Robert Henderson
Encyclopedia
Robert Henderson is a British
writer who has caused public controversy
with his views on racial
issues and his letters to the former British Prime Minister
Tony Blair
.
Henderson spent his early childhood in Cheshire
before moving to Hertfordshire
, where he was educated at St Albans School
, later graduating from Keele University
. Since then he has lived in Central London
. Before retiring due to ill health he worked for the Inland Revenue, while also retaining a strong personal interest in cricket
. In 1995 he became the subject of attention from the British media after Wisden Cricket Monthly
published his essay "Is It In The Blood?", which used language such as "negro" and inferred that foreign-born players would be less committed to the team. A legal action taken against Wisden by the black England cricketers Devon Malcolm
and Philip DeFreitas was settled out of court.
Henderson, claiming media bias against him, and censorship of his views, wrote a number of letters to his constituency Labour
MP, Frank Dobson
, and later to Tony Blair (then opposition leader) and his wife Cherie. In March 1997 Blair is said to have contacted the police asking for a means to stop this "pestering"; on March 25, 1997 a story accusing Henderson explicitly of "pestering" the Blairs appeared on the front page of the Daily Mirror. Henderson has frequently claimed that Special Branch
and the security services have, on Blair's instructions, interfered with his mail and tapped his telephone.
The only MP to have put forward an Early Day Motion
in support of Henderson is the now-retired Sir Richard Body, a Tory MP who was sympathetic to nationalism
and rejected the economic rationalism
and pro-globalisation slant of the latter-day Tory
party, in 1999.
Robert Henderson has written most frequently in recent years for the political magazine Right Now! and the English nationalist/cultural magazine Steadfast. "Right Now", which ceased publication in 2006, could be described as of the Old Right, while "Steadfast", which also appears to have ceased publication, had wider political appeal (and was becoming increasingly "green"). He has not written for Wisden since the 1995 controversy. With his demise of his domestic outlets Henderson began submitting his writings to the American publication American Renaissance Magazine.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
writer who has caused public controversy
Controversy
Controversy is a state of prolonged public dispute or debate, usually concerning a matter of opinion. The word was coined from the Latin controversia, as a composite of controversus – "turned in an opposite direction," from contra – "against" – and vertere – to turn, or versus , hence, "to turn...
with his views on racial
Racism
Racism is the belief that inherent different traits in human racial groups justify discrimination. In the modern English language, the term "racism" is used predominantly as a pejorative epithet. It is applied especially to the practice or advocacy of racial discrimination of a pernicious nature...
issues and his letters to the former British Prime Minister
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the Head of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom. The Prime Minister and Cabinet are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Sovereign, to Parliament, to their political party and...
Tony Blair
Tony Blair
Anthony Charles Lynton Blair is a former British Labour Party politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to 27 June 2007. He was the Member of Parliament for Sedgefield from 1983 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007...
.
Henderson spent his early childhood in Cheshire
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
before moving to Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
, where he was educated at St Albans School
St Albans School (Hertfordshire)
St Albans School is an independent school in the city of St Albans in Hertfordshire, in the East of England. Entry before Sixth Form is for boys only, and co-educational thereafter. Founded in 948 by Wulsin , St Albans School is not only the oldest school in Hertfordshire but also one of the oldest...
, later graduating from Keele University
Keele University
Keele University is a campus university near Newcastle-under-Lyme in Staffordshire, England. Founded in 1949 as an experimental college dedicated to a broad curriculum and interdisciplinary study, Keele is most notable for pioneering the dual honours degree in Britain...
. Since then he has lived in Central London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. Before retiring due to ill health he worked for the Inland Revenue, while also retaining a strong personal interest in cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
. In 1995 he became the subject of attention from the British media after Wisden Cricket Monthly
Wisden
The Wisden Group was a group of companies formed by John Wisden & Co Ltd, publishers of Wisden Cricketers' Almanack. As well as John Wisden & Co, the group included the The Wisden Cricketer magazine, Cricinfo – the world's highest traffic cricket website – and the Hawk-Eye computerised...
published his essay "Is It In The Blood?", which used language such as "negro" and inferred that foreign-born players would be less committed to the team. A legal action taken against Wisden by the black England cricketers Devon Malcolm
Devon Malcolm
Devon Malcolm is a former English cricketer.Malcolm was one of England's few genuinely fast bowlers of the 1990s. Born in Kingston, Jamaica, he settled in England, making his first-class debut for Derbyshire in 1984, and qualifying to play for England in 1987...
and Philip DeFreitas was settled out of court.
Henderson, claiming media bias against him, and censorship of his views, wrote a number of letters to his constituency Labour
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
MP, Frank Dobson
Frank Dobson
Frank Gordon Dobson, is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Holborn and St. Pancras since 1979...
, and later to Tony Blair (then opposition leader) and his wife Cherie. In March 1997 Blair is said to have contacted the police asking for a means to stop this "pestering"; on March 25, 1997 a story accusing Henderson explicitly of "pestering" the Blairs appeared on the front page of the Daily Mirror. Henderson has frequently claimed that Special Branch
Special Branch
Special Branch is a label customarily used to identify units responsible for matters of national security in British and Commonwealth police forces, as well as in the Royal Thai Police...
and the security services have, on Blair's instructions, interfered with his mail and tapped his telephone.
The only MP to have put forward an Early Day Motion
Early day motion
An Early Day Motion , in the Westminster system, is a motion, expressed as a single sentence, tabled by Members of Parliament for debate "on an early day" . Controversial EDMs are not signed by Government Ministers, PPS or the Speaker of the House of Commons and very few are debated on the floor...
in support of Henderson is the now-retired Sir Richard Body, a Tory MP who was sympathetic to nationalism
Nationalism
Nationalism is a political ideology that involves a strong identification of a group of individuals with a political entity defined in national terms, i.e. a nation. In the 'modernist' image of the nation, it is nationalism that creates national identity. There are various definitions for what...
and rejected the economic rationalism
Economic rationalism
Economic rationalism is an Australian term in discussion of microeconomic policy, applicable to the economic policy of many governments around the world, in particular during the 1980s and 1990s....
and pro-globalisation slant of the latter-day Tory
Tory
Toryism is a traditionalist and conservative political philosophy which grew out of the Cavalier faction in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. It is a prominent ideology in the politics of the United Kingdom, but also features in parts of The Commonwealth, particularly in Canada...
party, in 1999.
Robert Henderson has written most frequently in recent years for the political magazine Right Now! and the English nationalist/cultural magazine Steadfast. "Right Now", which ceased publication in 2006, could be described as of the Old Right, while "Steadfast", which also appears to have ceased publication, had wider political appeal (and was becoming increasingly "green"). He has not written for Wisden since the 1995 controversy. With his demise of his domestic outlets Henderson began submitting his writings to the American publication American Renaissance Magazine.