Four years ago, in early 2004 the BNP was plotting great things in Crewe. A County Council by-election in the town, following the death of a Labour member, saw them hit the town with their traditional campaigning approach:
- deliver a few leaflets
- get the local press to run "BNP to target town" stories
- make up some stories to frighten the locals (in this case branding Portuguese migrant workers as "asylum seekers" who were all given free mobile phones and cars)
- use the publicity to unearth some willing (stupid?) local activists
- claim a tremendous doorstep reception - 'thumbs up from passing motorists', 'people applauding our candidate in the street', 'families offering their virgin daughters to our canvassing team'
What happened? The Lib Dems took the seat, Labour second, the BNP and Tories a distant third and fourth.
At which point a distant third became a triumph. They would be standing candidates in all 19 borough seats a month later. But in fact they stood...er...nil! (Their County Council candidate couldn't stand - he lived outside the borough; as did their agent).
In 2005 they fielded three candidates; in 2006 two (all five came last); in 2007...nil; and in the 2008 elections to the new Cheshire East Unitary Council...nil, again. And all this against the background of a town which has seen one of the highest rates of Eastern European migration in Britain.
And following the death of Gwyneth Dunwoody in April they had the chance to contest a parliamentary by-election. Briefly Stormfront got excited. It was a great opportunity - 'White Man' urged that a candidate should be fielded, warning that 'nominations must be closing before long'. Posted at 5.24pm - on the day nominations closed. At 4pm. Don't you just love these idiots (well, no actually).
At which point failing to find a candidate suddenly became a tactical masterstroke. Or, at least, a bloody relief to the residents of Crewe and Nantwich.
webeatthebnp
