Activists in Huddersfield last night announced they have left the British National Party (BNP) – and compared leader Nick Griffin with Zimbabwean dictator Robert Mugabe.
A group of former Kirklees Council candidates yesterday told the Examiner they had joined the English Democrats because of their “cleaner” image. Former BNP Colne Valley Parliamentary candidate Barry Fowler and ex-Heckmondwike councillor Roger Roberts issued a statement announcing their breakaway.
They said: “The BNP has been in turmoil for the last 12-plus months with the majority of active members seeking a change of leader and a new cleaner less confrontational approach to getting our ideas across.
“This has been met with contempt by leader Nick Griffin who has gone out of his way to bring the party into disrepute. He has suspended some of the best local activists simply for asking legitimate questions over finance.
“The BNP is currently well over £500,000 in debt and its submitted accounts for the last two years have been classed as poor and incomplete by the Electoral Commission. We believe it is a member’s right to ask legitimate questions about party finance, yet Mr Griffin has met people’s concerns by suspending and expelling them.
“These are not the actions of a leader of a democratic party, but that of a dictator.
“In Kirklees we have worked very hard to improve our image as a party and dispel any negative stereotypes of the party. But the BNP has been held back by Nick Griffin for so long and the new constitution, which could have been written by Mr Mugabe, ensures Mr Griffin will be leader for as long as he chooses.”
The BNP is running just four candidates in this year’s Kirklees Council election – compared with 21 last year. Rachel Firth, the party’s new organiser in south Kirklees, will stand in Denby Dale.
“In every party you get people disagreeing with things,” she said yesterday. “Quite a few of our members in south Kirklees have left. People are going their separate ways, and that’s fair enough, but I’m concentrating on the future not the past.”
Mr Fowler and Mr Roberts said most of the party’s top activists in Kirklees will join the English Democrats.
They said: “The majority of ex-candidates and local BNP officials will be taking our ideas, talents and energy into a new party. We are working to help establish a new hope for England with a party with a good clean image, good policies and sensible decent people at the heart promoting them.
“The English Democrats are a democratic party, concerned with the way English identity and culture is being eroded. But unlike the BNP, which has a terrible image, it has a very clean image and is based on promoting our way of life as opposed to the BNP’s obsession on race.”
Paul McEnhill is the only English Democrat standing in the Kirklees elections on May 5. The Denby Dale candidate welcomed the ex-BNP members yesterday.
“I’ve met Barry Fowler and Roger Roberts and they seem like decent people,” he said. “We are a broad church, we have former members from Labour, the Conservatives and the Liberals.”
But Mr McEnhill added: “We won’t just let in any Tom, Dick or Harry in off the street, new members will be vetted extremely well.”
University of Huddersfield politics lecturer Dr Andrew Mycock predicted that former BNP members may have some problems in the English Democrats.
He said yesterday: “In one sense it’s a logical move because the two parties have a very similar position in many areas like Europe and political correctness. But the English Democrats have accepted that multi-cultural Britain has some value, a view which the BNP has never held.”
VOTERS in Huddersfield have moved away from the British National Party in the past five years.
The party took one in five votes in the Kirklees Council election of 2006, gaining two seats. But by last year’s poll the BNP won just 7.6% and lost its only councillor.
Five years ago the party secured 22,914 votes – 18.5% – across the 23 wards of Kirklees. The party won in Heckmondwike and Dewsbury East, to add to the seat it took at the 2003 Heckmondwike by-election. The BNP also polled strongly in Mirfield and Cleckheaton. Robert Walker won 1,100 votes in Golcar, just 300 behind the winning Lib Dem candidate.
The BNP also performed well in the 2007 election, taking 19,891 votes, which equals 16.2%. The party failed to win any seats that year, but finished a strong second in Dewsbury East and Heckmondwike.
However, the following year the party went into steep decline, taking 15,090 votes – some 12.6% of the total.
David Exley lost his seat in Heckmondwike, finishing nearly 200 votes behind Labour. A few months later Colin Auty resigned his Dewsbury East seat after a disagreement with party leader Nick Griffin. Labour won the by-election.
Last year the BNP’s support in Kirklees slumped to just 7.6%, with the party’s only remaining councillor Roger Roberts losing his seat in Heckmondwike.
Huddersfield Daily Examiner
Showing posts with label Kirklees. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kirklees. Show all posts
April 07, 2011
December 29, 2010
Does the BNP have a future in Kirklees?
The British National Party had hoped for a surge in support in May’s general and local elections. But the party’s sole Kirklees representative on Kirklees lost his seat, leader Nick Griffin finished a distant third in the BNP’s target Parliamentary seat of Barking while in Dewsbury the party’s vote fell from 5,000 to 3,200. Local government reporter BARRY GIBSON asks if the party has a future.
David Exley used to be the face of the BNP in Kirklees. He sent shockwaves through the district when he was elected to represent Heckmondwike on the council in 2003. But the Birstall man revealed to the Examiner that he left the party in June – just a month after standing as BNP candidate in Cleckheaton in the Kirklees poll and for Batley and Spen in the general election.
He said: “I resigned from the BNP. I shouldn’t really have stood at the elections. The party is not putting the emphasis on policies that appeal to the general public. At this time of year we should be asking about what’s going on with the winter provisions, we ought to have been talking about the economy and what we can do to alleviate those problems.”
Mr Exley blames the party leader for many of the BNP’s problems.
“I think it’s down to the leadership,’’ he said. “I totally lost faith in Nick Griffin’s ability to lead and prioritise. The worst thing that happened to Nick was to be elected to the European Parliament because he’s not able to do that job properly and run the party properly. I know there are a lot of people who are disillusioned.”
Mr Exley is the second former BNP Kirklees councillor to leave the party. Colin Auty, who once represented Dewsbury East, quit the party in 2008 after clashing with Mr Griffin. That leaves just Roger Roberts, the one-time Conservative who represented the BNP on Kirklees until he was defeated at May’s council election. The former Heckmondwike councillor admits the party has problems – but he believes the BNP can rebuild in Kirklees.
