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Nick Griffin Bankrupt Mep?
24 Answers
Nick Griffin has been declared a bankrupt but still plans to stand as an MEP.
A 1986 act stops bankrupts from standing as an MP but not an MEP.
Each member state has its own rules on who can and who can't stand so this is up to the UK not the EU
Should we change this to bring it into line ?
Or now that he's declared his intention would changing the law now be seen as an undemocratic act of retrospective legislation targeted at an individual?
A 1986 act stops bankrupts from standing as an MP but not an MEP.
Each member state has its own rules on who can and who can't stand so this is up to the UK not the EU
Should we change this to bring it into line ?
Or now that he's declared his intention would changing the law now be seen as an undemocratic act of retrospective legislation targeted at an individual?
Answers
I don't think we should change the law just because one undesirable may benefit from the status quo.
12:23 Fri 03rd Jan 2014
It turns out that it is his own solicitors that have gone after him for unpaid bills.
// The BNP spokesman Simon Darby said the judgment followed a dispute between Griffin and his former solicitors, Gilbert Davies and Partners, who represented him in a legal battle with the Equality and Human Rights Commission in 2010 – a case that ended with a court ruling that the BNP's constitution was racially discriminatory.
The firm, in Griffin's home town of Welshpool, had claimed the BNP leader owed it £77,000 plus costs. At an earlier hearing, Griffin had been ordered to pay nearly £120,000 in outstanding moneys and costs to the firm. //
Griffin has previously, wisely, but all his assets in his wifes name.
// The BNP spokesman Simon Darby said the judgment followed a dispute between Griffin and his former solicitors, Gilbert Davies and Partners, who represented him in a legal battle with the Equality and Human Rights Commission in 2010 – a case that ended with a court ruling that the BNP's constitution was racially discriminatory.
The firm, in Griffin's home town of Welshpool, had claimed the BNP leader owed it £77,000 plus costs. At an earlier hearing, Griffin had been ordered to pay nearly £120,000 in outstanding moneys and costs to the firm. //
Griffin has previously, wisely, but all his assets in his wifes name.
I thought the Guardians editorial comment on this matter particularly good;
http:// www.the guardia n.com/c ommenti sfree/2 014/jan /03/bnp -bankru pt-lead er-nick -griffi n
especially this comment from the article;
" Characteristically, Mr Griffin was blustering on Friday about being re-elected to the European parliament in May. But recent BNP electoral performances suggest he will have a hard job. Let's hope so. Mr Griffin is the bankrupt leader of a bankrupt movement, while the BNP is a political spittoon."
And actually it seems the law is the same for both MPs and MEPs. Under current laws, an undischarged bankrupt is prevented for standing for either position, regardless of what the BNPs spokesperson says. I doubt he will have been able to complete the process of bankruptcy in time for the May 2014 Euro elections.
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especially this comment from the article;
" Characteristically, Mr Griffin was blustering on Friday about being re-elected to the European parliament in May. But recent BNP electoral performances suggest he will have a hard job. Let's hope so. Mr Griffin is the bankrupt leader of a bankrupt movement, while the BNP is a political spittoon."
And actually it seems the law is the same for both MPs and MEPs. Under current laws, an undischarged bankrupt is prevented for standing for either position, regardless of what the BNPs spokesperson says. I doubt he will have been able to complete the process of bankruptcy in time for the May 2014 Euro elections.
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