The British National Party’s election agent for Barking in last year’s general election could face prosecution for falsely stating a printing bill for election leaflets had been paid after he accepted a brazen lie from the party’s treasurer.
Richard Barnbrook, who at the time was the BNP’s London Assembly member, included bills from Newton Press in the return of election expenses that he submitted to the Barking returning officer on behalf of Nick Griffin, the BNP leader, and marked them as paid. Election law requires all a candidates’ expenses to be paid within 28 days.
Not only had the bill not been paid within 28 days, but Newton Press, a small printer in County Durham, is still waiting for its money. According to Eddy Butler, a former BNP officer who is campaigning for Griffin’s removal as leader, the BNP has refused to pay the firm around £15,000 that it owes for various printing services, including issues of the party’s paper Voice of Freedom.
Newton Press did not take the BNP’s no for an answer and established that around £6,000 of the bill was for newspapers delivered in Barking and that Barnbrook had accepted responsibility as Griffin’s agent. Making a false election expenses declaration can carry a prison sentence of up to one year or an unlimited fine or both unless the High Court accepts there was “reasonable cause” for the failure.
Barnbrook, who resigned the BNP whip last summer and now sits on the London Assembly as an independent, duly applied to the High Court. Yesterday Mr Justice Tugendhat rejected Barnbrook’s plea that the false return was not his fault because Dave Hannam, the party treasurer, had provided him with invoices falsely stamped “paid”. The agent is expected to be in real and genuine control of election expenditure, Mr Justice Tugendhat ruled, and Barnbrook should have made certain that the invoices had in fact been paid before signing off the return.
Mr Justice Tugendhat, who four years ago threw out a BNP candidate’s vexatious libel claim against Searchlight, has referred the matter to the Director of Public Prosecutions, as election law requires, which means Barnbrook is likely to end up with a criminal conviction. According to Butler, Barnbrook, who “demeaned himself by touting himself around to various parties” in an attempt to get onto a London Assembly list that will secure his re-election in 2012, is now trying to return to the BNP.
The DPP could also proceed against Griffin as the candidate and agent are jointly responsible for the accuracy of the expenses return.
The BNP’s problems are unlikely to stop with Newton Press. The party has debts of over £500,000 including to several other printers money. Romac Press, the Belfast firm that printed the party’s main general election leaflets is owed £45,000, which means that election expenses returns in several constituencies were probably false.
After the European election in 2009, it emerged that most of the party’s election bills had been paid by Adlorries.com Ltd, a company owned by Jim Dowson, the party’s fundraising consultant who ended up controlling most of the BNP’s assets. Griffin’s party had to repay the “loan” over several months.
The BNP’s continuing inability to pay its debts and readiness to lie means that any candidate or election agent will be personally at risk if they use election leaflets supplied by the party. Butler has called on BNP members not to stand as a candidate or act as an agent while Griffin is chairman.
Hannam, who was widely derided in the BNP as incompetent, is no longer BNP treasurer, replaced after less than eight months in the job by the moronic Clive Jefferson on his rapid rise through the party. Lying seemed to come naturally to Hannam. Last summer he boasted that the BNP’s financial controls now ensured that “all legally required statement [sic] of accounts are submitted on time”. The next day it emerged that the party had failed to submit its 2009 accounts to the Electoral Commission by the deadline of 7 July, the third time it had been late.
In 2007, when Hannam was deputy treasurer, Ian Dawson wrote in his letter of resignation from his position as the party’s head of group support: “Hannam has messed things up from day one, before he got ‘bogged down’ in an audit, during it, and after it. If he worked in a bank he would not last a week. Not only is he incompetent, he also lies. Again, this can be proved time and time again, yet it seems that no matter how much some people lie, and however big the lies are, they get away with it. I can’t think of one thing that Dave does well – if there is something I have not seen it. That is not an exaggeration or an unnecessary insult, it is a fact.”
Griffin seems unconcerned about the latest blow to his party. In the week when nominations are due for the local elections in May and many party members are already refusing to stand in protest at his leadership, he is sunning himself on holiday in Cyprus. Rumour has it that Griffin, who may be held personally liable for the BNP’s debts, is looking for a bolthole in Northern Cyprus, which has no extradition treaty with the UK.
Hope not hate
Showing posts with label Barking. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Barking. Show all posts
March 29, 2011
November 20, 2010
How Griffin turned nasty to oust Barnbrook from Barking
Nick Griffin threatened to ditch the British National Party’s sole London Assembly member last year if he stood in the way of Griffin being the party’s Parliamentary candidate for Barking in the general election, it has been revealed.
Richard Barnbrook, who was also a BNP councillor in Barking and Dagenham, felt it was his right to stand in what the BNP thought its most winnable constituency, but many in the BNP leadership were concerned at his dismal performances in the London Assembly, his tendency to make “factual errors” that led to appearances in front of council Standards Committees, and his alcoholism that was at the root of all his other problems.
According to Eddy Butler, who failed in his attempt to oust Griffin as BNP leader this summer and has since been expelled from the BNP, it had been agreed in the party that Griffin should not be the Barking candidate as he would look like a carpet-bagger. Instead, the day after Griffin’s Question Time debacle, Griffin went on a walkabout in Thurrock and announced his commitment to standing for Parliament there.
Butler had the job of persuading Barnbrook to stand down, after Barnbrook had already put up billboards in the constituency stating “Barnbrook for Barking”. Barnbrook told Griffin he would not stand down in favour of any lesser candidate than Griffin himself, but apparently prevaricated. So Griffin composed a long press release detailing Barnbrook’s shortcomings, which he threatened to release if Barnbrook did not back down.
The blackmail had the desired effect. According to Butler: “On 14th November in front of the media and a room full of members, Nick Griffin with his faithful onion at the ready, put on one of his stock weepy performances … as he shamelessly announced that Richard Barnbrook, had voluntarily stepped aside to allow Nick Griffin to contest Barking!”
The rest is history. Griffin polled abysmally and Barnbrook, who had been promised the leadership of Barking and Dagenham council, lost his council seat, as did all the other BNP councillors. Clive Jefferson, the BNP’s moronic national elections officer (among several other party positions), persuaded Barnbrook to act as a stalking horse candidate to thwart Butler’s challenge to Griffin’s leadership. Eventually at the end of August Barnbrook showed that despite his “weaknesses” he still had some principles and resigned the BNP whip in the London Assembly until Griffin’s financial mismanagement of the BNP had been tackled. He now sits as an independent and has not updated his blog since that day.
As for the press release, it shows, in case anyone doubted it, the lengths to which Griffin will go to get what he wants, even if it damages his own party. We reproduce it in its entirety so that readers can gain an insight into both the character of Griffin and – as we have no reason to believe the details in it are untrue – the way Barnbrook has represented those who voted him into the London Assembly.
Richard Barnbrook, who was also a BNP councillor in Barking and Dagenham, felt it was his right to stand in what the BNP thought its most winnable constituency, but many in the BNP leadership were concerned at his dismal performances in the London Assembly, his tendency to make “factual errors” that led to appearances in front of council Standards Committees, and his alcoholism that was at the root of all his other problems.
According to Eddy Butler, who failed in his attempt to oust Griffin as BNP leader this summer and has since been expelled from the BNP, it had been agreed in the party that Griffin should not be the Barking candidate as he would look like a carpet-bagger. Instead, the day after Griffin’s Question Time debacle, Griffin went on a walkabout in Thurrock and announced his commitment to standing for Parliament there.
Butler had the job of persuading Barnbrook to stand down, after Barnbrook had already put up billboards in the constituency stating “Barnbrook for Barking”. Barnbrook told Griffin he would not stand down in favour of any lesser candidate than Griffin himself, but apparently prevaricated. So Griffin composed a long press release detailing Barnbrook’s shortcomings, which he threatened to release if Barnbrook did not back down.
The blackmail had the desired effect. According to Butler: “On 14th November in front of the media and a room full of members, Nick Griffin with his faithful onion at the ready, put on one of his stock weepy performances … as he shamelessly announced that Richard Barnbrook, had voluntarily stepped aside to allow Nick Griffin to contest Barking!”
The rest is history. Griffin polled abysmally and Barnbrook, who had been promised the leadership of Barking and Dagenham council, lost his council seat, as did all the other BNP councillors. Clive Jefferson, the BNP’s moronic national elections officer (among several other party positions), persuaded Barnbrook to act as a stalking horse candidate to thwart Butler’s challenge to Griffin’s leadership. Eventually at the end of August Barnbrook showed that despite his “weaknesses” he still had some principles and resigned the BNP whip in the London Assembly until Griffin’s financial mismanagement of the BNP had been tackled. He now sits as an independent and has not updated his blog since that day.
As for the press release, it shows, in case anyone doubted it, the lengths to which Griffin will go to get what he wants, even if it damages his own party. We reproduce it in its entirety so that readers can gain an insight into both the character of Griffin and – as we have no reason to believe the details in it are untrue – the way Barnbrook has represented those who voted him into the London Assembly.
Withdrawal of BNP Whip From London Assembly Member Richard BarnbrookHope not hate
It is with regret that the British National Party announces the withdrawal of the party whip from Richard Barnbrook, up until now a BNP councillor in Barking and the party s sole Member on the Greater London Assembly.
We are aware that sections of the media will use this as a stick to beat the BNP, and have worked hard to persuade Mr Barnbrook to make the changes to his lifestyle and attitudes which could have avoided this outcome. In the end, however, the party’s short term political convenience has to be put second behind the interests of our voters and the long term need to maintain our reputation for honesty and competence.
We are therefore unable any longer to allow our voters and our members to be abused and let down by a man who, after so much early promise, has let everyone down so badly.
In itself, Richard`s refusal to seek treatment for his alcohol dependency would be his personal problem and tragedy, but this illness is now having a catastrophic impact on Barnbrook the elected politician. The main, but not the only, problems that result are
* His increasingly erratic and poor attendance record at the GLA
* His repeated and personally disloyal attempts to bully and blame staff members and BNP colleagues for his own failings
* His failure to perform his constituency duties, cancelling meetings without warning or valid excuse. The final straw in this regard was his recent decision to go on an Internet blind date rather than take up a request to attend the funeral of a young victim of the London knife crime epidemic on which he was so active when first elected
* His attending meetings and disciplinary hearings, and giving interviews while drunk
* His ignoring repeated warnings and pleas from colleagues not to drink and drive. We make this a matter of public record here in the hope that the resulting possibility of greater police scrutiny will compel him to revert to travelling by public transport and thereby prevent a serious accident that is at present just a matter of time
* His breaking of his personal pledge to give 10 % of his gross salary to the party, giving instead irregular smaller amounts and repeatedly refusing to provide copies of his council pay slip so as to allow a proper assessment of the resulting shortfall
* His repeated approaches to BNP members with requests for donations and 'investments' into private business proposals and unauthorised personal political projects
* His repeated attempts to blackmail the party leadership by threatening to 'go Independent' in the GLA a move which he has actively discussed with senior officials at the GLA and to split the BNP vote in Barking by standing there in the General Election as an Independent under the slogan 'Barnbrook for Barking'
* His underhand efforts to secure BNP staff time and donors' money for his proposed Independent parliamentary campaign by claiming that this is authorised by the party leadership.
* His insistence on acting as an unofficial spokesperson on television and radio. His two most recent performances after his disciplinary hearing and also following Question Time in themselves make it clear that Richard, for all his qualities, would be wholly unsuitable to represent the Party in the highest level of government in Britain and the most demanding debating chamber in the world.
A number of meetings have been held between Mr Barnbrook and members of the BNP leadership in an effort to resolve these and other problems, but it has been impossible to reach a satisfactory outcome. As a result, Richard Barnbrook's status as a BNP councillor and London Assembly Member is revoked with immediate effect. This decision is reversible if he responds to this sacking by seeking and accepting professional help to deal with his alcohol problem, which is clearly the root of all the failings outlined. But failing that he will not be standing as a BNP candidate in any elections for the foreseeable future.
Our council group in Barking and Dagenham will be reduced by one, but will continue to be led by Cllr. Robert Bailey. The two BNP members who are at present working for Mr Barnbrook in the GLA have been informed that it is entirely their own decision as to whether to continue in post should he wish to retain them. As far as we are concerned it is now no different to any civil service job and we wish them well.
We will be announcing our prospective candidate for the Barking constituency following a selection procedure in which Mr Barnbrook will not be considered. We will be going all out to unseat Margaret Hodge and to replace her with a loyal, competent British National Party MP who will serve the electors of Barking with the dedication they deserve.
May 23, 2010
BNP licks wounds after poll wipe-out
As the dust settles after the general election, the far-right British National Party (BNP) is reassessing its strategy after its much-hoped for success turned into a spectacular defeat
After winning its first two seats in the European Parliament last year, the BNP had promised to create a "political earthquake" in the May 6 elections by winning its first MP in Barking, east of London. On the night, however, leader Nick Griffin did not even come close to unseating incumbent Labour MP Margaret Hodge -- and the party lost all 12 of the local councillors that it won here four years ago.
