Councillors dismay over leaflet drop by 'scaremongering' BNP

Councillors in Gorseinon have reacted with dismay following news the British National Party have leafleted homes in the area. According to the party's website, two leafleting teams delivered leaflets to "almost every house in Gorseinon" in preparation for the Assembly elections, which take place in March.

Town councillor Jim Dunkley said he could not believe the party had tried to drum up support in the area, and he said they would not be welcome.

Mr Dunkley said: "I just cannot believe it. I am one of 16 town councillors who all live in the community and we deal with the day-to-day problems of the area, and an organisation like the British National Party is here just to stir up problems. What solutions do they have to deal with the problems of Gorseinon? I do not see any place for a party like the BNP in this community. Their party is based on scaremongering and paranoia. This place is a better place without the BNP. We are a tolerant community here and there will be no place for them."

Mr Dunkley also said the best way of dealing with a party like the BNP was to question their views.

"The only way to expose them is to challenge their beliefs," he added. "If they are confident they could have any support base in Gorseinon, I would welcome a public debate with them. I am confident if I sat down with them I would win the argument hands down.

Mr Dunkley's views were shared by fellow town councillor Janet Curtice. Her home was leafleted by the party.

"My house was leafleted and my husband ripped it up. It is a concern as apparently a group has been set up in the area, too," she said. "These people are paranoid. We are all concerned about a large number of issues but we can all work together."

A spokesman for the British National Party said: "This is part and parcel of living in a democracy. We are working towards the National Assembly elections where we feel we can do well in both North and South Wales. There will definitely be a candidate in the Swansea area."

This is South Wales

Britain ready for black PM, study finds

Barack Obama outside 10 Downing Street last year

Extensive report on British and American racial attitudes shows two countries in close alignment

The most extensive comparison of British and American racial attitudes over the last 50 years has found a softening of prejudice, creating the conditions necessary for a black prime minister to emerge in the UK.

A joint study conducted by Harvard and Manchester universities has found a "deepening tide of tolerance" in the attitudes of both Americans and Britons.

Ed Fieldhouse, the study's co-author and executive director of Manchester's Institute for Social Change, said: "The good news is that in terms of the underlying attitudes of the majority, Britain is in the same place as the United States. Whether it is willingness to work for a black boss or to welcome a non-white person into the family, majority British opinion – just like majority American opinion – is gradually getting more tolerant."

The project's team includes the Guardian's Tom Clark and the American academic Robert Putnam, whose book Bowling Alone catalogued the decrease in American civic engagement and the benefits of "social capital" or social networks to both individuals and communities.

The authors have analysed all available polling from the two countries, including 50-year Gallup series and the poll series British Social Attitudes. They have been able to show that since the 1980s the proportion of whites who admit to discomfort at the idea of a black person marrying into the family has been falling in both nations by around two percentage points each year. In the UK, since the 80s, the percentage of people who object to a black boss has fallen by half from 20% to 10% – a similar decrease to that in America. Last week, Tidjane Thiam was appointed the first black chief executive of the Prudential financial service company.

Though there is little polling on attitudes to black politicians available in the UK, researchers point to an increase in the number of Americans saying they are willing to vote for a black candidate – from 53% in 1967 to 94% today. Given the pattern of change is similar in the UK and US on other variables, the reports' authors argue that the UK may now be ready for a black prime minister.

But the study also bears out the fears of senior British figures including Trevor Phillips, the chair of the equalities and human rights commission, that the lack of routes into politics for black British candidates still means the UK lags behind America in the number of black and ethnic-minority politicians.

Putnam said that the UK had not yet gone through either of the two steps Barack Obama referred to as the Moses and Joshua generation, the Moses generation being black politicians representing black areas, and the Joshua generation being black politicians serving non-black areas.

Putnam said: "Change is taking a similar form on both sides of the Atlantic: exactly as in the US, the generation of Britons uncomfortable with non-whites in positions of power or intimacy is gradually dying off, and being replaced by its more tolerant offspring.

"It is fair to add, however, that the smaller minority population in the UK, as well as the much shallower pool of black politicians and the more centralised political recruitment paths, still tends to work against black representation in Britain."

Obama was elected in the wake of a sustained rise in the number of black elected officials in the US that can be traced back over several decades.

