A reminder of the threat

If anyone needed a reminder of the growing BNP threat then it was there for all to see in the East Wickham ward by-election, which is in Bexley, yesterday. The BNP missed out on taking the ward by just eight votes. It was the Tory vote that really collapsed, dropping from 1362 when the ward was last contested in 2006 to 798 now. The BNP came second with 790 votes, up from the 601 they polled in 2006. Labour came third with 700 votes, down from the 931 votes in 2006.

Last Saturday the HOPE not hate team was out, delivering a very strong anti-BNP leaflet throughout the ward. It would be nice to think that we persuaded enough people to vote to make a difference.

By all accounts this was a really intensive BNP campaign, with as many as 10 different leaflets being distributed. (There will be a detailed article about this result in the next issue of Searchlight).

There was better news in Essex, where the BNP were trounced in another by-election.

With several key by-elections coming up around the country, including Newcastle, Tameside, St Helens and Carlisle, there is certainly no room for complacency.

HOPE not hate

Bexley day of action

Welling Station, Station Approach, Welling, Kent DA16 3AU

Saturday, 17 January 2009: 10.00am

The BNP is fiercely contesting a council by-election in East Wickham, Bexley which will be held on Thursday 22 January. Indications are that it is going to be a very close contest and so it is vital that all anti-fascists from across London mobilise to prevent the BNP from making a breakthrough.

Welling has long been a stronghold for the far right. The BNP had its headquarters and a bookshop there until the mid-1990s. During the BNP's tenure, racial attacks increased fourfold and there were four racist murders in the neighbourhood, including that of Stephen Lawrence.

Nick Griffin and the BNP will also be out on Saturday so it is vital that we have enough people there and everyone arrives at 10am promptly.

There are trains to Welling out of Charing Cross at 17 and 47 minutes past each hour (the 9.17am arrives in Welling at 9.47am).

Please do your best to attend, let’s not allow the BNP to make a breakthrough in Bexley

Click here to view map of location

HOPE not hate

Bexley Liberal Democrats call for help to defeat BNP

This weekend the BNP will be holding their second consecutive Action Weekend in the East Wickham ward of Bexley. Last weekend the BNP hit team from across London, Kent and Essex delivered the whole ward. They will do it all over again this weekend.

East Wickham is a ward that the Liberal Democrats held right through the period of joint control of Bexley Council. And it was the last ward we had a council presence in. In recent years the ward has had Liberal Democrat, Labour and Conservative councillors. It is also in Welling, site of the BNP shop and headquarters in the 1990s.

Following the recent death of a Conservative councillor there will soon be a by-election here. We haven't got a date yet, and the by-election may well not be until February, but this by-election will be won or lost by what we can do before the election is formally called.

Don't be mistaken, the ward will be a strong fight between all 4 parties! Over the next few weeks we will be establishing our presence in the ward, before going in hard on the BNP. In the recent by-election just up the road in Christchurch ward we came second to the Tories, with the BNP just behind us, and Labour behind them in 4th. So you can see this will be a close battle. It will very much turn on us stopping the BNP vote.

We have just finished delivering a ward wide Residents' Survey and from this Sunday we have letters available from the by-election HQ, see http://www.flocktogether.org.uk/event/4337 and we have plenty more good literature on the way.

Our candidate will be former Bromley councillor Grace Goodlad, who is keen to get stuck in as Bexley's only Lib Dem councillor.

You can turn up any time you like, but in particular we will be holding action days every Saturday over the coming weeks - 22 November (delivery), 29 November (delivery), 6 December (canvassing). If you want to go out as part of a team, please turn up at the HQ at 11.30am or 2.30 pm on the action days.

But please, most of all, we need lots of help at all times to ensure we can win, and stop the BNP!

Thank you,

The East Wickham team.

Contact: 07860 187376, 020 8304 1461, 07779 146329.

Bexley Liberal Democrats