“There has been a lot of internal feuding and splits within the party,” he said. “The big problem is Nick Griffin and it has been for a long time. When he was elected to the European Parliament he should have stood down as leader. He has brought the party as far as he can and he should stand down now.”
But the Dewsbury man, who chairs the Kirklees branch of the party, insists the BNP is not finished.
“Within Kirklees there are some members who have withdrawn their support but only two activists have left the party,” he said. “The main nucleus is still there and we have to look to rebuild. We should be moving forward in leaps and bounds because the people have been let down by the two main parties.”
The party ran candidates in every Kirklees ward except Greenhead at May’s council elections. But Mr Roberts revealed that most voters in Huddersfield and the Valleys will not have the chance to vote for the party in next year’s council elections. He said: “I’ve always said it was silly contesting every ward and I think we should concentrate on half a dozen wards – most of them in north Kirklees – where we have a chance.”
The party’s opponents agree with Mr Roberts on one thing – the BNP is not finished in Kirklees. Council leader Clr Mehboob Khan said: “I don’t think we’ve seen the last of them. They are still around, still active and still exploiting issues in the local community.”
Clr Khan believes the party’s three Kirklees councillors were unseated because they failed to deliver for their voters. The Greenhead Labour man said: “The party’s honeymoon was over very quickly because people saw they weren’t offering an alternative. Their wicked lies and myths designed to divide communities weren’t appealing to local people. Therefore, they suffered at the ballot box.”
Clr Andrew Cooper, who leads the Green Party on Kirklees Council, agrees. The Newsome man said: “The BNP had a high watermark of three councillors which fell away very quickly. We’ve always got to be vigilant about these sort of far-right organisations. The views they put forward do not reflect the values we have as a country.”
Huddersfield Labour MP Barry Sheerman believes his party can take credit for the BNP’s downturn. He said: “We did get it wrong in areas where we are strong because we weren’t listening to people. But we’ve learned the lesson that if you don’t talk to people about issues which concern them – like immigration – you leave space for the BNP. That doesn’t mean we must take on the BNP’s policies, but we mustn’t exclude people who have concerns.”
University of Huddersfield politics lecturer Dr Andrew Mycock believes the party risks losing out to the English Defence League (EDL) which has held marches in cities across the country against the so-called Islamification of Britain. He said: “Internally the party has started to collapse into huge schisms and there are a lot of questions about Nick Griffin’s style of leadership. But the thing that’s really undermined them is the EDL which has outflanked them.
“The BNP became more mainstream and had to change its constitution to let non-white members join. Many of those on the extremes don’t see it as a party they adhere to any more. The EDL is a far more radical challenge. The BNP has tried to change things through democracy while the EDL is a return to the streets which is deliberately trying to promote conflict.”
Huddersfield Daily Examiner
David Exley used to be the face of the BNP in Kirklees. He sent shockwaves through the district when he was elected to represent Heckmondwike on the council in 2003. But the Birstall man revealed to the Examiner that he left the party in June – just a month after standing as BNP candidate in Cleckheaton in the Kirklees poll and for Batley and Spen in the general election.
He said: “I resigned from the BNP. I shouldn’t really have stood at the elections. The party is not putting the emphasis on policies that appeal to the general public. At this time of year we should be asking about what’s going on with the winter provisions, we ought to have been talking about the economy and what we can do to alleviate those problems.”
Mr Exley blames the party leader for many of the BNP’s problems.
“I think it’s down to the leadership,’’ he said. “I totally lost faith in Nick Griffin’s ability to lead and prioritise. The worst thing that happened to Nick was to be elected to the European Parliament because he’s not able to do that job properly and run the party properly. I know there are a lot of people who are disillusioned.”
Mr Exley is the second former BNP Kirklees councillor to leave the party. Colin Auty, who once represented Dewsbury East, quit the party in 2008 after clashing with Mr Griffin. That leaves just Roger Roberts, the one-time Conservative who represented the BNP on Kirklees until he was defeated at May’s council election. The former Heckmondwike councillor admits the party has problems – but he believes the BNP can rebuild in Kirklees.
“There has been a lot of internal feuding and splits within the party,” he said. “The big problem is Nick Griffin and it has been for a long time. When he was elected to the European Parliament he should have stood down as leader. He has brought the party as far as he can and he should stand down now.”
But the Dewsbury man, who chairs the Kirklees branch of the party, insists the BNP is not finished.
“Within Kirklees there are some members who have withdrawn their support but only two activists have left the party,” he said. “The main nucleus is still there and we have to look to rebuild. We should be moving forward in leaps and bounds because the people have been let down by the two main parties.”
The party ran candidates in every Kirklees ward except Greenhead at May’s council elections. But Mr Roberts revealed that most voters in Huddersfield and the Valleys will not have the chance to vote for the party in next year’s council elections. He said: “I’ve always said it was silly contesting every ward and I think we should concentrate on half a dozen wards – most of them in north Kirklees – where we have a chance.”
The party’s opponents agree with Mr Roberts on one thing – the BNP is not finished in Kirklees. Council leader Clr Mehboob Khan said: “I don’t think we’ve seen the last of them. They are still around, still active and still exploiting issues in the local community.”
Clr Khan believes the party’s three Kirklees councillors were unseated because they failed to deliver for their voters. The Greenhead Labour man said: “The party’s honeymoon was over very quickly because people saw they weren’t offering an alternative. Their wicked lies and myths designed to divide communities weren’t appealing to local people. Therefore, they suffered at the ballot box.”
Clr Andrew Cooper, who leads the Green Party on Kirklees Council, agrees. The Newsome man said: “The BNP had a high watermark of three councillors which fell away very quickly. We’ve always got to be vigilant about these sort of far-right organisations. The views they put forward do not reflect the values we have as a country.”
Huddersfield Labour MP Barry Sheerman believes his party can take credit for the BNP’s downturn. He said: “We did get it wrong in areas where we are strong because we weren’t listening to people. But we’ve learned the lesson that if you don’t talk to people about issues which concern them – like immigration – you leave space for the BNP. That doesn’t mean we must take on the BNP’s policies, but we mustn’t exclude people who have concerns.”