"You're not wanted here and your vile politics have no place in British democracy. Pack your bags and go," a defiant Hodge said in her victory speech.
Their poor showing was a surprise and goes against a European trend -- the far-right entered parliament for the first time in Hungary this year, holds power in Slovakia and Italy and contested presidential elections in Austria. But experts warn it is too soon to write them off, as the party won half a million votes nationwide, a tripling of its support since the 2005 election.
"It certainly wouldn't be wise to be complacent about the BNP's demise," said Dr. Robert Ford of the University of Manchester.
One reason for this is that the key concerns that drove the party's support show no signs of going away, in particular immigration, which the BNP has promised to halt and reverse with a voluntary repatriation scheme. National politicians avoid the issue - but Hodge has tried to tackle it ever since the BNP won its 12 council seats in 2006, as well as a perception among many working-class voters that the Labour party has abandoned them. While she can do little about the influx of migrants, she assured voters she would address the perceived unfairness in the way they use public services, in particular social housing, and sought to listen to their other concerns.
"Was I certain we would win? No," she told AFP - but hundreds of hours of campaigning, with the help of anti-fascist groups, ensured she took 54 percent of the vote compared to Griffin's 15 percent.
The message she sent to her Labour party -- currently embroiled in a leadership election after Gordon Brown stepped down -- was that they had to engage with the BNP. "You can't beat them by ignoring them," she said.
In a radio interview shortly after polling day, Griffin admitted the party "took the most terrible battering" in Barking but blamed in part the "very high expectations" after the EU elections last year. The BNP campaign was damaged by the arrest of its publicity chief on suspicion of threatening to kill Griffin, and the taking down of the website by a disgruntled party member just two days before polling day.
But Griffin also said Labour had put together a "fantastic" operation and said the BNP's trouncing must be taken as a "wake-up call". The party has a serious image problem, however. Despite Griffin's modernising efforts over the past decade, the media and many voters still see it as racist and Ford warned this could prevent them ever winning power.
"It's not that there isn't a potential support for the kind of politics that the BNP represent, it just looks increasingly unlikely that the BNP will be the party that successfully mobilises that potential," he said.
This view is reflected on the streets of Barking, where Rashid Aleem, 41, pointed to Griffin's appearance on a prime-time TV debate last year as the moment when it became clear what the party stood for. Although he cites immigration as a concern, he told AFP: "People saw that and realised he's using the influx of eastern European immigrants as a front for his real agenda, which is racist."
Unemployed construction worker Guy Kerr, 47, admits he is the kind of person the BNP courts and backs their policies on more jobs for indigenous British workers and to pull troops out of Afghanistan.
"But they're racist," he said, adding: "I honestly thought they would get in here and I'm glad they didn't."
Yahoo
After winning its first two seats in the European Parliament last year, the BNP had promised to create a "political earthquake" in the May 6 elections by winning its first MP in Barking, east of London. On the night, however, leader Nick Griffin did not even come close to unseating incumbent Labour MP Margaret Hodge -- and the party lost all 12 of the local councillors that it won here four years ago.
"You're not wanted here and your vile politics have no place in British democracy. Pack your bags and go," a defiant Hodge said in her victory speech.
Their poor showing was a surprise and goes against a European trend -- the far-right entered parliament for the first time in Hungary this year, holds power in Slovakia and Italy and contested presidential elections in Austria. But experts warn it is too soon to write them off, as the party won half a million votes nationwide, a tripling of its support since the 2005 election.
"It certainly wouldn't be wise to be complacent about the BNP's demise," said Dr. Robert Ford of the University of Manchester.
One reason for this is that the key concerns that drove the party's support show no signs of going away, in particular immigration, which the BNP has promised to halt and reverse with a voluntary repatriation scheme. National politicians avoid the issue - but Hodge has tried to tackle it ever since the BNP won its 12 council seats in 2006, as well as a perception among many working-class voters that the Labour party has abandoned them. While she can do little about the influx of migrants, she assured voters she would address the perceived unfairness in the way they use public services, in particular social housing, and sought to listen to their other concerns.
"Was I certain we would win? No," she told AFP - but hundreds of hours of campaigning, with the help of anti-fascist groups, ensured she took 54 percent of the vote compared to Griffin's 15 percent.
The message she sent to her Labour party -- currently embroiled in a leadership election after Gordon Brown stepped down -- was that they had to engage with the BNP. "You can't beat them by ignoring them," she said.
In a radio interview shortly after polling day, Griffin admitted the party "took the most terrible battering" in Barking but blamed in part the "very high expectations" after the EU elections last year. The BNP campaign was damaged by the arrest of its publicity chief on suspicion of threatening to kill Griffin, and the taking down of the website by a disgruntled party member just two days before polling day.
But Griffin also said Labour had put together a "fantastic" operation and said the BNP's trouncing must be taken as a "wake-up call". The party has a serious image problem, however. Despite Griffin's modernising efforts over the past decade, the media and many voters still see it as racist and Ford warned this could prevent them ever winning power.
"It's not that there isn't a potential support for the kind of politics that the BNP represent, it just looks increasingly unlikely that the BNP will be the party that successfully mobilises that potential," he said.
This view is reflected on the streets of Barking, where Rashid Aleem, 41, pointed to Griffin's appearance on a prime-time TV debate last year as the moment when it became clear what the party stood for. Although he cites immigration as a concern, he told AFP: "People saw that and realised he's using the influx of eastern European immigrants as a front for his real agenda, which is racist."
Unemployed construction worker Guy Kerr, 47, admits he is the kind of person the BNP courts and backs their policies on more jobs for indigenous British workers and to pull troops out of Afghanistan.
"But they're racist," he said, adding: "I honestly thought they would get in here and I'm glad they didn't."
Yahoo
May 16, 2010
What BNP supporter Wayne Brown said to enrage his Leicester team-mates
Leicester City are considering the future of defender Wayne Brown after an allegedly racially abusive outburst in the club's dressing room left his position in doubt.
Contrary to reports last week, it was not merely Brown's boast that he voted for the BNP at the General Election which enraged his team-mates, but the language and terms he used while doing so. Having returned to the dressing room after training, where a discussion was taking place between a group of players about the election results, Brown first told a stunned, racially mixed group of players that he had voted for the BNP.
He was met with a volley of protest. But rather than defusing the situation, the player, born in Barking where BNP leader Nick Griffin was wiped out in the election by Labour's Margaret Hodge, and the party lost all its council seats, launched into an abuse attack on against ethnic minorities whom he claimed were 'killing this country'.
The reaction was furious and several players pointed out that, not only were Brown's phrases and views unacceptable, but that he had Asian, black and mixed-race colleagues.
Leicester boss Nigel Pearson suspended him for the play-off semi-finals, which the side lost to Cardiff City, and has made clear privately he no longer wishes Brown to be a part of his squad. A statement from the club said: 'Any alleged incidents will be investigated and dealt with internally.'
Mail Online
Contrary to reports last week, it was not merely Brown's boast that he voted for the BNP at the General Election which enraged his team-mates, but the language and terms he used while doing so. Having returned to the dressing room after training, where a discussion was taking place between a group of players about the election results, Brown first told a stunned, racially mixed group of players that he had voted for the BNP.
He was met with a volley of protest. But rather than defusing the situation, the player, born in Barking where BNP leader Nick Griffin was wiped out in the election by Labour's Margaret Hodge, and the party lost all its council seats, launched into an abuse attack on against ethnic minorities whom he claimed were 'killing this country'.
The reaction was furious and several players pointed out that, not only were Brown's phrases and views unacceptable, but that he had Asian, black and mixed-race colleagues.
Leicester boss Nigel Pearson suspended him for the play-off semi-finals, which the side lost to Cardiff City, and has made clear privately he no longer wishes Brown to be a part of his squad. A statement from the club said: 'Any alleged incidents will be investigated and dealt with internally.'
Mail Online
May 09, 2010
A bad, bad day for the BNP - how sad, how very, very sad
This article was submitted by one of our readers, Iliacus. We welcome any contributions from our supporters (as long as those contributions conform to the law and are in reasonably good taste). Please send your articles to us via email.
Griffin's failure in Barking, and the almost laughable performance by Simon Darby in Stoke-on-Trent (in reality the word actually is superfluous - it was a laughable performance, at several levels), have attracted significant media comment - and of course put big smiles on the faces of anti-fascists (and rational human beings!) everywhere.
But in the long term the local council elections may prove to be even more significant in pointing to the BNP's decline. Now once upon a time it was relatively easy to explain the structure of local government in England, but successive piecemeal reorganisations have led to different arrangements in different places so I shall review BNP performance (with passing reference to other parties of the right) by the different types of council. (And at this point I need to point out that what follows is based on the 148 local authorities whose final results are available as of today - the few remaining authorities are unlikely to affect the general picture.)
London Boroughs
I have figures for 15 London Boroughs, all of which feature all-out elections (i.e. the whole council is up for election every four years). In 14 of these the BNP had no councillors, and still have no councillors! The fifteenth of course is Barking & Dagenham, which the BNP was claiming as a target for outright control. They went in holding 12 seats - and lost the lot!
Across the 15 boroughs 868 councillors were elected. The BNP scored...nil.
Metropolitan Boroughs (the 'Mets')
These are the authorities within what used to be the Metropolitan counties (before they were abolished by Thatcher). Areas like South & West Yorkshire, the West Midlands, Greater Manchester, Merseyside, and authorities such as Liverpool, Birmingham, Leeds, Sunderland, Wolverhampton and so on. Their electoral arrangements are different, using election 'by thirds'. Generally they have three-member wards, with one councillor up for re-election at a time - 2010, 2011 & 2012 then starting again from 2014. The 'blank' year (2013, 2017 etc) used to be the Metropolitan County election year.
The BNP had representation on seven of these councils going into this election. In Calderdale and Rotherham they have a single councillor, but not up for re-election this year. In Kirklees, Leeds and Solihull they had single councillors, all due for re-election this year. All lost. In Sandwell they had two councillors. Both faced their electorate this time. Both lost. In Bradford they had two councillors, one of whom (Cromie) was up for re-election. He held on by 15 votes.
To summarise the BNP held nine seats in total. Three were safe, in that they were not up this year. Of the six who were up for re-election five lost.
There was also an English Democrat up for re-election in Calderdale. He lost. Across the Mets in total 824 councillors were elected. The BNP won...one.
Unitaries
These are single-tier local authorities, mostly in larger towns and cities away from the major metropolitan conurbations, ranging from Bristol through places like Hull and Plymouth to towns such as Hartlepool or Southend. There were 19 of them voting this week, and they elect by thirds.
Only two of them had BNP councillors (Stoke and Thurrock), and one (Blackburn) had a single English Democrat councillor - he lost. The sole BNPer in Thurrock was not up for re-election.
In Stoke the BNP was defending two seats - and lost both of them. The BNP group there has now gone from nine members a few weeks ago to five today - two resignations (Alby and Mrs Walker), and two rejections by the electorate. In the Abbey Green ward (won for the BNP by said Mr & Mrs Walker) the result was Labour 1,639; Conservative 1,170; BNP 835; Lib Dem 809; Walker - ex BNP 279; Ind 258.
Across the 19 unitaries 340 councillors were elected. The BNP amassed...no seats!
Shire Districts
These are the district councils in areas which have two-tier structures i.e. district councils and a county council. An example would be Lancashire which has a County Council, but also a series of District Councils (e.g. Burnley, West Lancashire, Preston). Again, they hold elections by thirds.
No fewer than 78 of these councils went to the polls. The BNP had a presence in six of these. In two (Nuneaton and Three Rivers) they have a single councillor on a different electoral cycle, and therefore not up for re-election. In Redditch the sole BNP councillor was up for re-election - and lost. In Burnley two of the four BNP seats were up for re-election - they lost in both (but still have two councillors on a different electoral cycle). In Epping Forest three of their four councillors faced the electorate. They all lost.
In Pendle they had two councillors, one of whom was up for re-election. Sadly, he held on, so 'no change' there.
I may be an election anorak, but even I draw the line at totting up the total number of seats across 78 authorities, but it's around the 1200 mark. Of which the BNP won...one.
Summary
Approximately 3250 seats were up for election last Thursday. The BNP won two of them [is it Old Sailor or Irish Tony who likes percentages? I make it 0.06%!]. They were defending 30 seats - they held two, and lost 28. That's a 7% defence rate - most parties panic if they fall below 60%! They made no gains. By any known electoral standards it was an appalling, disastrous, dreadful performance. They went into the election with representation on 16 councils. On ten of these they also have councillors on different electoral cycles, so could not be wiped out (yet!).
On the six councils where all of their councillors were up for election they were wiped out in all six - Barking & Dagenham, Kirklees, Leeds, Sandwell, Solihull and Redditch. As a poster on the Forum might put it - byebyebnp !
