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
Showing posts with label Stop the BNP. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Stop the BNP. Show all posts
November 15, 2008
September 02, 2008
Hope defeats Hate in Rotherham
When the BNP called a by-election in Rotherham, due to the resignation of a Labour councillor, many in the town and beyond feared the worse. The BNP were confident of a good show after managing to grab two seats in May's elections and the apparent disharmony in the local Labour Party seemed to suggest that Wickersley ward was indeed vulnerable. In May, Labour had lost this seat to the Tories with UKIP receiving an astonishing 25% of the vote, if Labour were to lose again maybe it would be the local BNP that could take advantage.
Hope not hate Yorkshire has been pointing out the increasing vulnerability of certain areas of South Yorkshire. Indeed as the BNP become increasingly defeated, demoralised and marginalised in West Yorkshire the threat they pose has seemed to move south. The problem for Labour and for anti-fascists is that some of these areas do not have the same tradition of campaigning as some more marginal areas mainly due to the fact that historically they have not needed to. Why bother with sophisticated campaigns strategy when all you need do is 'weigh the vote'?
Of course the problem is that the electorate cannot be taken for granted and is more than willing to provide a kicking to those who are too complacent. If Wickersley was to be saved a better campaign would have to be run.
We were lucky that a joint Hope not hate Yorkshire/Labour party day of action had already been planned for neighbouring Brinsworth and so we were able to get off to a flyer by moving the event to Wickersley. That first day set the tone as anti-fascists, trade unionists and party activists poured onto the streets to canvass local opinion. This collection of Voter ID continued throughout the campaign and would prove invaluable come polling day.
As well as mobilising for these events, Hope not hate Yorkshire was also involved in liaising with our trade union colleagues to set up a number of regional phone banks in order to assist the GOTV operation on the day. We were also able to respond to the BNP propaganda with a well received hope not hate leaflet. This leaflet although put together hastily had a resonance because it was targeted locally.
Election day was a blur of activity with a solid operation running to get labour voters out. The threat of the BNP certainly served to galvanise many local people, many of whom were less than enthusiastic at Labour's overall recent record. That they stayed loyal and rejected the hate and lies of the BNP is testament to their decency.
It is telling that a by-election victory in Rotherham has become worthy of a write-up, but at least the headlines are for a defeat for the BNP whose vote was still alarmingly high.
Thanks and praise for this fantastic victory must be extended to all those comrades in Rotherham who worked so hard, the Regional Labour Party and the trade unions, in particular, Unison, Community, USDAW and Unite.
Hope not hate Yorkshire together with Searchlight will continue to build and support local campaigns throughout South Yorkshire so that the lessons of Keighley and elsewhere can be learned and implemented.
Result
Labour 871
Con 821
BNP 538
UKIP 373
LibDem 191
By Paul Meszaros, Hope not hate, Yorkshire
Stop the BNP
Hope not hate Yorkshire has been pointing out the increasing vulnerability of certain areas of South Yorkshire. Indeed as the BNP become increasingly defeated, demoralised and marginalised in West Yorkshire the threat they pose has seemed to move south. The problem for Labour and for anti-fascists is that some of these areas do not have the same tradition of campaigning as some more marginal areas mainly due to the fact that historically they have not needed to. Why bother with sophisticated campaigns strategy when all you need do is 'weigh the vote'?
Of course the problem is that the electorate cannot be taken for granted and is more than willing to provide a kicking to those who are too complacent. If Wickersley was to be saved a better campaign would have to be run.
We were lucky that a joint Hope not hate Yorkshire/Labour party day of action had already been planned for neighbouring Brinsworth and so we were able to get off to a flyer by moving the event to Wickersley. That first day set the tone as anti-fascists, trade unionists and party activists poured onto the streets to canvass local opinion. This collection of Voter ID continued throughout the campaign and would prove invaluable come polling day.
As well as mobilising for these events, Hope not hate Yorkshire was also involved in liaising with our trade union colleagues to set up a number of regional phone banks in order to assist the GOTV operation on the day. We were also able to respond to the BNP propaganda with a well received hope not hate leaflet. This leaflet although put together hastily had a resonance because it was targeted locally.
Election day was a blur of activity with a solid operation running to get labour voters out. The threat of the BNP certainly served to galvanise many local people, many of whom were less than enthusiastic at Labour's overall recent record. That they stayed loyal and rejected the hate and lies of the BNP is testament to their decency.
It is telling that a by-election victory in Rotherham has become worthy of a write-up, but at least the headlines are for a defeat for the BNP whose vote was still alarmingly high.
Thanks and praise for this fantastic victory must be extended to all those comrades in Rotherham who worked so hard, the Regional Labour Party and the trade unions, in particular, Unison, Community, USDAW and Unite.
Hope not hate Yorkshire together with Searchlight will continue to build and support local campaigns throughout South Yorkshire so that the lessons of Keighley and elsewhere can be learned and implemented.
Result
Labour 871
Con 821
BNP 538
UKIP 373
LibDem 191
By Paul Meszaros, Hope not hate, Yorkshire
Stop the BNP
Labels:
Hope not Hate,
Rotherham,
Searchlight,
Stop the BNP
August 30, 2008
National conference on September 27th
We are pleased to announce a follow-on conference on September 27th at the Queens Walk Community Centre, Nottingham starting at 11am.
The purpose of the conference, to which we invite both regional and national organisations, is to have an open discussion about what we do, from now on, to counter the BNP nationally but particularly in the East Midlands region.
An excellent start has been made in this area as a result of our protest on August 16th. Despite the invocation of the Public Order Act, and some very aggravating difficulties, we managed to have a legal and peaceful protest that was continuous from soon after 9am and remained there until 2:30 pm. At its peak it attracted approx 500 people. A march was held in the middle of the day organised by the Unite Against Fascism group.
We do not know yet whether the BNP intend to hold another festival in Derbyshire next year. If they do, we hope for your support to stop it with more vigorous campaigning and a greater number of protesters if it actually goes ahead.
If they don’t, we will still need to do an awful lot of work not only to drive them back from the position they have achieved, with both councillors and members, after 30 years of existence in Amber Valley, but also to stop any further advances of the BNP in the East Midlands area and elsewhere in the country.
As a result of the protest, we now have a sizeable, very active and optimistic Stop the BNP group in Amber Valley.
We hope you will join us on the 27th September to discuss how we might do these things. We will be holding a planning meeting on the week-end of 13th-14th September to which we will be inviting sponsors.
Organisations wishing to sponsor please notify the organisers at the email address nobnpfestival@riseup.net
Download leaflet for conference from this link
Stop the BNP’s RWB
The purpose of the conference, to which we invite both regional and national organisations, is to have an open discussion about what we do, from now on, to counter the BNP nationally but particularly in the East Midlands region.
An excellent start has been made in this area as a result of our protest on August 16th. Despite the invocation of the Public Order Act, and some very aggravating difficulties, we managed to have a legal and peaceful protest that was continuous from soon after 9am and remained there until 2:30 pm. At its peak it attracted approx 500 people. A march was held in the middle of the day organised by the Unite Against Fascism group.
We do not know yet whether the BNP intend to hold another festival in Derbyshire next year. If they do, we hope for your support to stop it with more vigorous campaigning and a greater number of protesters if it actually goes ahead.
If they don’t, we will still need to do an awful lot of work not only to drive them back from the position they have achieved, with both councillors and members, after 30 years of existence in Amber Valley, but also to stop any further advances of the BNP in the East Midlands area and elsewhere in the country.
As a result of the protest, we now have a sizeable, very active and optimistic Stop the BNP group in Amber Valley.
We hope you will join us on the 27th September to discuss how we might do these things. We will be holding a planning meeting on the week-end of 13th-14th September to which we will be inviting sponsors.
Organisations wishing to sponsor please notify the organisers at the email address nobnpfestival@riseup.net
Download leaflet for conference from this link
Stop the BNP’s RWB
Labels:
Amber Valley,
Red White and Blue,
Stop the BNP
June 09, 2008
Why YOU should join us on the march and parade on June 21st - leading political and cultural figures speak out!
Pete Doherty, a long-time suporter of LMHR, said: “There will be no passage of evil through these isles without a proper, good struggle. This island has always been a melting pot and personally I am 100% mongrel in the great dog stew of history. Bona fide scouse, London Irish, Jew, Geordie, BiloRussian. Closed borders are like closed minds. What of humanity’s horizons? How infinite are they or how barricaded are they? Racism is upon us and let us not forget it is still within living memory that six million people died in gas chambers because of a hateful ideology.”
Gurinder Chadha, celebrated Director of films like Bend it Like Beckham, said: “Britain is a fantastic place made up of a wonderful mix of people. There is no room in our society for small-minded, small-thinking, racist people. That is why I’m supporting the march on the 21st”
Diane Abbott MP said: “The BNP are a Party of xenophobia, racism, homophobia and sexism. But their election to the Greater London Authority in May shows that they are capable of fooling ordinary people into believing they stand for a better Britain. The only way to beat the BNP is to show people that the BNP’s vision for Britain would take us back to the dark ages. We must reach out and encourage all communities to use their voice and their vote to protect multi-cultural Britain.
Ben Summerskill of gay rights group Stonewall said: “Less than three years after Jody Dobrowski was kicked to death in London just for being gay, no one should forget that extremism still thrives unless it’s challenged. Decent people should stand shoulder to shoulder to prevent extremists from terrorizing Britain’s minority communities.”
