIA
1) INTERNAL AFFAIRS
(a) No member of the party may be interviewed by, or give any statement to, the news media on matters internal to the party who has not been given prior authorisation to do so by his or her Regional Organiser or by a national official of the party.
2) LOCAL POLITICS
(a) No member of the party may be interviewed by, or give any statements to, the news media on matters of local politics who has not been given prior authorisation to do so by his or her Regional Organiser or by a national official of the party. The exception to this rule is any elected representative for that local area.
3) NATIONAL ISSUES
(a) No member of the party may be interviewed by, or give any statements to, the news media on national issues who has not been given prior authorisation to do so by his or her Regional Organiser or by a national official of the party
SECTION 11: ELECTIONS
1) No local branch or group of the party may undertake to contest any election, whether parliamentary or local government, without the prior consent of the National Chairman or national official or Regional Organiser authorised by him.
2) Local units must submit their choice of candidate for approval to the National Chairman or a person authorised by him to approve candidates.
SECTION 12: ACTIVITIES
1) No local branch or group of the party my undertake to promote any activity on a scale requiring support from members outside that branch or group without the prior consent of the local Regional Organiser.
2) In the same way no region of he party may undertake to promote any activity on a scale requiring support from members outside that region without the prior consent of the National Chairman or senior official delegated by him.
SECTION 13: GENERAL MEMBERS’ MEETINGS
1) No rigid rules shall govern the holding of internal meetings of the party but such meetings will be held as the occasion demands.
2) In the event of the National Chairman or the Advisory Council calling a General Members’ Meeting, at least fourteen 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 of this Constitution.
3) Any member wishing to submit a resolution for inclusion on the agenda of a members’ meeting must have a proposer and seconder for such a resolution who are both paid up, full members of the party, and must submit the resolution to the Chairman of the meeting.
4) Any changes in Sections 1, 4, 5, 13 and 14 of this Constitution must be approved by a two-thirds majority vote of members attending a General Members’ Meeting. Any members wishing to submit a resolution incorporating such change or changes for inclusion on the agenda of such a meeting must first obtain consent from the elected National Chairman for such inclusion, having in the first place submitted the resolution for consideration in accordance with Section 5 of this Constitution.
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.
SECTION 14: REVISIONS TO THIS CONSTITUTION
1) Consideration will regularly be given to changes in this Constitution for the purpose of improving the functional efficiency of the party. Final authority to determine such changes, however, will rest with the elected National Chairman – saving those sections protected by Section 13, sub-section 4.
2) Any changes made to this Constitution by a majority vote at a properly convened General Members’ Meeting shall be effective from the time the vote is taken. Changes made by the elected National Chairman shall take effect following publication in a members’ bulletin or publication on the party’s official website. The revised Constitution in either case must then be published and made available within thirty days.
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 a General Members’ Meeting until previously passed by the Annual Conference of Voting Members.
SECTION 15: VOTING MEMBERS
1) A Voting Member is an ordinary current member who meets all the following criteria:
(a) A Voting Member must hold two years continuous current membership i.e. 24 months.
(b) A Voting Member must have attended the required number of training events within the current year.
(c) A Voting Member must be a recognised activist as verified by their Regional Organiser. This includes as a matter of course, councillors and other elected members, branch organisers, fund holders and regional officers.
(d) A Voting Members must make a financial contribution, as defined each year. Councillors, branch organisers, fund holders and regional officers are exempt.
2) Voting Members have certain special rights such as the ability to vote on policy at the Annual Conference and other functions and roles allotted to them under this Constitution.
Annex 1: CODE OF CONDUCT
1) All persons occupying any positions of authority within the party and thereby authorised to issue directives to other members for the performance of party tasks are expected to communicate such directives with courtesy and dignity, mindful of the fact that the party is an organisation, not of conscripts, but of volunteers who for the most part give their services unpaid and are able to leave the party at any time they wish.
2) All members when engaged in party tasks are expected to act in accordance with whatever directives may be issued to them by the senior party official present, providing that such directives are reasonable, lawful and in compliance with the Constitution of the party.
3) All party members when present on party activities and functions are expected to be of clean and tidy appearance.
4) All party members are expected at all times to conduct themselves in a manner that will bring credit upon the party and to refrain from any acts, whether from a party political or private motive and whether political or private in nature, which are likely to bring the party into disrepute.
5) PROSCRIPTIONS
(a) The National Chairman may proscribe individuals, organisations or publications which are so hostile to the party, or whose views and/or behaviour are so likely to bring discredit upon the party, that members should have no contact with them.
(b) Such a hostile individual, publications or group is thenceforth regarded as a rotten apple and proscription is the means by which they are prevented from contaminating others. Not only are the proscribed barred from attending party functions and activities, but party members are barred from attending events organised by them and barred from sharing platforms with them, distributing or advertising literature and electronic media produced by or in support of them, and promoting events at which they are known or – in the opinion of the party leadership – likely to be attending.
(c) Proscriptions shall come into effect on publication in the National members’ bulletin and remain in force until further notice. A full list appears on the party’s website.
6) No party member is permitted to present as party policy any political viewpoint that has not been adopted as such. Any party member, when presenting any viewpoint which differs from adopted party policy, must stress that that viewpoint reflects only their own private opinion and is not part of any policy adopted by the party.
7) Every party member has the right to express criticism or dissent on matters internal to the party and to work, within the framework of the Constitution, to achieve internal change within the party. Members are expected to take concerns to their local or regional organiser and they in turn, should a quick resolution not be possible, to take it on to the Advisory Council. Further, an AC member so approached must raise the subject at the next AC meeting or in communication with the National Chairman and other AC colleagues. An official who airs criticism or dissent publicly or to subordinate members without first exhausting the proper channels shall be guilty of a serious disciplinary offence. As a general rule, good news should be passed to subordinate members while problems and criticisms should only be passed to more senior party officials.
8) The spreading of false or malicious rumours shall be considered an offence against this Code of Conduct. So too shall be the deliberate causing of disruption to the working of the party.
9) No party member or official shall transmit by any means – written, verbal or electronic – to another person or organisation matters that are internal to the party unless prior permission has been given by a member of the Advisory Council or a Regional Organiser not on the AC.
10) No party member or official shall call any activity or meeting beyond their position of authority. Any such call shall be considered an offence against this Code of Conduct.
11) Non-compliance with any part of this Constitution is an offence against this Code of Conduct.
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