A feared strong performance from the British National Party failed to materialise today as the far-right party made only modest gains in the local and devolved elections. A coordinated effort by the main parties to minimise the electoral threat from the party seemed to have paid off after the BNP was forced to concede "a mixed result".
The BNP fielded a record 750 candidates in a bid to boost its 46 local council seats to around 100, including more candidates in the rural areas where it hoped to use the arrival of workers from Eastern Europe to win support. However, although vote share was up in the North East and support also rose in Windsor and Maidenhead, other anticipated successes fell flat.
Simon Smith, the BNP's deputy leader, told the BBC: "It's disappointing, but we'll be back next year."
The party only managed to retain its four councillors in Sandwell, West Midlands, despite predictions it would add to that tally. Four candidates in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead failed to win ballots, but claimed victory after soundly beating their Labour counterparts.
Meanwhile, the BNP came fifth behind the major parties in many areas of Wales - and surged to 9.4% in Wrexham - but looks unlikely to have gained any seats on the Welsh assembly. The party lost its council member on Broxbourne borough council in Hertfordshire as the Tories increased their hold.
Guardian
Showing posts with label BBC Radio Wales. Show all posts
Showing posts with label BBC Radio Wales. Show all posts
May 04, 2007
April 24, 2007
BNP Welsh broadcast pulled by BBC...
...but has the BBC been manipulated?
The BBC has pulled the plug on a BNP broadcast due to air tonight on BBC Radio Wales, on the grounds that the broadcast defamed the Chief Constable of North Wales Police, Richard Brunstrom.
The BNP were told that the broadcast could not go to air unless references to Brunstrom were removed.
It is highly irregular for political parties to use election broadcasts to attack non-political individuals, particularly public servants.
In a whining justification published on their website the BNP says:
The broadcast does indeed focus on the record of the Chief Constable, one of the most politically correct cops in the country and is justifiably scathing about his forces’ handling of the Wrexham riots in the summer of 2003 but as a senior public figure funded by taxpayers he is in a position where he expects to be robustly criticised in the same way government ministers and senior politicians of all parties expect criticism.
Which would be all very well if Brunstrom were to have equal air time set aide to him to answer the BNP's smears - but the BNP knows full well that won't happen.
In fact the BNP must have known from the beginning that to use election air-time to attack Brunstrom would be unacceptable.
There is more than a suspicion that the BNP has deliberately engineered this outcome, happy to sacrifice a broadcast very few will hear in favour of gaining much-needed headlines from having it banned.
Ever ready to play the victim, expect the BNP to claim that its "free speech" has been infringed, and to work up a nice little conspiracy theory to explain the ban.
But don't expect them to thank the BBC for saving them the horrendous costs of a libel suit from Brunstrom.
That's not the game they're playing.
The BBC has pulled the plug on a BNP broadcast due to air tonight on BBC Radio Wales, on the grounds that the broadcast defamed the Chief Constable of North Wales Police, Richard Brunstrom.
The BNP were told that the broadcast could not go to air unless references to Brunstrom were removed.
It is highly irregular for political parties to use election broadcasts to attack non-political individuals, particularly public servants.
In a whining justification published on their website the BNP says:
The broadcast does indeed focus on the record of the Chief Constable, one of the most politically correct cops in the country and is justifiably scathing about his forces’ handling of the Wrexham riots in the summer of 2003 but as a senior public figure funded by taxpayers he is in a position where he expects to be robustly criticised in the same way government ministers and senior politicians of all parties expect criticism.
Which would be all very well if Brunstrom were to have equal air time set aide to him to answer the BNP's smears - but the BNP knows full well that won't happen.
In fact the BNP must have known from the beginning that to use election air-time to attack Brunstrom would be unacceptable.
There is more than a suspicion that the BNP has deliberately engineered this outcome, happy to sacrifice a broadcast very few will hear in favour of gaining much-needed headlines from having it banned.
Ever ready to play the victim, expect the BNP to claim that its "free speech" has been infringed, and to work up a nice little conspiracy theory to explain the ban.
But don't expect them to thank the BBC for saving them the horrendous costs of a libel suit from Brunstrom.
That's not the game they're playing.
Labels:
BBC,
BBC Radio Wales,
BNP,
libel,
Nick Griffin,
racism,
Richard Brunstrom,
Welsh Assembly
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