Hello,
The fellow that runs this blog is the subject of the story below. Normally I wouldn't go dredging up someones past. I did things as a student that make me wish I'd died in 1993, however if anyone was to cast them up I'd be embarrassed, furious and out for revenge. That is, revenge Clairwil style not running to lawyers like a little schoolboy sneak. I certainly wouldn't claim to be a libertarian and run to lawyers without even attempting to defend myself on my blog. Let's remember this fellow has a blog a million times more popular than this one will ever be. He is the nearest we in Britain have to a celebrity in blogging circles.
I was only dimly aware of his blog before all this kicked off and had nothing against the fellow until he jumped straight to bully boy tactics. Clearly the bloggers he threatened have something to lose. I don't. I own nothing that can be taken by sheriff officers (bailiffs in England), I'm in debt up to my eyeballs which I'd get to write off if I was sequestrated (made bankrupt in English law). I'm no longer a home owner. In short I have nothing to lose and have had my fill of consumerism.
If you have no idea what I'm on about start here and work through the links.
For the record let me state that I think the worst he's guilty of is being a bit daft and naive as student. I doubt he's a racist now or was then. Nor am I particularly alarmed by his antics, from what I understand politics was a polarised business in the eighties and I doubt many decent activists on any side have cause to be completely proud of their behaviour. I'm just irritated by his reactionary appeal to authority and threatening behaviour. Anyway below is the story that's got him lining lawyers pockets and he's welcome to sue me for repeating it for all the good it will do him.
The Guardian 31 May 1986
Tory student leader in ‘ racist ‘ party link / Paul Delarie-Staines of FCS attempts to form pact with British National Party in Hull
By David Rose
A leader of the Federation of Conservative Students wrote to an organiser of the British National Party proposing joint ‘direct action’ to disrupt the meetings of leftwing students. Secrecy, he emphasised, was essential: ‘The Reds would simply go wild if they got to hear of a BNP-FCS link. I would personally be in danger of being expelled from the Conservative Party.’
The author of the letter is Mr Paul Delarie-Staines, the chairman of the federation’s 50-strong branch at the Humberside college of Higher Education. Mr Delarie-Staines, who is in his first year of a degree course in business information studies, wrote on May 22 to Mr Ian Walker, a BNP organiser in Hull.
He was, he said, against several of the aims of the BNP, which campaigns for the repatriation of black citizens. Several of its members have been convicted of offences under the Race Relations Act, and others for crimes of violence against ethnic minorities. Its leader, Mr John Tyndall, is a former chairman of the National Front.
Mr Delarie-Staines said he did not share the BNP view on immigration: as a member of the ‘libertarian’ faction of the FCS he advocated the free movement of labour, albeit with the caveat that ‘you come here to work - or starve. ‘
He went on: ‘I share a lot of your objectives.‘ These included a return to leadership and statesmanship, the abolition of the welfare state, and ‘the elimination of Communism in Britain - the mass media, the trade unions, and the schoolroom. ‘
Mr Delaire-Staines continued: ‘Nevertheless, even though we have our differences, I know a lot of BNP people at college do support the FCS (some are members of the FCS). I can certainly envisage some degree of cooperation.
‘For instance, we are moving away from just the normal political debate and towards more direct action - anti-Communist slogans on bridges, disrupting the leftist meetings by posing as leftists and then causing trouble, and also convincing individual leftists of the error of their ways.
‘Perhaps members of the BNP would care to join us in our anti-leftist activities. We can arrange a meeting to discuss possible joint future activities. ‘
Other examples of Mr Delaire-Staines work reached the Guardian, including a number of songs. One, entitled FCS Bootboys, reads: ‘Gas them all, gas them all, the Tribune group trendies and all. Crush Wedgwood Benn and make glue from his bones, Burn the broad left in their middle class homes.
‘Yes we’re saying goodbye to the Left, as safe in their graveyards they rest. ‘Cos they’ll get no further, we’ll stop with murder, the bootboys of FCS. ‘
In a letter to a friend, Mr Delaire-Staines said that he had been on a ‘community arts course - well. not exactly community arts, more spraypainting a bridge at 3am. Quite good fun really, ducking out of sight of passing police cars’
Mr Delaire-Staines told the Guardian that he had not meant violence by direct action at leftist meetings, only ‘causing as much noise as possible’. He said that he had tried to forge links with the BNP because ‘we share their anti-Communist view’.
