John O'Brien (UK politician)

For other people of the same name, see John O'Brien (disambiguation).

John O'Brien

Chair of the National Front
In office 1970–1971
Preceded by	A. K. Chesterton
Succeeded by	John Tyndall
Personal details
Political party	National Front

John O'Brien was a leading figure on the far right of British politics during the early 1970s.

A fruit farmer by trade, O'Brien had initially been a member of the Conservative Party in Shrewsbury. A supporter of Enoch Powell, he attempted to organise a 'Powell for Premier' movement following the Rivers of Blood speech.^[1] When this failed to get off the ground he briefly joined the National Democratic Party before emerging as a member of the National Front. O'Brien gained a reputation for working towards unity on the far right, establishing contacts not only with the NDP, but also the Monday Club, the Union Movement, the Integralists led by white Russian George Knuppfer and a number of local anti-immigration groups, with the NF ultimately absorbing a number of such groups.^[2]

Following internal wranglings within the party, O'Brien was appointed leader of the NF in 1970, following the resignation and removal of A. K. Chesterton (who had brought O'Brien in to be NF Office Manager). Initially seen as a compromise candidate (after the rebellion against Chesterton, no one was willing to take the post), he soon set about trying to modernise the party and clashed with John Tyndall and Martin Webster over the issue, who had backed the O'Brien candidacy because they thought erroneously that he could be easily manipulated. The simmering conflict came to a head when O'Brien accused Webster of working with the Northern League, which had been proscribed in the NF. O'Brien moved to expel Webster but failed to get Tyndall's backing leading to open conflict.^[3]

During the resulting struggle O'Brien briefly departed from the scene to go on honeymoon and during his absence the pro-Tyndall contingent made moves to expel a number of his supporters.^[4] O'Brien and his supporters, appalled at the extent to which a small neo-Nazi clique around Tyndall had taken over most of the facets of the party, failed to win the struggle and left to join John Davis' National Independence Party as a group. Although the NIP initially looked like it might challenge the NF, Tyndall's party was galvanised by the arrival in Britain of Uganda's Asian population, who had been expelled by Idi Amin.^[5]

The opposition to their resettlement in the UK gave the better-known NF a boost and meant that the NIP failed to gain any momentum – although they famously beat former Tory candidate turned National Front candidate Roy Painter in Tottenham at the February 1974 General Election (despite his campaign enjoying a campaign-diary spot during the election with The Guardian) – and struggled on until 1976, when it was closed down. O'Brien did not return to the political arena after this although he contributed to the British nationalist journal Candour. He died suddenly on 21 September 1982.^[6]

The former leader of the NF can claim to have made one of the most significant blows against neo-Nazism in post-war Britain. His involvement with the This Week documentary on ITV about the NF (Thames Television, ITV, September 1974 – where he was also interviewed at length about the party he left whilst its chairman) caused immense damage to the National Front and instigated fury within the party's ordinary membership that they had not been made aware as to the full extent of the neo-Nazi pasts and continuing links of the likes of Tyndall and Martin Webster. Within one month of the broadcast, Tyndall was fired as NF Chairman.^[7]

O'Brien should not be confused with the John O'Brien involved with the White Nationalist Party,^[8] as the latter is still alive.

References

↑ S. Taylor, The National Front in English Politics, London: Macmillan, 1982, p. 21.
↑ M. Walker, The National Front, Glasgow: Fontana Collins, 1977, pp. 99-101.
↑ M. Walker, The National Front, Glasgow: Fontana Collins, 1977, p. 105.
↑ M. Walker, The National Front, Glasgow: Fontana Collins, 1977, p. 106.
↑ M. Walker, The National Front, Glasgow: Fontana Collins, 1977, p. 133
↑ Candour, November/December 1982
↑ S. Taylor, The National Front in English Politics, London: Macmillan, 1982, pp. 35-6
↑ Antisemitism and Racism - United Kingdom