University of Huddersfield politics lecturer Dr Andrew Mycock believes the party risks losing out to the English Defence League (EDL) which has held marches in cities across the country against the so-called Islamification of Britain. He said: “Internally the party has started to collapse into huge schisms and there are a lot of questions about Nick Griffin’s style of leadership. But the thing that’s really undermined them is the EDL which has outflanked them.
“The BNP became more mainstream and had to change its constitution to let non-white members join. Many of those on the extremes don’t see it as a party they adhere to any more. The EDL is a far more radical challenge. The BNP has tried to change things through democracy while the EDL is a return to the streets which is deliberately trying to promote conflict.”
Huddersfield Daily Examiner
Labels:
BNP,
British National Party,
EDL,
English Defence League,
Kirklees,
Nick Griffin
November 13, 2009
Row erupts over BNP wreath note
A row has broken out over a note of remembrance left at Cleckheaton's Memorial Park on Sunday.
A wreath was laid by the BNP during the ceremony to mark Remembrance Sunday. An attached note read ‘Your sacrifice will never be forgotten!! But as you look down on today’s England you may wonder why you and your comrades bothered. Respect forever, The British National Party’.
A member of the public tore the note from the wreath shortly after the conclusion of the ceremony, with several onlookers angered by its political message. However David Exley, BNP organiser for Kirklees, said the note did not come from anyone in his party and claimed someone was trying to ‘stitch up’ the BNP on an important day.
“The wreath was presented by Richard Brown, in his capacity as a representative of the party and also as an ex-member of the parachute regiment who has seen active service. On that wreath, he wrote ‘you will never be forgotten, Kirklees BNP’,” Mr Exley said, adding that someone must have taken the original note and substituted it with a different one.
“All our representatives have been told that it’s a non-political event and should not be politicised in any way. We have always recognised this. In my view, someone has criminally damaged and stolen part of the wreath, which was a personal message to those who have given their lives in conflicts for this country.”
He added that the incident had been reported to the police and he believed someone was trying to cause trouble for the party.
Eddie Morton, chairman of the Spenborough branch of the Royal British Legion, agreed that the event should be non-political.
“As a political party with an elected representative in the area, they have a right to parade along with other political parties. The note that was left with the wreath could have been more sensitive to the dignity of the occasion and should not have tried to make political gains from a non-political event,” he said.
Spenborough Guardian
A wreath was laid by the BNP during the ceremony to mark Remembrance Sunday. An attached note read ‘Your sacrifice will never be forgotten!! But as you look down on today’s England you may wonder why you and your comrades bothered. Respect forever, The British National Party’.
A member of the public tore the note from the wreath shortly after the conclusion of the ceremony, with several onlookers angered by its political message. However David Exley, BNP organiser for Kirklees, said the note did not come from anyone in his party and claimed someone was trying to ‘stitch up’ the BNP on an important day.
“The wreath was presented by Richard Brown, in his capacity as a representative of the party and also as an ex-member of the parachute regiment who has seen active service. On that wreath, he wrote ‘you will never be forgotten, Kirklees BNP’,” Mr Exley said, adding that someone must have taken the original note and substituted it with a different one.
“All our representatives have been told that it’s a non-political event and should not be politicised in any way. We have always recognised this. In my view, someone has criminally damaged and stolen part of the wreath, which was a personal message to those who have given their lives in conflicts for this country.”
He added that the incident had been reported to the police and he believed someone was trying to cause trouble for the party.
Eddie Morton, chairman of the Spenborough branch of the Royal British Legion, agreed that the event should be non-political.
“As a political party with an elected representative in the area, they have a right to parade along with other political parties. The note that was left with the wreath could have been more sensitive to the dignity of the occasion and should not have tried to make political gains from a non-political event,” he said.
Spenborough Guardian
September 04, 2008
Auty quits after BNP leadership bid fails
A former BNP councillor has resigned his Kirklees seat in the wake of his failed party leadership bid.
Colin Auty, who was elected British National Party member for Dewsbury East in 2006, launched a campaign to oust BNP chairman Nick Griffin earlier this year. But his bid collapsed just weeks after it began, with Mr Auty claiming the BNP party machine had rallied against him.
Under the extremist party's rules, he needed to get 100 signatures to challenge Mr Griffin, but failed. He resigned his BNP membership in July, then officially left Kirklees Council at the end of last month.
A council spokesman said: "I can confirm that the chief executive has received a letter from Colin Auty informing him of his resignation with effect from August 31. A by-election will be held in due course."
Mr Auty describes himself as a "moderate," but has said his decision to resign the seat stemmed from the way people in Kirklees have treated him over his far-right activism. He has said: "I can't get involved in projects because of my BNP badge. I get shot down by the establishment. I have met some nice people but they can't afford to be seen standing by my side."
He added that his wife had had a "rough time" for being married to a BNP councillor.
The resignation is the latest blow for the BNP in Kirklees, which it sees as a stronghold. In last May's local elections, a concerted campaign saw trades unionist Steve Hall take a Heckmondwike seat from the BNP, for Labour. Just one BNP councillor remains on the Kirklees authority – Heckmondwike's Roger Roberts.
Unusually, there is no mention of Mr Auty's decision to resign on the Yorkshire and Humberside news section of the BNP's official website.
Yorkshire Evening Post
Colin Auty, who was elected British National Party member for Dewsbury East in 2006, launched a campaign to oust BNP chairman Nick Griffin earlier this year. But his bid collapsed just weeks after it began, with Mr Auty claiming the BNP party machine had rallied against him.
Under the extremist party's rules, he needed to get 100 signatures to challenge Mr Griffin, but failed. He resigned his BNP membership in July, then officially left Kirklees Council at the end of last month.
A council spokesman said: "I can confirm that the chief executive has received a letter from Colin Auty informing him of his resignation with effect from August 31. A by-election will be held in due course."