He added: ‘They’re not far-right. They’re just racists, they believe in one colour. ‘
Mr John Barrow, the national chairman of FCS and a Lambeth councillor, said that Mr Delaire-Staines was ‘a bit silly. I wouldn’t hold it against him. I’m sure he’ll grow out of it.’ After hearing extracts from the letter to the BNP he added. ‘He’s absolutely right that he’s in danger of being thrown out of the Conservative Party.’
Mr James Goodsman, the Conservative Central Office official responsible for the FCS, said: ‘If the evidence comes my way I will certainly look into it.
16 comments:
Another brave soul. Clever line about using bankruptcy to clear your debts...;)
Cheers Leon,
The bankruptcy thing is spot on. I do a bit of debt advice as part of my job, so I'm well up on the law on that one.
I've nothing to lose because I outlived my finances years ago.
The only thing he can do is dig up dirt against me of which there is a fair bit. To which all I can say is so what, at the time I needed the money.
I am not brave. I just have fuck all worth taking.
A Brownite plot, a Brownite plot!
The only thing he can do is dig up dirt against me of which there is a fair bit.
In which case I suggest you beat him to it, and start airing your own dirty laundry in installments. That'd show him.
I didn't know you were a Brownite, Clairwil. You learn something new every day.
That Larry Teabag clearly is, have you seen the colour of his blog?
Kudos to you clair, screw that paranoid hypocritical tosser. PS let us know if he does start sabre rattling :D
Ah Larry I'm keeping 'The Confessions Of Clairwil' for the book. My Brownite puppetmasters reckon that they can get me a publishing deal in exchange for my good work.
Billy,
Oh aye Larry's one of the top fellows in the plot.
Sahil,
I think his threats of legal action may have been more to do with his spat with a certain blogger, rather than the story itself. We shall see.
hi thanks for the link.
If you get into trouble let me know and I will republish. Let's see if the big-mouthed hypocrite can sue me in Spain!!
Rab,
I very much doubt anyone's going to be sued over this. Publish and be dammed!
Let's face it what is anyone really saying other than the Guardian published an article about someone in 1986?
I've no idea whether it's true or not and don't care much either way.
You probably won't be sued, no, but what Staines might do is have his lawyers threaten your ISP. (Suing the publishers or distributors, who aren't going to stick their necks out for a client, is an old and dishonourable tactic in British libel law, as in John Major's sction against the New Statesman for instance.)
With that in mind you might want to make sure you've backed up all your posts!
Best of luck with it, anyway. He is a loathsome individual.
Claire, you simply can't go around saying that Mr Paul-Delaire Staines was 'a bit daft and naive as student'. It's unfair, and you appear to be denying him the right of reply. I have discussed the moral and technical issues of your wicked claim on my blog.
ejh,
Thanks for the tip, I'd been a bit worried about that. Though he might want to consider how foolish he'll look getting angry about a blog with a pink background.
Lobster Blogster,
Well if he wasn't a bit daft and naive as a student, he'll be the first student in living memory that wasn't.
Do you ever get referrals from this page? They are talking about you, you know.
Yes I've had a couple of referrals from the above page. I'm sure if they really wanted me to know what they were saying they'd drop in and leave a comment, so I'm keeping my beak out.
Thanks Clairwil, your answers have been very helpful.
Are there any signs that Mr Staines has asked you to withdraw this?
What would be the point, at this stage? I mean, Sunny's original article on PP is still retrievable in full via Google's cached archives. We've all read it.
OK, I admit Guido has handled this one poorly, he would have done better to laugh it off, in retrospect. Too late now, the cat's out of the bag, and can't be put back in again.
Sunny 1, Guido 0. But it's still only half time, it's anyone's game.
Lobster,
No I've not been asked to take the article down. I can't see the point in doing so as it's been published so widely.
Tom,
You're spot on. I very much doubt many people would have been all that bothered had the legal threats not been made.
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