Links to related articles

Chairs of the National Front

A. K. Chesterton (1967–1970) John O'Brien (1970–1971) John Tyndall (1971–1974) John Kingsley Read (1974–1976) John Tyndall (1976–1980) Andrew Brons (1980–1984) Martin Wingfield (1984–1990) Ian Anderson (1990–1995) John McAuley (1995–1998) Tom Holmes (1998–2009) Ian Edward (2009–current)

Far-right politics in the United Kingdom

Pre-1945 groups	British Brothers League British Fascists British People's Party British Union of Fascists The Britons Britons Publishing Society English National Association Imperial Fascist League The Link Militant Christian Patriots National Fascisti National Party National Socialist League Nordic League Right Club

Defunct post-1945 groups	British Democratic Party British Empire Party British Freedom Party British People's Party British League of Ex-Servicemen and Women British League of Rights British National Party Column 88 Conservative Democratic Alliance Constitutional Movement England First Party Flag Group Freedom Party Greater Britain Movement League of Empire Loyalists National Democratic Party National Democrats National Fellowship National Independence Party National Labour Party National Party National Socialist Action Party National Socialist Movement National Socialist Movement New Britain Party New Nationalist Party Northern League November 9th Society Official National Front Patriotic Party Racial Preservation Society Revolutionary Conservative Caucus Spearhead Tory Action Union Movement United Country Party White Defence League White Nationalist Party Western Goals Institute

Active groups	Blood & Honour Britain First British Democratic Party British Movement British National Party Candour Casuals United Christian Council of Britain Combat 18 English Defence League English Democrats International Third Position League of Saint George Liberty GB National Action National Front National Liberal Party (UK, 1999) Nationalist Alliance Racial Volunteer Force Redwatch Stop Islamisation of Europe

Pre-1945 people	Mary Sophia Allen John Amery Henry Hamilton Beamish John Beckett Hastings Russell, 12th Duke of Bedford R. B. D. Blakeney A. K. Chesterton John Henry Clarke Thomas Haller Cooper Barry Domvile Henry Drummond Wolff Josslyn Hay, 22nd Earl of Erroll William Evans-Gordon Robert Forgan Rolf Gardiner Patrick Boyle, 8th Earl of Glasgow Harold Elsdale Goad Reginald Goodall Robert Gordon-Canning Louis Greig Neil Francis Hawkins J. F. C. Fuller William Joyce Arnold Leese Rotha Lintorn-Orman Frank McLardy Diana Mitford Unity Mitford Cynthia Mosley Oswald Mosley Gerard Wallop, 9th Earl of Portsmouth Archibald Maule Ramsay David Freeman-Mitford, 2nd Baron Redesdale Alliott Verdon Roe Edward Russell, 26th Baron de Clifford Alexander Raven Thomson Graham Seton Hutchison Nesta H. Webster Arthur Wellesley, 5th Duke of Wellington Henry Williamson Ormonde Winter Francis Yeats-Brown

Post-1945 people	Tim Ablitt Ian Anderson Richard Barnbrook A.F.X. Baron James Larratt Battersby Derek Beackon John Bean Jane, Lady Birdwood Jonathan Bowden Andrew Brons Kevin Bryan Eddy Butler A. K. Chesterton Mark Collett David Copeland Mark Cotterill Nicky Crane Simon Darby Sharon Ebanks Richard Edmonds Andrew Fountaine Nick Griffin Jeffrey Hamm Anthony Hancock Patrick Harrington Ray Hill Derek Holland Tom Holmes Colin Jordan Arthur Kemp John Kingsley Read Alan Lake Richard Lawson Tony Lecomber Michael McLaughlin Eddy Morrison John Morse David Myatt John O'Brien Roy Painter Denis Pirie Enoch Powell Kevin Quinn Anthony Reed Herbert Robert Relf Tommy Robinson Robert Row Simon Sheppard Ian Stuart Donaldson Keith Thompson John Tyndall Richard Verrall Adam Walker Martin Webster Graham Williamson Martin Wingfield John Graeme Wood

Related articles	Anglo-German Fellowship Battle of Cable Street British National Party election results Europe a Nation List of British fascist parties List of British far-right groups since 1945 National Front election results Organisation for the Maintenance of Supplies Political Soldier Rock Against Communism

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