Mr Auty describes himself as a "moderate," but has said his decision to resign the seat stemmed from the way people in Kirklees have treated him over his far-right activism. He has said: "I can't get involved in projects because of my BNP badge. I get shot down by the establishment. I have met some nice people but they can't afford to be seen standing by my side."
He added that his wife had had a "rough time" for being married to a BNP councillor.
The resignation is the latest blow for the BNP in Kirklees, which it sees as a stronghold. In last May's local elections, a concerted campaign saw trades unionist Steve Hall take a Heckmondwike seat from the BNP, for Labour. Just one BNP councillor remains on the Kirklees authority – Heckmondwike's Roger Roberts.
Unusually, there is no mention of Mr Auty's decision to resign on the Yorkshire and Humberside news section of the BNP's official website.
Yorkshire Evening Post
Labels:
BNP,
Colin Auty,
Dewsbury East,
Kirklees,
Roger Roberts
July 11, 2008
Brief review of last night’s election results for the BNP and National Front
This article was submitted by one of our readers, Hexapla. 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.
Last night’s crop of four by-elections produced a set of rather lacklustre results for two of Britain’s leading fascist and racist parties, the BNP and National Front.
In the Cranbrook ward by-election, the BNP came last with just 37 votes or 1.4% of the overall vote:
Con 1,625 (60.0%)
Lab 729 (26.9%)
LD 318 (11.7%)
BNP 37 (1.4%)
The Cranbrook result is highly disappointing for the BNP (even more so as the Conservatives, who won, fielded an Asian candidate). The Cranbrook ward is situated in Redbridge, a key target area for the BNP, on the fringes of east London. Redbridge already has one sitting BNP councillor with neighbouring areas several more (the paucity of BNP votes in Cranbrook has echoes of the December 2007 Canons ward by-election result in Harrow, where the BNP also came last with only 56 votes).
Perhaps the most disappointing result for the BNP was its faltering regression in one of its electoral strongholds, Kirklees. In the Dalton ward by-election the BNP attained only 157 votes or 4.54% of the overall vote, dramatically down from the 460 votes or 10.77% of the vote it achieved earlier in May:
Labour 1397 (40.48%)
Lib Dem 1155 (33.46%)
Con 605 (17.53%)
BNP 157 (4.54%)
Green 103 (2.98%)
Ind 34 (0.98%)
Dalton result in May 2008
Lib Dem 1467 (34.33%)
Lab 1303 (30.50%)
Con 830 (19.43%)
BNP 460 (10.77%)
Green 212 (4.96%)
The Dalton by-election witnessed a lower voter turnout than in May. Traditionally, lower voter turnout favours the BNP, helping it to bolster its share of the vote. However, as the result shows, the BNP, for whatever reason, failed to capitalise on what is normally an inherent advantage for it. What will be a key test of the BNP’s electoral strength in Kirklees is the upcoming Dewsbury East ward by-election, inaugurated by the decision of BNP councillor, Colin Auty, to quit the BNP following his recent failed attempt to remove Nick Griffin as leader of the BNP.
Turning to the Wigan West ward by-election, the BNP came forth with 200 votes or 9.39% of the overall vote, down from the 264 votes or 13.78% of the vote it achieved last September:
Labour 817 (38.3%)
Conservative 528 (24.78%)
Liberal Democrat 344 (16.14%)
BNP 200 (9.39%)
UKIP 124 (5.82%)
Community Action 118 (5.54%)
Wigan West result in September 2007:
Lab 837 (43.68%)
LibDem 464 (24.22%)
BNP 264 (13.78%)
Com Act 219 (11.43%)
Ind 72 (3.76%)
Green 60 (3.13%)
David Davis (C) 17,113 (72.06%)
Shan Oakes (Green) 1,758 (7.40%)
Joanne Robinson (Eng Dem) 1,714 (7.22%)
Tess Culnane (NF) 544 (2.29%)
Gemma Garrett (Miss GB Party) 521 (2.19%)
Jill Saward (Ind) 492 (2.07%)
Mad Cow-Girl (Loony) 412 (1.73%)
Walter Sweeney (Ind) 238 (1.00%)
David Craig (Ind) 135 (0.57%)
David Pinder (New Party) 135 (0.57%)
David Icke (ND) 110 (0.46%)
Hamish Howitt (Freedom) 91 (0.38%)
Christopher Talbot (SEP) 84 (0.35%)
Grace Astley (Ind) 77 (0.32%)
George Hargreaves (Ch P) 76 (0.32%)
David Bishop (Elvis) 44 (0.19%)
John Upex (Ind) 38 (0.16%)
Greg Wood (Ind) 32 (0.13%)
Eamonn Fitzpatrick (Ind) 31 (0.13%)
Ronnie Carroll (History) 29 (0.12%)
Thomas Darwood (Ind) 25 (0.11%)
Christopher Foren (Ind) 23 (0.10%)
Herbert Crossman (Ind) 11 (0.05%)
Tony Farnon (Ind) 8 (0.03%)
Norman Scarth (Ind) 8 (0.03%)
For those interested readers, the National Front candidate, Tess Culnane, is a former failed BNP candidate (who recently stood in the London Assembly elections) who lost her libel action against a Liberal Democrat candidate and his agent.
Cllr stands down from 'undemocratic' BNP
A British National Party councillor in West Yorkshire has quit the party after failing to oust party leader Nick Griffin.
Councillor Colin Auty, who has represented Dewsbury East on Kirklees Council since 2006, says he will continue as an independent councillor for another month and then give up the seat. Coun Auty, who quit the far-right party yesterday, said he had become disillusioned with the BNP during his failed leadership bid. He describes himself as a "moderate" and said the party machine had rallied against him.
"One official described me as a joke candidate. It might sound funny coming from a BNP, but I believe in democracy. The process was certainly not democratic."
In the past he has criticised the party's image, saying voters were turned off when they saw Griffin's bodyguards wearing "shades and leather gloves".
Coun Auty failed to get the 100 signatures he needed to mount a challenge to Griffin. His decision to resign his seat, which will prompt a by-election, also stemmed from the way people in Kirklees have treated him.
