The BNP on the Rocks as the Anti-Europeans Scrap Among Themselves

Ha! Ha! Ha!

Yes, tweeds and the occasional pin stripe of the ex-City spiv, as in Nigel Farage who is fond of refering to 'nig-nogs'.
Competition between these two 'giants' of a political Jurassic Park has been heating up over who comes fourth or fifth in recent bye-elections.

March 07, 2008
Long Lawford and New Bilton ward by-election: another failure for the BNP

Since suffering the excision of large tracts of its administrative area in the local government reorganisation of 1974, the ancient Midland county of Warwickshire has had a distinctly odd and artificial appearance - there is nothing where Coventry, Solihull, Birmingham and their hinterlands should be.
Industrial Coventry marked something of a boundary between the two distinct parts of Warwickshire, anciently divided into Arden in the north and Feldon in the south. Coal-mining became a major (if not the major) industry of north Warwickshire, which also boasted a sprinkling of manufacturing towns such as Nuneaton and Bedworth. South Warwickshire remained largely agricultural, and is linked in the minds of most with Stratford-upon-Avon, Shakespeare, and the beautiful rolling countryside that runs down to the Cotswolds.
East of Coventry lies Rugby, close to the borders of Northamptonshire and Leicestershire.
Apart from its famous school and large cement works, it's really quite difficult to find anything of interest to say about Rugby, which resembles the towns of the northern county more than it does those of the genteel south.
It is, though, one of those Midland towns undergoing demographic change, reflected in the fortunes of the major political parties. In 1999 the local borough council comprised 22 Labour councillors, 11 Conservatives, 7 Liberal Democrats, and 8 others, mostly independents. A steady annual decline in Labour support last year saw the Conservatives take control with 27 seats, against Labour with 11 and the Liberal Democrats on 7.
In the 1970s a small National Front group operated ineffectually in the town, allied with the larger but equally ineffectual Coventry branch. The Rugby group seems to have disappeared altogether in the NF's 1979/80 fragmentation, since when racist activity in the town has been barely detectable.
Racism has returned to Rugby twenty-eight years on in the form of the British National Party, which is running a candidate for the Long Lawford and New Bilton division of Warwickshire County Council in tonight's by-election.
New Bilton is a part of Rugby, while Long Lawford is a largish village-cum-suburb lying to the north of the main Coventry road.
New Bilton comprises a large proportion of late-Victorian terraced housing, and - though we don't have the latest figures - according to the 2001 census in occupational terms the inhabitants were roughly evenly split between those describing themselves as supervisory, management or professional and those describing themselves as skilled, semi-skilled or unskilled manual workers or similar. In 2001, census figures put the ethnic minority population at around 8% of the total, mostly comprising Asians, and the vast majority of those Hindus.
Long Lawford, for which we have no recent data (but some personal knowledge) is more obviously compartmentalised, a council estate and private developments growing around a not unattractive old village.
In the 2005 elections to Warwickshire County Council the Conservatives made some progress at the expense of Labour and the Liberal Democrats, overtaking Labour to become the largest party, but maintaining a long-standing situation in which no party has overall control.

In 2005 Long Lawford and New Bilton voted as follows (percentages in brackets):

Con 1191 (29.02)
Lab 1712 (41.72)
L-D 585 (14.25)
Ind 616 (15.01)

Safe-ish Labour territory on the surface, then, but the absence of an Independent and the intervention of the Greens and the BNP, together with government unpopularity, could well put a different complexion on matters for the defending party in the face of an aggressive Tory campaign.
Again we have a by-election falling close to general area where the BNP has obtained worryingly good results. Nuneaton and Bedworth are not far away, and it's not much further to Tamworth and the south Derbyshire/north-west Leicestershire districts that have proved so fertile for the racist party.
Long Lawford and New Bilton ward is untried turf for the BNP, but they should - given the location and its proximity to other BNP units - be capable of mounting a half-way decent campaign aimed at gaining 15-20% of the vote.