Glyn Ford MEP said - ‘The results of the GLA elections, where for the first time a BNP candidate was elected, show us that we must have a sustained campaign to block Nick Griffin and the BNP in next year’s Euro Elections.”
Dawn Butler MP said-It is important that we continue to come together to fight the scourge of fascism and racism. This national demonstration and carnival parade of Unite Against Fascism and Love Music Hate Racism sends out a loud message to organisations like the BNP that we will not tolerate groups that promote hatred and deny the diversity of our society.”
Dr Abdul Bari, Muslim Council of Britain said- “The fascist BNP are targeting Muslims and we should all stand together as a united community against those who would use racism to divide us. Multiculturalism and diversity provide richness in British society and vitality. Though the BNP are targeting Muslims, they are a threat to us all. We have to stand together against Islamophobia.”
Billy Hayes, Communication Workers Union, General Secretary said - “I am glad to be playing my part in this year’s National March Against Fascism and Racism. The election of the first BNP candidate in the GLA elections was a disgrace and we need to show our opposition to this on the streets of London on 21st June!!
Christine Blower, National Union of Teachers, Acting General Secretary said - “Teachers are alive to the damage to children’s’ lives that can be caused by those who preach racism or fascism. There should never be place for such views in our classrooms or, for that matter, in the wider community. The time is right to take to the streets, celebrate our diversity and ‘NO’ to fascists and racists”.
Mark Serwotka, Public and Commercial Services Union, General Secretary said - “We cannot sit by and let the BNP pass themselves off as respectable politicians. They are fascists and votes they got in May are a warning to us all. We must oppose them in our workplaces, our schools and colleges and our streets. The bigger the demonstration on 21st June, the better the start to that campaign.”
Steve Hart, Unite the union , Regional Secretary for London said: ” We need to be aware that racism isn’t just about the BNP. It is a matter that goes on in people’s lives each day. We need to address the issues that cause racism. Issues like poor housing, poor wages and poor working conditions. The BNP distracts people from the real issues and turns people against each other. Unite campaigns everyday to fight the causes of racism. Being a part of a trade union gives people the strength in numbers they need to fight racism”
Jerry Bartlett , NASUWT Teaching Union, Deputy General Secretary said - The demonstration on the 21 June is crucial. NASUWT supports Unite Against Fascism and Love Music Hate Racism in wanting to see tens of thousands of committed anti-racists on the street to send a clear message to the BNP and other fascists that their messages of hate are not welcome in our multi cultural and diverse society.
Tony Benn said - “If we stand together we can protect all the communities in Britain from racism and from racist attacks. That is what this march is all about. This is the right thing to do.”
Weyman Bennett, Unite Against Fascism’s National Joint Secretary said- ” The BNP is not a legitimate political party, it’s Leader Nick Griffin is a convicted Holocaust denier and a life long supporter of fascist and racist groups. We have to act now to stop them. In the day the fascist BNP wear suits and stand in elections but at night they carry out racist and bigoted attacks. The fascists tell lies in order to build, we must expose them for what they are - Nazis want to repeat the Holocaust in the 21st Century.”
Love Music Hate Racism
Assembly point details, coaches, etc
Labels:
BNP,
fascism,
Love Music Hate Racism,
Stop the BNP
June 06, 2008
Heanor Town Council object to BNP festival
A controversial BNP festival to be held for the second year running in Denby has been met with objections from Heanor Town Council. The red, white and blue festival, organised by the British National Party was held on land owned by former BNP councillor Alan Warner at Codnor Denby Lane, for the first time in July.
Now an application to have live music and to serve alcohol at the second festival on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, August 15, 16 and 17, to be held at the same location, has been submitted to Amber Valley Borough Council.
Speaking at the latest meeting of Heanor Town Council, Cllr Bob Moon said: "The town council have made a submission about the red, white and blue festival. Last year there was a lot of noise coming from the site, before and after the event with people making a lot of noise late into the night."
The town council, which also objected to the event last year, nominated two members to attend the licensing meeting of the borough council on Tuesday, June 10, when a decision on whether to allow live music and alcohol at the event will be made.
Cllr Moon said that to be consistent the council would also object to another separate festival, called Chill Out, set to take place in Denby the following week.
Ripley and Heanor News
Visit Stop the BNP’s Red White and Blue Festival website
Now an application to have live music and to serve alcohol at the second festival on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, August 15, 16 and 17, to be held at the same location, has been submitted to Amber Valley Borough Council.
Speaking at the latest meeting of Heanor Town Council, Cllr Bob Moon said: "The town council have made a submission about the red, white and blue festival. Last year there was a lot of noise coming from the site, before and after the event with people making a lot of noise late into the night."
The town council, which also objected to the event last year, nominated two members to attend the licensing meeting of the borough council on Tuesday, June 10, when a decision on whether to allow live music and alcohol at the event will be made.
Cllr Moon said that to be consistent the council would also object to another separate festival, called Chill Out, set to take place in Denby the following week.
Ripley and Heanor News
Visit Stop the BNP’s Red White and Blue Festival website
Labels:
fascism,
Nick Griffin,
Red White and Blue 2008,
RWB,
Stop the BNP
May 28, 2008
Mass lobby, June 10th, Amber Valley Council
Derbyshire and Notts anti-fascists accuse Amber Valley council officials of not listening
Today, anti-fascists activists have announced their intention to lobby en masse the meeting of Amber Valley Council that is to discuss the licensing of a BNP festival to be held in Codnor/Denby later in the year. At 7pm on Tuesday 10th June a panel of councillors will decide at Ripley Town Hall whether the BNP gets a drink and music license essential to the holding of the event. Anti-fascist campaigners will be protesting in the square outside the Town Hall from 6pm onwards that evening.
Dave Matthews of Nottinghamshire Stop the BNP campaign claimed that they expect a high turnout to lobby the meeting of Amber Valley councillors meeting. Similar claims have been made by Derby Unite against Fascism.
The lobby follows representations by campaigners and numerous trade unions throughout the region. Notts Stop the BNP claim that there is anger that representations made by themselves as well as by regional and local bodies of trade unions such as UNISON and UCU were ignored by the Council. Despite having had to name members in Amber Valley who have expressed their concern about the licensing of an event known to attract violent people, campaigners say that the Council has refused to listen to those objections.
‘It appears that the Council isn’t interested in the views of union members who are local residents’ claimed Dave Matthews, ‘despite the fact that this festival, especially if licensed with drink and music, will pose a threat to public order throughout the area.’
What has also angered the anti-fascist campaigners is the report that one of the councillors, Lewis Allesbrook, who is to sit on the panel deciding when the license for the event is granted, is one of the 2 recently-elected BNP councillors on Amber Valley Council. ‘The BNP having a final say on whether a license is to be granted, whilst local residents are shut out from registering complaints, makes the whole process a joke’, Dave Matthews added.
If the BNP’s festival goes ahead, plans are already afoot to organise a mass demonstration in the area. Already the campaign initiated by the Notts anti-BNP campaign along with Derby Unite against Fascism has been backed by many trade unions and trade union councils both in the East Midlands and from as far away as London. Organisers say that the counter-demonstration may well attract thousands of protesters. The likely required police operation would be likely to cost in the order of hundreds of thousands of pounds as well as seriously impacting on transport in the area.
Local anti-fascist campaigns and trade unions have demanded that all their objections should be passed onto the panel of Amber Valley councillors considering whether the event will go ahead. They say that Amber Valley council should listen to all the concerns of local residents and not just those filtered by the council’s principal solicitor.
Stop the BNP’s Red White and Blue Festival
Today, anti-fascists activists have announced their intention to lobby en masse the meeting of Amber Valley Council that is to discuss the licensing of a BNP festival to be held in Codnor/Denby later in the year. At 7pm on Tuesday 10th June a panel of councillors will decide at Ripley Town Hall whether the BNP gets a drink and music license essential to the holding of the event. Anti-fascist campaigners will be protesting in the square outside the Town Hall from 6pm onwards that evening.
Dave Matthews of Nottinghamshire Stop the BNP campaign claimed that they expect a high turnout to lobby the meeting of Amber Valley councillors meeting. Similar claims have been made by Derby Unite against Fascism.
The lobby follows representations by campaigners and numerous trade unions throughout the region. Notts Stop the BNP claim that there is anger that representations made by themselves as well as by regional and local bodies of trade unions such as UNISON and UCU were ignored by the Council. Despite having had to name members in Amber Valley who have expressed their concern about the licensing of an event known to attract violent people, campaigners say that the Council has refused to listen to those objections.
‘It appears that the Council isn’t interested in the views of union members who are local residents’ claimed Dave Matthews, ‘despite the fact that this festival, especially if licensed with drink and music, will pose a threat to public order throughout the area.’
What has also angered the anti-fascist campaigners is the report that one of the councillors, Lewis Allesbrook, who is to sit on the panel deciding when the license for the event is granted, is one of the 2 recently-elected BNP councillors on Amber Valley Council. ‘The BNP having a final say on whether a license is to be granted, whilst local residents are shut out from registering complaints, makes the whole process a joke’, Dave Matthews added.
If the BNP’s festival goes ahead, plans are already afoot to organise a mass demonstration in the area. Already the campaign initiated by the Notts anti-BNP campaign along with Derby Unite against Fascism has been backed by many trade unions and trade union councils both in the East Midlands and from as far away as London. Organisers say that the counter-demonstration may well attract thousands of protesters. The likely required police operation would be likely to cost in the order of hundreds of thousands of pounds as well as seriously impacting on transport in the area.