"I can't get involved in projects because of my BNP badge. I get shot down by the establishment. I have met some nice people but they can't afford to be seen standing by my side."
He added that his wife had had a "rough time" for being married to a BNP councillor.
"It's not nice to live in fear. My wife is fed up with it."
He said he may consider standing as an independent candidate in the near future.
Yorkshire Post
Councillor Colin Auty, who has represented Dewsbury East on Kirklees Council since 2006, says he will continue as an independent councillor for another month and then give up the seat. Coun Auty, who quit the far-right party yesterday, said he had become disillusioned with the BNP during his failed leadership bid. He describes himself as a "moderate" and said the party machine had rallied against him.
"One official described me as a joke candidate. It might sound funny coming from a BNP, but I believe in democracy. The process was certainly not democratic."
In the past he has criticised the party's image, saying voters were turned off when they saw Griffin's bodyguards wearing "shades and leather gloves".
Coun Auty failed to get the 100 signatures he needed to mount a challenge to Griffin. His decision to resign his seat, which will prompt a by-election, also stemmed from the way people in Kirklees have treated him.
"I can't get involved in projects because of my BNP badge. I get shot down by the establishment. I have met some nice people but they can't afford to be seen standing by my side."
He added that his wife had had a "rough time" for being married to a BNP councillor.
"It's not nice to live in fear. My wife is fed up with it."
He said he may consider standing as an independent candidate in the near future.
Yorkshire Post
Labels:
BNP,
Colin Auty,
Dewsbury East,
Kirklees,
leadership challenge,
Nick Griffin
May 09, 2008
Town split as Labour enjoy victory over BNP
When David Exley became Kirklees's first BNP councillor in 2003 his appointment was shrouded in controversy. Five years later and he has been ousted from Heckmondwike by 194 votes and, for some, the surprise is almost as great.
Only last year, before the 2007 local elections, BNP leader Nick Griffin visited the town and spoke of his hopes for it to be the first all BNP ward in the county.
Now only one BNP councillor, Roger Roberts, represents Heckmondwike with two Labour men David Sheard and Steve Hall.
As a councillor Mr Exley was a regular attendee of the Heckmondwike Chamber of Trade and Commerce meetings. The group's chairman, Tony Rider, said they hoped he could still attend in an advisory capacity.
Mr Rider said: "I was very surprised he didn't keep his seat. I thought he'd have got a lot more support after all the effort he put into the town. I'd like to express my disappointment that he's got voted out in this election. He's probably been more involved in Heckmondwike issues than any other councillor we've got, or have had. It's a great loss to both the chamber and the town."
Mr Rider said the chamber would invite Coun Hall to its meetings, but added:"He's going to have something on to match what David has done for the town."
However some are welcoming Heckmondwike's council result. Carl Morphett from Kirklees Unity – an anti far-right pressure group – said: "This is great news for the people of Heckmondwike and Kirklees. Heckmondwike has seen the BNP for what they really are and David Exley has been given the boot for it. The BNP were complacent and didn't put in the graft they needed, but Labour put a lot of hard work in and it paid off."
Mr Morphett also commented on the large Asian community in Heckmondwike.
He said: "A BNP councillor can't represent the Asian community. They have no interest in doing that and the Asian population has no desire to be represented by a BNP councillor."
But Mr Exley denied his party did not represent the whole community. He said: "I have helped Asian people as well as a lot of other people. Whoever has come to me and asked for help, no matter who they are, I have done my best to help them."
He added that the party had done three leaflet drops and spoken to locals prior to the election and that his dedication to the election campaign had meant he had hardly worked during the past four weeks.
Mr Morphett said this year's election in Heckmondwike had been a straight race as opposed to previous years where the vote had been split.
He said: "When David Exley first got in, it was because Tim Crowther stood down from Labour and stood as an independent. Last time the Lib Dems stood an Asian candidate, and that understandably split the Asian vote. But this time there was no split vote. The Asian community was only going to vote one way, and it wasn't for the BNP. It's the beginning of the end for the BNP in Kirklees."
Mr Exley agreed his party had lost a large percentage of the vote. He said: "There is no doubt that Labour got the Asian vote. They spent a lot of time working on the mosques and getting the Asians to vote against the BNP."
Spenborough Guardian
Only last year, before the 2007 local elections, BNP leader Nick Griffin visited the town and spoke of his hopes for it to be the first all BNP ward in the county.
Now only one BNP councillor, Roger Roberts, represents Heckmondwike with two Labour men David Sheard and Steve Hall.
As a councillor Mr Exley was a regular attendee of the Heckmondwike Chamber of Trade and Commerce meetings. The group's chairman, Tony Rider, said they hoped he could still attend in an advisory capacity.
Mr Rider said: "I was very surprised he didn't keep his seat. I thought he'd have got a lot more support after all the effort he put into the town. I'd like to express my disappointment that he's got voted out in this election. He's probably been more involved in Heckmondwike issues than any other councillor we've got, or have had. It's a great loss to both the chamber and the town."
Mr Rider said the chamber would invite Coun Hall to its meetings, but added:"He's going to have something on to match what David has done for the town."
However some are welcoming Heckmondwike's council result. Carl Morphett from Kirklees Unity – an anti far-right pressure group – said: "This is great news for the people of Heckmondwike and Kirklees. Heckmondwike has seen the BNP for what they really are and David Exley has been given the boot for it. The BNP were complacent and didn't put in the graft they needed, but Labour put a lot of hard work in and it paid off."
Mr Morphett also commented on the large Asian community in Heckmondwike.
He said: "A BNP councillor can't represent the Asian community. They have no interest in doing that and the Asian population has no desire to be represented by a BNP councillor."
But Mr Exley denied his party did not represent the whole community. He said: "I have helped Asian people as well as a lot of other people. Whoever has come to me and asked for help, no matter who they are, I have done my best to help them."
He added that the party had done three leaflet drops and spoken to locals prior to the election and that his dedication to the election campaign had meant he had hardly worked during the past four weeks.
Mr Morphett said this year's election in Heckmondwike had been a straight race as opposed to previous years where the vote had been split.
