Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Ian Anderson (politician)


 * The following discussion is an archived debate of the proposed deletion of the article below. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the article's talk page or in a deletion review).  No further edits should be made to this page.  

The result was No consensus. —Quarl (talk) 2006-12-28 15:01Z 

Ian Anderson (politician)

 * — (View AfD)

Failed candidate, negligible share of vote in a handful of constituency elections. Article full of unsubstantiated claims and lacking sources. Membership of a fringe political organisation =/= notability. Involved with National Democrats (UK), also nominated for deletion. Dei zio  talk 15:32, 23 December 2006 (UTC)
 * Delete - non notable per WP:BIO, and I couldn't find any reliable coverage through Google News. I must admit though that I'm not really up to speed to the UK political scene, so if he's a well-known politicion I'll happily change my vote. Jayden54 16:52, 23 December 2006 (UTC)
 * Strong keep Anderson has been a leading figure on the extreme-right and neo-Nazi fringe of British politics for twenty years or more. If you have not studied a topic, its leading protagonists and players may seem obscure, (don't get me started on rap singers!).  Google News is hardly a reliable source here: pick any famous person from twenty years ago and see what comes up! So he may well appear to be unknown. The article clearly demonstrates not only his contribution to extremist politics in the UK, but provides background infrmation useful to anyone wanting to know more about the groups that preceded the British National Party and surrround it now.  OK, he's never won an election, but that is not relevant because these groups never intended to win elections.  To put it in terms that US readers may grasp, you have an article on David Duke, but he's never won an election either! Nominator says "negligible share of vote in a handful of constituency elections" but, again, that someone has contested FIVE elections knowing they will lose says more about the politics of the man and his parties than anything else.  Emeraude 18:02, 23 December 2006 (UTC)
 * Comment. Now channel that energy into a WP:HEY effort to demonstrably bring the article in line with WP:BIO.  Dei zio  talk 18:11, 23 December 2006 (UTC)


 * Delete No, he is not a leading figure in anything. I am English, I follow English politics, and I say this person is not of note.  Duke  is known for things other than losing elections (including his involvement with the Klan).  Bill Boaks was notable for losing elections.  This guy is neither notable for losing nor notable for anything else, as far as I can tell. Guy (Help!) 19:35, 23 December 2006 (UTC)
 * Comment, with these guys we should concentrate more on how much they can move the mainstream parties toward their themes. In this case, how does his nationalistic rethoric influence the themes of the Tories (for example) Alf photoman 14:33, 24 December 2006 (UTC)
 * Comment I think that's a branch of wiki-philosphy that would be better suited to a notability talkpage than one AfD. In the meantime WP:BIO is kinda the benchmark.  Dei zio  talk 14:42, 24 December 2006 (UTC)


 * Keep Existing article demonstrates that subject is an important player in the fracturing of the English far-right during the 1980s. Eludium-q36 22:08, 25 December 2006 (UTC)

Keep Article needs improving and shortening (I've begun this) but he was an important figure in the evolution of the British far right Whiteabbey 13:59, 26 December 2006 (UTC)
 * Keep this and National Democrats (UK) as important figures in the British far right. He may not have won elections but his pivotal role in the virtual collapse of the national Front makes him highly notable. Keresaspa 11:34, 27 December 2006 (UTC)


 * The above discussion is preserved as an archive of the debate. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the article's talk page or in a deletion review). No further edits should be made to this page.