Local anti-fascist campaigns and trade unions have demanded that all their objections should be passed onto the panel of Amber Valley councillors considering whether the event will go ahead. They say that Amber Valley council should listen to all the concerns of local residents and not just those filtered by the council’s principal solicitor.
Stop the BNP’s Red White and Blue Festival
May 02, 2008
Election coverage: London Assembly
The results are soon to arrive re' the London Assembly vote. Please check the comments to see the current state of play.
Labels:
Barnbrook,
BNP,
London Assembly,
Stop the BNP
Election coverage: second-stage results
Counting is due to start shortly on the second-stage results in the 2008 council elections. We'll update as we get results but you'll find the fastest updating going on in the comments, so check them out for the latest news.
Labels:
2008 elections,
BNP,
local elections,
Stop the BNP
May 01, 2008
Lancaster Unity "live" election coverage
Lancaster Unity is updating live from 10.00, with virtually instant comment moderation. Keep refreshing this post for the latest updates and comments.
Anybody attending a count can send us results by email from mobile or regular email to elections@unitywebring.com. Even if you aren't attending a count, but know somebody you can trust who is and who can transmit results to you, that's fine.
Television and radio
Local television and radio coverage will continue for much of the night in most regions and will give more detailed coverage of BNP results than the national programmes. We'd like you to keep an eye on what the media are saying in your locality and get the news - no matter how trivial - to us.
Internet
Some local council websites and forums devoted to politics will be updating throughout the night. As we at Lancaster Unity are going to be very busy, we need supporters to keep an eye on them - including BNP websites and Stormfront.
Websites to watch
We can't watch them all, so we're calling on you to help us keep an eye on these:
http://conservativehome.blogs.com/torydiary/2008/05/local-elections.html
http://www.southportvisiter.co.uk
http://www.birminghamelections.org.uk/
http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/election/results
http://icseftonandwestlancs.icnetwork.co.uk/formbytimes
http://icseftonandwestlancs.icnetwork.co.uk/crosbyherald
http://icseftonandwestlancs.icnetwork.co.uk/bootletimes/
http://www.vote-2007.co.uk/index.php?board=41.0
http://www.vote-2007.co.uk/index.php?board=40.0
http://www.liverpooldailypost.co.uk/liverpool-news/local-elections/local-election-blog/
http://www.getwokingham.co.uk/
http://www.stourbridgenews.co.uk/news/election/news/
http://www.northumberlandcouncil.gov.uk/new/elections.asp#results (Friday -
1 BNP)
http://www.salfordadvertiser.co.uk/
http://www.hastingsobserver.co.uk/
http://www.thisisthurrock.co.uk/election/
http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/politics/2008/05/local_election_results_live.html
There will be more - please check your local council and/or newspaper website, and send all news and results to elections@unitywebring.com
Let's all pull together to make this a successful collective effort for the Lancaster Unity community!
Latest:
YouGov's latest poll puts the BNP's Barnbrook on 2%, equal with the Greens' Sian Berry in the Mayoral race. We're also hearing that in the GLA race early exit polls are showing the BNP on 3% (unconfirmed - bear in mind also that the polls are open for several hours to come, and that not all BNP voters will admit to voting for the party. Good news is that turnout appears to be high).
Birmingham Sheldon:
Liberal Democrats 3224 60.51%
British National Party 789 14.81%
The Conservative Party 586 11.00%
BBC's political correspondent reports "huge" London turnout
..................
Redhill Ward, Sunderland
Tory 279
Lib Dem 185
Lab 1315
Ind Leadbitter (former bnp organiser)359 13.5%
John Martin bnp (Searchlight mole and last year a NS9 candidate)517 19.4%
31% turnout (2655 votes)
......................
Worcester Gorse Hill (unconfirmed)
Lab 515 47.33%
Con 243 22.33%
BNP 232 21.32%
Green 98 9.01%
......................
B'ham King's Norton
Con 2345 47.34%
Lab 1492 30.12%
BNP 534 10.78%
.....................
B'ham Longbridge
Con 1997 39.36%%
Lab 1720 33.90%
BNP 716 14.11%
(BNP expectations better than this here)
......................
B'ham Northfield
Con 2804 47.13%%
Lab 1496 25.14%
BNP 1003 16.86%
......................
Nuneaton and Bedworth Abbey
Lab 1016 45.79%
Con 608 27.40%
BNP 391 17.62%
Green 204 9.19%
How the mighty are fallen! As LU predicted :-)
And the rough with the smooth - Nick Lowles reports: "The BNP has gained Camp Hill ward with 675 votes. Labour came second with 562."
..................
Sunderland Barnes Ward
Con 1712 51.60%
Lab 809 24.38%
LibDem 489 14.74%
BNP 308 9.28%
...................
Sunderland Castle Ward
Lab 1376 54.71%
BNP 350 13.92%
Con 343 13.64%
Ind 264 10.50%
LibDem 182 7.24%
Left 90 3.58%
..................
Sunderland Fulwell
Con 2092 53.16%
Lab 1032 26.23%
LibDem 459 11.66%
BNP 352 8.95%
....................
Sefton Crosby Ford ward
Owen Francis Brady - Labour - 1,330
Michael McDermott - British National Party - 301
Jessamine Hounslea - Conservative - 287
Philip James Wordley - UK Independence Party - 265
..................
Merseyside Whitefield
BNP 72
Lab 629
14K(?) 613
Lib Dem 150
..................
Sour grapes from BNP Thurrock loser:
LABOUR regained the Tilbury St Chads ward in the evening's first declared result.
The ward had been previously held by Val Liddiard, who left the Labour group to stand as an Independent Socialist.
BNP candidate Angela Daly came second, 61 votes behind the winner, Lynne Worrall.
Lynne said: "I want to say a big, big thank you to all the people who have helped me with my campaign. I would also like to thank my family. we are going to keep Tilbury Labour."
Beaten Conservative Kay Mangion said: "I'm pleased for Lynn, she has worked extremely hard and I always say the best people win."
Angela Daly said: "I will stand again. This year we are going to see what Labour have done to us and I'll be prepared for next time. The postal vote should be banned because I think they are all rigged."
.....................
Hastings Tressel
Peter Chowney - Labour, 372
Evelyn Modlinger - Liberal Democrat, 208
Nick Prince - BNP, 147
Kate Walsgrove - Conservative, 279
.....................
2 BNP gains in Rotherham, 1 in Thurrock
..........................
Thurrock Belhus
Sue Gray (Lab) 786
Georgette Polly (Con) 549
Lauren Kay (BNP) 387
John Biddell (Lib Dem) 115
......................
Dudley failure. Nick Lowles says: "The BNP failed to pick up any seats in Dudley, with its vote down on last year. This appears to mirror the decline in the BNP across the Black Country, particularly in Sandwell."
.......................
Stourbridge Brockmoor and Pensnett
Conservatives 846
Labour 777
British National Party 508
Independent 313
Liberal Democrats 204
Stourbridge Norton
Conservatives 2,445
Labour 603
Liberal Democrats 530
British National Party 285
UK Independence Party 210
Stourbridge Quarry Bank and Dudley Wood
Labour 1,376
Conservatives 1,119
British National Party 437
UK Independence Party 192
Liberal Democrats 136
...................
Carlisle results. Much crowed about gains failed to materialise.
.....................
Full Thurrock results. Beacon last in his ward.
.......................
Basildon full results:
Billericay East
Con 1932 66%
LibDem 428 15%
BNP 220 7%
Lab 206 7%
UKIP 152 5%
Billericay West
Con 2145 71%
LibDem 332 11%
Lab 239 8%
BNP 200 7%
UKIP 99 3%
Burstead
Con 1967 65%
BNP 407 13%
LibDem 384 13%
Lab 275 9%
Crouch
Con 1311 68%
BNP 251 13%
Lab 218 11%
LibDem135 7%
Fryerns
Lab 1013 40%
Con 636 25%
BNP 628 25%
LibDem 250 10%
Laindon Park
Con 1020 45%
Lab 661 29%
BNP 387 17%
LibDem 193 9%
Langdon Hills
Con 1176 58%
Lab 283 14%
BNP 197 10%
UKIP 152 7%
LibDem 130 6%
Green 104 5%
Lee Chapel North
Lab 972 44%
Con 604 27%
BNP 358 16%
LibDem 160 7%
Green 126 6%
Nethermayne
LibDem 1247 43%
Con 697 24%
Lab 495 17%
BNP 459 16%
Pitsea North West
Con 945 41%
Lab 739 32%
BNP 370 16%
UKIP 266 11%
Pitsea South East
Con 1255 52%
Lab 604 25%
BNP 383 16%
LibDem 171 7%
St. Martin's
Lab 539 38%
Con 408 29%
BNP 305 22%
LibDem 163 12%
Vange
Con 590 36%
Lab 508 31%
BNP 289 18%
LibDem 104 6%
Ind 72 4%
Ind 47 3%
Green 36 2%
....................
Coventry Westwood
LibDem 277
Lab 1389
Con 1713
BNP 425
Green 165
....................
BNP now have 2 seats in Amber Valley, miss a third by one vote.
...................
Southport Norwood
Con 744
LibDem 1709
BNP 184
Lab 290
UKIP 243
..................
Full Coventry results
..................
That wraps it up for tonight - thanks for your support.