He said: "When David Exley first got in, it was because Tim Crowther stood down from Labour and stood as an independent. Last time the Lib Dems stood an Asian candidate, and that understandably split the Asian vote. But this time there was no split vote. The Asian community was only going to vote one way, and it wasn't for the BNP. It's the beginning of the end for the BNP in Kirklees."
Mr Exley agreed his party had lost a large percentage of the vote. He said: "There is no doubt that Labour got the Asian vote. They spent a lot of time working on the mosques and getting the Asians to vote against the BNP."
Spenborough Guardian
Labels:
BNP,
David Exley,
Kirklees,
Kirklees Unity
March 17, 2008
Giving the BNP the runaround
A plan by Kirklees BNP to intimidate local anti-fascists on the weekend of 8-9 March failed miserably, leaving copious amounts of egg on the face of Heckmondwike BNP councillor David Exley.
Hope not Hate Yorkshire in conjunction with Kirklees Unity had called a day of action on Sunday 9 March for Heckmondwike ward in Kirklees. Heckmondwike has two sitting BNP councillors, Roger Roberts who defected from the Conservatives after repeated failures under the Tory ticket and Exley. It seems Exley took particular exception to the event as he is up for re-election this year and is obviously worried about losing his seat.
Local intelligence revealed that the BNP intended to harass the anti-fascists and leaflet the ward themselves at the same time. This would not be the first time the BNP in Kirklees have done this, with a number of photographs taken by the BNP appearing on the nazi Redwatch website.
Exley’s plan failed miserably.The GMB and Kirklees Unity/Hope not Hate Yorkshire mobilised 30 activists on the previous day and covered the entire ward very quickly. They also laid on a fantastic buffet which the hungry activists deservedly demolished.
But this wasn’t the end of our campaign.
On the Sunday around 20 activists turned up for the advertised day of action. Because the Heckmondwike ward had already been covered activists went to neighbouring Cleckheaton and leafleted the whole ward.Observers spotted the BNP driving frantically around the ward on Sunday looking none too happy.
Thanks to the BNP and Exley our day of action became a weekend of action.Many thanks to the GMB and their team. We look forward to seeing you next time.
Kirklees Unity
Hope not Hate Yorkshire in conjunction with Kirklees Unity had called a day of action on Sunday 9 March for Heckmondwike ward in Kirklees. Heckmondwike has two sitting BNP councillors, Roger Roberts who defected from the Conservatives after repeated failures under the Tory ticket and Exley. It seems Exley took particular exception to the event as he is up for re-election this year and is obviously worried about losing his seat.
Local intelligence revealed that the BNP intended to harass the anti-fascists and leaflet the ward themselves at the same time. This would not be the first time the BNP in Kirklees have done this, with a number of photographs taken by the BNP appearing on the nazi Redwatch website.
Exley’s plan failed miserably.The GMB and Kirklees Unity/Hope not Hate Yorkshire mobilised 30 activists on the previous day and covered the entire ward very quickly. They also laid on a fantastic buffet which the hungry activists deservedly demolished.
But this wasn’t the end of our campaign.
On the Sunday around 20 activists turned up for the advertised day of action. Because the Heckmondwike ward had already been covered activists went to neighbouring Cleckheaton and leafleted the whole ward.Observers spotted the BNP driving frantically around the ward on Sunday looking none too happy.
Thanks to the BNP and Exley our day of action became a weekend of action.Many thanks to the GMB and their team. We look forward to seeing you next time.
Kirklees Unity
Labels:
BNP,
David Exley,
Hope not Hate,
Kirklees,
Roger Roberts,
Unity
January 17, 2008
Yorkshire turns the screws on Griffin
When BNP leader Nick Griffin told Yorkshire party activists at the now infamous Leeds meeting that he was willing to dispense with the current regional set-up and start again he was already acutely aware that most branches were already against him. However, it is now clear that these comments, coupled with the manner he abused and humiliated his fellow panel speakers Ian Dawson and Chris Beverley, has widened the chasm between him and local activists.
Now it appears that his opponents are turning the screw on his leadership. The BNP officials in Hull have resigned their positions en masse and are prepared to stand as Independent Nationalists in May’s local elections.
This announcement comes just days after Kirklees BNP voted en masse to back the BNP. In a letter reproduced on the Enough is Enough blog, local BNP councillor Colin Auty added his voice of criticism towards Griffin’s leadership. He ended his letter by saying: “Personally, I am very unhappy about these events. The leadership appears to hold the emotional blackmail of patriotism over many good people who feel like myself. A storm in a teacup Mr G, don't think so!”
It seems that his views are shared by Kirklees’ two other BNP councillors, David Exley and Roger Roberts and the former regional organiser Nick Cass, who until now has remained silent.
Only Halifax branch and Paul Cromie’s small rump in Bradford South now appear loyal to the party leadership so this could spell disaster for the BNP in the run up to May’s local elections.
BNP in crisis
Now it appears that his opponents are turning the screw on his leadership. The BNP officials in Hull have resigned their positions en masse and are prepared to stand as Independent Nationalists in May’s local elections.
This announcement comes just days after Kirklees BNP voted en masse to back the BNP. In a letter reproduced on the Enough is Enough blog, local BNP councillor Colin Auty added his voice of criticism towards Griffin’s leadership. He ended his letter by saying: “Personally, I am very unhappy about these events. The leadership appears to hold the emotional blackmail of patriotism over many good people who feel like myself. A storm in a teacup Mr G, don't think so!”
It seems that his views are shared by Kirklees’ two other BNP councillors, David Exley and Roger Roberts and the former regional organiser Nick Cass, who until now has remained silent.
Only Halifax branch and Paul Cromie’s small rump in Bradford South now appear loyal to the party leadership so this could spell disaster for the BNP in the run up to May’s local elections.
BNP in crisis
Labels:
BNP,
Colin Auty,
Enough is Enough,
Ian Dawson,
Kirklees,
Nick Cass,
Nick Griffin,
Yorkshire
July 13, 2007
BNP man demands apology from taxi association chief
A councillor whose appointment to the taxi licensing panel last year caused uproar has demanded an apology from protesters.Heckmondwike BNP councillor David Exley said he had now served more than 12 months on the committee and had dealt with every case fairly.
