A feared strong performance from the British National Party failed to materialise today as the far-right party made only modest gains in the local and devolved elections. A coordinated effort by the main parties to minimise the electoral threat from the party seemed to have paid off after the BNP was forced to concede "a mixed result".
The BNP fielded a record 750 candidates in a bid to boost its 46 local council seats to around 100, including more candidates in the rural areas where it hoped to use the arrival of workers from Eastern Europe to win support. However, although vote share was up in the North East and support also rose in Windsor and Maidenhead, other anticipated successes fell flat.
Simon Smith, the BNP's deputy leader, told the BBC: "It's disappointing, but we'll be back next year."
The party only managed to retain its four councillors in Sandwell, West Midlands, despite predictions it would add to that tally. Four candidates in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead failed to win ballots, but claimed victory after soundly beating their Labour counterparts.
Meanwhile, the BNP came fifth behind the major parties in many areas of Wales - and surged to 9.4% in Wrexham - but looks unlikely to have gained any seats on the Welsh assembly. The party lost its council member on Broxbourne borough council in Hertfordshire as the Tories increased their hold.
Guardian
Showing posts with label Broxbourne. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Broxbourne. Show all posts
May 04, 2007
BNP fails to win seats in key target areas
Early results from the local elections make grim reading for the fascist British National Party (BNP). Despite standing 750 candidates across the country in an attempt to take advantage of anti-immigrant hysteria coming from press and politicians alike, the Nazis have failed to win any seats in their key target areas.
The BNP lost its sole councillor in Broxbourne, Hertfordshire, and failed to make any headway in Thurrock, Essex, where in recent years it has had a councillor. The party was utterly humiliated in Scotland, where they had invested heavily and expected a good showing.
Birmingham is a city that fascists have traditionally regarded as good territory. Yet in seat after seat, Respect candidates roundly beat the BNP. In Windsor the fascists failed to capitalise on a nasty campaign of Islamophobia in the area. Though areas such as Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire and Yorkshire have yet to declare their results, as of this morning, the Nazis’ only tangible gains were a couple of councillors in North Leicestershire.
It looks unlikely that the BNP will gain anywhere near its predicted 40 more seats and will remain far short of its stated target of 100 councillors nationwide.
A crucial factor in holding the BNP back was the qualitatively higher level of anti-fascist campaigning in these elections. Unite Against Fascism distributed half a million leaflets across the country urging people to vote against the BNP. This campaigning undoubtedly had an impact. But the Nazis still attracted disturbingly high numbers in certain parts of Britain.
In Wales, where BNP leader Nick Griffin was standing, the fascists came 2,500 votes short of winning an assembly seat in North Wales. In Wrexham they grabbed 9.4 percent of the regional vote.
The factors that allow the BNP to make inroads – anger and despair at the mainstream parties, combined with endless “immigration scares” and anti-Muslim racism whipped up in the media – are not going to go away. The need to build united mass campaigns against fascism is clearer than ever.
© Copyright Socialist Worker
The BNP lost its sole councillor in Broxbourne, Hertfordshire, and failed to make any headway in Thurrock, Essex, where in recent years it has had a councillor. The party was utterly humiliated in Scotland, where they had invested heavily and expected a good showing.
Birmingham is a city that fascists have traditionally regarded as good territory. Yet in seat after seat, Respect candidates roundly beat the BNP. In Windsor the fascists failed to capitalise on a nasty campaign of Islamophobia in the area. Though areas such as Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire and Yorkshire have yet to declare their results, as of this morning, the Nazis’ only tangible gains were a couple of councillors in North Leicestershire.
It looks unlikely that the BNP will gain anywhere near its predicted 40 more seats and will remain far short of its stated target of 100 councillors nationwide.
A crucial factor in holding the BNP back was the qualitatively higher level of anti-fascist campaigning in these elections. Unite Against Fascism distributed half a million leaflets across the country urging people to vote against the BNP. This campaigning undoubtedly had an impact. But the Nazis still attracted disturbingly high numbers in certain parts of Britain.
In Wales, where BNP leader Nick Griffin was standing, the fascists came 2,500 votes short of winning an assembly seat in North Wales. In Wrexham they grabbed 9.4 percent of the regional vote.
The factors that allow the BNP to make inroads – anger and despair at the mainstream parties, combined with endless “immigration scares” and anti-Muslim racism whipped up in the media – are not going to go away. The need to build united mass campaigns against fascism is clearer than ever.
© Copyright Socialist Worker
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anti-fascist,
BNP,
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Unite Against Fascism
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