Looking ahead
Local elections held on the same day tend to differ from local elections held on their own. The larger parties tend to perform better as they benefit from their national coverage, and the higher turnout of their 'softer' support. With a lower turnout next year there is no guarantee that the BNP will perform as badly. There is some evidence from Stoke in particular that the BNP is still strong enough to elect councillors if turnout was significantly reduced (and if they could find candidates, which they are finding increasingly difficult). Let's enjoy Thursday's outcome, but there's still work to be done!
Griffin's failure in Barking, and the almost laughable performance by Simon Darby in Stoke-on-Trent (in reality the word actually is superfluous - it was a laughable performance, at several levels), have attracted significant media comment - and of course put big smiles on the faces of anti-fascists (and rational human beings!) everywhere.
But in the long term the local council elections may prove to be even more significant in pointing to the BNP's decline. Now once upon a time it was relatively easy to explain the structure of local government in England, but successive piecemeal reorganisations have led to different arrangements in different places so I shall review BNP performance (with passing reference to other parties of the right) by the different types of council. (And at this point I need to point out that what follows is based on the 148 local authorities whose final results are available as of today - the few remaining authorities are unlikely to affect the general picture.)
London Boroughs
I have figures for 15 London Boroughs, all of which feature all-out elections (i.e. the whole council is up for election every four years). In 14 of these the BNP had no councillors, and still have no councillors! The fifteenth of course is Barking & Dagenham, which the BNP was claiming as a target for outright control. They went in holding 12 seats - and lost the lot!
Across the 15 boroughs 868 councillors were elected. The BNP scored...nil.
Metropolitan Boroughs (the 'Mets')
These are the authorities within what used to be the Metropolitan counties (before they were abolished by Thatcher). Areas like South & West Yorkshire, the West Midlands, Greater Manchester, Merseyside, and authorities such as Liverpool, Birmingham, Leeds, Sunderland, Wolverhampton and so on. Their electoral arrangements are different, using election 'by thirds'. Generally they have three-member wards, with one councillor up for re-election at a time - 2010, 2011 & 2012 then starting again from 2014. The 'blank' year (2013, 2017 etc) used to be the Metropolitan County election year.
The BNP had representation on seven of these councils going into this election. In Calderdale and Rotherham they have a single councillor, but not up for re-election this year. In Kirklees, Leeds and Solihull they had single councillors, all due for re-election this year. All lost. In Sandwell they had two councillors. Both faced their electorate this time. Both lost. In Bradford they had two councillors, one of whom (Cromie) was up for re-election. He held on by 15 votes.
To summarise the BNP held nine seats in total. Three were safe, in that they were not up this year. Of the six who were up for re-election five lost.
There was also an English Democrat up for re-election in Calderdale. He lost. Across the Mets in total 824 councillors were elected. The BNP won...one.
Unitaries
These are single-tier local authorities, mostly in larger towns and cities away from the major metropolitan conurbations, ranging from Bristol through places like Hull and Plymouth to towns such as Hartlepool or Southend. There were 19 of them voting this week, and they elect by thirds.
Only two of them had BNP councillors (Stoke and Thurrock), and one (Blackburn) had a single English Democrat councillor - he lost. The sole BNPer in Thurrock was not up for re-election.
In Stoke the BNP was defending two seats - and lost both of them. The BNP group there has now gone from nine members a few weeks ago to five today - two resignations (Alby and Mrs Walker), and two rejections by the electorate. In the Abbey Green ward (won for the BNP by said Mr & Mrs Walker) the result was Labour 1,639; Conservative 1,170; BNP 835; Lib Dem 809; Walker - ex BNP 279; Ind 258.
Across the 19 unitaries 340 councillors were elected. The BNP amassed...no seats!
Shire Districts
These are the district councils in areas which have two-tier structures i.e. district councils and a county council. An example would be Lancashire which has a County Council, but also a series of District Councils (e.g. Burnley, West Lancashire, Preston). Again, they hold elections by thirds.
No fewer than 78 of these councils went to the polls. The BNP had a presence in six of these. In two (Nuneaton and Three Rivers) they have a single councillor on a different electoral cycle, and therefore not up for re-election. In Redditch the sole BNP councillor was up for re-election - and lost. In Burnley two of the four BNP seats were up for re-election - they lost in both (but still have two councillors on a different electoral cycle). In Epping Forest three of their four councillors faced the electorate. They all lost.
In Pendle they had two councillors, one of whom was up for re-election. Sadly, he held on, so 'no change' there.
I may be an election anorak, but even I draw the line at totting up the total number of seats across 78 authorities, but it's around the 1200 mark. Of which the BNP won...one.
Summary
Approximately 3250 seats were up for election last Thursday. The BNP won two of them [is it Old Sailor or Irish Tony who likes percentages? I make it 0.06%!]. They were defending 30 seats - they held two, and lost 28. That's a 7% defence rate - most parties panic if they fall below 60%! They made no gains. By any known electoral standards it was an appalling, disastrous, dreadful performance. They went into the election with representation on 16 councils. On ten of these they also have councillors on different electoral cycles, so could not be wiped out (yet!).
On the six councils where all of their councillors were up for election they were wiped out in all six - Barking & Dagenham, Kirklees, Leeds, Sandwell, Solihull and Redditch. As a poster on the Forum might put it - byebyebnp !
Looking ahead
Local elections held on the same day tend to differ from local elections held on their own. The larger parties tend to perform better as they benefit from their national coverage, and the higher turnout of their 'softer' support. With a lower turnout next year there is no guarantee that the BNP will perform as badly. There is some evidence from Stoke in particular that the BNP is still strong enough to elect councillors if turnout was significantly reduced (and if they could find candidates, which they are finding increasingly difficult). Let's enjoy Thursday's outcome, but there's still work to be done!
May 07, 2010
BNP hopes of a breakthrough dashed as party defeated in target seats
Nick Griffin failed dramatically in his bid to gain a Westminster seat this morning when he suffered a resounding defeat in the British National Party’s east London stronghold
Margaret Hodge, the Labour incumbent, won by a majority of more than 16,000 to deflect the BNP leader’s challenge in what she labelled the most important and moral fight of her life. In a humiliating defeat, Mr Griffin was relegated to third place in Barking, trailing behind Conservative candidate Simon Marcus. The BNP’s share of the vote dropped by two per cent, the result of an extensive campaign to mobilise voters against the threat of the far right.
Ms Hodge, the Culture Minister, achieved a seven per cent swing, winning more than 24,000 votes and 55 per cent of the vote. She said: “The message of Barking to the BNP is clear: get out and stay out. You are not wanted here and your vile politics have no place in British democracy. Pack your bags and go.”
She said voters had chosen democratic politics built on fairness over “a fascist politics built on division, prejudice and hatred. We have not just beaten but we have smashed the attempts of extremists.”
The BNP had considered Barking a stronghold after exploiting local concerns about immigration and housing to win twelve seats in the local council in 2006. However, following a disastrous election campaign, Mr Griffin received 6,620 votes – one third as many as Ms Hodge.
There were indications of a national collapse in the BNP vote after it failed to make headway in its other target seat, Stoke Central. It also looked likely to lose seats on the Barking and Dagenham Council, despite beginning the campaign with hopes of gaining a majority. Mr Griffin blamed high voter turnout for his defeat and said that it was the “last chance for Barking”.
His voice drowned out by booing, he said: “This was the last of London. Within the next five years the indigenous people of London will be a minority in our own capital city. This is a wake up call, not just for London. This is a wake up call for the whole of Britain.”
Mr Griffin said he would not resign, despite the crushing defeat, however elements in his party are certain to demand answers about the disastrous performance.
There was a heavy police presence at the count in Goresbrook Leisure Centre, in Dagenham, as large numbers of BNP supporters turned out to support their leader. The BNP’s campaign has been was plagued with trouble and infighting. In the first week, Mr Griffin faced an alleged plot by BNP officials to overthrow him. He also told police that a colleague had threatened to kill him after an investigation into the political “conspiracy”.
On Tuesday, the head of the party’s online operation resigned and took the website down with him. Simon Bennett, 41, directed BNP traffic to his personal site, which contained a lengthy diatribe against Mr Griffin and other senior figures. The next day Robert Bailey, the party’s London organiser and Romford candidate, was videoed assaulting an Asian youth who had spat on him.
UKIP candidate Frank Maloney said he would make a complaint about Ms Hodge to the Electoral Commission, claiming she had spoken to voters inside polling booths.
At the same venue, incumbent Labour MP Jon Cruddas faced an anxious wait with a close run poll with his Tory opponent. However Mr Cruddas, widely tipped as a leadership contender, won his seat in Dagenham with a majority of 2,000 votes.
Times Online
Margaret Hodge, the Labour incumbent, won by a majority of more than 16,000 to deflect the BNP leader’s challenge in what she labelled the most important and moral fight of her life. In a humiliating defeat, Mr Griffin was relegated to third place in Barking, trailing behind Conservative candidate Simon Marcus. The BNP’s share of the vote dropped by two per cent, the result of an extensive campaign to mobilise voters against the threat of the far right.
Ms Hodge, the Culture Minister, achieved a seven per cent swing, winning more than 24,000 votes and 55 per cent of the vote. She said: “The message of Barking to the BNP is clear: get out and stay out. You are not wanted here and your vile politics have no place in British democracy. Pack your bags and go.”
She said voters had chosen democratic politics built on fairness over “a fascist politics built on division, prejudice and hatred. We have not just beaten but we have smashed the attempts of extremists.”
The BNP had considered Barking a stronghold after exploiting local concerns about immigration and housing to win twelve seats in the local council in 2006. However, following a disastrous election campaign, Mr Griffin received 6,620 votes – one third as many as Ms Hodge.
There were indications of a national collapse in the BNP vote after it failed to make headway in its other target seat, Stoke Central. It also looked likely to lose seats on the Barking and Dagenham Council, despite beginning the campaign with hopes of gaining a majority. Mr Griffin blamed high voter turnout for his defeat and said that it was the “last chance for Barking”.
His voice drowned out by booing, he said: “This was the last of London. Within the next five years the indigenous people of London will be a minority in our own capital city. This is a wake up call, not just for London. This is a wake up call for the whole of Britain.”
Mr Griffin said he would not resign, despite the crushing defeat, however elements in his party are certain to demand answers about the disastrous performance.
There was a heavy police presence at the count in Goresbrook Leisure Centre, in Dagenham, as large numbers of BNP supporters turned out to support their leader. The BNP’s campaign has been was plagued with trouble and infighting. In the first week, Mr Griffin faced an alleged plot by BNP officials to overthrow him. He also told police that a colleague had threatened to kill him after an investigation into the political “conspiracy”.
On Tuesday, the head of the party’s online operation resigned and took the website down with him. Simon Bennett, 41, directed BNP traffic to his personal site, which contained a lengthy diatribe against Mr Griffin and other senior figures. The next day Robert Bailey, the party’s London organiser and Romford candidate, was videoed assaulting an Asian youth who had spat on him.
UKIP candidate Frank Maloney said he would make a complaint about Ms Hodge to the Electoral Commission, claiming she had spoken to voters inside polling booths.
At the same venue, incumbent Labour MP Jon Cruddas faced an anxious wait with a close run poll with his Tory opponent. However Mr Cruddas, widely tipped as a leadership contender, won his seat in Dagenham with a majority of 2,000 votes.
Times Online
BNP fails to secure seats in Barking and Stoke Central
Nick Griffin concedes defeat, although final count is yet to be announced [at 6am]
It seems that BNP leader Nick Griffin has failed to win a seat in Barking, east London. Simon Darby, standing for the party in Stoke-on-Trent Central, also appears to have lost out. These are among a host of failures for the far-right party tonight (it fielded a record number of candidates), but these two seats were the setting for high-profile campaigns, which the party believed it could win.
The candidates conceded defeat before the final results were in. The leader of the far-right party, who is already a Member of the European Parliament, said at 2am: "I'm being realistic. Margaret Hodge is clearly going to hold the seat". In an interview on BBC Radio Stoke, Simon Darby was negative about his prospects, and complained that the leaders' debates disadvantaged smaller parties.
To put it lightly, this is a relief. The BNP's campaign has been one beset by violence (perhaps not at every turn, before BNP supporters rail upon this blog to refute the claims), but they can certainly claim more bust-ups and physical fights than any other political party. But to a large extent, the extremist politics of the party have dictated the perameters of the mainstream debate on immigration, and it is vital to reclaim it from this malignant influence.
Update
5.30am: The final results are through for Stoke Central.
The BNP came third (behind the three main parties), with 7.7 per cent of the vote. This is way behind the Conservatives, who came third with 21 per cent. 2,502 people voted for Darby -- 0.1 per cent more than voted for the BNP last year. It's a very slight increase, but it is not a percentage that we need to worry about.