Before signing off, let's just reflect that 8 BNP gains isn't the end of the world and hardly represents a great leap forward for them. So far as we have been able to make out, the average BNP vote has fallen when a comparison with 2004 can be made, but - as last year - the results are pretty mixed.
As our friend Irish Tony puts it: "3588 councillors elected so far. The BNP have 8."
The "quiet revolution"?
They don't come much quieter.
We've still got the Friday counts to go, and the GLA and London Mayoral results to come - see you later!
Anybody attending a count can send us results by email from mobile or regular email to elections@unitywebring.com. Even if you aren't attending a count, but know somebody you can trust who is and who can transmit results to you, that's fine.
Television and radio
Local television and radio coverage will continue for much of the night in most regions and will give more detailed coverage of BNP results than the national programmes. We'd like you to keep an eye on what the media are saying in your locality and get the news - no matter how trivial - to us.
Internet
Some local council websites and forums devoted to politics will be updating throughout the night. As we at Lancaster Unity are going to be very busy, we need supporters to keep an eye on them - including BNP websites and Stormfront.
Websites to watch
We can't watch them all, so we're calling on you to help us keep an eye on these:
http://conservativehome.blogs.com/torydiary/2008/05/local-elections.html
http://www.southportvisiter.co.uk
http://www.birminghamelections.org.uk/
http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/election/results
http://icseftonandwestlancs.icnetwork.co.uk/formbytimes
http://icseftonandwestlancs.icnetwork.co.uk/crosbyherald
http://icseftonandwestlancs.icnetwork.co.uk/bootletimes/
http://www.vote-2007.co.uk/index.php?board=41.0
http://www.vote-2007.co.uk/index.php?board=40.0
http://www.liverpooldailypost.co.uk/liverpool-news/local-elections/local-election-blog/
http://www.getwokingham.co.uk/
http://www.stourbridgenews.co.uk/news/election/news/
http://www.northumberlandcouncil.gov.uk/new/elections.asp#results (Friday -
1 BNP)
http://www.salfordadvertiser.co.uk/
http://www.hastingsobserver.co.uk/
http://www.thisisthurrock.co.uk/election/
http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/politics/2008/05/local_election_results_live.html
There will be more - please check your local council and/or newspaper website, and send all news and results to elections@unitywebring.com
Let's all pull together to make this a successful collective effort for the Lancaster Unity community!
____________________
Latest:
YouGov's latest poll puts the BNP's Barnbrook on 2%, equal with the Greens' Sian Berry in the Mayoral race. We're also hearing that in the GLA race early exit polls are showing the BNP on 3% (unconfirmed - bear in mind also that the polls are open for several hours to come, and that not all BNP voters will admit to voting for the party. Good news is that turnout appears to be high).
Birmingham Sheldon:
Liberal Democrats 3224 60.51%
British National Party 789 14.81%
The Conservative Party 586 11.00%
BBC's political correspondent reports "huge" London turnout
..................
Redhill Ward, Sunderland
Tory 279
Lib Dem 185
Lab 1315
Ind Leadbitter (former bnp organiser)359 13.5%
John Martin bnp (Searchlight mole and last year a NS9 candidate)517 19.4%
31% turnout (2655 votes)
......................
Worcester Gorse Hill (unconfirmed)
Lab 515 47.33%
Con 243 22.33%
BNP 232 21.32%
Green 98 9.01%
......................
B'ham King's Norton
Con 2345 47.34%
Lab 1492 30.12%
BNP 534 10.78%
.....................
B'ham Longbridge
Con 1997 39.36%%
Lab 1720 33.90%
BNP 716 14.11%
(BNP expectations better than this here)
......................
B'ham Northfield
Con 2804 47.13%%
Lab 1496 25.14%
BNP 1003 16.86%
......................
Nuneaton and Bedworth Abbey
Lab 1016 45.79%
Con 608 27.40%
BNP 391 17.62%
Green 204 9.19%
How the mighty are fallen! As LU predicted :-)
And the rough with the smooth - Nick Lowles reports: "The BNP has gained Camp Hill ward with 675 votes. Labour came second with 562."
..................
Sunderland Barnes Ward
Con 1712 51.60%
Lab 809 24.38%
LibDem 489 14.74%
BNP 308 9.28%
...................
Sunderland Castle Ward
Lab 1376 54.71%
BNP 350 13.92%
Con 343 13.64%
Ind 264 10.50%
LibDem 182 7.24%
Left 90 3.58%
..................
Sunderland Fulwell
Con 2092 53.16%
Lab 1032 26.23%
LibDem 459 11.66%
BNP 352 8.95%
....................
Sefton Crosby Ford ward
Owen Francis Brady - Labour - 1,330
Michael McDermott - British National Party - 301
Jessamine Hounslea - Conservative - 287
Philip James Wordley - UK Independence Party - 265
..................
Merseyside Whitefield
BNP 72
Lab 629
14K(?) 613
Lib Dem 150
..................
Sour grapes from BNP Thurrock loser:
LABOUR regained the Tilbury St Chads ward in the evening's first declared result.
The ward had been previously held by Val Liddiard, who left the Labour group to stand as an Independent Socialist.
BNP candidate Angela Daly came second, 61 votes behind the winner, Lynne Worrall.
Lynne said: "I want to say a big, big thank you to all the people who have helped me with my campaign. I would also like to thank my family. we are going to keep Tilbury Labour."
Beaten Conservative Kay Mangion said: "I'm pleased for Lynn, she has worked extremely hard and I always say the best people win."
Angela Daly said: "I will stand again. This year we are going to see what Labour have done to us and I'll be prepared for next time. The postal vote should be banned because I think they are all rigged."
.....................
Hastings Tressel
Peter Chowney - Labour, 372
Evelyn Modlinger - Liberal Democrat, 208
Nick Prince - BNP, 147
Kate Walsgrove - Conservative, 279
.....................
2 BNP gains in Rotherham, 1 in Thurrock
..........................
Thurrock Belhus
Sue Gray (Lab) 786
Georgette Polly (Con) 549
Lauren Kay (BNP) 387
John Biddell (Lib Dem) 115
......................
Dudley failure. Nick Lowles says: "The BNP failed to pick up any seats in Dudley, with its vote down on last year. This appears to mirror the decline in the BNP across the Black Country, particularly in Sandwell."
.......................
Stourbridge Brockmoor and Pensnett
Conservatives 846
Labour 777
British National Party 508
Independent 313
Liberal Democrats 204
Stourbridge Norton
Conservatives 2,445
Labour 603
Liberal Democrats 530
British National Party 285
UK Independence Party 210
Stourbridge Quarry Bank and Dudley Wood
Labour 1,376
Conservatives 1,119
British National Party 437
UK Independence Party 192
Liberal Democrats 136
...................
Carlisle results. Much crowed about gains failed to materialise.
.....................
Full Thurrock results. Beacon last in his ward.
.......................
Basildon full results:
Billericay East
Con 1932 66%
LibDem 428 15%
BNP 220 7%
Lab 206 7%
UKIP 152 5%
Billericay West
Con 2145 71%
LibDem 332 11%
Lab 239 8%
BNP 200 7%
UKIP 99 3%
Burstead
Con 1967 65%
BNP 407 13%
LibDem 384 13%
Lab 275 9%
Crouch
Con 1311 68%
BNP 251 13%
Lab 218 11%
LibDem135 7%
Fryerns
Lab 1013 40%
Con 636 25%
BNP 628 25%
LibDem 250 10%
Laindon Park
Con 1020 45%
Lab 661 29%
BNP 387 17%
LibDem 193 9%
Langdon Hills
Con 1176 58%
Lab 283 14%
BNP 197 10%
UKIP 152 7%
LibDem 130 6%
Green 104 5%
Lee Chapel North
Lab 972 44%
Con 604 27%
BNP 358 16%
LibDem 160 7%
Green 126 6%
Nethermayne
LibDem 1247 43%
Con 697 24%
Lab 495 17%
BNP 459 16%
Pitsea North West
Con 945 41%
Lab 739 32%
BNP 370 16%
UKIP 266 11%
Pitsea South East
Con 1255 52%
Lab 604 25%
BNP 383 16%
LibDem 171 7%
St. Martin's
Lab 539 38%
Con 408 29%
BNP 305 22%
LibDem 163 12%
Vange
Con 590 36%
Lab 508 31%
BNP 289 18%
LibDem 104 6%
Ind 72 4%
Ind 47 3%
Green 36 2%
....................
Coventry Westwood
LibDem 277
Lab 1389
Con 1713
BNP 425
Green 165
....................
BNP now have 2 seats in Amber Valley, miss a third by one vote.
...................
Southport Norwood
Con 744
LibDem 1709
BNP 184
Lab 290
UKIP 243
..................
Full Coventry results
..................
That wraps it up for tonight - thanks for your support.
Before signing off, let's just reflect that 8 BNP gains isn't the end of the world and hardly represents a great leap forward for them. So far as we have been able to make out, the average BNP vote has fallen when a comparison with 2004 can be made, but - as last year - the results are pretty mixed.
As our friend Irish Tony puts it: "3588 councillors elected so far. The BNP have 8."
The "quiet revolution"?
They don't come much quieter.
We've still got the Friday counts to go, and the GLA and London Mayoral results to come - see you later!
Labels:
BNP,
fascism,
GLA elections,
local elections,
Nick Griffin,
racism,
Richard Barnbrook,
Stop the BNP
April 08, 2008
Election news
London leaders focus on anti-BNP campaigning
Leading London mayoral candidates are temporarily postponing their attacks on each other to target the British National party (BNP).
