Alan Harvey's Swinton Circle meeting with Liberty GB's Islamophobic leader Paul Weston ends in mutual rancour

The Swinton Circle totally disassociates itself from an organisation called "LibertyGB", and advises all to be very wary of this outfit.

— Swinton Circle (@SwintonCircle) August 13, 2015

http://springbokcybernewsletter.blogspot.co.uk/2015/08/august-2015-edition.html

As many readers will alas be aware, last month’s planned Swinton Circle meeting unfortunately proved to be a complete disaster. About 18 months ago a young Canadian joined the organization, and being highly impressed with his abilities, friendliness and apparent authentic support for the patriotic ideals of the organization he was “fast-tracked” onto the Committee. 

I am informed that Paul Griffin is a "likeable young chap with a very inquisitive mind" though he "lacks confidence and experience." "Paul Griffin was born at Ottawa, Canada, and studied at the University of Durham where he gained an MSci degree in Geoscience. He currently works in London as an IT Technical Support Analyst, specializing primarily in databases. He has made an extensive study of European history and associated philosophy ... "

http://springbokcybernewsletter.blogspot.co.uk/2014_10_01_archive.html

A short while ago he recommended that the Swinton Circle should make contact with an organization calling itself “Liberty GB” which he assured the rest of the Committee shared similar patriotic aims and objectives. Not doubting his assurances in this regard the Swinton Circle therefore made contact with this organization, though alas without checking its bona fides, and indeed invited their leader, a certain Paul Weston, to address its July meeting. 

How odd that Alan Harvey who is British political activist considered Eurosceptic and right of centre should wish to accept the assurances of a Canadian whipper-snapper much younger than himself. How odd too that Alan Harvey seems unaware that Paul Weston's Islamophobia is even deeper and wider than that of the BNP's.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2614834/Arrested-quoting-Winston-Churchill-European-election-candidate-accused-religious-racial-harassment-repeats-wartime-prime-ministers-words-Islam-campaign-speech.html

Alarm bells started to ring when a complete stranger turned up for this meeting and announced that he was a member of a “splitist” political party called “The English Democrats”, which being the English equivalent of the SNP was therefore the complete antithesis to what the Swinton Circle stands for. Worries quickly escalated however, when a steady trickle of strangers – none of whom had been officially invited – starting arriving for this meeting, and when approached one unknown woman stated that she had been “invited” by a known and notorious neo-fascist extremist! In retrospect the meeting probably should have been called off at this stage, but the arrival of the guest speaker only confused and intensified the worrying situation even further. It was by then obvious that this “Liberty GB” outfit had seen fit to circulate “invitations” to a whole batch of extremist contacts without having the common decency to inform the Swinton Circle in advance! Even worse, the leader of this outfit arrived together with a BBC camera-crew who were evidently making a programme about him and what subsequently turned out to be his extremist views – again without having the common decency to inform the Swinton Circle about this action and to ask their permission. Worse was to follow however, for the known and notorious neo-fascist leader did as feared turn up himself, and a couple of other apparently well-known political extremists were also identified by one of the Swinton Circle member present.

If Alan Harvey already knew Paul Weston was a "notorious neo-fascist leader" why did he invite him to speak at a Swinton Circle meeting?

Harvey is as capricious as a woman and it is probably not worth our while trying to work out the twists and turns of his mind. If he did not want the meeting filmed he should have said so, not given permission and then regretted it because he felt put upon by Paul Weston or "betrayed" by Paul Griffin. I have been reliably told that what actually transpired will be revealed at the next meeting of the London Swinton Circle (ie not Harvey's Swinton Circle) at http://www.swintoncircle.org.uk/ 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_Swinton_Circle#Breakaway_rival_group

Alan Harvey has been described by Searchlight magazine as a publisher of "racist and antisemitic" material. Harvey also ran the 'Springbok Club'which has been described by Johann Hari in The Independent as a "racist organisation." Somewhat contrary to these assertions, it became public in July 2015 that Harvey had firmly refused an alliance with ex-UKIP candidate and writer for European Knights Project Jack Sen with Harvey expressing concern over Sen's alleged "Neo-Nazi" associations and maintaining the Springbok Club was "101% Pro-Israel."

Harvey was a one time Chair of the Circle but was expelled from the London Swinton Circle in October 2008 after disrupting the business of the Circle amidst allegations that he was a "Searchlight mole".

In January 2009 Harvey formed a rival breakaway group using the name 'Swinton Circle'. London Swinton Circle member, and former Leader of the National Front, Ian Anderson commented on the development that Harvey was claiming "he was in charge of the [London] Swinton Circle and even called meetings, however as they rapidly degenerated into occasions for him to attack anyone he felt like, they have not been a great success". Harvey later told Searchlight magazine that he had "won" in his struggle against the London Swinton Circle.

https://libertarianalliance.wordpress.com/2010/07/08/ukip-mike-smith-ex-ukip-ppc-commits-suicide/ has a number of unflattering references to Harvey's mental stability and a particularly mysterious one about his nappy photos.