Final results for Barking have yet to be announced.
New Statesman
It seems that BNP leader Nick Griffin has failed to win a seat in Barking, east London. Simon Darby, standing for the party in Stoke-on-Trent Central, also appears to have lost out. These are among a host of failures for the far-right party tonight (it fielded a record number of candidates), but these two seats were the setting for high-profile campaigns, which the party believed it could win.
The candidates conceded defeat before the final results were in. The leader of the far-right party, who is already a Member of the European Parliament, said at 2am: "I'm being realistic. Margaret Hodge is clearly going to hold the seat". In an interview on BBC Radio Stoke, Simon Darby was negative about his prospects, and complained that the leaders' debates disadvantaged smaller parties.
To put it lightly, this is a relief. The BNP's campaign has been one beset by violence (perhaps not at every turn, before BNP supporters rail upon this blog to refute the claims), but they can certainly claim more bust-ups and physical fights than any other political party. But to a large extent, the extremist politics of the party have dictated the perameters of the mainstream debate on immigration, and it is vital to reclaim it from this malignant influence.
Update
5.30am: The final results are through for Stoke Central.
The BNP came third (behind the three main parties), with 7.7 per cent of the vote. This is way behind the Conservatives, who came third with 21 per cent. 2,502 people voted for Darby -- 0.1 per cent more than voted for the BNP last year. It's a very slight increase, but it is not a percentage that we need to worry about.
Final results for Barking have yet to be announced.
New Statesman
April 28, 2010
April 26, 2010
On the front line of the war against the BNP
The London Borough of Barking and Dagenham is at war. The next two weeks will determine whether the area becomes the jewel in the crown for the British National Party – a BNP-controlled council with command of a £200 million-a-year budget. And sometimes, as this week, the warfare becomes physical. Police were called to Barking town centre after a punch-up began during a BNP canvassing session. And there were angry scenes in Dagenham last week when anti-fascist campaigner Billy Bragg had a stand-up row with Richard Barnbrook, the BNP’s London Assembly member.
But even Bragg, a Barking man by birth, has not grasped the seriousness of the situation according to one leading campaigner. “They think that a vote for the BNP is a way of lashing out against the local council”, Bragg said last week. Wrong, says Sam Tarry, organiser for the anti-fascist Hope not Hate campaign and a Labour council candidate in Dagenham. “That shame that used to exist about voting BNP is gone. It’s well beyond a protest now. The BNP have been gaining nationally for five or six years. I think the council is going to be very, very tight.”
The 2006 local elections saw 12 BNP councillors elected to Barking and Dagenham council, making them the biggest BNP council group in the country. According to campaign group Searchlight, the organisers behind Hope not Hate, the party only needs to swing six marginal council wards to gain control.
Away from the town hall, Barking Labour candidate and culture minister Margaret Hodge and Jon Cruddas in the new Dagenham and Rainham contituency seem quietly confident of their own electoral success. But a late BNP surge could yet see Cruddas (notional majority 6,581) unseated by his Conservative opponent. And in November, BNP leader Nick Griffin announced he was standing for Parliament in Barking. Griffin vowed to spend more than the party has ever spent on a constituency campaign: no idle threat, with he and his fellow MEP Andrew Brons now on the Brussels payroll. How much of a threat is he to Labour?
“Griffin’s not here to win a parliamentary seat – the council’s the real prize”, Tarry insists. “He’s here to take the heat off the councillors. Obviously our strategy is to bind those things together. Locally he’s seen as an outsider, someone coming to take advantage of the situation.”
When I arrive in Dagenham, Hope not Hate’s footsoldiers have been out in force at the weekend: 548 to be precise, a record number for any election campaign, delivering glossy leaflets and full-colour Hope not Hate tabloid newspapers. “We got the whole borough done. It was fantastic”, says an activist.
Labour’s big guns, too, are out in force, at least for Hodge. On the day I visit her North Street offices, David Blunkett has been and gone, deputy leader Harriet Harman and her predecessor John Prescott are planning a visit, and health minister Baroness Thornton has just dropped in for a cup of tea. The trainers on her feet prove she has been out canvassing.
“If people are going to support us, they are really going to support us,” she says, echoing some of Sam Tarry’s views. “There’s a strong Labour vote and quite a sizeable BNP vote.”
Indeed, she met some BNP voters today. How did she deal with them? “I said, look, these guys are Nazis! – I feel I’m old enough and mature enough – if it’s someone older I say, ‘did your father fight in the war? Do you want people who like Adolf Hitler running the borough?’”
For all the common cause they have, Searchlight and Labour do not always agree on how to fight the BNP. And neither do Hodge and Cruddas’ offices. Hodge’s profile dominates her literature in a “top of the ticket” strategy. Cruddas gets a more equal billing with his council candidates. Some privately think Hodge’s approach is not the best way to protect the council. But there is no doubting the Barking MP’s sheer hard work: she has pounded the pavements regularly every weekend for the past two years and is currently canvassing three times a day.
Darren Rodwell, Hodge’s campaign manager, is proud of what has been achieved. Three years ago, he says, only 7 per cent of the electorate were on Barking’s contacts database, compared to 54 per cent now. Would he stake his home on a Labour victory, I ask. “I’m as confident as I can be; I would never do anything that would risk my family”, he smiles, before admitting that, in any case, he would move out if the BNP won.
How the impressive efforts in Barking and Dagenham compare to the BNP’s own canvassing is hard to say: at the time of writing, my questions to them were unanswered. But the far-right party has not come from nowhere – its voting figures at general elections have grown steadily for nearly 20 years – and with two Brussels seats and the chance of a Westminster seat, it is certainly not going nowhere. Whether that continues depends on Barking and Dagenham.
Tribune
But even Bragg, a Barking man by birth, has not grasped the seriousness of the situation according to one leading campaigner. “They think that a vote for the BNP is a way of lashing out against the local council”, Bragg said last week. Wrong, says Sam Tarry, organiser for the anti-fascist Hope not Hate campaign and a Labour council candidate in Dagenham. “That shame that used to exist about voting BNP is gone. It’s well beyond a protest now. The BNP have been gaining nationally for five or six years. I think the council is going to be very, very tight.”
The 2006 local elections saw 12 BNP councillors elected to Barking and Dagenham council, making them the biggest BNP council group in the country. According to campaign group Searchlight, the organisers behind Hope not Hate, the party only needs to swing six marginal council wards to gain control.
Away from the town hall, Barking Labour candidate and culture minister Margaret Hodge and Jon Cruddas in the new Dagenham and Rainham contituency seem quietly confident of their own electoral success. But a late BNP surge could yet see Cruddas (notional majority 6,581) unseated by his Conservative opponent. And in November, BNP leader Nick Griffin announced he was standing for Parliament in Barking. Griffin vowed to spend more than the party has ever spent on a constituency campaign: no idle threat, with he and his fellow MEP Andrew Brons now on the Brussels payroll. How much of a threat is he to Labour?
“Griffin’s not here to win a parliamentary seat – the council’s the real prize”, Tarry insists. “He’s here to take the heat off the councillors. Obviously our strategy is to bind those things together. Locally he’s seen as an outsider, someone coming to take advantage of the situation.”
When I arrive in Dagenham, Hope not Hate’s footsoldiers have been out in force at the weekend: 548 to be precise, a record number for any election campaign, delivering glossy leaflets and full-colour Hope not Hate tabloid newspapers. “We got the whole borough done. It was fantastic”, says an activist.
Labour’s big guns, too, are out in force, at least for Hodge. On the day I visit her North Street offices, David Blunkett has been and gone, deputy leader Harriet Harman and her predecessor John Prescott are planning a visit, and health minister Baroness Thornton has just dropped in for a cup of tea. The trainers on her feet prove she has been out canvassing.
“If people are going to support us, they are really going to support us,” she says, echoing some of Sam Tarry’s views. “There’s a strong Labour vote and quite a sizeable BNP vote.”
Indeed, she met some BNP voters today. How did she deal with them? “I said, look, these guys are Nazis! – I feel I’m old enough and mature enough – if it’s someone older I say, ‘did your father fight in the war? Do you want people who like Adolf Hitler running the borough?’”
For all the common cause they have, Searchlight and Labour do not always agree on how to fight the BNP. And neither do Hodge and Cruddas’ offices. Hodge’s profile dominates her literature in a “top of the ticket” strategy. Cruddas gets a more equal billing with his council candidates. Some privately think Hodge’s approach is not the best way to protect the council. But there is no doubting the Barking MP’s sheer hard work: she has pounded the pavements regularly every weekend for the past two years and is currently canvassing three times a day.
Darren Rodwell, Hodge’s campaign manager, is proud of what has been achieved. Three years ago, he says, only 7 per cent of the electorate were on Barking’s contacts database, compared to 54 per cent now. Would he stake his home on a Labour victory, I ask. “I’m as confident as I can be; I would never do anything that would risk my family”, he smiles, before admitting that, in any case, he would move out if the BNP won.
How the impressive efforts in Barking and Dagenham compare to the BNP’s own canvassing is hard to say: at the time of writing, my questions to them were unanswered. But the far-right party has not come from nowhere – its voting figures at general elections have grown steadily for nearly 20 years – and with two Brussels seats and the chance of a Westminster seat, it is certainly not going nowhere. Whether that continues depends on Barking and Dagenham.
Tribune
April 25, 2010
BNP Leader: 'East London Is Like Nairobi'
BNP leader Nick Griffin has been secretly filmed out on the far-right party's campaign trail, where he compared east London to Nairobi
The BNP is well known for having controversial policies, but it would appear the party also has controversial opinions when it comes to canvassing voters.
An undercover reporter from the People tabloid recorded what happened when senior party member Richard Edmonds was out leafleting in Dagenham.
When a woman told him she would not vote BNP, Mr Edmonds' response as he walked away was: "Silly ******* aren't they? Maybe she's got a black kid you see? Or maybe her sister's got a black kid? That I think is always the explanation around here. Once they go with blacks, they're part of the black tribe. Wicked, horrible, stupid. I've seen it many, many times."
Mr Griffin was also filmed talking about canvassing in Barking, where he is trying to oust Labour's Margaret Hodge.
"Yes, it's something like leafleting central Nairobi isn't it, I'm afraid," he said.
A spokesman for the BNP said the remarks were made after Mr Edmonds had been verbally abused in the street. The party did not want to comment further on the filming.
At its manifesto launch last week, the BNP insisted it was not a single-issue party.
Sky News
Nick Griffin: Barking's just like central Nairobi
Inside hate-filled world of BNP as boss bids to be MP
Race-hate peddler Nick Griffin launched his bid to become an east London MP by likening the seat to Nairobi - one of Africa's biggest cities. The BNP leader made the sneering comparison to Kenya's capital as he prepared to go out canvassing in Barking, where about a fifth of the population are from ethnic minorities.
He smirked: "It's something like leafleting central Nairobi, I'm afraid."
The jibe reveals racism is still at the core of the British National Party - and makes a mockery of Griffin's insistence they are not hawkers of hate.
He made the remark to an undercover People reporter who joined the BNP last month - and landed a job as Griffin's minder. Within days our man was signed up as a minder and was asked to the home of BNP stalwart Richard Barnbrook, a Greater London Assembly member.
When he arrived at the house in Dagenham, he found Griffin tying his shoelaces ready to start canvassing in nearby Barking. It was then that Griffin - bidding to oust tourism minister Margaret Hodge as MP and overturn her 12,183 majority - made his sick crack about Nairobi.
Our man told Griffin he had been harangued while canvassing for the BNP with party activists in Dagenham the day before. Griffin replied: "Well, when you think about what they have been told it's not surprising. They think you are on their doorstep to eat their baby."
Our man also told Griffin he had seen BNP supporters clash with members of United Against Fascism at the UK Border Agency office in Croydon two weeks ago. Griffin blamed police for the violence, whining: "They want to spark a reaction - that's what goes on television. The police are a bit caught because if they stop them too early they'll get done for abusing their human rights to protest. They've let it basically go too far. That's a lot of the cop-out."
Griffin said he picked Barking for his election bid because his anti-immigration stance appeals to white working-class voters who feel abandoned by Labour. As he took to the streets with camera crews in tow, Cambridgeeducated Griffin said: "There's a lot of support for us round here from honest, hard-working people who are fed up with being lied to."
Our man watched BNP activists knock on at least 1,000 doors - but only five potential supporters shook his hand. Later, Griffin told a radio phone-in he discussed immigration with a West Indian family he met canvassing - and claimed they backed his views.
He said: "They were saying the same as white people - that our kids are at the back of the queue when it comes to housing behind Somalis and Albanians who have only just arrived and it's not fair. There are plenty of West Indians agreeing with our message that Britain's full. They're not racist and nor are we."
But at no time during the hours we spent with Griffin in Barking did he talk about immigration to any West Indian family.
Griffin last night stood by his Nairobi jibe. He said: "Labour has given housing to West Indian immigrants because they need the black African vote after years of neglecting the white working class."
Catalogue of shame
Our man was routinely exposed to the violent hatred infesting the BNP during his three-week probe.
Desmond O'Flynn - who says he is a BNP organiser and boasts of having a criminal record - ranted: "I hate Muslims. I'd love to be a candidate in the election but I've got too much previous."
Gabriel Angelos, standing as a councillor in Enfield, also bragged about his violent past and raged against anti-BNP campaigners. He said in front of his own young daughter: "I hold them in contempt, the f***ing bastards."
And Richard Edmonds, 57, told our man not to visit addresses in Barking marked with an "F" on his copy of the electoral roll. He said: "F is for foreigners. There's no point talking to them. They're doing very well out of us and they want all their tribe over here."
Sunday People
The BNP is well known for having controversial policies, but it would appear the party also has controversial opinions when it comes to canvassing voters.
An undercover reporter from the People tabloid recorded what happened when senior party member Richard Edmonds was out leafleting in Dagenham.
When a woman told him she would not vote BNP, Mr Edmonds' response as he walked away was: "Silly ******* aren't they? Maybe she's got a black kid you see? Or maybe her sister's got a black kid? That I think is always the explanation around here. Once they go with blacks, they're part of the black tribe. Wicked, horrible, stupid. I've seen it many, many times."
Mr Griffin was also filmed talking about canvassing in Barking, where he is trying to oust Labour's Margaret Hodge.
"Yes, it's something like leafleting central Nairobi isn't it, I'm afraid," he said.
A spokesman for the BNP said the remarks were made after Mr Edmonds had been verbally abused in the street. The party did not want to comment further on the filming.
At its manifesto launch last week, the BNP insisted it was not a single-issue party.
Sky News
Nick Griffin: Barking's just like central Nairobi
Inside hate-filled world of BNP as boss bids to be MP
Race-hate peddler Nick Griffin launched his bid to become an east London MP by likening the seat to Nairobi - one of Africa's biggest cities. The BNP leader made the sneering comparison to Kenya's capital as he prepared to go out canvassing in Barking, where about a fifth of the population are from ethnic minorities.
He smirked: "It's something like leafleting central Nairobi, I'm afraid."
The jibe reveals racism is still at the core of the British National Party - and makes a mockery of Griffin's insistence they are not hawkers of hate.
He made the remark to an undercover People reporter who joined the BNP last month - and landed a job as Griffin's minder. Within days our man was signed up as a minder and was asked to the home of BNP stalwart Richard Barnbrook, a Greater London Assembly member.
When he arrived at the house in Dagenham, he found Griffin tying his shoelaces ready to start canvassing in nearby Barking. It was then that Griffin - bidding to oust tourism minister Margaret Hodge as MP and overturn her 12,183 majority - made his sick crack about Nairobi.
Our man told Griffin he had been harangued while canvassing for the BNP with party activists in Dagenham the day before. Griffin replied: "Well, when you think about what they have been told it's not surprising. They think you are on their doorstep to eat their baby."
Our man also told Griffin he had seen BNP supporters clash with members of United Against Fascism at the UK Border Agency office in Croydon two weeks ago. Griffin blamed police for the violence, whining: "They want to spark a reaction - that's what goes on television. The police are a bit caught because if they stop them too early they'll get done for abusing their human rights to protest. They've let it basically go too far. That's a lot of the cop-out."
Griffin said he picked Barking for his election bid because his anti-immigration stance appeals to white working-class voters who feel abandoned by Labour. As he took to the streets with camera crews in tow, Cambridgeeducated Griffin said: "There's a lot of support for us round here from honest, hard-working people who are fed up with being lied to."
Our man watched BNP activists knock on at least 1,000 doors - but only five potential supporters shook his hand. Later, Griffin told a radio phone-in he discussed immigration with a West Indian family he met canvassing - and claimed they backed his views.
He said: "They were saying the same as white people - that our kids are at the back of the queue when it comes to housing behind Somalis and Albanians who have only just arrived and it's not fair. There are plenty of West Indians agreeing with our message that Britain's full. They're not racist and nor are we."
But at no time during the hours we spent with Griffin in Barking did he talk about immigration to any West Indian family.
Griffin last night stood by his Nairobi jibe. He said: "Labour has given housing to West Indian immigrants because they need the black African vote after years of neglecting the white working class."
Catalogue of shame
Our man was routinely exposed to the violent hatred infesting the BNP during his three-week probe.
Desmond O'Flynn - who says he is a BNP organiser and boasts of having a criminal record - ranted: "I hate Muslims. I'd love to be a candidate in the election but I've got too much previous."
Gabriel Angelos, standing as a councillor in Enfield, also bragged about his violent past and raged against anti-BNP campaigners. He said in front of his own young daughter: "I hold them in contempt, the f***ing bastards."
And Richard Edmonds, 57, told our man not to visit addresses in Barking marked with an "F" on his copy of the electoral roll. He said: "F is for foreigners. There's no point talking to them. They're doing very well out of us and they want all their tribe over here."
Sunday People
April 17, 2010
BNP members 'hold Nazi principles'
As the BNP launches its London election campaign, a former party activist tells Channel 4 News some of the party's members have Nazi-esque tendencies.
The BNP faced protest this week as it launched its electoral campaign at the Home Office's main immigration centre in Croydon, in south London. The BNP activists stood their ground despite the anti-fascist demonstration, and delivered their message.
Councillor Bob Bailey, the London campaign manager for the BNP, said: "Immigration is the second biggest issues facing the politicians and government of this country. We are here to day to break the silence."
This is a crucial time for a party trying to capitalise on winning two seats in last year's European elections. But allegations of inner-party feuding have threatened to hit the party in areas such as Stoke on Trent and Barking which is seen as central to the BNP's campaign. The working class majority in Stoke on Trent are disillusioned by the old political order - in the mid 90s all 60 councillors here were Labour, now they number just 14.
Which is why it mattered when Alby Walker - former group leaded for BNP councillors in Stoke on Trent - resigned four months ago. He is now standing as an independent in this election.
"There's a vein of Holocaust denying within the BNP," Mr Walker told Channel 4 News. "There are people with Nazi-esque tendencies that do support Nazi principles."
Mr Walker said that he was aware of the controversy sounding the party when he joined but said he was "assured from the highest level by Nick Griffin and Simon Darby, the deputy leader… that the BNP was taking a new direction and people like that wouldn't be tolerated."
"But after being there for seven years I noticed that the same people were still there or hanging round in the background.
A BNP official has described Alby Walker as a disillusioned individual who's struck out for himself. But in London in recent weeks another BNP councillor has split from the party after a dispute with a fellow activist.
"It is the same old racist, right-wing party," former BNP councillor for Havering, Mark Logan, told Channel 4 News. "I'm not going to be used as a political vehicle to make Nick Griffin rich and famous."
Nick Griffin is hoping to gain a seat in Barking in east London, where the party polled 17 per cent at the last election. If they do not win a seat at Westminster, it is not inconceivable they could take control of the council in Barking, as its proclamations on immigration strike a chord with many in the area. The party is quick to reject any claims of Holocaust denial and racism, and has little time for talk of inner-party turmoil.
"Out house is very much in order," Cllr Bob Bailey told Channel 4 News. "The party's funding is increasing year by year. The membership is increasing year by year. The amount of people we put forward at every level at elections is increasing year by year. The mainstream parties are adopting out policies now. We are shaping the political conversation of Britain now."
The BNP is due to publish its manifesto next week.
Channel 4
The BNP faced protest this week as it launched its electoral campaign at the Home Office's main immigration centre in Croydon, in south London. The BNP activists stood their ground despite the anti-fascist demonstration, and delivered their message.
Councillor Bob Bailey, the London campaign manager for the BNP, said: "Immigration is the second biggest issues facing the politicians and government of this country. We are here to day to break the silence."
This is a crucial time for a party trying to capitalise on winning two seats in last year's European elections. But allegations of inner-party feuding have threatened to hit the party in areas such as Stoke on Trent and Barking which is seen as central to the BNP's campaign. The working class majority in Stoke on Trent are disillusioned by the old political order - in the mid 90s all 60 councillors here were Labour, now they number just 14.
Which is why it mattered when Alby Walker - former group leaded for BNP councillors in Stoke on Trent - resigned four months ago. He is now standing as an independent in this election.
"There's a vein of Holocaust denying within the BNP," Mr Walker told Channel 4 News. "There are people with Nazi-esque tendencies that do support Nazi principles."
Mr Walker said that he was aware of the controversy sounding the party when he joined but said he was "assured from the highest level by Nick Griffin and Simon Darby, the deputy leader… that the BNP was taking a new direction and people like that wouldn't be tolerated."
"But after being there for seven years I noticed that the same people were still there or hanging round in the background.
A BNP official has described Alby Walker as a disillusioned individual who's struck out for himself. But in London in recent weeks another BNP councillor has split from the party after a dispute with a fellow activist.
"It is the same old racist, right-wing party," former BNP councillor for Havering, Mark Logan, told Channel 4 News. "I'm not going to be used as a political vehicle to make Nick Griffin rich and famous."
Nick Griffin is hoping to gain a seat in Barking in east London, where the party polled 17 per cent at the last election. If they do not win a seat at Westminster, it is not inconceivable they could take control of the council in Barking, as its proclamations on immigration strike a chord with many in the area. The party is quick to reject any claims of Holocaust denial and racism, and has little time for talk of inner-party turmoil.
"Out house is very much in order," Cllr Bob Bailey told Channel 4 News. "The party's funding is increasing year by year. The membership is increasing year by year. The amount of people we put forward at every level at elections is increasing year by year. The mainstream parties are adopting out policies now. We are shaping the political conversation of Britain now."
The BNP is due to publish its manifesto next week.
Channel 4
April 16, 2010
Met inquiry into BNP’s ‘dirty tricks’ against Margaret Hodge
Police are investigating the British National Party for allegedly running a dirty tricks campaign against a rival candidate.
The Met confirmed it was looking into claims the far-right party had lied in literature about Margaret Hodge, the Labour hopeful in Barking. BNP leader Nick Griffin is challenging the culture minister for the east London seat.
In a newsletter sent to residents, his party claimed Mrs Hodge had financial interests in a proposed new prison for Barking. It also carried a cartoon suggesting she was personally behind a ‘racist’ housing allocation. It also said a member of her staff hung up on an ex-soldier when he called her office.
Mrs Hodge said: ‘This is politics of the worst kind. Griffin creates a big lie, tells it often enough and it hopes it becomes a truth.’
Her lawyers have contacted the BNP over the claims. The BNP denies any wrong-doing. Meanwhile, Charlotte Lewis, a BNP candidate, defended as ‘hilarious’ pictures of her wearing a burka and fishnet stockings at a party.
Metro
The Met confirmed it was looking into claims the far-right party had lied in literature about Margaret Hodge, the Labour hopeful in Barking. BNP leader Nick Griffin is challenging the culture minister for the east London seat.
In a newsletter sent to residents, his party claimed Mrs Hodge had financial interests in a proposed new prison for Barking. It also carried a cartoon suggesting she was personally behind a ‘racist’ housing allocation. It also said a member of her staff hung up on an ex-soldier when he called her office.
Mrs Hodge said: ‘This is politics of the worst kind. Griffin creates a big lie, tells it often enough and it hopes it becomes a truth.’
Her lawyers have contacted the BNP over the claims. The BNP denies any wrong-doing. Meanwhile, Charlotte Lewis, a BNP candidate, defended as ‘hilarious’ pictures of her wearing a burka and fishnet stockings at a party.
Metro
April 11, 2010
Confusion over BNP's election campaign
The BNP leader, Nick Griffin, yesterday started his campaign to become an MP as a Sunday Telegraph investigation uncovered apparent electoral irregularities involving the far-Right party
As well as challenging Labour for the parliamentary seat of Barking in east London, the BNP’s main hope is to take control of the local council. But at least three BNP council candidates in the borough appear to have registered at "front addresses" to get around the requirement that local authority candidates must live in the area.
According to the electoral register, Eddy Butler, until recently the BNP national election organiser, lives in Loughton, Essex, 10 miles from Barking. Neighbours there said they had seen him within the last few days. However, he has submitted nomination papers giving an address in Ellerton Gardens, Dagenham. Mr Butler also recently registered himself on the roll at this address but neighbours shown pictures of him did not recognise him.
At the Dagenham address, the curtains both upstairs and downstairs were drawn in the middle of the afternoon yesterday. Contacted by telephone, Mr Butler admitted he still visited his Loughton property, that he owned the house and that members of his family still lived there, but insisted that he now lived in the rented Dagenham house.