The BNP candidate is George Jones, who lives some distance away in Kenilworth, as he has done for the best part of three decades.
George has a long history in extreme right wing politics. In the late-1970's he was a member of the British Movement, then run by Michael McLoughlin, but somehow became associated with former members of the National Party splinter group in Coventry and Warwick - notably with Michael Cole, the National Party's hyperactive (and not entirely trusted) Warwick organiser, and also with Robert Relf, the Leamington "race rebel" imprisoned for displaying a sign declaring his house for sale to "English people only".
Relf had long been associated with the British Movement and Colin Jordan (who lived in nearby Coventry), while Cole, who - like Relf - made no secret of his Nazi views, eventually found his way to Denmark to help in the running of a now forgotten Nazi organisation.
Jones, Cole and Relf were also close associates of the hardline elements within Coventry National Front, who followed John Tyndall into the BNP's New National Front predecessor.
Like most of the racists in the Coventry/Warwick area, keen rambler George had an abiding interest in all things Nazi. We feel pretty sure that if George's interest in such dubious matters is on-going then he may well have neglected to mention as much to the electors of Long Lawford and New Bilton - as he may well have neglected to mention the contents of a letter published by the Leamington Courier all those years ago, still existing as yellowed archival hard-copy, wherein George suggested that the release into the air on a favourable wind of a few grammes of a certain noxious substance would solve the problem of Third World overcrowding at a stroke.
Long Lawford and New Bilton ward result:

Lab 724 (33.78)
Con 723 (33.74)
BNP 313 (14.61)
L-D 235 (10.97)
Grn 148 (6.91)

Total 2143

The result was declared following two recounts, and is clearly bad news for Labour, despite retaining the seat. On this occasion BNP intervention seems to have favoured the Tories, as much of Labour's almost 8% loss of vote share can be attributed to them (and, in smaller measure, to the Greens). There was no joy for the Liberal Democrats either, losing over 3% of their vote, while the glory days of the Greens would appear to be well and truly over.
The BNP share falls just below the bottom end of our expectations, but almost certainly very much below their own. This was an indifferent BNP performance, the only comfort for them being that of coming in ahead of the Liberal Democrats and the Greens, neither of which had realistic hopes of making an impact in what for both parties is a difficult ward.
Long Lawford and New Bilton decisively rejected George Jones and the BNP, and if this result is even vaguely suggestive of the electoral possibilities open to the BNP in this area, then Rugby isn't going to go racist anytime soon.

When I read articles discussing whether or not Romanies should be accepted etc. It makes me wonder if you have any idea what you are talking about.
Also it stinks of Nazism.

Edited by author 07-03-2008 22:40
So what do you propose to do with Gypsies ... or any other minority? It is not a question of 'acceptance' but more to do with treating people humanely.
To further confuse matters, you say some postings stink of Nazism. We do not promote Nazism nor any other dead political philosophy. You know that.

I dont propose to do anything with 'minorities' hopefully as capitalism collapses things will sort themselves out.
Also I have Romany relatives who have never lived in a caravan and as far as Iand they are concerned they are english men and women. When you discuss people in seperate terms it conjours up head measuring as in archive film of the third reich, thats what I meant by it stinks of Nazism.

There is nothing wrong with talking of people as having their own identities. Minorities are those groups other than the majority.
No one said Gypsies were not Englishmen, just as UM member Tony Hartigan was both an Englishman and a Gypsy. He was also a great patriot.
You are being offensive by implying my views are Nazi. Discussing people and their origins has nothing whatsoever to do with determining a cephalic index. It is a perfectly innocuous and innocent interest.
Perhaps you watch the History channel too much. You know, expeditions to Tibet and all that.

I apologise if I offended you, also your are right I do watch the History Channel too much, expeditions to Tibet and all that.

Ah, well that explains your recent protests. I do not have access to the History Channel and I am glad that is the case.

Apology accepted.

