Another Thursday, another bad night for the BNP!

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Since it consistently claims to be a "growing" party, even "Britain's fastest/only growing political movement" one might expect to see some evidence of the BNP increasing its tally of elected councillors or - at the very least - improving its electoral performance.

However, to the great delight of your author, the evidence of 17th July is that, far from advancing, the BNP's stock is falling.

There were four by-elections this week, and the BNP did at least manage to field candidates in three contests. However, this 75% candidature rate only represented one extra candidate since two seats had a past record of BNP involvement.

A Wealden Council contest in deepest Sussex went uncontested, the Lib Dems hanging on by a whisker against a strong Tory challenge. UKIP provided a third candidate, who polled under 10%.

In Redditch and in the Arrow Valley area of Worcestershire the BNP were hoping to build on support from past elections. They failed. Their vote fell in both areas.

In Hillingdon their intervention was rather spoilt when the National Front insisted on also fielding a candidate. The two nutzi factions polled just 8.2% (BNP) and 3.3% (NF). Knowing the factionalism that infests the far right both parties will probably be gloating:

BNP - "once again we thrashed the NF, and proved we are the only electable nationalist party"
NF - "once again we offered true nationalists a true nationalist option, and despite all the efforts of Griffin's party machine over a quarter of nationalist voters backed us".

The reality, of course, is that on a low turnout they managed between them a share of the vote that would have been "lost deposit territory" under the old parliamentary election rules. It certainly doesn't point to success in next year's Euro elections.

At some point surely even the intellectually-challenged dullards who support and fund the BNP are going to start asking some relevant questions. Along the lines of "Mr Griffin, with all the effort and money we - the members - are putting into the party, and the splendid leadership you keep telling us that you are providing, why are we not only failing to win by-elections, but why are we actually going backwards in so many areas?"

BNP councillor David Enderby loses appeal against violent assaults

Redditch British National Party councillor David Enderby has lost his appeal against criminal convictions for assaulting his estranged wife and mother-in-law.

Enderby lashed out after flying into a rage and barging into a family birthday celebration. During the melée, he grabbed his wife, Jane, and his mother-in-law, Noel Campion, causing bruising, as children at the party screamed and cried. Enderby also picked up a 14-year-old girl and flung her across the living room.

After he was manhandled outside, he drove off but was later arrested by police and spent the night in the cells before being charged.

Enderby, aged 46, of Winyates East, pleaded not guilty to the three assaults when he appeared at Kidderminster Magistrates Court in January but was convicted and fined £300 with £100 costs. But he appealed against the convictions and a two-day hearing was held at Worcester Crown Court, ending on Friday. All three appeals were dismissed and he was ordered to pay £200 towards the Crown's costs.

Judge Daniel Pearce-Higgins QC said: "What should have been a happy event turned into a disaster."

The appeal hearing was told that Enderby and his wife had split up in January 2004 and she had gone to live with her mother and stepfather in Greenlands. She had taken their three children with her.

Divorce proceedings have been started. In the original divorce petition, Mrs Enderby said her husband had been violent towards her during the marriage, a claim Enderby disputed.

The assaults took place in June last year after Enderby had gone by arrangement to the extended family's home to deliver birthday presents. But, according to John Brotherton, barrister for the Crown, he flew into a rage when he walked into the house uninvited and was told by his estranged wife and mother-in-law to leave.

Enderby then barged into the living room to retrieve the presents he had taken, which is when the assaults took place, the court heard. In evidence, former soldier Enderby, who was elected to the council less than two months before the incident, claimed he never assaulted anyone and that he himself had been the victim of assault.

Enderby said he had been held so tightly round the throat he was unable to speak afterwards. He added he had been trying to get out of the house when he was manhandled and had not been attempting to resist.

Redditch Advertiser

Anti-fascism Around The Country

Anti-fascists around the country have started campaigning against the threat posed by the British National Party (BNP) at the elections on 3 May.

Activists in the Yorkshire and Humberside region of Unite Against Fascism went leafleting last weekend in Leeds, Barnsley, York and Scarborough calling on people to use their votes against the Nazi BNP.

In the West Midlands, Unite leafleters, including Labour and Liberal Democrat councillors, covered Redditch’s Winyates ward. The BNP’s David Enderby gained a council seat there last year – but has since been convicted of assaulting his wife.

Unite campaigners in Luton will blitz the Farley Estate with anti-BNP leaflets this Saturday. Luton Unite is calling on people to assemble at 10.30am at the Farley Community Centre on Delphine Way.

Meanwhile Love Music Hate Racism (LMHR) has kicked off a national tour of universities to build support for the movement against the Nazis.

Full details of the tour are available at http://www.lovemusichateracism.com/

LMHR has also teamed up with the NUT and NASUWT teaching unions to launch a range of anti-fascist educational material for schools. This includes a CD compiled by Drew McConnell of Babyshambles which will be distributed free to schools across Britain.

Activists in the GMB trade union in Barking & Dagenham, east London, turned out last Saturday to campaign against the BNP in nearby Thurrock, Essex, as part of the Daily Mirror’s “Hope Not Hate” tour.

Tom Baillie, branch secretary of Barking GMB, told Socialist Worker, “The majority of people in this borough reject the fascist politics of the BNP – and we’re out to show that.”

http://www.socialistworker.co.uk/article.php?article_id=11036

Socialist Worker