Whatever Christmas means for you – the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ, renewing ties with extended family, enjoyment of good food in the company of others, a rest from work or campaigning, TV specials, or just a lull before the winter sales – I hope you have a good one.

I have no hesitation in wishing you a happy Christmas rather than use a religiously neutral phrase. Recently published figures from the 2011 census reveal that 59% of people in England and Wales still describe themselves as Christian, though that is down by 13 percentage points since 2001. Of the 25% who have no religion, most celebrate Christmas in some form, as do many adherents of other religions. Celebrating Christmas is not to disrespect other religions and their festivals. The hugely diverse primary school where I am a governor marks all the main festivals celebrated by the religions represented among the children: Eid, Diwali, Hanukkah, Christmas etc. Although Christians are a minority in the school, there was a nativity scene and Christmas tree in the reception area at the end of last term. Knowing and respecting one another’s beliefs is part of the children’s education.

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The Islamophobic British Freedom Party can no longer fight elections after the Electoral Commission statutorily deregistered it last week. The BFP, which is closely aligned with the English Defence League, took 10.3% of the vote in last month’s police commissioner election in Bedfordshire, a result it described as “historic”. But it will not be able to try to build on this success, at least for now, after the party’s officers failed to send the Electoral Commission an annual registration form, accompanied by a cheque for £25, by the due date of 31 October 2012.

The form, prescribed under section 32 of the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000, is not exactly complicated, principally asking the party to confirm the details of its officers, address and symbols. It should not have been beyond the intellectual capabilities of Paul Weston, its chairman, Dr George Whale, its nominating officer, and Richard Bateman, its treasurer. Dr Whale is, after all, “industrial liaison research officer” at Queen Mary, University of London, School of Electronic Engineering and Computer Science, as well as being the BFP’s London organiser.

After eight days of silence the British Freedom Party has finally come clean and admitted to its members that it has been deregistered as a political party by the Electoral Commission. Perhaps not quite “come clean”: an article posted on 19 December, shortly after I reported the deregistration, said it was “a mystery” why the party had been deregistered, that “no reminders or warning letters were sent or received” and that the yearly registration was sent in with the accounts in February.

Not according to the Electoral Commission, which told me that a couple of reminders had been sent after the initial request. The accounts were indeed received, of which more below. Even their own supporters were not all fooled. Charlotte Lewis, formerly of London British National Party, who in June lasted just four days as the BFP’s Croydon organiser, commented: “If you had sent a cheque in February, then you would have known if it had been cashed or not by checking your bank statement”. Quite.

Another person asked why if it was “business as usual” nothing had been posted on the website for ten days, to which Simon Bennett, the party’s webmaster and treasurer, replied: “Because we are having a well earned break after two years flat out, seven days a week, 17 hours a day non stop”.

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Taking a break from its internal splits the English Defence League has rejected the advances of the tiny far-right Britain First group. A week after a mere handful of supporters turned out for Britain First’s anti-mosque protest in Southend on 1 December, the English Defence League warned its supporters to “beware false patriots” and accused Britain First of being “nothing more than a scam, a money making exercise by veteran con artists who are skilled in the arts of subversion, propaganda and deception”.

Britain First started as a campaign group, which rejected fighting elections on the sound anarchist principle that voting doesn’t change anything, even quoting (unattributably) Emma Goldman in support. Nevertheless in September the group, which is run entirely by former British National Party officers, decided to become a political party after all, though has not actually fought any elections so far.