Patrick "Pat" Harrington (born 24 May 1964) is a British Politician, currently General Secretary of Solidarity – The Union for British Workers an organisation affiliated to the British National Party, and a Director of the Third Way (UK) think-tank (since 1989). He was previously a leading member of the National Front in the 1980s.
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Pat Harrington was born in Kennington and his secondary education was at the Pimlico Comprehensive School and Tenison's School. His Higher and Further Education was at Westminster College (1980-1982), Polytechnic of North London (1982-1985), Edinburgh's Telford College (1994-1995), West London Technology Centre (1993), Kensington & Chelsea College (1992-1993), College of the Distributive Trades (1991-1993) and the University of Greenwich (1997-1999).
In 1984 Pat Harrington was the subject of protests by students at the Polytechnic of North London (later the University of North London, now part of London Metropolitan University), who picketed his lectures to protest his being able to study philosophy while a prominent member of the National Front (NF), which he joined in 1979, and deputy editor of their publication NF News. Students argued that his presence made life intolerable for ethnic minority students. Harrington disputed this and insisted on his right to attend lectures. He obtained a court injunction to stop the picketing; the protestors, backed by their students' union, ignored this.[1] Two student leaders were sent to jail for 16 days for contempt of a court order preventing them from barring Harrington from college.[2]
In December 1984, Dr. David MacDowall, the Polytechnic's director, resigned after pressure from the Inner London Education Authority (ILEA) to make a complaint against Harrington for remarks he made in a radio interview. ILEA said the remarks were racist, which Harrington denied.[3] In his resignation letter, MacDowall admitted that he had acted "in a totally fascistic manner" over the issue, and wished "all the picketing students the best of luck with their campaign."[4] Harrington subsequently faced a college hearing for a television interview in which, in line with NF policy, he questioned the right of black people to citizenship.[5]
In January 1985, with final exams approaching, the students' union, Harrington and the Polytechnic administration agreed a deal in which all of Harrington's classes would be taught in an annexe away from the main building. His fellow students boycotted these lectures and many lecturers taught them informally.[6] Harrington eventually graduated with a Philosophy degree.[7]
In the late 1980s the NF underwent a schism. Harrington sided with the Political Soldier group that included Nick Griffin (subsequently leader of the British National Party) and Derek Holland. This group eventually termed itself the Official National Front. Harrington was a regular contributor to NF publications on a range of subjects, including providing research for an article that supported Ernst Zündel's holocaust denial.[8] There is no suggestion that Harrington has ever denied the Holocaust. The ideas of Harrington and his allies led to alienation of some NF supporters with the Flag Group splitting off to follow more traditional NF ideas. Harrington was involved in one of the most notorious manifestations of these divisions in the 1989 Vauxhall by-election when, as a candidate, one of his opponents was Ted Budden of the Flag Group
In September 1988 the three men visited Libya as a guest of the Gaddafi regime. In November, the Political Soldier NF was the subject of a Channel 4 documentary, Disciples of Chaos; interviewed for the programme, Harrington refused to condemn the Irish Republican Army (IRA) as terrorists.
There was another schism in 1989 when Harrington and Graham Williamson parted company with Griffin and Holland. The ONF had opened dialogue with groups like the Nation of Islam and the Pan-Afrikan International Movement. According to Harrington's account of the split, when he opened discussion with racial-separatist rabbi Mayer Schiller (see section on Harrington's ideological development below) and advocated a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, he was attacked as a "Zionist".[9] For their part, Griffin and Holland claimed that Harrington's refusal to condemn the IRA had been the cause of many problems.[10] Party members in Ulster sided with Harrington. In late 1989 Harrington voted for the disbandment of the Official National Front and joined with others to form the Third Way (UK) in 1990. Griffin and Holland formed the International Third Position. Later Griffin left this group and joined the BNP.
As an official of the NF, Harrington was involved in administering the White Noise Club, which organised white power music concerts featuring among others Skrewdriver. In 1987, the Political Soldier group fell out with Ian Stuart, the lead singer of Skrewdriver. Stuart responded by setting up his own group, Blood & Honour, whose eponymous publication openly attacked his former NF associates. They in turn denounced Stuart. Harrington and Holland are allegedly the subjects of the Skrewdriver song "A Time of Change", included on their 1988 album After the Fire.[11]
In February 1990 Searchlight magazine alleged that Harrington had ongoing connections to Special Branch and MI6.
Third Way advocates Direct Democracy along Swiss lines using referenda and citizens' initiatives, and is strongly influenced by distributism and Social Credit. It supports small business and co-operative ownership, while opposing over-centralised government and promoting decision making at the lowest practical level. It recruits from all religious and ethnic communities. According to accounts filed with the Electoral Commission, in 2004 Third Way had 20 members and cashflow of approximately £1,400.[12] The Third Way constitution distinguishes between 'Members', 'Registered Supporters' and 'Supporting Subscribers', and they also operate through a number of Limited Companies and Associations. In the 2005 General Election they fielded 2 candidates who received 376 votes between them but they have scored far better in elections at local level. (See article on Third Way for more details.)
In January 2006 Pat Harrington was appointed General Secretary of Solidarity. In November 2007, following independently scrutinised elections, he was returned unopposed for a five year period.
The current Union Executive consists of Pat Harrington (General Secretary), Simone Clarke (Treasurer), Gary Aronsson, David Durant, Mark Walker, Adam Walker (President) and David Kerr.(See article on Solidarity for more details.)
Harrington ascribes his involvement in Solidarity to his expulsion from the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) on June 27 2003.[13] The RMT claimed in a press release that he had joined under a false name and was expelled when his 'identity' was discovered; Harrington responded that he joined under his married name and that he was known to the Union by both names and challenged the grounds for expulsion. He has claimed that the reasons given for his expulsion were a pretext to cover a political motive and accused the RMT of supporting a 'New McCarthyism'.[14][15]
Harrington claims to have undergone substantial ideological change since he voted to disband the NF in 1989. In his profile on the Third Way website,[16] he cites Rabbi Mayer Schiller as a particular influence on this development. Schiller is also the subject of a biography on the Third Way website, although his role in the party is unclear.
In an interview with Wayne John Sturgeon of Alternative Green magazine, Harrington said:[17]
Wayne John Sturgeon has been closely associated with Troy Southgate's various nationalist-anarchist groups, from the National Revolutionary Faction (NRF)[18] to the New Right,[19] which describes itself as "opposed to liberalism, democracy and egalitarianism".[20] Alternative Green was founded by Richard Hunt, who has also been associated with the NRF[21] and once featured both Southgate and Sturgeon, as well as fellow NRF/New Right activist, Jonathan Boulter, on its editorial board, but they are believed to have left the board before the issue which published Sturgeon's interview with Harrington.
In "I Rejected National Front",[22] an article written for The Voice (a publication aimed at the British Afro-Caribbean community) and apparently published on February 13 2006 (but reproduced on Third Way's website), Harrington wrote:
Harrington continues to be associated with Nick Griffin and the British National Party, but he denies that these associations imply ideological agreement. In September 2005, he edited, and Third Way published, a pamphlet entitled Taking Liberties (see below), featuring an article by Griffin. In the editorial of this issue Harrington wrote:
Harrington defends his decision to publish an article from Griffin on civil liberties grounds. His role as General Secretary of Solidarity, and its association with the BNP, is discussed above.
Patrick Harrington is currently self-employed. He holds a teaching qualification from the University of Greenwich. He is a committed and lifelong vegetarian. He has two children and lives in Edinburgh.
Harrington's published works include: