Racists routed in BNP by-elections nightmare

The BNP's long, long run of dire local by-election results continued last night when the racist party failed to regain its Camp Hill ward seat on Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council, losing a third of its vote, and was trounced in Hastings St. Helen's ward on a first outing, netting just 6.2%.

The BNP also lost its Broadway seat on Debden Town Council to a Residents' candidate.

And any hopes the BNP had of salvaging something from another train-wreck night by drawing attention to an obscure town council by-election in Dalston, Cumbria, were dashed when Mick Ashburner, facing opposition only from a Labour candidate, was comprehensively demolished, taking just 15% of the vote.

Nuneaton and Bedworth Camp Hill was another self-inflicted by-election for the BNP, sitting councillor Darren Haywood resigning, according to the BNP, because of work commitments. According to everybody else Haywood had been an "invisible councillor" who had achieved nothing for Camp Hill, and nobody was much surprised when he jumped ship.

Stepping up with hopes of taking Haywood's place was the BNP's West Midlands regional organiser, serial candidate (failed), and mine host of Eliot's Bistro, the ever hopeful Alwyn Deacon.

Eliot's bistro, readers will recall, not only plays host to BNP meetings, but Mr Deacon has been so kind as to extend the hospitality of his premises to the openly Nazi British Freedom Fighters, pictured here enjoying a rousing Seig Heil at the end of a good night out.

While the BNP's Camp Hill campaign was underway its remaining Nuneaton and Bedworth councillor, idiotic Griffin groupie Martyn Findlay, gave updates on the party's progress, referring to HOPE not hate campaigners as the "great unwashed", whose "hate filled sheets" gained votes for the BNP.

Findlay, you may recall, was the BNP's candidate for Nuneaton's Arbury and Stockingford division (Warwickshire County Council) by-election on July 16th - the first post-Euro election in which the BNP vote could be tested against a previous performance. Findlay, expecting a win or a good second in the warm post-Euro glow, was shocked when two thirds of the BNP vote evaporated, its share falling from 25% to 14%.

It was the first sign that something was seriously amiss in BNP-land, and - with one aberration, the rot continues.

No amount of gloss can disguise last night's results as being anything other than a disaster for the BNP - one "real" council seat lost, just 6.2% obtained in another, obliteration in tiny Dalston, and a lost town councillor in Debden.

That'll do nicely.

Results:

Nuneaton & Bedworth Camp Hill ward:

Lab 670 (47.08)
BNP 478 (33.59)
Con 275 (19.33)

27.6% turnout

2008 result

BNP 675 (36.17)
Lab 562 (30.12)
Con 541 (28.99)
Soc 88 (4.72)


Hastings BC St. Helen's ward:

Con 609 (40.65)
Lab 550 (36.72)
LibD 210 (14.02)
BNP 93 (6.21)
EngD 36 (2.40)

2008 result

Con 994 (58.51)
Lab 412 (24.25)
LibD 293 (17.25)

Unity in the Community stand against racism

FURNESS community groups and sports clubs, including AFC and the Raiders, are banding together to take a stand against racism. Groups, which also include Ormsgill Residents and Tenants Association and Furness Multicultural Forum, have organised an event, aimed at stamping out racism and celebrating the Ormsgill public’s unity and opposition to it.

The “Unity in the Community” celebration will include soccer skills sessions and competitions, run by Barrow AFC community officer Neil Doherty, as well as rugby coaching by Barrow Raiders coach Dave Clark. Other attractions will include basketball, an MC-ing competition, art work, dancing and a climbing wall.

Mr Doherty, a Wembley FA Trophy winner with AFC in 1990, said: “We’ve been running Kick Racism Out of Football at Barrow AFC for four years now, and I think we’ve been at the forefront of challenging racism in the community.

“We’re all keen to show that diversity is a good thing within communities. I don’t think the BNP would support that too much but we are working to show that we believe in that.”

There will also be food tasting from around the world, multi-cultural dancers and an audio-visual exhibition by Sedbergh artist Trevor Avery, called “From Auschwitz to Ambleside”, which tells the story of young Jewish boys who fled to Cumbria from the Nazis.

The festival will take place at Ormsgill Community Centre on Sunday April 13, between 2pm and 4pm, with music from 4pm-6pm.

Alec Proffitt, of Barrow’s Unison branch, said: “We deplore all forms of racism and the politics of hate and will actively seek to eradicate it from the workplace and the communities of the borough.”

Mike Ashburner is standing for the British National Party in the Ormsgill ward in May. The party opposes mixed race relationships and believe all immigration into Britain should be stopped, but Mr Ashburner insists neither he nor his party are racist.

North-West Evening Mail