The British National Party has re-launched a bid to get into Barrow town hall – despite its drubbing at the last local elections. The far right political group will field the same candidate, Mike Ashburner, who stood for a Central ward seat on the council last May.Mr Ashburner, of Sidney Street, came last out of four Central ward candidates, with 100 out of around 1,000 votes. This time he will contest Ormsgill, the ward represented by Peoples Party leader Jim Hamezeian.
Mr Ashburner told the Evening Mail his party has a good deal of support there and reckons he has a “realistic” chance of getting elected.
The BNP opposes mixed race relationships and believes all immigration into Britain should be stopped. But Mr Ashburner insists neither he, nor his party, is racist. He said: “We stand up for local people, the British people. We stand for democracy, for freedom of speech and against political correctness.”
The BNP’s “second front” in Barrow brought scorn from other local political parties, with deputy Labour group leader, Councillor Dave Pidduck, saying: “The residents of Central ward last year clearly showed the BNP that there’s no place for them in Barrow. They have nothing whatsoever to offer the people of this borough. There’s no way they could address the problems the borough faces in terms of creating jobs, improving the environment and getting investment into the town. To vote for them is just a waste of a vote.”
Cllr Hamezeian said: “It’s quite obvious to everyone that the BNP is a racist party. They try to cause hatred within the community and everyone knows what the BNP stands for. I would have thought Ashburner would have learned his lesson from the election in Central. He got the lowest percentage of them all and he didn’t get anywhere.”
Council leader and Conservative chief, Councillor Bill Joughin, said: “My own view is that whilst I deplore their policies, I recognise in a democratic country they’re entitled to stand. I’ve no doubt the electorate of Barrow and Ormsgill will show them that there’s no room for their brand of politics in Barrow. From a practical point of view, I don’t think there’s a big enough minority in Barrow to support even the election of one councillor.”
Independent leader, Councillor Eric Wood, said: “They’re not exactly my cup of tea but I think it’s up to the individual whether they want to vote for them or not.”
And Liberal Democrat spokesman Barry Rabone said: “Liberal Democrats believe in the right of the individual to freedom of expression. We trust though that the voters of Barrow and Dalton will strongly reject the BNP message in the forthcoming May elections, as they have done so in previous elections.”
Paul Jenkins, spokesman for Barrow and South Cumbria Unite Against Fascism, said: “We need everyone to use their vote to vote against the BNP, because they offer no solutions for ordinary people.”
An anti-racism family event is planned for Ormsgill community centre on April 13.
North West Evening Mail
8 comments:
well he looks like a thoroughly decent sort of chap.
Did the BNP have to use his mug shot for publicity pic though?
"Mr Ashburner told the Evening Mail his party has a good deal of support there and reckons he has a “realistic” chance of getting elected."
He must be an idiot then cos Jim Hamezeian is a popular guy.
"The BNP opposes mixed race relationships and believes all immigration into Britain should be stopped."
That is not true, the BNP does not believe that all immigration should be stopped, only some immigration.
White immmigration is okay, say the bnp, providing the white people arriving to these shores aren't Eastern Europeans, lol.
Looks like the stereotypical bootboy with Hitler tatoos on his arse.
http://lancasteruaf.blogspot.com/2007/03/barrow-bnp-reveal-their-true-fascist.html
Barrow: BNP reveal their true fascist face
Fascist BNP activist Mike Ashburner has revealed the real racist face of the BNP
Further proof that the BNP is a racist party is shown by a recent complaint by prospective BNP candidate for Barrow, Mike Ashburner, to the Standards Board for England, against Barrow Borough Councillor Jim Hamezeian. Ashburner tried to claim that Jim Hamezeian could not hold Council Office because Councillor Hamezeian was born in Iran, and that this supposedly contradicted a 300-year old bill.
The fact that the Standards Board rejected Ashburner's claim shows the BNP up for the racists that they are. Standards Board spokeswoman Rebecca Jones has stated "There was no potential breach of the code identified."
To judge someone on the basis of where they were born is racism - and this is the racism which Ashburner and the Fascist BNP, which he represents, are guilty of. We can all reject racism by rejecting Mike Ashburner and the fascist BNP at the elections. Ashburner is no exception. The BNP has stated that "all non-whites must be repatriated" and BNP Leader Nick Griffin said, in 2002, "Our ultimate aim is an all-white society".
Unite Against Fascism, as part of our campaign against the fascist BNP in the run-up to the local elections, will be using this clear example of racism to show that the BNP truly are the racists which they pretend not to be.
[The article from the Evening Mail is reprinted below.]
Barrow and South Cumbria Unite Against Fascism (UAF)
North West Evening Mail, Wednesday March 14, 2007:
"You can't be a councillor, a 300-year-old bill says so."
