The British National Party will NOT be standing any candidates in the Copeland elections after unsuccessfully trying to find someone to represent them.
After the row over a potential mosque or Muslim community centre last year the party held a public meeting in Whitehaven after which it proclaimed that it would be standing candidates in "as many seats as possible." But despite claiming to have a growing support in the borough the BNP have not been able to find a single candidate to fight on any of the 51 wards.
Cumbria's BNP leader Paul Stafford, from Wigton, refused to put a figure on the "growing number" of followers.
He said: "It is party policy not to discuss or divulge the number of members and supporters we have in any particular area. All I will say is that we are very well represented in Copeland and we will be able to fight future elections, but most of our members are new and didn't feel ready to stand just yet."
Alistair Norwood, the Conservative who represents Hillcrest and who will be standing again in May, spoke out in favour of a Muslim community centre and his ward was then subjected to a leaflet drop by the BNP, who said that his seat was the one they were keenest to contest.
Mr Norwood said: "I have mixed feelings about the BNP not standing to be honest. I am delighted that the community won't be subjected to the racist paraphernalia that they push through people's doors but at the same time I have missed out on the opportunity to beat them and send a message that their racist bigotry won't be tolerated in Copeland."
Copeland Borough Council leader Elaine Woodburn said: "To stand in the election you need to get 10 people to sign your form, and I think it speaks volumes that after being so vocal the BNP has had to back down and retreat. I really don't think that creed or colour are important on the agendas of the people of Copeland. We are a community that embraces people, whatever their backgrounds. The one group of people we don't embrace, however, is the BNP."
The Whitehaven News
April 05, 2007
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3 comments:
Now that's odd, the BNP aren't standing in the areas we leafleted, Whitehaven and Cockermouth, despite declaring that they would.
They even had a candidate and a ward lined up in Cockermouth.
Maybe they got caught faking the nomination papers. There's a lot of rumours of that happening.
Yeah what happened to him in All Saints ward in Cockermouth?
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