It is remarkable how united and disciplined the Mosley movement was compared to the continual splits and feuding of the far-right. No doubt this is because Oswald Mosley was a real natural born Leader who inspired such devotion in his followers. It has been said that there was a real spirit of comradeship in the BU and Union Movement. I didn't think much of the 'All White in Barking' BBC 2 documentary last night, although the BNP man's complaints about Eastern Europeans coming here was no surprise.

Well, European, that tells you a lot about Nick Griffin and his pretence of being a charismatic leader. He is nothing of the sort.
The BNP is in turmoil as a consequence of his lack of leadership qualities.
It reminds me of the old tale of 'The Emperor's Clothes'. It only needs one or two to point out these obvious facts.
We in Union Movement, and I am sure in the British Union, loved Mosley. There is no other way of putting it. Loyalty was absolute. That was never a bad thing.

Union Movement had a full programme of policies as does European Action today. The BNP and similar groups seem like one issue parties obsessed with race and immigration important though these are. The BNP's new policy of 'ethno-nationalism' and their rejection of white nationalism (which allowed for controlled European immigration), sets Britons against fellow Europeans.
It was good to see Dan Harmston of UM speaking to the Smithfield porters in 1968 on the 'Rivers of Blood' television programme recently.

It's interesting to note that the British National Front stands for a 'European Family of Nations'and cultural and sporting links between European nations, although like the BNP they are opposed to the Union of Europe. The NF's immigration policy is to stop all non-European immigration and to control white immigration. (This was Union Movement immigration policy as stated in the article 'Why Europe Needs Common Government' in 'Action' July 1st 1961). The NF polled 34,840 votes in five constituencies in the London Assembly elections in May and saved two deposits by polling more than 5% beating UKIP, Left List and the English Democrats, their best election results for 30 years, which was higher than the BNP percentage in the mayoral contest for the same constituencies (Bexley and Bromley, Greenwich and Lewisham, Ealing and Hillingdon, Hounslow, Richmond and Kingston, City and East). The England First Party also beat the BNP in Burnley, Lancashire with 12.5% to the BNP's 7.4%. The NF's anti-Zionist policy is a refreshing change to the BNP, which is now regarded as the most pro-Israel party in Britain.
I bet if Union Movement was still in existence it would have polled double the votes of the BNP and NF combined with its full programme of constructive policies. The current political climate and mood of the public is favourable to a new pro-European, anti-immigration party entering the fray.

The latest from Stoke-on-Trent...

http://www.thisisthesentinel.co.uk/display...&contentPK=20797281

Edited by author 05-06-2008 12:51
Surprise, surprise ... a BNP councillor attacking the Muslim call to prayer. Have they nothing better to do than to stir up religious hatred for political purposes? Doesn't the BNP's obsession with Islamophobia distract them from the real issues facing the British people? At least, on this occasion, the BNP councillor is not objecting to the existence of a mosque but acknowledges it as a house of God. That is progess.
I agree that the call to prayer is no more of an annoyance than church bells clanging away on a Sunday or special holidays. People get used to it as they will get use to the Muslim call to prayer. Where I live on the South East coast, we have large aircraft flying over our town, landing at Manston. Busybodies formed an 'action group' to oppose the noise of these aircraft. What age do they think they live in? Aircraft are part of the modern world and we have to co-exist. I got use to aircraft flying over my town since my schoolboy days in the ATC at RAF Manston.
Now, during the Summer we get regular firework displays from the harbour at around 10.00pm. They are noisy and can interrupt an evening. But, for heaven's sake, they are part of life down here ... and we just get use to it.
Coming back to the Muslim call to prayer at a local mosque, I am sure the sound of 'Allah Akbar' will be melodiously in tune and relatively short. A lot shorter than the engines of large aircraft or half an hour of fireworkers exploding nearby.
Religious tolerance is the mark of an enlightened man.

The BNP website proclaims: ELECTION SHOCK - BNP BEATS LABOUR.

Another headline for the same election result could read: ELECTION SHOCK - GREEN PARTY BEATS BNP.

So where is the victory?