Though the report shows some improvement in minority participation in local politics in the UK, with the total number roughly doubling since the "very low level of the 80s", the authors show this to have stagnated recently.

They conclude: "Its recent failure to grow has less to do with racial prejudice than the fading fortunes of Labour. Non-whites are six times better represented among that party's councillors than among than the Conservatives, and the pattern in all recent local elections has been for Labour to lose seats."

Guardian

Top Tory's blog on BNP is cleared

More than 180 complaints against Welsh Conservative leader Nick Bourne's blog criticism of the British National Party (BNP) have been officially rejected. The Mid and West Wales AM was cleared by a Welsh assembly standards committee inquiry after a post in February. More than 180 complaints were registered about the comments.

Mr Bourne, who believed the complaints were politically orchestrated, called it a "victory for common sense and a victory for the right of free speech".

"I stand by every word I made about this organisation and its supporters. I have no intention of apologising for making them. I am delighted that the standards committee rejected these complaints out of hand. To condemn the language I used against this organisation would have sent out totally the wrong message from the National Assembly. I believe the National Assembly has today sent out a strong message that it will not tolerate such prejudice as we seek to build a fair and tolerant society."

During the recent assembly election campaign Mr Bourne joined a cross-party campaign to promote tolerance and diversity in Wales.

AMs and candidates backed the Wales Friends of Searchlight's Hope not Hate campaign against discrimination.

BBC News website

BNP Mosque leaflet dismissed as "rubbish"

A plea for racial tolerance has been made after a British National Party (BNP) leaflet claimed people in a West town had been denied the chance to comment before a 'mosque' was given planning approval.

Plans for an Islamic centre above and behind a kebab shop in Yeovil was given planning permission in 2003 after an application was made for a change of use from office to religious meeting rooms.

The BNP leaflet claimed the public should have been told the use was specifically for an Islamic centre or mosque, and that failure to do so showed a "culture of institutionalised silence and deceit" by officials and councillors. The leaflet, promoted by Robert Baehr, a BNP candidate in South Somerset district council elections, has already been delivered to hundreds of homes in Yeovil.

Candidates from other parties yesterday dismissed the BNP's claim as "rubbish".

John Grana, one of 12 candidates standing under the banner of the Central Committee, Local Residents Working Together, said: "This sort of leaflet is laughable and divisive.

"We stand for religious tolerance and freedom of thought. Yeovil welcomes people from everywhere. If I trace my own ancestry, I find Italian, Irish, Scottish and English blood. There is a richness in the mix we have."

Simon Gale, the council's head of development and building control, said: "In planning terms there is no requirement to state the distinctive religious use."

A BNP candidate has sparked a row by seeking jobs in two constituencies - 450 miles apart.

Michaela Mackenzie, 55, is chasing election as a Scottish MP for the seat of Mid-Scotland and Fife, which covers an area north of Edinburgh. But she is also standing for election to South Gloucestershire Council in the South West.

Western Daily Press

BNP told: hands off St George's Day

The Mayor of Swindon has hit out at attempts by the BNP to take credit for a St George's Day charity concert.

Mike Bawden said that the event on April 23, to be held in the council's chamber, was about celebrating the national day and raising money for the Prospect@Home appeal and should not be politicised in any way. Swindon British National Party falsely told supporters on its website the concert on April 23 was "BNP approved".

Mr Bawden said: "This event has had nothing at all to do with the BNP. They have had no involvement in organising it and there is no way the borough council would enter into any arrangement with them as an organisation. The borough's position is very clear in that we don't agree with their objectives. We would in no way want any political party to feel it had a monopoly on the evening. I believe the general public will look on this event as an opportunity to have an evening of good music and also an evening to raise money for the local Prospect Hospice."

Swindon Advertiser editor Mark Waldron said: "St George's Day is a celebration of England and everything associated with it. That includes tolerance and multiculturalism, which are definitely not words you associate with an organisation such as the BNP."

The Adver-backed concert will be held at the Civic Offices in Euclid Street. It is thought to be the first time that music has been performed inside the chamber, where council decisions are normally made.