Its candidate, Richard Barnbrook, has pledged to "remove the rot" Ken Livingstone has "put this capital city in" with policies which will "benefit all true Londoners" but comes under attack from the incumbent mayor today.
Mr Livingstone, Conservative candidate Boris Johnson and Liberal Democrat Brian Paddick are attending an event organised by political participation group Operation Black Vote featuring an unveiling of an anti-BNP poster.
Initial reports suggest the poster has been vandalised and the politicians at the event are expected to express their frustration with groups undermining community cohesion as a result.
Earlier today Mr Livingstone warned the far-right party only needs five per cent of the vote to win a seat on the London Assembly. He said they would use this seat to "spread their message of hate and to damage London's ability to attract investment and jobs".
"We cannot afford for London to go into reverse gear on community relations – we should stay on the course that has seen racist attacks cut, which means we need to stop the fascist BNP in its tracks," he said.
Community relations in London have improved in recent years, with racist attacks falling by 14 per cent in 2007 compared to a 12 per cent rise in the rest of the UK.
But Mr Livingstone says defending good relations requires action from the ballot box, with every non-BNP vote making the party's five per cent hurdle "harder to reach".
The mayor campaigned in Holloway last week on the issue and is set to focus on south London for the rest of today. Mr Johnson will deliver a speech on diversity and defending the cosmopolitan lifestyle at Middlesex University this afternoon.
Politics.co.uk
Activists determined to stop BNP
A group of activists is planning a demonstration after hearing the British National Party has put forward four candidates for the forthcoming council elections.
After reading in the Observer that the BNP would contest seats in Hollington, Central St Leonards, Tressell and Castle Ward, a number of concerned residents decided to act.
Now, having met for the first time on Monday night, they have started a publicity campaign which they hope will send the BNP a clear message: "You are not wanted in Hastings."
Posters, stickers and flyers will be distributed across Hastings and St Leonards urging people not to support the BNP and to make sure their vote counts on May 1. The climax of the campaign will be a demonstration, likely to be held on the Saturday before the borough council elections (Saturday April 26).
The organisers however, were remaining tight-lipped as to the time and venue but have said they will make an announcement shortly. They would confirm it would be a peaceful, child friendly occasion and hoped it would include guest speakers.
A spokesman for the group said: "It is important the people of Hastings send a message out to the BNP that they are not welcome here."
The group is due to hold another meeting on Monday (April 14) at 7pm.
To find out the venue for this meeting email hastingsagainstfascism@hotmail.co.uk
Mid-Sussex Times
Campaign to stop votes for far-right party
Sports stars have joined politicians speaking out as part of a campaign launched in Sheffield against the British National Party before the local elections.
Boxing trainer Brendan Ingle, current and retired world champion boxers Junior Witter and Johnny Nelson, plus representatives from mainstream political parties voiced their opposition to the far-right organisation's "divisive and racist messages".
Brendan said: "Sport is one of the best ways I know to bring people together and reject racism. I urge everyone to use their vote to stop the British National Party."
Johnny added: "The BNP is bad news for Sheffield. It is a racist party which will only bring violence to our city by turning neighbours and communities against each other." The event, organised by Sheffield Unite Against Fascism, took place at Brendan Ingle's Wincobank gym, which is in Shiregreen and Brightside ward, where the BNP candidate came second in last year's poll.
Sheffield Telegraph
Labels:
BNP,
fascism,
Nick Griffin,
racism,
Richard Barnbrook,
Stop the BNP,
Unite Against Fascism
February 05, 2008
Rebels reject BNP compromise
News has reached Searchlight that the rebels have rejected a ‘compromise’ offer from the BNP leadership. In exchange for giving up their ‘strike’ and taking down their insurgent website and blogs the rebel leaders were given the chance of getting their party cards back.
The only condition laid out by the ever-so-generous party leadership was that they would only return as probationary members. This would mean that their immediate future in the party would be dependent on good behaviour and, just as importantly for Nick Griffin, they would not be entitled to stand for the party leadership at least the next three years.
Unsurprisingly, this generous offer was rejected by the rebels. However, this has not stopped the Griffin loyalists feigning outrage. “This proves that the rebels have no interest in getting back involved in the party,” one regional organiser recently a meeting.
Griffin, of course, has no intention of compromising. In fact, quite the opposite. Following on from his abusive letter to Bradford BNP he has finally answered a similar letter criticising recent events within the party by neighbouring Kirklees BNP. Signed by all 17 officers within the local authority area, including all three Kirklees councillors and former regional organiser Nick Cass, the letter appealed to Griffin to reverse his disruptive decisions.
The BNP leader’s reply was much more diplomatic than that to Bradford but the end result was the same. He stressed that he did not want to lose the branch officials but if they continued their course of action then he would rather they leave as soon as possible.
More significantly, Griffin is consolidating power as any good dictator would. It appears that he is looking to change the party constitution to prevent any party member from challenging him as leader more than once. With this outrageous abuse of power, Griffin hopes that young pretenders would be scared off from making a challenge in case they blow their one opportunity whilst also deterring other potential candidates from building a national profile over several years. (However, this would already be difficult as Griffin, as party leader, decides the election rules and in last year’s leadership election that meant that all campaigning was banned!)
Another rebel facing the chop is Steve Haddon, who was until recently the Party’s Wolverhampton organiser. He has been sacked after attending the rebel conference in Nottingham.
Given that this is now a sacking offence, Searchlight is prepared to hand over the names of the 112 other people who were present at the rebel conference for Griffin to dismiss. But only if he asks very very nicely!
Stop the BNP
The only condition laid out by the ever-so-generous party leadership was that they would only return as probationary members. This would mean that their immediate future in the party would be dependent on good behaviour and, just as importantly for Nick Griffin, they would not be entitled to stand for the party leadership at least the next three years.
Unsurprisingly, this generous offer was rejected by the rebels. However, this has not stopped the Griffin loyalists feigning outrage. “This proves that the rebels have no interest in getting back involved in the party,” one regional organiser recently a meeting.
Griffin, of course, has no intention of compromising. In fact, quite the opposite. Following on from his abusive letter to Bradford BNP he has finally answered a similar letter criticising recent events within the party by neighbouring Kirklees BNP. Signed by all 17 officers within the local authority area, including all three Kirklees councillors and former regional organiser Nick Cass, the letter appealed to Griffin to reverse his disruptive decisions.
The BNP leader’s reply was much more diplomatic than that to Bradford but the end result was the same. He stressed that he did not want to lose the branch officials but if they continued their course of action then he would rather they leave as soon as possible.
More significantly, Griffin is consolidating power as any good dictator would. It appears that he is looking to change the party constitution to prevent any party member from challenging him as leader more than once. With this outrageous abuse of power, Griffin hopes that young pretenders would be scared off from making a challenge in case they blow their one opportunity whilst also deterring other potential candidates from building a national profile over several years. (However, this would already be difficult as Griffin, as party leader, decides the election rules and in last year’s leadership election that meant that all campaigning was banned!)
Another rebel facing the chop is Steve Haddon, who was until recently the Party’s Wolverhampton organiser. He has been sacked after attending the rebel conference in Nottingham.
Given that this is now a sacking offence, Searchlight is prepared to hand over the names of the 112 other people who were present at the rebel conference for Griffin to dismiss. But only if he asks very very nicely!
Stop the BNP
Labels:
Nick Griffin,
rebels,
Searchlight,
Steve Haddon,
Stop the BNP
January 28, 2008
Rebel faction still in a state of limbo
The strategy of the rebels faction is no clearer a day after they met to discuss tactics. Nick Lowles reports from inside the rebels’ den.
About 120 rebels, drawn from around the country, met in Brinsley Parish Hall yesterday afternoon. With a police helicopter buzzing overhead they discussed the limited options available to them.
The rebel leaders were clearly boosted by the attendance, coming as it did amid signs that the rebellion was faltering and the leaders were falling out amongst themselves. The upbeat mood amongst many in the audience showed that there was still life left in the troublemakers.
It was clear from the opening speakers that there were disagreements amongst the rebel leadership. Some, like former South East regional organiser Roger Robertson, were keen to form a new party immediately. Others, including Steve Blake and veteran London nazi Richard Edmonds, wanted to remain in the BNP and fight for a change of leadership.
However, even amongst the latter group there were differences. Should Griffin be challenged this year or next? Who had the credibility to be a strong candidate? Who was still a party member?
Some of the old Tyndallites were keen for Chris Jackson to run again. The newer rebels were lukewarm to this idea and even suggested delaying a challenge to 2009 for fear of being seen to disrupt the London elections.
Others, meanwhile, pointed out the shortcomings in a leadership challenge. Declaring a candidate now would likely lead to that person’s expulsion before too long. Waiting until 2009 could allow the Griffin-led BNP to win in London and possibly gain MEPs a year later. Against this background any challenge would be futile.
There was no clearer position about standing in the forthcoming May elections. There was a general consensus that the Griffin camp would block any attempts by the rebels to stand on the BNP ticket so that left standing as ‘Independent nationalists’, as many seem prepared to do. However, surely that would automatically lead to their expulsion from the party and so be at odds with the overall strategy of trying to win it back from within.
