Horsham MP Francis Maude has condemned British National Party plans to attend the Remembrance Day parade in the town.
In a statement on its website, the BNP said it had been 'formally invited' to attend the official procession in Horsham on November 9 and lay a wreath. But the Royal British Legion said this week that it had not invited the BNP to attend and Conservative MP Mr Maude said: "As far as I am concerned it would be completely inappropriate for any political party to use Remembrance Sunday in this way. No respectable mainstream party would consider doing such a thing and it goes without saying that the BNP should not even think about taking part.
"It would be grossly offensive to those who attend the ceremony to remember servicemen and women who have given their lives for the values that we enjoy in Britain today – values of tolerance and respect that are the reverse of what the BNP stand for."
A BNP activist from Upper Beeding has also confirmed the party will be selling poppies in Horsham to raise funds for the Royal British Legion.
Members of the Crawley and Horsham BNP said they took part in raising cash for the legion last year and contributed nearly £900 to the Poppy Appeal. This year they say they will once again be standing in Horsham town centre selling poppies. BNP member Donna Bailey, of Underhill Road in Upper Beeding, said she did not understand why such a fuss was being made about the party's involvement.
"We are trying to get as many members as possible to come and sell poppies," she said. "Last year we went out as the BNP and sold the poppies for a cause we absolutely fully support. We support the fact our soldiers died in both world wars and while we do not support the war in Iraq and Afghanistan we certainly support our soldiers who are doing a fantastic job there."
She added: "We would like to be there and lay our wreath at the same time as everybody else as is our right to do so. We are doing what we believe in – we are supporting a good cause."
Royal British Legion county manager for Sussex, Mike Payne, said the BNP had not been invited by the legion to attend the parade.
"The Royal British Legion is a non-political organisation," he explained. "The responsibility for inviting political parties, organisational volunteer groups and other groups that wish to take part in the remembrance events is always the responsibility of the civic authority."
Mr Payne said the Royal British Legion had strict rules stating volunteers must not wear anything that may distinguish them as being a member of a particular political party or organisation when raising money for the charity.
Horsham District Council leader Liz Kitchen (Con, Rusper and Colgate) said people could not be banned from attending as it is a public event.
"We can't stop people marching - we can just say it can't be political. We would not want to stop anybody commemorating the fallen providing it is non-political."
Deputy leader of the BNP, Simon Darby, said it was a shame its gesture of support was being taken out of context. He added: "We are not making a big song and dance about it. It is the other parties that accuse us of politicising the charities."
West Sussex County Times
Showing posts with label Horsham. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Horsham. Show all posts
November 03, 2008
October 12, 2007
Horsham: BNP's luck still out
True-blue Horsham in West Sussex is the setting for this week's by-election report. Set in the South Downs, affluent Horsham is prime commuter country, enjoying low crime levels, high educational standards, and - according to a 2006 Channel 4 programme "The ten best and worst places to live in the UK" - came second only to Winchester as the most desirable place in which to make a home.
Horsham District Council is unassailably Tory, the Conservatives holding 30 of the 44 seats, the Liberal Democrats 11, and Independents 2, with one vacancy in Holbrook ward arising due to the resignation of the sitting Conservative. Though there is an active Labour Party in the area, its vote share is abysmal. In Horsham, the Liberal Democrats form the only credible opposition to Tory dominance.
On the face of it, Horsham does not appear to be promising territory for the BNP, which contested Holbrook ward for the first time last night, but they do have a history of standing in the area.
A by-election last December in Denne ward saw them take a 12.68% share of the vote, which fell back to 10.5% when the seat was refought in May. Also standing in May was last night's Holbrook ward candidate Donna Bailey, who took 11.7% of the vote in Roffey North ward.
Holbrook ward being virgin turf for the BNP, again we are left with the problem of having nothing by which to measure their performance. The Labour vote is so small that there is almost nothing for the BNP to draw off, as May's result in the ward shows (percentages on right):
The freed-up votes going to the Independent last time should have helped the BNP, as should a minor local controversy over the conversion of a disused church into a mosque. There was also the presentability of BNP candidate Donna Bailey herself, with her attractive looks and a message aimed directly at southern Conservative voters: "The primary cause [of council tax increases] is the Labour Government's re-allocation of central grants, from the South to the North to bribe its supporters." The racist core of the BNP's message was suitably muted: "Both the Tories and Lib Dems have assisted in the demographic changes being wrought in our ancestral homeland without any democratic consent or consultation. Since 2004, over 1.5million immigrants have arrived in the UK, placing unprecedented strains on our services and environment" - though there was a repeat of the BNP's pledge to deport illegal immigrants and asylum seekers.
There were also pledges of zero-tolerance towards Travellers, on helping the police to combat crime, bin collections, and the linking of immigration with green issues.