When he was appointed, Akooji Badat, joint chairman of the Kirklees Hackney Carriage Association, said taxi drivers were unhappy with a BNP councillor on the panel, as most drivers were Asian. But now, more than a year on, Coun Exley said he had proved himself to be fair to everyone and said Mr Badat should take his comments back.
"I said at the time that people should judge me on my record," said Coun Exley. "I feel that over the last 12 months I have done my job properly and been fair. I'm sure if I hadn't everyone would have heard about it by now. In my opinion Mr Badat jumped on the bandwagon and it is only right that he now withdraws his original comments."
But Mr Badat said he still did not think it was right for someone who represented a party with racist policies to be on the licensing panel for taxi drivers when 97 or 98 per cent of drivers were from an Asian ethnic minority. He said he had complained to Kirklees recently because he felt more drivers were now being turned down for licences. And he said that although there were 15 elected members on the regulatory panel, Asian councillors rarely got the chance to sit at meetings, but he claimed Coun Exley was always selected.
Coun Exley said the panel always tried to find the best person to do the job, regardless of their ethnic background. He said members now had more background information on drivers because more thorough Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) checks were carried out.
"I have had people before me who have convictions for carrying guns or knives or for drugs offences and no one would want them to be taxi drivers," said Coun Exley. "We have to make an informed decision from the information we are given. It is never made on religion or the colour of their skin. We've had lots of white people who have had their licences taken off them or not given, but the majority of applicants are Asian so more will get turned down."
Coun Exley said more thorough CRB checks meant some drivers who had been given licences in the past were now being turned down because of information that was not available to the panel when their licence was granted. And he said councillors who were chosen to sit at meetings were usually the first ones to say they were available to attend the meetings as places were allocated on a first come, first served basis.
Spenborough Guardian
Note: This is the same David Exley who managed to sit through an entire six-hour budget meeting, along with two BNP colleagues on Kirklees Council, and said absolutely nothing.
Labels:
Akooji Badat,
BNP,
David Exley,
Heckmondwike,
Kirklees,
taxi-licensing
April 06, 2007
Hope not Hate Update: Day Eleven
We are entering the final stretch of the tour and it is really picking up momentum. The Daily Mirror is devoting more space to our activities, and local newspapers and radio stations are carrying their own reports.
There is a real buzz amongst the team. Maybe it is because the end is in sight but I would like to think that we are still on a high from Sandwell on Sunday. It is hard to describe just how brilliant the day was. A massive turnout of 221 people delivered over 45,000 newspapers in nine wards in the borough. We know from feedback from within the BNP that they are really gutted, none more so than BNP councillor Jamie Lloyd whose refusal to cooperate with police over a series of violent incidents dominated the front page of the local edition of our newspaper.
But mere figures can't express the brilliance of the day. There was a real buzz about the place and that certainly helped people do that extra bit of work to prevent the BNP from winning seats in May. There is already talk of another day of action in Sandwell before polling day.
Today we were in West Yorkshire and although the weather turned it was another great day. We began in Keighley where we met up with local folk from the Bracken Bank estate. This was once a firm base for the BNP but no more. Angela Sinfield, a woman who continues to inspire me, came along with several other mothers from the estate. It was people like her who led the fightback against the BNP and are now determined to work to improve the local area. The principal of the college was also there, telling us how her students were involved in a project to improve local community facilities.
Next stop was Bradford city centre. Bradford has had its problems over the years but there is a lot of great stuff going on locally that is rarely reported. One project involves former local BNP organiser Andy Sykes going into local schools to warn kids about the dangers of extremism. Tong School's head is the first to say that Andy's work has had a profound impact on the young people there.
In the afternoon we headed into Heckmondwike, in Kirklees. The BNP has a firm base here but Labour is running a really hard-hitting local campaign and becoming increasingly confident. A Brazilian band played outside the Morrisons car park while we distributed t-shirts, newspapers and badges.
In all three locations the local media covered our activities.
While most of the team headed over to our hotel in Leeds, Greg (one of the camera crew) and I returned to Bradford for the formal launch of Hope not Hate Yorkshire. Over 300 packed into a banqueting suite to hear Jon Cruddas MP, Marsha Singh MP, and host Imran Hussain welcome the campaign. The Hope not Hate workers, Paul Meszaros and Lorraine Fitzsimons, gave a brief summary of the campaign. Angela Sinfield was again on hand to stress the importance of tackling the tough issues. With the speeches over it was time for another curry – our sixth on the tour so far!
Greg and I eventually arrived at the hotel at 10pm. It had been another long day. Given that the others had been here since 5pm you would have thought they would at least have cleaned up the bus. But no, we found them in the bar … again.
Hope not Hate
There is a real buzz amongst the team. Maybe it is because the end is in sight but I would like to think that we are still on a high from Sandwell on Sunday. It is hard to describe just how brilliant the day was. A massive turnout of 221 people delivered over 45,000 newspapers in nine wards in the borough. We know from feedback from within the BNP that they are really gutted, none more so than BNP councillor Jamie Lloyd whose refusal to cooperate with police over a series of violent incidents dominated the front page of the local edition of our newspaper.
But mere figures can't express the brilliance of the day. There was a real buzz about the place and that certainly helped people do that extra bit of work to prevent the BNP from winning seats in May. There is already talk of another day of action in Sandwell before polling day.
Today we were in West Yorkshire and although the weather turned it was another great day. We began in Keighley where we met up with local folk from the Bracken Bank estate. This was once a firm base for the BNP but no more. Angela Sinfield, a woman who continues to inspire me, came along with several other mothers from the estate. It was people like her who led the fightback against the BNP and are now determined to work to improve the local area. The principal of the college was also there, telling us how her students were involved in a project to improve local community facilities.