There appeared an acceptance that they would eventually be out of the party but few wanted to publicly propose establishing a rival to the BNP immediately. It almost seems as though they wanted to wait to be thrown out, a course many believe is inevitable, but the reality is that this would be a drawn out affair and in the meantime the rebellion would slowly disintegrate and be forgotten.
Griffin would not have been too concerned with the outcome of this meeting. It finished with the rebels being in the worst possible position. They are no longer in the party (or at least in positions of influence) in any real sense yet they have backed away from launching an alternative party at a time when they still have a degree of support around the country. Launching a new party is of course not easy and would alienate some of their key supporters who wanted to remain in the BNP but when is there ever a good time to split. The answer surely has to be when you can achieve your maximum influence and that is certainly now and not after a possible BNP London or European victory.
One day the rebels will surely look back at the meeting as being an opportunity wasted. Massed in the room were many of the BNP’s super activists and surely a nucleus of a new party and if ever they had the momentum to launch an alternative the time is now. Throughout Griffin’s career he has shown himself to be a master of factionalism and spitefulness and as night follows day it is clear that over the next few months he will drive his opponents out of the party one way or another.
In the meantime we can enjoy watching the spectacle of official BNP candidates standing against ‘Independent Nationalists’ in some of their key local authority areas in Yorkshire and the North West.
Stop the BNP
About 120 rebels, drawn from around the country, met in Brinsley Parish Hall yesterday afternoon. With a police helicopter buzzing overhead they discussed the limited options available to them.
The rebel leaders were clearly boosted by the attendance, coming as it did amid signs that the rebellion was faltering and the leaders were falling out amongst themselves. The upbeat mood amongst many in the audience showed that there was still life left in the troublemakers.
It was clear from the opening speakers that there were disagreements amongst the rebel leadership. Some, like former South East regional organiser Roger Robertson, were keen to form a new party immediately. Others, including Steve Blake and veteran London nazi Richard Edmonds, wanted to remain in the BNP and fight for a change of leadership.
However, even amongst the latter group there were differences. Should Griffin be challenged this year or next? Who had the credibility to be a strong candidate? Who was still a party member?
Some of the old Tyndallites were keen for Chris Jackson to run again. The newer rebels were lukewarm to this idea and even suggested delaying a challenge to 2009 for fear of being seen to disrupt the London elections.
Others, meanwhile, pointed out the shortcomings in a leadership challenge. Declaring a candidate now would likely lead to that person’s expulsion before too long. Waiting until 2009 could allow the Griffin-led BNP to win in London and possibly gain MEPs a year later. Against this background any challenge would be futile.
There was no clearer position about standing in the forthcoming May elections. There was a general consensus that the Griffin camp would block any attempts by the rebels to stand on the BNP ticket so that left standing as ‘Independent nationalists’, as many seem prepared to do. However, surely that would automatically lead to their expulsion from the party and so be at odds with the overall strategy of trying to win it back from within.
There appeared an acceptance that they would eventually be out of the party but few wanted to publicly propose establishing a rival to the BNP immediately. It almost seems as though they wanted to wait to be thrown out, a course many believe is inevitable, but the reality is that this would be a drawn out affair and in the meantime the rebellion would slowly disintegrate and be forgotten.
Griffin would not have been too concerned with the outcome of this meeting. It finished with the rebels being in the worst possible position. They are no longer in the party (or at least in positions of influence) in any real sense yet they have backed away from launching an alternative party at a time when they still have a degree of support around the country. Launching a new party is of course not easy and would alienate some of their key supporters who wanted to remain in the BNP but when is there ever a good time to split. The answer surely has to be when you can achieve your maximum influence and that is certainly now and not after a possible BNP London or European victory.
One day the rebels will surely look back at the meeting as being an opportunity wasted. Massed in the room were many of the BNP’s super activists and surely a nucleus of a new party and if ever they had the momentum to launch an alternative the time is now. Throughout Griffin’s career he has shown himself to be a master of factionalism and spitefulness and as night follows day it is clear that over the next few months he will drive his opponents out of the party one way or another.
In the meantime we can enjoy watching the spectacle of official BNP candidates standing against ‘Independent Nationalists’ in some of their key local authority areas in Yorkshire and the North West.
Stop the BNP
Labels:
BNP,
Brinsley,
Roger Robertson,
Sadie Graham,
Stop the BNP,
Voice of Change
January 09, 2008
BNP in crisis – one month on
A month has passed since the opening salvo of the internal feud within the BNP. On 8 December a BNP security team entered the home of the party’s Group Development Officer Sadie Graham and removed her computer. Several hundred miles away another BNP security team was trying to enter the home of the party’s Head of Admin Kenny Smith. The following day the BNP website reported that both had been sacked from their party jobs and were on their way to being expelled from the party itself.
Over the course of the next two weeks over 60 BNP organisers and local officials have gone on strike in support of Graham and Smith. Among them were five regional organisers and several councillors. Both factions have used the Internet and the national media to attack one another, with both sides accusing the other of harbouring ‘Nazis’ and Holocaust Deniers.
With a calendar month now having passed, Searchlight looks at where the dispute lies now and ponders the long term damage to the BNP.
The split inside the BNP has been deeply damaging. Despite the official BNP position that it is a ‘storm in a teacup’ it is clear that the rift within the party will be difficult to heal. Most of the rebels come from Yorkshire and the East Midlands, the two strongest BNP regions in recent years. With Scotland and much of Greater Manchester also joining the rebellion it is clear that many of the party’s most able organisers and activists have left the BNP for good. In Sadie Graham and Ian Dawson, the BNP is set to lose the two people who have done so much in recent years to build the party structure on the ground.
It is going to be hard for BNP leader Nick Griffin to quickly rebuild the party in these regions. The appointment of failed BNP councillor and convicted C18 thug Adrian Marsden as the party’s new Yorkshire Regional Organiser shows how depleted the ranks are for Griffin. Likewise the fact that Griffin has taken over the North West is also interesting given that it shows a complete lack of alternative talent on the ground and a signal that he is unwilling to provide a potential power base for the one man, Chris Jackson, who appears willing to do the job. Jackson, it must be remembered, unsuccessfully challenged Griffin for the party leadership last year.
However, the rebellion appears to have run its course in terms of personnel leaving as well as the regions effected. Virtually no-one from the North East, Wales, West Midlands, London, Eastern, South East or South West has joined the rebels and with Eddie Butler deciding to stick with the party leadership the all-important East London and Essex branches have been rebellion free. The rebels boast continued support but it does rather feel that the momentum is ebbing away from them. Perhaps by not actually making a physical split from the party (except for the handful of officials who were actually expelled) the rebel leaders have backed themselves into a corner. They won’t be able to change things internally and will gradually be isolated and edged out, or at least away from the levers of power within the party.
Griffin, meanwhile, has seen his authority severely undermined, though not terminally. The manner in which he obtained the evidence against the rebels, the vitriolic and almost immature public attacks that followed on the party website, and the clear distortion of facts, if not downright lying, has left a bitter taste in the mouths of many activists who have not publicly committed themselves to either camp. Three days before Christmas he issued an ultimatum to the 60 party officers to publicly withdraw their support for the rebellion or be disciplined. In a sign of his weakening authority he then obviously failed to sway any of the rebels and his ultimatum suddenly vanished.
On top of this there is also a police investigation into the entry of Sadie Graham’s home by deception and the theft of her personal computer.
Griffin obviously decided at an early stage that he was not going to compromise with the rebels, even if that meant losing key activists. He appears to be willing to write off Yorkshire as a functioning BNP region and this will have severe repercussions for BNP candidates, active and well-run branches and levels of activism at least in the short term.
He must have been heartened by fact that no organiser or councillor in London has broken ranks and with the London Assembly elections being contested under PR he surely thinks that a strong showing here will silence his doubters. The 2009 European Elections, again contested under PR, will be another centrally run election and so the affects of depleted branch structures, such as in Yorkshire, will be negligible.
However, this strategy will stand or fall on whether Griffin can get people elected to the London Assembly and the European Parliament. With the exception of the Barking and Dagenham breakthrough, Griffin hasn't really delivered a great deal since 2001-2003 and that was more down to external factors than his own fantastic leadership.
With few local elections being contested in the East Midlands this May, Griffin must hope that he has time to rebuild a party structure before 2009.
So, a month on from the split, it is the rebels who must be scratching their heads and pondering their next move. The current state of limbo, where both factions trade insults over the Internet, only benefits the leadership in the long term. Some party members who might currently sympathise with the rebels will grow tired of the feuding and return to party business as elections approach.
If the rebellion is to succeed then a change of tact is required. The rebels need to find a way to increase the pressure on Nick Griffin, to revitalise their ebbing momentum and give their supporters a real alternative and proper leadership. Sadie Graham has admitted to journalists that there exists a photograph of Nick Griffin giving a nazi salute. If this is true, then she needs to publish it. Only that way can she pin the nazi tag back on the BNP leader.
If they continue to oppose the party leadership whilst falling over themselves to appear loyal to the party then they will wither away in the not too distant future. Griffin appears to have weathered the worst of this crisis but other difficulties lies ahead. Mark Collett, who appears deeply unpopular even amongst party loyalists, is still in place and likely to upset other people in the future. The South Africans, who Searchlight has revealed include former Intelligence operatives, are clearly disliked and distrusted by much of the party. And, more significantly, Griffin’s own management style, which has repeatedly led him to fall out with everyone around him, is likely to cause conflict and splits in the future.