Another BNP candidate in Barking and Dagenham, Chris Roberts, lives in Benfleet, near Southend, around 20 miles from Barking. However, in his nomination form, Mr Roberts gives an address in Arden Crescent, Dagenham — which is the home of the BNP’s London Assembly member Richard Barnbrook. Again, Mr Roberts recently registered on the electoral roll at this house. A third candidate, Gavin Cardy, gives an address in Sylvan Avenue, Chadwell Heath. The electoral register indicates that his permanent address is actually in Fulham in west London.
If the three are not genuinely living at addresses where they have registered, they could be guilty of electoral fraud and could be disqualified if elected.
Mr Roberts and Mr Cardy were not available for comment, but Bob Bailey, the leader of the BNP group on Barking council, said: "As far as I know, they have all genuinely moved address. It’s all pukka."
Mr Barnbrook said: "Chris Roberts spends enough time at my house to fulfil what the law says, and that’s good enough."
The BNP has struggled to find enough genuinely local candidates in Barking. The Sunday Telegraph has learned that, including Mr Butler, Mr Roberts and Mr Cardy, it had found only 34 candidates for 51 council seats. Party sources admitted that other candidates had been rejected by council officials for not giving local addresses on their nomination papers.
A spokesman for the anti-fascist group Searchlight said: "There are clear signs that the BNP campaign is faltering."
Mr Griffin said yesterday he was "very confident" about the Westminster contest. However, private polling for Labour is understood to show that the BNP leader is a potential drag on the ticket.
Telegraph
As well as challenging Labour for the parliamentary seat of Barking in east London, the BNP’s main hope is to take control of the local council. But at least three BNP council candidates in the borough appear to have registered at "front addresses" to get around the requirement that local authority candidates must live in the area.
According to the electoral register, Eddy Butler, until recently the BNP national election organiser, lives in Loughton, Essex, 10 miles from Barking. Neighbours there said they had seen him within the last few days. However, he has submitted nomination papers giving an address in Ellerton Gardens, Dagenham. Mr Butler also recently registered himself on the roll at this address but neighbours shown pictures of him did not recognise him.
At the Dagenham address, the curtains both upstairs and downstairs were drawn in the middle of the afternoon yesterday. Contacted by telephone, Mr Butler admitted he still visited his Loughton property, that he owned the house and that members of his family still lived there, but insisted that he now lived in the rented Dagenham house.
Another BNP candidate in Barking and Dagenham, Chris Roberts, lives in Benfleet, near Southend, around 20 miles from Barking. However, in his nomination form, Mr Roberts gives an address in Arden Crescent, Dagenham — which is the home of the BNP’s London Assembly member Richard Barnbrook. Again, Mr Roberts recently registered on the electoral roll at this house. A third candidate, Gavin Cardy, gives an address in Sylvan Avenue, Chadwell Heath. The electoral register indicates that his permanent address is actually in Fulham in west London.
If the three are not genuinely living at addresses where they have registered, they could be guilty of electoral fraud and could be disqualified if elected.
Mr Roberts and Mr Cardy were not available for comment, but Bob Bailey, the leader of the BNP group on Barking council, said: "As far as I know, they have all genuinely moved address. It’s all pukka."
Mr Barnbrook said: "Chris Roberts spends enough time at my house to fulfil what the law says, and that’s good enough."
The BNP has struggled to find enough genuinely local candidates in Barking. The Sunday Telegraph has learned that, including Mr Butler, Mr Roberts and Mr Cardy, it had found only 34 candidates for 51 council seats. Party sources admitted that other candidates had been rejected by council officials for not giving local addresses on their nomination papers.
A spokesman for the anti-fascist group Searchlight said: "There are clear signs that the BNP campaign is faltering."
Mr Griffin said yesterday he was "very confident" about the Westminster contest. However, private polling for Labour is understood to show that the BNP leader is a potential drag on the ticket.
Telegraph
Labels:
Barking,
British National Party,
Eddy Butler,
Nick Griffin,
Searchlight
April 10, 2010
The battle for Barking
The Koranic verses are ringing out from a stereo on Hamza Myatt's market stall on Barking's pedestrianised high street.
The 36-year-old ginger-haired and white-skinned Muslim convert swapped his life as a financial adviser in South Wales to proselytise for his new faith in the outer reaches of East London three weeks after the 9/11 attacks. He now spends market days noisily selling Islamic literature. A few feet away from Mr Myatt's stall, at a mobile snack bar selling tea and bacon butties, where customers are trying on keffiyeh scarves and checking through DVDs on Islam for children, stands a furious Derek Carlton.
Pointing his finger towards Mr Myatt's loudspeaker, now broadcasting an imam's sermon, Mr Carlton, 46, a maintenance engineer, says: "Yes, I will vote BNP and that is why. I have no problem with other religions. What I have a problem with is when it changes the character of your town and you're not allowed to say anything about it.
"The BNP is saying what no one else will. Slowly but surely, people like me are being pushed aside in favour of outsiders. You can't tell me it's racist to be annoyed that my children can't get a council house in the same place as their parents because they've all been handed over to Africans and Muslims?"
Welcome to Barking and Dagenham, the former industrial heartland of the white working classes, now a bellwether for the rising fortunes of the far right.
It is far from unthinkable that the citizens of this London borough will wake on 7 May to find the British National Party running their council. If its confident prediction that it can more than double its contingent of 12 councillors comes true, a party whose leader, Nick Griffin, once denied the Holocaust and said "Hitler went a bit too far" will find itself in charge of services to 165,000 people and an annual budget of £200m.
This weekend, hundreds of BNP supporters are expected to descend on the area. In an email, Mr Griffin appeals for as many members as possible to target the constituency over the weekend. "A victory in Barking and Dagenham will benefit every region and branch in the country, as a breakthrough of that magnitude will cause a political earthquake and publicity frenzy," he writes.
Margaret Hodge, the Labour minister and incumbent MP against whom Mr Griffin is standing for Parliament, is calling for supporters to come out in force to match the BNP's canvassing effort. Mr Carlton, one of an estimated 5,000-10,000 voters in Barking and Dagenham whoare BNP supporters, is the embodiment of a radical change in the far-right party's fortunes in this area.
In the 1997 general election, the BNP mustered just 894 votes, or 2.7 per cent of the vote. In the 2008 London Assembly elections, the BNP vote in some wards hit more than 38 per cent.
Alongside Stoke-on-Trent council, the BNP has made no secret of the fact that securing power in Barking and Dagenham is its priority. Mr Griffin has stated that his candidacy is designed to allow him to take the "flak" from anti-BNP campaigners while his activists focus on the "real prize" of the council.
The Independent understands the party is close to fielding a candidate for each of the 51 local authority seats with the aim of securing the 14 extra councillors it needs to seize its "prize". It could take as little as 1,000 votes in six wards to hand power to the BNP.
The roots of this grim transformation from a protest vote to candidate for power lie in what its opponents admit has been a "perfect storm" of issues that pander to the extreme right.
Against a backdrop of deindustrialisation which has seen the powerhouse of the Ford Motor Company at Dagenham wither to less than 5 per cent of its previous workforce, the area has experienced considerable immigration with some wards going from a ethnic minority population of about 5 per cent to up to 35 per cent since 2000.
As one opponent put it: "The BNP are like winter potholes. They slide into a gap in our communities and wait for bad weather." One such political "pothole", repeated to The Independent by a large number of residents, is the notion that the borough's influx of migrants is politically-inspired. A Government scheme to persuade immigrant families in inner city London to free up council housing by subsidising a move out to cheaper areas such as Barking and Dagenham resulted in 30 families moving in – seven were white, nine were Asian, nine were black and five did not specify their ethnicity. The maximum subsidy was £16,000. Most received about £4,000.
This has not stopped the BNP running a campaign it calls "Africans for Essex", stating that the borough has been flooded with immigrants paid £50,000 a time to slant the electoral arithmetic of Barking and Dagenham in favour of the ruling Labour administration, which has 34 seats on the council.
It is a fallacy that the extremist party continues to peddle, taking pictures such as Mr Griffin posing by a banner advertising a Nigerian Islamic group.
Eddy Butler, the BNP national election organiser until he stepped down last week, added: "The Labour Party has deliberately transported African migrants into this part of Essex to create an electorate willing to vote Labour." His words appear to strike a chord on the streets of the constituency.
The lack of social housing is a major problem locally and a key electoral issue. Margaret Thatcher's right-to-buy policy cut the housing stock in an area which includes the vast Becontree estate, the world's largest public housing project. Successive Labour governments have stymied the development of new homes, leaving a council waiting list of 11,695.
Last month, a scheme was announced to provide 145 new homes in two years – the first new council homes in Barking for 25 years. Such has been the inertia of central government, the local Labour Party has distanced itself from its national policies. Phil Waker, the Labour councillor in charge of housing, said: "New Labour has been complacent – especially on housing. We will fight any government on this issue."
By contrast, the BNP's response on the issue has been erratic. It set out plans for a giant caravan park of 1,000 mobile homes sited on public land in Dagenham set aside for permanent housing. When it was pointed out that the £1,000-per-caravan budget would create a Steptoe & Son eyesore without facilities, the idea was dropped in favour of what Mr Griffin has dubbed a "sons and daughters" policy to give the offspring of current tenants first refusal on homes.
Placed alongside incidents including a local BNP vote against sending a message to congratulate the British Olympic team at the Beijing games because it included athletes such as Dame Kelly Holmes and Amir Khan, and the fact that BNP councillors occupy the bottom seven places for attendance, opponents say its record speaks for itself.
Mrs Hodge, targeted by the BNP with leaflets attacking the £50m fortune she inherited from her Jewish father, said: "I have spent three years exposing the true nature of BNP councillors in Barking. I want to turn this threat into an opportunity to destroy their credibility nationally." The announcement last week that the BNP's head of publicity, Mark Collett, had been reported to police for alleged threats to kill, amid talk of a major split in the party's higher echelons, has raised hope among opponents that its challenge could implode. The BNP swatted aside claims that Mr Butler had stepped down, saying he was focused on Barking and Dagenham.
An unorthodox campaign may play a pivotal role in the "Battle for Barking". A nondescript office block on the A13, overlooking a corner of the vast Ford plant that once employed 50,000 but now provides 2,000 jobs, is the HQ of Hope Not Hate – a coalition of activists including the Searchlight anti-fascist group, unions and community groups. It has been building a network among women's groups, churches and others uncomfortable with the BNP.
Its campaign will harness the full paraphernalia of modern electioneering, including an email list of 142,000 voters, telephone canvassing and targeted leafleting. Sam Tarry, the Dagenham-born activist leading the scheme, said: "The days have gone when the BNP could be dismissed as swivel-eyed Nazis. In the last general election, people were cagey about saying they'd vote BNP. That shame is no longer there. Our job is to expose the BNP for what they are so decent people don't vote for them. We will be relentlessly negative about what the BNP are – their record in power, the criminal record of their leader and their damaging policies."
Nearby lies the council ward of Goresbrook, the epicentre of BNP support in Barking and Dagenham. Its streets are lined with terraced houses, many displaying the signs of right-to-buy ownership such as conservatories and extensions. One, with a Union flag and a St George's flag fluttering outside, belongs to Richard Barnbrook, the former art student with a penchant for erotica who is the BNP deputy leader on the council. He says London will be "decimated" by immigration if the party fails to win Barking and Dagenham.
As she walks past, Beryl Ferguson, 64, a retired shopkeeper who has lived on the estate for 42 years, begs to differ. She said: "I voted for that lot [the BNP] last time but not now. I've got Africans a few doors down and you get used to each other. We've got to rub along. The BNP don't want that, do they?"
Back at the market Mr Myatt is less optimistic. "Democracy is a bit of a myth in this place," he says. "We will have democracy for one day and then it is back to an elected dictatorship.
"The problem is that here we're heading for a BNP dictatorship. For the moment, they leave me alone but what if they come to power? They call Islam wicked. I'd love to meet them face to face and put them right. This is my country as much as theirs. What are they going to do? Take away my British passport?"
Barking: Result in 2005
Independent
The 36-year-old ginger-haired and white-skinned Muslim convert swapped his life as a financial adviser in South Wales to proselytise for his new faith in the outer reaches of East London three weeks after the 9/11 attacks. He now spends market days noisily selling Islamic literature. A few feet away from Mr Myatt's stall, at a mobile snack bar selling tea and bacon butties, where customers are trying on keffiyeh scarves and checking through DVDs on Islam for children, stands a furious Derek Carlton.
Pointing his finger towards Mr Myatt's loudspeaker, now broadcasting an imam's sermon, Mr Carlton, 46, a maintenance engineer, says: "Yes, I will vote BNP and that is why. I have no problem with other religions. What I have a problem with is when it changes the character of your town and you're not allowed to say anything about it.
"The BNP is saying what no one else will. Slowly but surely, people like me are being pushed aside in favour of outsiders. You can't tell me it's racist to be annoyed that my children can't get a council house in the same place as their parents because they've all been handed over to Africans and Muslims?"