Donna Bailey, then, fought a campaign little different from that of any right-wing Tory, as perhaps she was obliged to do given the political demographic of Horsham.
Local anti-fascists reported that the BNP were actively canvassing Holbrook ward to maximise their vote in an expected low-turnout election - low turnouts tend to exaggerate the true extent of the base BNP vote when combined with a half-way serious campaign.
Opposing the BNP's attempt at plausibility was Wealden UAF and Holbrook ward Labour candidate Ray Chapman, who organised a small anti-BNP rally in Horsham and delivered anti-fascist leaflets in Holbrook.
Horsham DC Holbrook ward result:
The Liberal Democrats gained the seat on a swing of about 9% from the Conservatives. That Labour predictably failed to make any impression (though increasing their vote share) and came in behind the BNP is the only crumb of comfort the racist party can take from this election. Their 11.87% share is almost exactly in line with their previous comparable local results, and in all probability represents the average of what the BNP can expect in this district.
Several months on from May's disappointments the BNP's inability to put on a good electoral showing or to evince the slightest signs of a significant breakthrough continues. Whatever happened to Fuhrer Nick's winning ways?
Horsham District Council is unassailably Tory, the Conservatives holding 30 of the 44 seats, the Liberal Democrats 11, and Independents 2, with one vacancy in Holbrook ward arising due to the resignation of the sitting Conservative. Though there is an active Labour Party in the area, its vote share is abysmal. In Horsham, the Liberal Democrats form the only credible opposition to Tory dominance.
On the face of it, Horsham does not appear to be promising territory for the BNP, which contested Holbrook ward for the first time last night, but they do have a history of standing in the area.
A by-election last December in Denne ward saw them take a 12.68% share of the vote, which fell back to 10.5% when the seat was refought in May. Also standing in May was last night's Holbrook ward candidate Donna Bailey, who took 11.7% of the vote in Roffey North ward.
Holbrook ward being virgin turf for the BNP, again we are left with the problem of having nothing by which to measure their performance. The Labour vote is so small that there is almost nothing for the BNP to draw off, as May's result in the ward shows (percentages on right):
| Con | 1018 | 26.61 |
| Con | 959 | 25.07 |
| LibDem | 712 | 18.61 |
| LibDem | 698 | 18.24 |
| Lab | 78 | 2.04 |
| Ind | 361 | 9.44 |
| Total | 3826 |
The freed-up votes going to the Independent last time should have helped the BNP, as should a minor local controversy over the conversion of a disused church into a mosque. There was also the presentability of BNP candidate Donna Bailey herself, with her attractive looks and a message aimed directly at southern Conservative voters: "The primary cause [of council tax increases] is the Labour Government's re-allocation of central grants, from the South to the North to bribe its supporters." The racist core of the BNP's message was suitably muted: "Both the Tories and Lib Dems have assisted in the demographic changes being wrought in our ancestral homeland without any democratic consent or consultation. Since 2004, over 1.5million immigrants have arrived in the UK, placing unprecedented strains on our services and environment" - though there was a repeat of the BNP's pledge to deport illegal immigrants and asylum seekers.
There were also pledges of zero-tolerance towards Travellers, on helping the police to combat crime, bin collections, and the linking of immigration with green issues.
Donna Bailey, then, fought a campaign little different from that of any right-wing Tory, as perhaps she was obliged to do given the political demographic of Horsham.
Local anti-fascists reported that the BNP were actively canvassing Holbrook ward to maximise their vote in an expected low-turnout election - low turnouts tend to exaggerate the true extent of the base BNP vote when combined with a half-way serious campaign.
Opposing the BNP's attempt at plausibility was Wealden UAF and Holbrook ward Labour candidate Ray Chapman, who organised a small anti-BNP rally in Horsham and delivered anti-fascist leaflets in Holbrook.
Horsham DC Holbrook ward result:
| Con | 554 | 40.35 |
| LibDem | 602 | 43.85 |
| Lab | 54 | 3.93 |
| BNP | 163 | 11.87 |
| Total | 1373 |
The Liberal Democrats gained the seat on a swing of about 9% from the Conservatives. That Labour predictably failed to make any impression (though increasing their vote share) and came in behind the BNP is the only crumb of comfort the racist party can take from this election. Their 11.87% share is almost exactly in line with their previous comparable local results, and in all probability represents the average of what the BNP can expect in this district.
Several months on from May's disappointments the BNP's inability to put on a good electoral showing or to evince the slightest signs of a significant breakthrough continues. Whatever happened to Fuhrer Nick's winning ways?
Labels:
anti-fascism,
BNP,
fascism,
Horsham,
Nick Griffin,
raciism,
Wealden UAF
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