In the meantime, Searchlight and all anti-fascists will continue to enjoy the unfolding spectacle. The allegations being thrown around the Internet has given us a lot of additional information, much of it previously unknown, which we can use against both factions in the future. It is also clear that the two sides can never be reconciled and among the rebel leaders who are about to be formally expelled from the BNP are a number of competent organisers. This, and the loss of several other branch organisers who are set to drop out in sympathy, will leave the BNP in a much weaker position that they were one month ago.
Stop The BNP
Over the course of the next two weeks over 60 BNP organisers and local officials have gone on strike in support of Graham and Smith. Among them were five regional organisers and several councillors. Both factions have used the Internet and the national media to attack one another, with both sides accusing the other of harbouring ‘Nazis’ and Holocaust Deniers.
With a calendar month now having passed, Searchlight looks at where the dispute lies now and ponders the long term damage to the BNP.
The split inside the BNP has been deeply damaging. Despite the official BNP position that it is a ‘storm in a teacup’ it is clear that the rift within the party will be difficult to heal. Most of the rebels come from Yorkshire and the East Midlands, the two strongest BNP regions in recent years. With Scotland and much of Greater Manchester also joining the rebellion it is clear that many of the party’s most able organisers and activists have left the BNP for good. In Sadie Graham and Ian Dawson, the BNP is set to lose the two people who have done so much in recent years to build the party structure on the ground.
It is going to be hard for BNP leader Nick Griffin to quickly rebuild the party in these regions. The appointment of failed BNP councillor and convicted C18 thug Adrian Marsden as the party’s new Yorkshire Regional Organiser shows how depleted the ranks are for Griffin. Likewise the fact that Griffin has taken over the North West is also interesting given that it shows a complete lack of alternative talent on the ground and a signal that he is unwilling to provide a potential power base for the one man, Chris Jackson, who appears willing to do the job. Jackson, it must be remembered, unsuccessfully challenged Griffin for the party leadership last year.
However, the rebellion appears to have run its course in terms of personnel leaving as well as the regions effected. Virtually no-one from the North East, Wales, West Midlands, London, Eastern, South East or South West has joined the rebels and with Eddie Butler deciding to stick with the party leadership the all-important East London and Essex branches have been rebellion free. The rebels boast continued support but it does rather feel that the momentum is ebbing away from them. Perhaps by not actually making a physical split from the party (except for the handful of officials who were actually expelled) the rebel leaders have backed themselves into a corner. They won’t be able to change things internally and will gradually be isolated and edged out, or at least away from the levers of power within the party.
Griffin, meanwhile, has seen his authority severely undermined, though not terminally. The manner in which he obtained the evidence against the rebels, the vitriolic and almost immature public attacks that followed on the party website, and the clear distortion of facts, if not downright lying, has left a bitter taste in the mouths of many activists who have not publicly committed themselves to either camp. Three days before Christmas he issued an ultimatum to the 60 party officers to publicly withdraw their support for the rebellion or be disciplined. In a sign of his weakening authority he then obviously failed to sway any of the rebels and his ultimatum suddenly vanished.
On top of this there is also a police investigation into the entry of Sadie Graham’s home by deception and the theft of her personal computer.
Griffin obviously decided at an early stage that he was not going to compromise with the rebels, even if that meant losing key activists. He appears to be willing to write off Yorkshire as a functioning BNP region and this will have severe repercussions for BNP candidates, active and well-run branches and levels of activism at least in the short term.
He must have been heartened by fact that no organiser or councillor in London has broken ranks and with the London Assembly elections being contested under PR he surely thinks that a strong showing here will silence his doubters. The 2009 European Elections, again contested under PR, will be another centrally run election and so the affects of depleted branch structures, such as in Yorkshire, will be negligible.
However, this strategy will stand or fall on whether Griffin can get people elected to the London Assembly and the European Parliament. With the exception of the Barking and Dagenham breakthrough, Griffin hasn't really delivered a great deal since 2001-2003 and that was more down to external factors than his own fantastic leadership.
With few local elections being contested in the East Midlands this May, Griffin must hope that he has time to rebuild a party structure before 2009.
So, a month on from the split, it is the rebels who must be scratching their heads and pondering their next move. The current state of limbo, where both factions trade insults over the Internet, only benefits the leadership in the long term. Some party members who might currently sympathise with the rebels will grow tired of the feuding and return to party business as elections approach.
If the rebellion is to succeed then a change of tact is required. The rebels need to find a way to increase the pressure on Nick Griffin, to revitalise their ebbing momentum and give their supporters a real alternative and proper leadership. Sadie Graham has admitted to journalists that there exists a photograph of Nick Griffin giving a nazi salute. If this is true, then she needs to publish it. Only that way can she pin the nazi tag back on the BNP leader.
If they continue to oppose the party leadership whilst falling over themselves to appear loyal to the party then they will wither away in the not too distant future. Griffin appears to have weathered the worst of this crisis but other difficulties lies ahead. Mark Collett, who appears deeply unpopular even amongst party loyalists, is still in place and likely to upset other people in the future. The South Africans, who Searchlight has revealed include former Intelligence operatives, are clearly disliked and distrusted by much of the party. And, more significantly, Griffin’s own management style, which has repeatedly led him to fall out with everyone around him, is likely to cause conflict and splits in the future.
In the meantime, Searchlight and all anti-fascists will continue to enjoy the unfolding spectacle. The allegations being thrown around the Internet has given us a lot of additional information, much of it previously unknown, which we can use against both factions in the future. It is also clear that the two sides can never be reconciled and among the rebel leaders who are about to be formally expelled from the BNP are a number of competent organisers. This, and the loss of several other branch organisers who are set to drop out in sympathy, will leave the BNP in a much weaker position that they were one month ago.
Stop The BNP
Labels:
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Mark Collett,
Nick Griffin,
racism,
Sadie Graham,
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Stop the BNP
December 16, 2007
False Dawn
It would appear that Griffin has finally looked over the cliff and not liked what he sees. On Friday, in a desperate bid to save his leadership, he announced some half-hearted measures to rejig the party, though Collett and Hannam still retain positions and he himself has refused to apologise for his own behaviour. Now it appears that he is looking for a compromise that will allow Sadie Graham to rejoin the party whilst keeping on ‘Nazi boy’ Collett as his personal sidekick. However, as typical of Griffin, he says one thing and does another.
A meeting held in Leicester, the party’s largest branch, yesterday ended with a unanimous vote in support of Graham returning to the party. The motion followed a heated exchange between Griffin and Graham and was also attended by Collett, Matt Single and Nina Brown.
In return for being allowed back into the party Sadie Graham agreed to take down the ‘Enough is Enough’ blog within a week. According to one BNP member present at the meeting “Sadie and Mark shook hands and there was applause for all. The meeting was taped. A lot has been brought out into the open; do not think that we were just gullible listeners, many asked questions and had their say, and I would say that the general feeling was that there was wrong on both sides but that there was a malicious element at the back of all this.” It seems hard to think that peace can last long, if there was any peace in the first place. Indeed, even at the meeting it was clear that this was more a temporary truce rather than a making up. Griffin and Graham both claimed a desire to compromise but then both listed a number of issues on which neither would budge. Griffin has gone away to think about Graham’s demands and given his political and leadership history it is doubtful whether he will relent. Meanwhile, reports have reached us of a growing number of threats of violence being traded by the rival factions, further cementing the animosity.
Over the last few days the rebel faction has become increasingly vocal in their criticism of Griffin, with many calling for his resignation. This alleged deal also does not solve the core problem, which is the corrosive behaviour of Collett, John Walker and Dave Hannam, to say nothing of the growing influence of the South African Intelligence Department.
Meanwhile, as increasingly demoralised BNP members were celebrating the supposed truce on Stormfront, party members in Yorkshire were digesting Griffin’s last blog. In a posting that was clearly designed to infuriate his opponents, he wrote: “Tonight several good activists were turned away from the back street pub venue for a secretively organised rebel meeting in Bradford. The thirty people there included the wretched woman who threw away the biggest ever BNP poll lead in the country in Keighley, plus some individuals who aren’t even in the BNP. Still, all the paid up members were handed invitation letters to a proper Yorkshire regional meeting, being held in Leeds next Tuesday. I’ll certainly be there to explain what’s been going on, and to answer any question that anyone wants to raise. I hope very much that Chris Beverley and Ian Dawson will be there too, because many good people have questions for them as well.”
Griffin’s post has simply deepened the rift with organisers and activists in what is the party’s most important region. The few remaining undecided activists appear to have come off the fence and sided with the rebels, with a clear ‘Griffin Out’ cry now being heard. BNP members might like to think that a peace deal has been done but that would appear wishful thinking. Too much has been said and done over the past eight days for a real conciliation and with a police investigation now launched by the Met these issues are not going to go away quickly. In the meantime, Tuesday seems set to be an important day, in more ways than Griffin can imagine.
Stop The BNP
A meeting held in Leicester, the party’s largest branch, yesterday ended with a unanimous vote in support of Graham returning to the party. The motion followed a heated exchange between Griffin and Graham and was also attended by Collett, Matt Single and Nina Brown.