Welcome to Barking and Dagenham, the former industrial heartland of the white working classes, now a bellwether for the rising fortunes of the far right.
It is far from unthinkable that the citizens of this London borough will wake on 7 May to find the British National Party running their council. If its confident prediction that it can more than double its contingent of 12 councillors comes true, a party whose leader, Nick Griffin, once denied the Holocaust and said "Hitler went a bit too far" will find itself in charge of services to 165,000 people and an annual budget of £200m.
This weekend, hundreds of BNP supporters are expected to descend on the area. In an email, Mr Griffin appeals for as many members as possible to target the constituency over the weekend. "A victory in Barking and Dagenham will benefit every region and branch in the country, as a breakthrough of that magnitude will cause a political earthquake and publicity frenzy," he writes.
Margaret Hodge, the Labour minister and incumbent MP against whom Mr Griffin is standing for Parliament, is calling for supporters to come out in force to match the BNP's canvassing effort. Mr Carlton, one of an estimated 5,000-10,000 voters in Barking and Dagenham whoare BNP supporters, is the embodiment of a radical change in the far-right party's fortunes in this area.
In the 1997 general election, the BNP mustered just 894 votes, or 2.7 per cent of the vote. In the 2008 London Assembly elections, the BNP vote in some wards hit more than 38 per cent.
Alongside Stoke-on-Trent council, the BNP has made no secret of the fact that securing power in Barking and Dagenham is its priority. Mr Griffin has stated that his candidacy is designed to allow him to take the "flak" from anti-BNP campaigners while his activists focus on the "real prize" of the council.
The Independent understands the party is close to fielding a candidate for each of the 51 local authority seats with the aim of securing the 14 extra councillors it needs to seize its "prize". It could take as little as 1,000 votes in six wards to hand power to the BNP.
The roots of this grim transformation from a protest vote to candidate for power lie in what its opponents admit has been a "perfect storm" of issues that pander to the extreme right.
Against a backdrop of deindustrialisation which has seen the powerhouse of the Ford Motor Company at Dagenham wither to less than 5 per cent of its previous workforce, the area has experienced considerable immigration with some wards going from a ethnic minority population of about 5 per cent to up to 35 per cent since 2000.
As one opponent put it: "The BNP are like winter potholes. They slide into a gap in our communities and wait for bad weather." One such political "pothole", repeated to The Independent by a large number of residents, is the notion that the borough's influx of migrants is politically-inspired. A Government scheme to persuade immigrant families in inner city London to free up council housing by subsidising a move out to cheaper areas such as Barking and Dagenham resulted in 30 families moving in – seven were white, nine were Asian, nine were black and five did not specify their ethnicity. The maximum subsidy was £16,000. Most received about £4,000.
This has not stopped the BNP running a campaign it calls "Africans for Essex", stating that the borough has been flooded with immigrants paid £50,000 a time to slant the electoral arithmetic of Barking and Dagenham in favour of the ruling Labour administration, which has 34 seats on the council.
It is a fallacy that the extremist party continues to peddle, taking pictures such as Mr Griffin posing by a banner advertising a Nigerian Islamic group.
Eddy Butler, the BNP national election organiser until he stepped down last week, added: "The Labour Party has deliberately transported African migrants into this part of Essex to create an electorate willing to vote Labour." His words appear to strike a chord on the streets of the constituency.
The lack of social housing is a major problem locally and a key electoral issue. Margaret Thatcher's right-to-buy policy cut the housing stock in an area which includes the vast Becontree estate, the world's largest public housing project. Successive Labour governments have stymied the development of new homes, leaving a council waiting list of 11,695.
Last month, a scheme was announced to provide 145 new homes in two years – the first new council homes in Barking for 25 years. Such has been the inertia of central government, the local Labour Party has distanced itself from its national policies. Phil Waker, the Labour councillor in charge of housing, said: "New Labour has been complacent – especially on housing. We will fight any government on this issue."
By contrast, the BNP's response on the issue has been erratic. It set out plans for a giant caravan park of 1,000 mobile homes sited on public land in Dagenham set aside for permanent housing. When it was pointed out that the £1,000-per-caravan budget would create a Steptoe & Son eyesore without facilities, the idea was dropped in favour of what Mr Griffin has dubbed a "sons and daughters" policy to give the offspring of current tenants first refusal on homes.
Placed alongside incidents including a local BNP vote against sending a message to congratulate the British Olympic team at the Beijing games because it included athletes such as Dame Kelly Holmes and Amir Khan, and the fact that BNP councillors occupy the bottom seven places for attendance, opponents say its record speaks for itself.
Mrs Hodge, targeted by the BNP with leaflets attacking the £50m fortune she inherited from her Jewish father, said: "I have spent three years exposing the true nature of BNP councillors in Barking. I want to turn this threat into an opportunity to destroy their credibility nationally." The announcement last week that the BNP's head of publicity, Mark Collett, had been reported to police for alleged threats to kill, amid talk of a major split in the party's higher echelons, has raised hope among opponents that its challenge could implode. The BNP swatted aside claims that Mr Butler had stepped down, saying he was focused on Barking and Dagenham.
An unorthodox campaign may play a pivotal role in the "Battle for Barking". A nondescript office block on the A13, overlooking a corner of the vast Ford plant that once employed 50,000 but now provides 2,000 jobs, is the HQ of Hope Not Hate – a coalition of activists including the Searchlight anti-fascist group, unions and community groups. It has been building a network among women's groups, churches and others uncomfortable with the BNP.
Its campaign will harness the full paraphernalia of modern electioneering, including an email list of 142,000 voters, telephone canvassing and targeted leafleting. Sam Tarry, the Dagenham-born activist leading the scheme, said: "The days have gone when the BNP could be dismissed as swivel-eyed Nazis. In the last general election, people were cagey about saying they'd vote BNP. That shame is no longer there. Our job is to expose the BNP for what they are so decent people don't vote for them. We will be relentlessly negative about what the BNP are – their record in power, the criminal record of their leader and their damaging policies."
Nearby lies the council ward of Goresbrook, the epicentre of BNP support in Barking and Dagenham. Its streets are lined with terraced houses, many displaying the signs of right-to-buy ownership such as conservatories and extensions. One, with a Union flag and a St George's flag fluttering outside, belongs to Richard Barnbrook, the former art student with a penchant for erotica who is the BNP deputy leader on the council. He says London will be "decimated" by immigration if the party fails to win Barking and Dagenham.
As she walks past, Beryl Ferguson, 64, a retired shopkeeper who has lived on the estate for 42 years, begs to differ. She said: "I voted for that lot [the BNP] last time but not now. I've got Africans a few doors down and you get used to each other. We've got to rub along. The BNP don't want that, do they?"
Back at the market Mr Myatt is less optimistic. "Democracy is a bit of a myth in this place," he says. "We will have democracy for one day and then it is back to an elected dictatorship.
"The problem is that here we're heading for a BNP dictatorship. For the moment, they leave me alone but what if they come to power? They call Islam wicked. I'd love to meet them face to face and put them right. This is my country as much as theirs. What are they going to do? Take away my British passport?"
Barking: Result in 2005
- Labour: Margaret Hodge, 13,826, 47.5 per cent
- Conservative: Keith Prince, 4,943, 17.0 per cent
- British National Party: Richard Barnbrook, 4,916, 16.9 per cent
- Liberal Democrat: Toby Wickenden, 3,411, 11.7 per cent
- UK Independence Party: Terry Jones, 803, 2.8 per cent
Independent
April 09, 2010
Billy Bragg: I’m fighting for England’s soul against BNP
Billy Bragg: musician, anti-fascist activist and now playwrightSpeaking before the premiere of his first play — the story of three generations of a white working-class family — he said he would be working to help Labour defeat the extreme Right in the east London seat.
The 52-year-old singer-songwriter, known as the Bard of Barking, has created Pressure Drop with writer Mick Gordon and On Theatre. Bragg will perform new music during the show at the Wellcome Collection in Euston Road. But between performances he will campaign in the seat where Labour MP Margaret Hodge faces a challenge from BNP leader Nick Griffin.
Bragg said the election was “critical” because of the economic situation, “but for the country that I love, for the patriotism that I feel, this fight in Barking and Dagenham is the most important fight since the war.” He said Labour had done much for the area: “They built houses, they built schools. There are improvements in education.”
But, he added, people felt powerless and ignored in the face of rapid change with significant immigration. “It's not racist to recognise that so many people coming to the borough puts incredible pressure on housing and health.
Everyone else in London benefits from multiculturalism and cheap labour but places like Barking and Dagenham suffer as a result.
“The answer isn't to round these people up and send them back. But there on our doorstep inequality has thrown up this situation that can be exploited by the fascists. It's going to be a fight for the soul of the English people.”
Meanwhile, the BNP is bidding to win Barking and Dagenham council. Bragg said: “They could do a lot of damage with a budget of £200 million. Imagine what they could do to housing and education.” He hopes Pressure Drop will raise awareness of residents' genuine worries: “The fact that people are being exploited by a man who questions the veracity of the Holocaust, in the form of Nick Griffin, doesn't mean the problems aren't worthy of being addressed. My concern is that if the BNP gets elected the borough becomes a kind of pariah.”
The play is entertainment, he said. “Entertaining is very important. But you can't change the world singing songs.” Mick Gordon began writing Pressure Drop after reading Bragg's book The Progressive Patriot. By coincidence, the Wellcome Collection was planning a season on identity and commissioned it as its first play.
* Pressure Drop runs from April 19 to May 12.
London Evening Standard
March 24, 2010
Controversy as Christian Party debates with BNP
There has been a mixed response to a controversial televised debate between the leader of the Christian Party, George Hargreaves and the leader of the far-right British National Party (BNP), Nick Griffin.
There has been some surprise over the apparent areas of agreement between the two men, who plan to stand against each other in the Barking constituency in this year’s general election. The debate was broadcast on the Christian-based channel Revelation TV [22 March]. The BNP said yesterday (23 March) that the debate had been conducted “in an orderly and highly civilised fashion”.
In their own statement on the event, the Christian Party said that Griffin had presented “many concerning doctrines and policies wrapped in seemingly honest patriotic truths”.
The main point of difference between the two candidates seemed to concern ethnicity. Early on in the debate, Hargreaves said that “the BNP does not exist for my future or any other Black or ethnic minority Christian. And since in Christ racial division are demolished – ‘for there is neither Greek nor Jew, but all are one in Christ Jesus’– the BNP does not exist for the wider church”.
However, the Christian Party was not entirely critical of the BNP. In their statement today, they said that Griffin “made clear and strong statements about the dangers of radical Islam and how present policy is persecuting Christians, family values and British people, whilst seemingly embracing and promoting foreign religions”.
They added, “The Christian Party share similar concerns, although their solutions will be radically different in tone”.
For their part, the BNP claimed that Griffin “showed time and time again that the BNP was none of the things which the far leftist cranks claimed it to be, and at one stage Revd Hargreaves apologised to the BNP leader for a billboard last year which attacked the BNP in a most derogatory manner”.
Outside the studio, activists from Unite Against Fascism and Hope Not Hate demonstrated against the BNP. The BNP today dismissed Hope Not Hate as a “Communist Party front”.
Response to the debate has been mixed. One Christian viewer, posting a comment on the Revelation TV website, wrote that he was disappointed “that Rev Hargreaves was not more critical of Griffin's position towards his whole racial ideology which he made no effort to hide. I suppose in pursuit of fairness the honourable reverend forgot the reality of this man”.
However, Christian Concern For Our Nation (CCFON) has already endorsed George Hargreaves’ election bid. In an email to supporters on 18 March, CCFON’s Director, Andrea Williams, said “We would like George Hargreaves to gain a seat in Parliament”, explaining that, “He has been involved in every major Christian interest campaign in the last decade”.
But the next day, she admitted that the comments had received a “mixed reaction”. She insisted that, “In no way does an endorsement of George Hargreaves mean we do not support Christians in other political parties”.
The situation is complicated because CCFON is the main force behind Christians and Candidates 2010. This initiative will involve hustings events, chaired by former Bishop of Rochester Michael Nazir-Ali, at which Christians can question leading politicians. It is unusual for hustings to be run by an organisation that has already endorsed a particular party or candidate.
Griffin and Hargreaves will continue to campaign against each other in the Barking constituency. Barking’s Labour MP, Margaret Hodge, recently expressed concern that voters who support the Christian Party could inadvertently help the BNP to win the seat.
Ekklesia
There has been some surprise over the apparent areas of agreement between the two men, who plan to stand against each other in the Barking constituency in this year’s general election. The debate was broadcast on the Christian-based channel Revelation TV [22 March]. The BNP said yesterday (23 March) that the debate had been conducted “in an orderly and highly civilised fashion”.
In their own statement on the event, the Christian Party said that Griffin had presented “many concerning doctrines and policies wrapped in seemingly honest patriotic truths”.
