Michael McLaughlin

Michael McLaughlin was, for a time, a leading figure on the British far right.Born in Liverpool, he was the son of an Irish republican and socialist who was a veteran of the International Brigades.Ray Hill & Andrew Bell, The Other Face of Terror, London: Grafton, 1988, p. 120

According to his blog, McLaughlin’s father was a good friend of Irish playwright Sean O’Casey, and shared battle experiences with war correspondent and international author, Ernest Hemingway. His mother corresponded with Dolores Ibárruri, (La Pasionaria) during the Spanish Civil War.

Joins British Movement

For a time McLaughlin worked as a milkman, and as a result he was known as "The Milkman" in right wing circles, where he was seen as a largely unassuming figure. His first involvement with politics came when he joined the British Movement in 1968.

McLaughlin became leader of the British Movement in 1975 when Colin Jordan abruptly resigned. Although initially seen as not being leadership material he soon gained publicity for the BM by leading the campaign to free Robert Relf, who at the time had considerable sympathy in sections of the press.

Moving the BM headquarters away from Jordan's base in Coventry to Shotton, Flintshire, he repositioned the BM as a party geared towards the young working classes and by 1979 had raised membership to...
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