In return for being allowed back into the party Sadie Graham agreed to take down the ‘Enough is Enough’ blog within a week. According to one BNP member present at the meeting “Sadie and Mark shook hands and there was applause for all. The meeting was taped. A lot has been brought out into the open; do not think that we were just gullible listeners, many asked questions and had their say, and I would say that the general feeling was that there was wrong on both sides but that there was a malicious element at the back of all this.” It seems hard to think that peace can last long, if there was any peace in the first place. Indeed, even at the meeting it was clear that this was more a temporary truce rather than a making up. Griffin and Graham both claimed a desire to compromise but then both listed a number of issues on which neither would budge. Griffin has gone away to think about Graham’s demands and given his political and leadership history it is doubtful whether he will relent. Meanwhile, reports have reached us of a growing number of threats of violence being traded by the rival factions, further cementing the animosity.
Over the last few days the rebel faction has become increasingly vocal in their criticism of Griffin, with many calling for his resignation. This alleged deal also does not solve the core problem, which is the corrosive behaviour of Collett, John Walker and Dave Hannam, to say nothing of the growing influence of the South African Intelligence Department.
Meanwhile, as increasingly demoralised BNP members were celebrating the supposed truce on Stormfront, party members in Yorkshire were digesting Griffin’s last blog. In a posting that was clearly designed to infuriate his opponents, he wrote: “Tonight several good activists were turned away from the back street pub venue for a secretively organised rebel meeting in Bradford. The thirty people there included the wretched woman who threw away the biggest ever BNP poll lead in the country in Keighley, plus some individuals who aren’t even in the BNP. Still, all the paid up members were handed invitation letters to a proper Yorkshire regional meeting, being held in Leeds next Tuesday. I’ll certainly be there to explain what’s been going on, and to answer any question that anyone wants to raise. I hope very much that Chris Beverley and Ian Dawson will be there too, because many good people have questions for them as well.”
Griffin’s post has simply deepened the rift with organisers and activists in what is the party’s most important region. The few remaining undecided activists appear to have come off the fence and sided with the rebels, with a clear ‘Griffin Out’ cry now being heard. BNP members might like to think that a peace deal has been done but that would appear wishful thinking. Too much has been said and done over the past eight days for a real conciliation and with a police investigation now launched by the Met these issues are not going to go away quickly. In the meantime, Tuesday seems set to be an important day, in more ways than Griffin can imagine.
Stop The BNP
Labels:
BNP split,
Nick Griffin,
Sadie Graham,
Stop the BNP
May 03, 2007
Use your vote, stop the BNP
By attending your local polling station today you can help to prevent electoral gains in Britain by the far right.The far right British National party (BNP) is fighting a record 800-plus seats in today's elections - fielding more than twice as many candidates as in previous votes. At stake are seats in the Scottish parliament, the Welsh assembly and local councils in most parts of England outside London.
The BNP is aiming to double its number of councillors. This is the biggest electoral push the party has ever mounted. There are widespread fears that the BNP will make significant electoral gains and strengthen its foothold in dozens of local authorities - unless voters turn out to block its advance.
The BNP tends to do well when there is a low turnout. Voter apathy allows its candidates to come through the middle and snatch seats.
That is why it is so important for you to vote today, if you live in a constituency where elections are being held. Make sure your family, friends and neighbours vote, too. A high turnout will reduce the BNP's share of the vote and lessen its chance of winning seats.
The BNP is, sadly, no longer entirely insignificant. Its recent growth in places like Barking and Dagenham, where it won 11 council seats last year, is a serious worry. There is no room for complacency. The BNP is a racist, anti-semitic, anti-Muslim and homophobic party. It is a threat to democracy and human rights - and needs to be stopped.
A disturbing number of past and present BNP members are on record as denying the holocaust. Some have criminal convictions, including for racist hatred, threats and violence.
Realising that this thuggery turns off the voters, the BNP is moderating its image. Its game-plan is to copy the tactics of successful European far right and neo-Nazi parties, such as the Front National in France, the Vlaams Blok in Belgium and the National Democratic Party in Germany.
In the last year or so, the BNP has undergone a major make-over in a bid to widen its popular appeal. Slick city suits have replaced the old bovver-boot image. Moving away from overt neo-Nazism, the BNP is attempting to reposition itself as a mainstream nationalist patriotic party, defending the rights and culture of what it calls the "indigenous" British people.
Ex-BNP activist turned anti-fascist campaigner Matthew Collins is a director of Searchlight's Operation Wedge. He says the new-look BNP is nearly all spin and PR. The party may have toned down its open racism and street violence, but behind the smiling face of its leader, Nick Griffin lurks a hateful Islamophobia, racism and homophobia. The BNP is a menace to democracy and to minority communities, posing a particular threat to the welfare and security of black, Asian, Jewish, Muslim and gay people.
For all these reasons, it is important that we make Nick Griffin a loser. Use your vote today.
While I would personally prefer you to vote Green, in this instance I don't care who you vote for, as long as you vote for a non-BNP party. In constituencies where the BNP is strong, vote tactically for the candidate most likely to defeat the BNP. Together, united, we can block the rise of the far right.
Comment is free
May 01, 2007
April 17, 2007
Frontrunner For Deputy Leadership Calls For Action Against The BNP
Leading anti BNP campaigner and deputy leadership frontrunner, Jon Cruddas MP, is to meeting with trade unions from tomorrow in a call to arms against the BNP.
In the week following news that the BNP is to field almost 900 candidates in the May elections, Jon Cruddas, MP for Dagenham, says we have to convert people's feelings of fear and revulsion into immediate and on the ground action.
Jon, together with the anti-fascist organisation, Searchlight, wants to mobilise the trade union movement, including their officers, activists and millions of members against the BNP.
Jon Cruddas, frontrunner for deputy leadership of the Labour Party and MP for Dagenham, said:
"We need the entire labour movement to understand the threat that the BNP represents in the upcoming elections and the need to mobilise it against it.
"We have just over two weeks to convince people that the BNP is dangerous and offers no solutions. We need to implement a strategic, local and very visible campaign to combat the BNP's arguments on the ground and to tell people that they shouldn't be persuaded to vote for them, even to register a protest."
Jon Cruddas has travelled the country over the last two weeks with Searchlight's 'Hope Not Hate' tour which has taken in all of the UK's major cities and many of the towns and communities where the BNP is active. Celebrities such as Billy Bragg, the Sugarbabes, Amir Khan, Coronation Street, Hollyoaks and Emmerdale cast members and Manchester City footballers greeted the 'Hope Not Hate' bus.
The BNP have almost trebled their number of candidates in the upcoming Welsh, Scottish and local elections. They are fielding 876 candidates UK wide this time, over 500 more than the number it stood in last year's local elections.
Jon Cruddas is MP for Dagenham. In his constituency there is one BNP councillor, in neighbouring Barking 11 BNP councillors were elected last year, polling 39% of the vote. Jon is standing as a candidate for deputy leader of the Labour Party. For more information on Jon Cruddas' deputy leadership campaign visit www.joncruddas.org.uk
Jon Cruddas' Deputy Leadership bid has received the support of 100 Labour grassroots activists from every area of the country. They include councillors, local party secretaries and trade union officials. He was overwhelmingly endorsed by 53% of Compass members in March. He has also received the support of Amicus General Secretary Derek Simpson and T&G leader Tony Woodley.
CCNMatthews Press
In the week following news that the BNP is to field almost 900 candidates in the May elections, Jon Cruddas, MP for Dagenham, says we have to convert people's feelings of fear and revulsion into immediate and on the ground action.
Jon, together with the anti-fascist organisation, Searchlight, wants to mobilise the trade union movement, including their officers, activists and millions of members against the BNP.
Jon Cruddas, frontrunner for deputy leadership of the Labour Party and MP for Dagenham, said:
"We need the entire labour movement to understand the threat that the BNP represents in the upcoming elections and the need to mobilise it against it.
"We have just over two weeks to convince people that the BNP is dangerous and offers no solutions. We need to implement a strategic, local and very visible campaign to combat the BNP's arguments on the ground and to tell people that they shouldn't be persuaded to vote for them, even to register a protest."
Jon Cruddas has travelled the country over the last two weeks with Searchlight's 'Hope Not Hate' tour which has taken in all of the UK's major cities and many of the towns and communities where the BNP is active. Celebrities such as Billy Bragg, the Sugarbabes, Amir Khan, Coronation Street, Hollyoaks and Emmerdale cast members and Manchester City footballers greeted the 'Hope Not Hate' bus.
The BNP have almost trebled their number of candidates in the upcoming Welsh, Scottish and local elections. They are fielding 876 candidates UK wide this time, over 500 more than the number it stood in last year's local elections.
Jon Cruddas is MP for Dagenham. In his constituency there is one BNP councillor, in neighbouring Barking 11 BNP councillors were elected last year, polling 39% of the vote. Jon is standing as a candidate for deputy leader of the Labour Party. For more information on Jon Cruddas' deputy leadership campaign visit www.joncruddas.org.uk
Jon Cruddas' Deputy Leadership bid has received the support of 100 Labour grassroots activists from every area of the country. They include councillors, local party secretaries and trade union officials. He was overwhelmingly endorsed by 53% of Compass members in March. He has also received the support of Amicus General Secretary Derek Simpson and T&G leader Tony Woodley.
CCNMatthews Press
Labels:
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Jon Crudas,
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Stop the BNP
March 30, 2007
Get your May 3rd local election leaflets NOW
Click on images to see them full size
The full range of Hope not Hate leaflets can be obtained from here.
There's a complete list of UAF resources here. Leaflets can be ordered by contacting national UAF.
Email unite@ucu.org.uk
Phone 020 7833 4916 or 020 7837 4522
Write UAF, PO Box 36871, London WC1X 9XT
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