The BNP claimed it was the "vanguard of the campaign" to organise the event and used the occasion as an opportunity to spout far-right rhetoric. The extremist party said: "It is a reflection of the growing resentment over how our culture and national identity has been eroded over the years. People are rightly proud to be English and are getting increasingly assertive in reminding proponents of multiculturalism that this is England, we are the English and this is our country."

After reports that the Kentwood Show Choir will end the concert with performances of Jerusalem, I Vow to Thee My Country and Rule Britannia, the BNP gave its blessing to the running order. It said: "An excellent choice in our opinion - guaranteed to really upset the Labour party and liberal left."

BNP Wiltshire organiser Mike Howson said that he thought the party was justified in trying to give the public event a political motive. "We will support anything that supports our culture and priorities and if that makes it political, so be it," he said. "We will do everything we can to celebrate British culture, that's why we are backing it. Lately we have had more and more support in Swindon, and I think it is the fact that the BNP is around that is why the council has taken notice of English and British culture."

The Swindon Advertiser launched the Prospect appeal to raise money to help fund a scheme which will see nurses giving palliative care to people in their own homes 24 hours a day.

Swindon Advertiser

This nation of tolerance

This is a country of unparalleled tolerance, the envy of many other European countries.

A nation built on difference, where people of all colours and religions rub along together day by day. That’s why today, we are launching the Daily Mirror Hope Not Hate campaign – to celebrate modern Britain.

Over the next fortnight our red double decker bus will be coming to you – bringing a message of Hope to communities across the country.

Travelling from London to Glasgow via Dagenham, Thurrock, Northampton, Leicester, Nottingham, Lincoln, Sheffield, Oldham, Manchester, Liverpool, Wrexham, Dudley, Birmingham, West Bromwich, Blackburn, Burnley, Keighley, Bradford, Leeds, Sunderland and Newcastle – this is a celebration of the Britain we live in.

Just look at the restaurants on any high street – Indian, Chinese and Bengali, Turkish and Thai, fish and chip shops, bagel bakeries, pubs and pie shops, cafes and takeaways. Just look at our vibrant cities – great melting pots of cultures, where you can hear a dozen languages on any street corner.

Look at our schools, where children grow up together unaware of the colour of each other’s skins. Look at our army where black, Asian and white soldiers fight together on the frontlines.

What would London be without the Notting Hill Carnival, Brick Lane’s world class restaurants or Chinatown? Where would Leicester be without it’s Golden Mile or Birmingham without its Baltis?

Imagine Arsenal without Thierry Henry, cricket without Monty Panesar, rugby union without Jason Robinson and British boxing without Amir Khan, Frank Bruno and Errol Bomber Graham. Imagine British high streets without Marks and Spencers

Everything about Britain – our soap operas, our pop charts, our novelists and actors, the men and women who read the news – shows the diversity of our nation. This is the Britain admired by people overseas – a draw for tourists and a huge part of what won our country the Olympics.

We hear a lot about the ways in which multicultural Britain isn’t working – often from extremists who have a vested interest in replacing tolerance with prejudice and violence. At last year’s council elections the BNP doubled the number of council seats it holds by telling carefully placed lies, hiding their message of hate behind a ‘respectable’ veneer.

This May, let’s kick them back out again.

Because the everyday reality is that our multicultural society does actually work. We all know that, because whether we’re looking out of the window or talking to a colleague, eating our dinner or listening to the radio, supporting our favourite football team or watching Coronation Street, we can see it working every day of our lives.

This month sees the 200th anniversary of the abolition of slavery, the moment when the MP for Hull William Wilberforce led parliament to end a deplorable chapter in our history. Two centuries on, our commemorations of that moment should also include a determination to kick racism out of Britain wherever it raises its ugly head. And at the same time, let’s celebrate just how far we have come.

Mirror

Hope not Hate

More items from Mirror's Hope not Hate supplement

Murders that still haunt Rio

Loyal to the flag

Cheering our great Britons

Future face of Britain

The stars speak out

Footie got kids on side

Way to go

COME along and climb aboard as our Hope Not Hate bus spreads its message of goodwill across the nation. Setting off from Dagenham on Saturday, March 23, it will criss-cross the country until it reaches Glasgow on Good Friday, April 6.

At each stop celebs will be out to show their support and we’ll be holding food festivals, staging concerts and giving out T-shirts, mugs, rosettes and postcards.