BNP candidate threatens Iran-born Hamezeian.
Independent councillor Jim Hamezeian says a British National Party activist is "sad" for threatening him using an archaic 300-year-old law. Mike Ashburner - set to stand for the BNP in the Barrow Borough Council elections in May - reported Councillor Hamezeian to local government watchdog, the Standards Board for England.
Mr Ashburner claimed the Iranian-born councillor is breaching the 1689 Bill of Rights. It states: "And I do declare that no foreign prince, person, prelate, state or potentate hath or ought to have any jurisdiction, power, superiority, pre-eminence or authority, ecclesiastical or spiritual, within this realm."
The Standards Board for England decided not to investigate the complaint.
Spokeswoman Rebecca Jones said: "There was no potential breach of the code identified."
Cllr Hamezeian first came to Barrow 35 years ago to work in the shipyard for the Iranian navy. The Ormsgill representative said: "Mike Ashburner must be a sad man to be used and manipulated by the BNP in order to make this childish complaint about me."
Cllr Hamezeian accused Mr Ashburner of "living in a cave". He said: "The BNP is racist and this is a clear example of how racist the BNP is." Cllr Hamezeian says people in Barrow have no time for the BNP and the party will be "totally dismissed" if it tries to fight the local elections. Cllr Hamezeian says his People's Party will be contesting the same Central seat on the council as Mr Ashburner.
But Mr Ashburner says he is "confident" of winning the ballot and he hit back at Cllr Hamezeian's comments. Mr Ashburner said Cllr Hamezeian was wrong to say he was "sad" for making the complaint. And he said: "I can't see how it's childish. It's to do with the law, nothing else." Mr Ashburner denies he is "living in a cave" and maintains that neither he nor the BNP is racist. He says the BNP's views are "very modern".
Mr Ashburner added he had asked the chief executive of the standards board to conduct a review of its decision.
Families refute “BNP helpled” claim
(From the North-west Evening Mail, April 21st 2007)
FAMILIES fighting to save their central Barrow homes are refuting the British National Party’s claim to have helped them out.
The far right organisation said it was the only party to support North Central residents in their battle against Barrow Borough Council’s home demolition plan.
It wants to win its first seat on the council on May 3.
But residents in Arthur Street — one of the streets threatened by the council’s clearance proposal — say they have had no help from the BNP.
Jason Bentley, 49, said: “I don’t recall them helping us out at all.
“The only person that has stood by us is Jim (Hamezeian, Peoples Party councillor).
“He has helped us out quite a lot, has Jim, speaking up for us at meetings and everything.”
Mr Bentley says he has no time for the BNP.
“They’re a bunch of racists,” he said. “Anything I get from them goes straight in the bin.”
Daisy Potter also said she had no help from the BNP. And Ann Hillman, 47, said: “They haven’t helped at all. I haven’t even seen any BNP.” Mrs Hillman said Cllr Hamezeian had helped them the most.
“He has steered us in the right direction,” she said. I don’t think we’d have known what to do if we hadn’t had his help.”
Cllr Hamezeian’s wife, Rosemarie Hamezeian, 54, is standing for the Peoples Party. Mrs Hamezeian said that, to her knowledge, from knocking on doors, the BNP had done nothing for the people of Central.
She said: “The Peoples Party has been working for the people of Central for a long time now on various issues but certainly on the regeneration of their homes.
“If elected, I’ll do everything I can to make sure their houses are not pulled down.”
But BNP candidate Mike Ashburner says the BNP does not regard the Peoples Party as a proper political party.
“They’re merely a mob of Marxist misfits,” he said.
And, Mr Ashburner maintains, neither he nor the party are racist.
Labour election agent Dave Pidduck said: “The Labour party has always been prepared to work with and listen to the residents and the residents’ associations.
“Unfortunately, opportunities to do that are being restricted by other groups who are working for their own ends.”
Cllr Pidduck described Labour’s Central ward candidate, Ann Thomson, as an excellent candidate and councillor who works hard to represent her residents.
Ollie Flitcroft, election campaign manager for the Tories, described their Central ward candidate Lucy Pearson, 22, as a bright young girl with lots of skills.
And on the homes issue, Cllr Flitcroft said: “The Conservative administration took time and effort to go and speak directly to the residents, to listen to their concerns, to what they had to say. And after long periods of discussion, the Conservative administration backed the residents in their wishes and I’m pleased to say we’re fully square behind them in what they want.”
http://www.voiceofreason.org.uk/blog/?p=70
I worked and lived in Barrow all my life up to the dismantling of British shipbulding and have lived in Australia since 1983. A proud workimg class town which has as many others have fell on hard times. The last thing the town wants is a bunch of neo- facists dividing the people up with their nonsense. Jack High
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