Heartland

BNP wins first London seat since 1993

Matthew Tempest and agencies
Friday September 17, 2004

The openly-racist British National party last night won its first council seat in the capital since 1993, with a landslide victory in an east London borough.

In a byelection last night, the far-right party's candidate, Daniel Kelley, gained from Labour with a 470 majority at Barking and Dagenham Council's Goresbrook ward. The BNP had not fought the seat in the borough's last polls in 2002.

Ken Livingstone, the mayor of London and chairman of Unite Against Fascism, warned that the party was now a "bigger threat then ever".

He said: "The BNP is a fascist party. Wherever they are elected racist violence increases. Every concession to racism or Islamophobia by mainstream parties assists the BNP.

"These results show the BNP is now a bigger threat then ever before. Every progressive Londoner should wake up and join the movement to stop the BNP because they threaten everything which makes London such a wonderful diverse city."

The BNP already has three seats on Epping Forest district council, which it won in June this year, but this is within the home county of Essex rather than the capital.

The council seat falls within the parliamentary constituency of the current minister for children and former Islington council leader, Margaret Hodge.

The result will be of concern for race relations campaigners and will trouble the mainstream parties as this is the party's first win in the capital since 1993, when Derek Beacon briefly won a seat in the Isle of Dogs.

It comes amid earlier signs that the party's support had been hit after an in-depth TV documentary in the summer. A BBC undercover reporter infiltrated the BNP in Bradford, finding men who boasted of posting dog faeces through the letterboxes of Pakistani Britons, and using a bazooka against mosques.

Operation Black Vote's campaign manager, Ashok Viswanathan, warned today that anti-racism campaigners must "redouble their efforts".

"We've got to fight the fascists all the time - not just at general elections," he told Guardian Unlimited.

"All politics is local, and we've got to keep our eyes on the prize. It's very disappointing that the BNP has won a seat in a metropolitan area, but it shows that the BNP are organised and in our town halls and we've got to fight them."

Results in full:
Barking and Dagenham London Borough Goresbrook:
BNP 1,072, Labour 602, UK Independence party 137, Conservative 111, Lib Dems 85, Greens 59.
(May 2002, three seats: Lab 847, 842, 778, Lib Dem 520, 509)
BNP gain from Lab.

Chester-le-Street District Edmondsley and Waldridge:
Lab 628, Lib Dem 537, C 324.
(May 2003 Three seats Lab unopposed).
Lab hold.

High Peak Borough Howard Town:
Lab 270, C 167, Respect 107, Ind 103, Lib Dem 88.
(May 2003 Two seats Lab 400, 399, Ind 383, C 258, Socialist Alliance 132).
Lab hold
Swing 1% C to Lab.

High Peak Borough Simmondley:
Lib Dem 382, C 244, Lab 196, Ind 96, Respect 32.
(May 2003 Two seats Lab 564, 446, C 373, 205).
Lib Dem gain from Lab
Swing 16.1% Lab to C.

Macclesfield Borough Knutsford Nether:
C 385, Lib Dem 199, Lab 46.
(May 2003 C 458, Lib Dem 126, Lab 126).
C hold
Swing 10.6% C to Lib Dem.

North Cornwall District Poughill and Stratton:
Lib Dem 715, C 277, Ind 142, Ind 67.
(May 2003 Two seats Lib Dem 775, Ind 729, Ind 455, C 354). Lib Dem hold
Swing 6% C to Lib Dem.

South Norfolk District Easton:
C 500, Lib Dem 336, Green 40.
(May 2003 - C 380, Lib Dem 201, Lab 80. Green 51).
C hold.
Swing 3.2% C to Lib Dem.

Wealden District Uckfield Ridgewood:
Lib Dem 380, C 195, Lab 54.
(May 2003 Lib Dem 483, C 310, Lab 51).
Lib Dem hold
Swing 4.4% C to Lib Dem.

"We've got to fight the fascists all the time - not just at general elections"

lazarus corporation wrote:I think that the recent exposé on TV is the way to stop them - show them up in public for the thugs, cowards and **** they are.

lazarus corporation wrote:And of course it would help if the main parties didn't pander to the xenophobia and racism of pathetic little rags like the Daily Mail.

lazarus corporation wrote: And of course it would help if the main parties didn't pander to the xenophobia and racism of pathetic little rags like the Daily Mail.