Check the newspaper and website every day for details of where we’ll be and bring your friends and family. Look in the paper tomorrow for details of day one in Dagenham and Thurrock and Leicester on Sunday. Thank you for your support.

Bus Tour dates

Saturday, March 24 - Dagenham & Thurrock
Sunday, March 25 - Northampton & Leicester
Monday, March 26 - Nottingham & Lincoln
Tuesday, March 27 - Sheffield
Wednesday, March 28 - Oldham & Manchester
Thursday, March 29 - Liverpool & North Wales
Friday, March 30 - Dudley & Birmingham
Saturday, March 31 - Stoke-on-Trent
Sunday, April 1 - Sandwell
Monday, April 2 - Blackburn & Burnley
Tuesday, April 3 - Keighley, Bradford and Batley
Wednesday, April 4 - Leeds & surrounding area
Thursday, April 5 - Sunderland & Newcastle
Friday, April 6 - Glasgow

The Daily Mirror backs HOPE not hate campaign

We are pleased to announce that the Daily Mirror is supporting the HOPE not Hate campaign. Today's edition carries an 8pp supplement celebrating modern diverse Britain and opposing the politics of hate.

On Saturday a HOPE not Hate bus, organised by Searchlight and the Daily Mirror, will begin a 14-day journey across the country. It will start in Dagenham on Saturday morning and end in Glasgow on Friday 6 April. Along the route we shall be joined by national celebrities and visit local community groups at the forefront of offering a positive alternative to the BNP. Click here to see the route map.

The campaign is being backed by X-Factor winner Leona Lewis, boxer Amir Khan and The Apprentice's Alan Sugar.

You will be able to follow the tour via our Hope not Hate bus tour blog and picture gallery.

Jon Cruddas, MP for Dagenham and joint secretary of the Anti-Fascist Fortnight steering committee, told Searchlight: "This is really exciting news. The support of the Daily Mirror takes our campaign onto a new level. I would urge everyone to get involved."

HOPE not Hate literature

Searchlight has produced a range of HOPE not Hate literature which local groups and unions can distribute. These include newspapers, leaflets, postcards, posters, balloons and badges. View the merchandise here.

Anti-Fascist Fortnight

Over the next two weeks there will be anti-BNP activities across the country. It is really important that we translate opposition to the racist views of the BNP to positive action. If we are going to prevent the BNP from winning council seats then we need to get anti-BNP literature out through doors. Please do you best to spare some time to help out. You can view the activities here.

£8,000 to defeat the BNP: Please support Searchlight

Searchlight still needs to raise £8,000 to fund its campaign. Every penny raised will go straight to our campaign fund. The more money we raise, the more we can do. The more we can do, the more we can stop the BNP. The more we can stop the BNP, the better life will be. It's that simple.

We would like to thank those who have already given generously and we would urge others, especially those who are unable to attend our activities, to support the campaign through a donation.

To donate to the campaign click here

You can download a fundraising leaflet here

Get involved If you would like to get involved in the campaign or want to know what is happening in your area email me at nick@stoprthebnp.org.uk

TOGETHER WE CAN BEAT THE BNP

Hope not Hate

Smart suits can't hide BNP's extremist views

Letter to Lincolnshire Echo

The BNP is a wolf in sheep's clothing. Nowadays its members dress up in smart suits and try to make their views sound respectable. But they still hold the same extremist and bigoted views they have always held, and their tactics remain the same.

The BNP seeks to exploit the fears people have about immigration and spread myths and misinformation to create resentment towards 'outsiders'.

I have been in politics in Lincoln for nearly 30 years. I believe Lincoln people are sensible and fair-minded and do not like extremism. Lincoln has a proud record, going back many years, of showing hospitality to people from other countries and has shown the tolerance and understanding which are the foundations for good community cohesion.

The BNP has shallow slogans and little else. It has no roots in our local communities, little appreciation of the needs and aspirations of our communities and little idea about the solutions for improving them.

In the few places in the country where the BNP has won seats in local elections, its candidates have quickly lost interest, have been disqualified or have let their electors down in one way or another.

There is no place for the BNP in Lincoln and I hope the electorate in May will make that very clear.

Councillor Ric Metcalfe Leader Lincoln City Council

This is Lincolnshire