Next stop was Bradford city centre. Bradford has had its problems over the years but there is a lot of great stuff going on locally that is rarely reported. One project involves former local BNP organiser Andy Sykes going into local schools to warn kids about the dangers of extremism. Tong School's head is the first to say that Andy's work has had a profound impact on the young people there.
In the afternoon we headed into Heckmondwike, in Kirklees. The BNP has a firm base here but Labour is running a really hard-hitting local campaign and becoming increasingly confident. A Brazilian band played outside the Morrisons car park while we distributed t-shirts, newspapers and badges.
In all three locations the local media covered our activities.
While most of the team headed over to our hotel in Leeds, Greg (one of the camera crew) and I returned to Bradford for the formal launch of Hope not Hate Yorkshire. Over 300 packed into a banqueting suite to hear Jon Cruddas MP, Marsha Singh MP, and host Imran Hussain welcome the campaign. The Hope not Hate workers, Paul Meszaros and Lorraine Fitzsimons, gave a brief summary of the campaign. Angela Sinfield was again on hand to stress the importance of tackling the tough issues. With the speeches over it was time for another curry – our sixth on the tour so far!
Greg and I eventually arrived at the hotel at 10pm. It had been another long day. Given that the others had been here since 5pm you would have thought they would at least have cleaned up the bus. But no, we found them in the bar … again.
Hope not Hate
Labels:
Andy Sykes,
BNP,
Bradford,
Daily Mirror,
Hope not Hate,
Kirklees,
Searchlight,
Sinfield
March 11, 2007
BNP speak up over silence row
Angry BNP councillors have hit back at claims they are failing local people by not speaking at important meetings.
The three party members on Kirklees council came under fire for not speaking up at last week’s budget session. A senior Lib-Dem said their promises to voters had been exposed as empty. Coun Kath Pinnock, leader of the Lib Dem group, compared them to the three Green councillors who succeeded in influencing the authority’s budget.
The BNP say there is no point in them speaking because they have no sway with any other party. But one Dewsbury BNP councillor said it was a different matter outside the council chamber.
"They daren’t say anything to support us at meetings - but they do elsewhere," said Colin Auty (BNP, Dewsbury East). "They are our best friends on the outside but they fear being tainted and are scared of public reaction."
And group leader David Exley (BNP, Heckmondwike) said: "All this will change in May. Our numbers will rise to such a level they will have no choice but to include us and then we will take part in the budget-setting process."
Coun Pinnock said: "The budget meeting is the best opportunity any councillor has to speak up for local people and get changes in the way the council spends funds. But the three BNP councillors sat for six hours and none of them, not even their leader, said anything. So all the changes they say they want have been exposed as empty promises. Given the chance, they choose to say and do absolutely nothing. What is so pathetic is that they have failed on three counts. They failed to make any suggestions to change the budget; they failed to speak during the debate; and then they even failed to vote, even to abstain, on any of the five proposals put to the meeting.
"They can’t claim it is because there are only three BNP councillors. The three Green councillors proposed, and succeeded in making, major changes to the budget. What is the point of the BNP if, when they have the chance, they do absolutely nothing?"
Coun Auty said: "It makes no difference what we say or do. The Greens sway with the Lib Dems but no party is going to stand with us on any issue. We have no clout at all and that’s frustrating for us. We serve people by being on the area committee, by helping people in any way at all and by bringing things to the fore."
He also predicted major changes ahead. "It will hit them hard when we do have a voice," he said. "We hope to get seven or eight councillors in at the May elections and that will really shake things up. This will be a reality in areas such as Dewsbury, Cleckheaton, Heckmondwike, Liversedge and Gomersal. You had better believe it. Come May it will be different. There will be no one with a clear majority."
Coun Exley labelled the budget meeting ’a sham.’ "Everything had been decided beforehand through deals," he said. "There was no point us saying anything. We help people on a day to day basis with a hands-on approach but we can’t take part in the bigger picture."
The Press
The three party members on Kirklees council came under fire for not speaking up at last week’s budget session. A senior Lib-Dem said their promises to voters had been exposed as empty. Coun Kath Pinnock, leader of the Lib Dem group, compared them to the three Green councillors who succeeded in influencing the authority’s budget.
The BNP say there is no point in them speaking because they have no sway with any other party. But one Dewsbury BNP councillor said it was a different matter outside the council chamber.
"They daren’t say anything to support us at meetings - but they do elsewhere," said Colin Auty (BNP, Dewsbury East). "They are our best friends on the outside but they fear being tainted and are scared of public reaction."
And group leader David Exley (BNP, Heckmondwike) said: "All this will change in May. Our numbers will rise to such a level they will have no choice but to include us and then we will take part in the budget-setting process."
Coun Pinnock said: "The budget meeting is the best opportunity any councillor has to speak up for local people and get changes in the way the council spends funds. But the three BNP councillors sat for six hours and none of them, not even their leader, said anything. So all the changes they say they want have been exposed as empty promises. Given the chance, they choose to say and do absolutely nothing. What is so pathetic is that they have failed on three counts. They failed to make any suggestions to change the budget; they failed to speak during the debate; and then they even failed to vote, even to abstain, on any of the five proposals put to the meeting.
"They can’t claim it is because there are only three BNP councillors. The three Green councillors proposed, and succeeded in making, major changes to the budget. What is the point of the BNP if, when they have the chance, they do absolutely nothing?"
Coun Auty said: "It makes no difference what we say or do. The Greens sway with the Lib Dems but no party is going to stand with us on any issue. We have no clout at all and that’s frustrating for us. We serve people by being on the area committee, by helping people in any way at all and by bringing things to the fore."
He also predicted major changes ahead. "It will hit them hard when we do have a voice," he said. "We hope to get seven or eight councillors in at the May elections and that will really shake things up. This will be a reality in areas such as Dewsbury, Cleckheaton, Heckmondwike, Liversedge and Gomersal. You had better believe it. Come May it will be different. There will be no one with a clear majority."
Coun Exley labelled the budget meeting ’a sham.’ "Everything had been decided beforehand through deals," he said. "There was no point us saying anything. We help people on a day to day basis with a hands-on approach but we can’t take part in the bigger picture."
The Press
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