John Tyndall (born July 14 1934) was the founder of the right wing British National Party after leaving the National Front.
During his tenure as party leader Tyndall did little to dispel the perception among some that the BNP was a neo Nazi organisation, and strongly resisted any attempts to soften the party's policies or image.
Several decades before he founded this party as he was photographed in jackboots and armbands in front of pictures of Adolf Hitler during a year in which he was involved in a tiny political group named the "National Socialist Movement" (N.b. this group was many years before and had no connection with the later "national socialist movement" to which London nailbomber David Copeland was a member). Mr. Tyndall says that he deeply regrets his involvement with this organisation, although opponents claim it as proof of extreme views.
He was Chairman of the National front in the earlier years of its existence, after its original founder A.K.Chesterton stepped down, although later resigned because he percieved the party's structure to be too restrictive to allow political progress to be made.
Originally a member of the League of Empire Loyalists (a right-wing pressure group also headed by A.K.Chesterton), Mr. Tyndall became involved in a number of small, right-wing groups throughout his early years in politics, articulating his thoughts through his abiding magazine, Spearhead.
Tyndall was convicted of incitement to racial hatred in 1986 and has been jailed three times. During his time in prison he completed the part-autobiographical part-political book The Eleventh hour - ISBN 0951368621 -, which he has since revised several times.
Tyndall also owns and edits the magazine Spearhead.
He was expelled from the BNP under the leadership of Nick Griffin,the man to whom he lost a leadership election in 1999, mostly relating to comments printed in this publication.
In the December 2003 issue of the Spearhead, Tyndall announced that he has been re-admitted to the party following an out-of-court settlement with Griffin.