In the 1930s ... (the Daily) Mail were supporters of Oswald Mosley and the British Union of Fascists. He wrote an article, Hurrah for the Blackshirts, in January 1934, in which he praised Mosley for his "sound, commonsense, Conservative doctrine", and the paper published articles lamenting the number of German Jews entering Britain as refugees after the rise of Naziism.

However, after the violence of the 1934 Olympia meeting, involving the BUF, the Mail withdrew their support. Rothermere had several meetings with Adolf Hitler, and addressed him as "My Dear Führer" in letters and telegrams. He argued that the Nazi leader wanted peace, and in 1934 campaigned for the African land confiscated in the Versailles Treaty to be returned to Germany. Rothermere and the Mail supported Neville Chamberlain's policy of appeasement, particularly during the events leading up to the Munich Agreement.

However, after the Nazi invasion of Prague in 1939, the Mail suddenly changed position and urged Chamberlain to prepare for war. Rothermere died in November 1940.

MrChris wrote:The Mail is just a poisonous rag. I find it constantly depressing that my mum reads it (and inexplicable, since she votes Labour). I think the owner must have shares in BUPA or something, since along with the demonisation of migrants its other obsession is with running down public institutions like the NHS, state schools and the welfare state. Not only does it demonise minorities, but it helps create an atmosphere of cynicism about what is really GOOD and WORKS (most of the time) in our society. This demonisation, and the constant running down of institutions that represent incredible historical achievements just makes people feel better about making selfish decisions, and living in their little high-security, 4 wheel drive bubbles. Selfish, childish, individualistic people always feel a lot better about themselves if they can convince themselves that everyone else is only interested in robbing them, taking their jobs and parking on their front lawns. This is becoming a rant, but it all makes me quite angry.

Andrew Eldritch wrote:"I think the great lesson of the 20th century is that you have to separate the ethics from the aestetics. The Nazis did have the best uniforms, there's no denying it. The great lesson there is that you don't have to agree with what the Nazis did, but, yes, be honest about it, they did have the best uniforms. A lot of people can't come to terms with something as banal as that. They can't admit it, because somehow they feel like they're approving of what the Nazis did. That's very, very stupid, because to come to terms with the 20th century, to live in it and make the best of it - the way it is, not just sitting around holding hands, lighting candles and waiting for the next world or a better one - you have to be able to get off on those uniforms.

Izzy HaveMercy wrote:- let them in the government for a while. Now stop shouting and listen Just give them a chance. You will see, like they did in Austria, that they don't have a good plan at all. They have a negative plan but no solutions to more common problems. They will destroy themselves in the end.

Izzy HaveMercy wrote:- to the other parties: listen to what the BNP says and THINK about it. One of the reasons people vote for these parties is that the 'traditionals' don't look into these problems. Make immigration a big point on the agenda and start finding solutions. People ask for that, also here in Belgium.

markfiend wrote:

Izzy HaveMercy wrote:- let them in the government for a while. Now stop shouting and listen Just give them a chance. You will see, like they did in Austria, that they don't have a good plan at all. They have a negative plan but no solutions to more common problems. They will destroy themselves in the end.

All very well, Iz, but once they're in power, do you really think they'll let themselves be voted back out? IIRC one of Hitler's first acts as German Chancellor was to suspend all democratic elections.

There is something people tend to forget.

This is 2004. People here in Europe LEARNED from these mistakes. What Hitler did then is nearly impossible today because people will act far quicker. But of course, you have to be very careful with them...
Look at Austria. They even speak German there

IZ.

Izzy HaveMercy wrote:Welcome to Belgium.

- let them in the government for a while. Now stop shouting and listen Just give them a chance. You will see, like they did in Austria, that they don't have a good plan at all. They have a negative plan but no solutions to more common problems. They will destroy themselves in the end.


IZ.

Izzy HaveMercy wrote:This last election VB became the biggest party of Belgium.

Izzy HaveMercy wrote:This is 2004. People here in Europe LEARNED from these mistakes.

Izzy HaveMercy wrote:
There is something people tend to forget.

This is 2004. People here in Europe LEARNED from these mistakes. What Hitler did then is nearly impossible today because people will act far quicker. But of course, you have to be very careful with them...
Look at Austria. They even speak German there

IZ.

andymackem wrote:@MF: maybe the politics of hatred is what people want?

andymackem wrote:Without wishing to sound complacent, they can only attract nutters and a fleeting protest vote, and have done so (in the UK at least) sporadically since WWII.

Nothing that is happening today makes me think this is changing significantly.

MrChris wrote:The Mail is just a poisonous rag. I find it constantly depressing that my mum reads it (and inexplicable, since she votes Labour).