The main point of difference between the two candidates seemed to concern ethnicity. Early on in the debate, Hargreaves said that “the BNP does not exist for my future or any other Black or ethnic minority Christian. And since in Christ racial division are demolished – ‘for there is neither Greek nor Jew, but all are one in Christ Jesus’– the BNP does not exist for the wider church”.
However, the Christian Party was not entirely critical of the BNP. In their statement today, they said that Griffin “made clear and strong statements about the dangers of radical Islam and how present policy is persecuting Christians, family values and British people, whilst seemingly embracing and promoting foreign religions”.
They added, “The Christian Party share similar concerns, although their solutions will be radically different in tone”.
For their part, the BNP claimed that Griffin “showed time and time again that the BNP was none of the things which the far leftist cranks claimed it to be, and at one stage Revd Hargreaves apologised to the BNP leader for a billboard last year which attacked the BNP in a most derogatory manner”.
Outside the studio, activists from Unite Against Fascism and Hope Not Hate demonstrated against the BNP. The BNP today dismissed Hope Not Hate as a “Communist Party front”.
Response to the debate has been mixed. One Christian viewer, posting a comment on the Revelation TV website, wrote that he was disappointed “that Rev Hargreaves was not more critical of Griffin's position towards his whole racial ideology which he made no effort to hide. I suppose in pursuit of fairness the honourable reverend forgot the reality of this man”.
However, Christian Concern For Our Nation (CCFON) has already endorsed George Hargreaves’ election bid. In an email to supporters on 18 March, CCFON’s Director, Andrea Williams, said “We would like George Hargreaves to gain a seat in Parliament”, explaining that, “He has been involved in every major Christian interest campaign in the last decade”.
But the next day, she admitted that the comments had received a “mixed reaction”. She insisted that, “In no way does an endorsement of George Hargreaves mean we do not support Christians in other political parties”.
The situation is complicated because CCFON is the main force behind Christians and Candidates 2010. This initiative will involve hustings events, chaired by former Bishop of Rochester Michael Nazir-Ali, at which Christians can question leading politicians. It is unusual for hustings to be run by an organisation that has already endorsed a particular party or candidate.
Griffin and Hargreaves will continue to campaign against each other in the Barking constituency. Barking’s Labour MP, Margaret Hodge, recently expressed concern that voters who support the Christian Party could inadvertently help the BNP to win the seat.
Ekklesia
Labels:
Barking,
British National Party,
Christian Party,
Nick Griffin
March 07, 2010
Elections in London: Nick Griffin declines to appear on BBC Politics Show
Today's Politics Show in London covers the battle for Barking and Dagenham, which in electoral terms mostly means the struggle of the Labour-run Council and Labour MPs Jon Cruddas and Margaret Hodge to keep the BNP at bay. As we know, BNP leader Nick Griffin is contesting the Barking seat. As we also know, he has taken part in BBC television debates before. So why did he turn down an invitation to participate in today's Politics Show discussion with fellow candidates for the Barking seat?
A BNP press release predictably foams on about a "lynch mob set-up" and quotes Griffin being affronted that a local channel covering elections in a particular locality appears to want to ask him questions about local issues. He is also rather rude about the Liberal Democrat candidate, who he describes as:
Observer
A BNP press release predictably foams on about a "lynch mob set-up" and quotes Griffin being affronted that a local channel covering elections in a particular locality appears to want to ask him questions about local issues. He is also rather rude about the Liberal Democrat candidate, who he describes as:
A failed journalist and plastic candidate...whose sole intention is to lie about me instead of dealing with the national issues.This candidate, who will be on the show along with Hodge and Tory Simon Marcus, is Dominic Carman. He is not only the son of the late George Carman, a rather famous libel lawyer, but also Griffin's biographer. From The Times's Fiona Hamilton:
Mr Carman said that his only motivation for running was to try to stop Mr Griffin from taking the seat. He intends to use information from his research into the biography to attack his opponent. It was never released because publishers were unwilling to associate their brand with the BNP leader.Carman's candidacy only become known a week ago. Is it already having the desired effect?
"I will put it to good use in exposing Griffin beyond what's already been in the public domain," he said. "It's very important to fight a strong campaign and it will be critical to challenge Nick Griffin every step of the way. I want to make people think long and hard about voting for him in Barking. It's very, very important."
Mr Carman has more than 20 hours of videotaped interviews with Mr Griffin over two years from 2003. He has interviewed Mr Griffin's family and associates, including the National Front leaders who shaped his views, on numerous occasions. "I do not claim to have a silver bullet — one specific piece of info so damaging that Nick Griffin would lose all credibility. But the cumulative information I have can be presented in such a way...it will make him uncomfortable."
Observer
Labels:
Barking,
BBC,
BNP,
Dominic Carman,
National Front,
Nick Griffin
March 05, 2010
Can theatre beat the BNP?
A number of theatre pieces are addressing the rise of rightwing extremists – but can the arts community really hope to make a difference?
Two weeks ago I attended the launch rally of Expose the BNP, a campaign that aims to equip journalists with the tools to report effectively on the British National Party. During the question-and-answer session, Ranjit Atwal of the Broadway, a small arts venue in BNP heartland Barking, stood up to tell us about a politically-inspired festival they're curating in April, called Spin the Election. The programme will include A Day at the Racists, a new play by Anders Lustgarten that opened this week at the Finborough Theatre in South London.
Lustgarten's play is just one of several theatre events in the capital at the moment that address the rise of the BNP. But can these productions really further the debate around racism, or is this merely the liberal middle-class arts community trying to make itself feel current and politically engaged? Say what you like about the London theatre fringe, but it's hardly the traditional stomping ground of your average BNP supporter.
The issue is interesting. Theatre may often preach to the converted – just think of David Hare – but that's not to say that the converted don't have a lot to learn. Set in Barking, A Day at the Racists charts how a former Labour activist's growing discontent leads him into the lap of the local BNP, a group whose supposed modernisations make it possible for him to forget his instinctive abhorrence of the party's racist and exclusionary message. Lustgarten's brilliantly observed play forces us to look beyond the comfortable anti-BNP rhetoric of the liberal media and consider the conditions that make an extreme right-wing party seem, at least for a very tiny percentage of the electorate, a valid political option. Rex Obano's play Decade, produced at Battersea's Theatre503 earlier this year, does something similar, forcing audience members who might not ordinarily be sympathetic to empathise with BNP members by casting them as silent supporters at a local party meeting.
But can this kind of theatre go further, and directly influence communities themselves? Karena Johnson, recently appointed artistic director of the Broadway, believes it can: by talking directly to the people it describes, she reasons, it might lead them to reconsider their own engagement with the politics around them. I don't doubt Johnson when she says the Broadway's audience is very different from the Finborough's – she describes the Barking community as proudly working-class, and says she expects the play to receive a much more lively reception in east London. I'd be thrilled if she were right, but I'm just not sure it can.
I get the uncomfortable feeling, particularly when reading the marketing material from another current BNP-inspired play, Philip Ridley's Moonfleece – the press release of which tells us that the show will be touring to "some of the UK's most disadvantaged areas, where the British National Party has made recent gains, playing to audiences that rarely see challenging, professional drama" – that this desire to change things is really just a conceit, albeit laudable, of the middle-class arts establishment.
Theatres across the country, even those in the most disadvantaged locations, such as the Doncaster Little Theatre – where Moonfleece is also playing – tend to be patronised by already open-minded members of their local communities; it's not often that this includes potential BNP supporters. The stark truth is that it's not easy to reach the type of people the producers would most like to get to. There's only so far that theatre can go.
Guardian
Two weeks ago I attended the launch rally of Expose the BNP, a campaign that aims to equip journalists with the tools to report effectively on the British National Party. During the question-and-answer session, Ranjit Atwal of the Broadway, a small arts venue in BNP heartland Barking, stood up to tell us about a politically-inspired festival they're curating in April, called Spin the Election. The programme will include A Day at the Racists, a new play by Anders Lustgarten that opened this week at the Finborough Theatre in South London.
Lustgarten's play is just one of several theatre events in the capital at the moment that address the rise of the BNP. But can these productions really further the debate around racism, or is this merely the liberal middle-class arts community trying to make itself feel current and politically engaged? Say what you like about the London theatre fringe, but it's hardly the traditional stomping ground of your average BNP supporter.
The issue is interesting. Theatre may often preach to the converted – just think of David Hare – but that's not to say that the converted don't have a lot to learn. Set in Barking, A Day at the Racists charts how a former Labour activist's growing discontent leads him into the lap of the local BNP, a group whose supposed modernisations make it possible for him to forget his instinctive abhorrence of the party's racist and exclusionary message. Lustgarten's brilliantly observed play forces us to look beyond the comfortable anti-BNP rhetoric of the liberal media and consider the conditions that make an extreme right-wing party seem, at least for a very tiny percentage of the electorate, a valid political option. Rex Obano's play Decade, produced at Battersea's Theatre503 earlier this year, does something similar, forcing audience members who might not ordinarily be sympathetic to empathise with BNP members by casting them as silent supporters at a local party meeting.
But can this kind of theatre go further, and directly influence communities themselves? Karena Johnson, recently appointed artistic director of the Broadway, believes it can: by talking directly to the people it describes, she reasons, it might lead them to reconsider their own engagement with the politics around them. I don't doubt Johnson when she says the Broadway's audience is very different from the Finborough's – she describes the Barking community as proudly working-class, and says she expects the play to receive a much more lively reception in east London. I'd be thrilled if she were right, but I'm just not sure it can.
I get the uncomfortable feeling, particularly when reading the marketing material from another current BNP-inspired play, Philip Ridley's Moonfleece – the press release of which tells us that the show will be touring to "some of the UK's most disadvantaged areas, where the British National Party has made recent gains, playing to audiences that rarely see challenging, professional drama" – that this desire to change things is really just a conceit, albeit laudable, of the middle-class arts establishment.
Theatres across the country, even those in the most disadvantaged locations, such as the Doncaster Little Theatre – where Moonfleece is also playing – tend to be patronised by already open-minded members of their local communities; it's not often that this includes potential BNP supporters. The stark truth is that it's not easy to reach the type of people the producers would most like to get to. There's only so far that theatre can go.
Guardian
Labels:
Barking,
BNP,
British National Party,
right-wing extremists
February 28, 2010
Dominic Carman to fight Nick Griffin in Barking, East London, at election
The son of George Carman, QC, one of the Britain’s most notable barristers, is to take on Nick Griffin in the fight for Barking at the general election. The Times has learnt that Dominic Carman, the unauthorised biographer of the British National Party leader, is to stand as a candidate for the Liberal Democrats in the East London constituency. The BNP hopes to topple Margaret Hodge, the Labour incumbent, to claim its first parliamentary seat.
Mr Carman said that his father, a leading barrister of the 1980s and 1990s who died in 2001, would have approved of his decision to run. He told The Times: “I would love to have seen my father have Nick Griffin in the witness box for two or three days and really take him apart: piece by piece, line by line, speech by speech.
“It would have a been a great pleasure and he would have done an excellent job. I just hope I can do a decent job exposing Nick Griffin to a wider audience than would be the case.”
Mr Carman said that his only motivation for running was to try to stop Mr Griffin from taking the seat. He intends to use information from his research into the biography to attack his opponent. It was never released because publishers were unwilling to associate their brand with the BNP leader.
“I will put it to good use in exposing Griffin beyond what’s already been in the public domain,” he said. “It’s very important to fight a strong campaign and it will be critical to challenge Nick Griffin every step of the way. I want to make people think long and hard about voting for him in Barking. It’s very, very important.”
Mr Carman has more than 20 hours of videotaped interviews with Mr Griffin over two years from 2003. He has interviewed Mr Griffin’s family and associates, including the National Front leaders who shaped his views, on numerous occasions. “I do not claim to have a silver bullet — one specific piece of info so damaging that Nick Griffin would lose all credibility. But the cumulative information I have can be presented in such a way ... it will make him uncomfortable.”
Mr Carman hit the headlines in 2002 when he wrote a biography of his father, who was regarded as one of the country’s best libel barristers. George Carman, QC, was famed for his presence in the courtroom and his ability to captivate a jury. However, his public image changed after his death with the publication of the “warts and all” biography by his son. It detailed the destructive personal side of his father’s life with accounts of a chain-smoking alcoholic who beat his wives.
Mr Carman, who joined the Lib Dems last year, said that he would fight the campaign on local issues such as jobs and housing. “I’m not going to stand and say nothing against the Labour Government, I will argue Liberal Democrat policies in a normal way. But I’m not going to select Margaret Hodge for special criticism. I am going to select Nick Griffin for that.”
He said that his chances of winning the seat were slim. The BNP took almost 17 per cent of the vote in the 2005 general election, just behind the Conservatives, while the Lib Dems achieved 11 per cent. “I have to do what I can,” he said. “This is very important.”
His campaign will start tomorrow morning in Barking.
The Times
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