This article was submitted by one of our readers, Iliacus. We welcome any contributions from our supporters (as long as those contributions conform to the law and are in reasonably good taste). Please send your articles to us via email.
Thursday's by-election in the Glyn Ward of the Bay of Colwyn Town Council could normally pass without in-depth political analysis, but since it was contested by the BNP - who also contested it at the last all-out elections in May 2008 - it's worth reviewing. Bear in mind also that the BNP has been moderately active in this area with a handful of members being elected (usually unopposed) to community councils (though even this has usually ended in tears with resignations and miscellaneous bickering!).
Now I must start by pointing out that the Bay of Colwyn Town Council is, in fact, that uniquely Welsh thing, a Community Council. The Welsh equivalent of a Parish Council (diestablishment having taken place in Wales, they shun the use of parishes for civil purposes). Its powers are very limited, and it is hardly a hotbed of political interest or activism - shown by the fact that only five names were put forward in May 2008 for the four seats on offer.
The result on that occasion was:
Plaid Cymru - 709 - Elected
Labour - 546 - Elected
Labour - 414 - Elected
Independent - 196 - Elected
BNP - 143 - not elected
Note that none of the parties came close to fielding a full slate of candidates, and that the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats couldn't nominate a single name! Note also that the BNP was just 54 votes short of being elected.
At the byelection on March 25th there were six candidates (but still no Conservative), and they polled:
Labour - 150
Plaid Cymru - 121
Liberal Democrat - 78
Independent - 62
BNP - 35
Independent - 26
It's very difficult to make comparisons because of the switch from people being able to vote for up to four candidates to a single vote. There were probably round 900 votes cast in 2008, and 472 at the by-election. What we do know is that on Thursday the BNP share of the vote was 7.4%.
Oh, and one other interesting footnote. The gentleman from Plaid Cymru who polled 709 votes in 2008 was one Abdul Mukith Khan. We like Glyn ward!
March 29, 2010
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8 comments:
Nice to see you back here, Iliacus.
35 votes for the master race huh? LOL
I hope Roger Phillips reads this article.
"Nice to see you back here, Iliacus."
I'll second that. :)
"Bear in mind also that the BNP has been moderately active in this area"
That didn't seem to help them much on this occasion.
"There were probably round 900 votes cast in 2008, and 472 at the by-election."
So the number of votes cast was halved while the number cast for the BNP quartered. A nice result and very well spotted.
In November '07 the area was "honoured" by a visit from Griffin himself. Mind you, it was for a court case where the memorable Pat Pattison (BNP community cllr in llysfaen) was served an injunction not to "use threatening, abusive or insulting behaviour" towards council staff!
Pattison then left the BNP, claiming it was racist (!!). Specifically he claimed that after 'helping' a local family of South Asian origin a leading local member criticised him for "helping f***ing pakis" who were "muslim scum anyway". Nice people.
In May 2008 three BNP candidates were returned (unopposed) to the Town Council. All resigned from the BNP before attending a single meeting!
In January '10 the BNP website reported on a meeting held in Colwyn Bay - comments on the meeting included "yet another expansion of the BNP reach in North Wales", "North Wales is ripe for the BNP" and "the BNP getting ever stronger".
35 votes.
You have to laugh ...
P.S. Thanks for the kind comments.
Aw, diddums, seems the BNP are really struggling in North Wales now full-timer Bill Murray has f*cked off to run his dodgy charity instead.
Their PPC for Clwyd South lives in Llandudno, for example. North Wales is about as 'ripe' for the BNP as it is for the Natural Law Party.
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