Majority Britain.

Up till now I haven't posted about the BNP, mainly because I wasn't sure what to say.

Last year I sat next to two Conservative tellers nattering away to each other. They seemed to have been force fed on a diet of Daily Express headlines and were insular and sour. When one of them said "If asylum seekers are going to stay here , they should be sterilised" I was at a loss for words. What I should have said was "Think again mate, Isambard Kingdom Brunel. Second greatest Briton. Son of a political refugee"

I'm not exactly a BNP sympathiser, especially as most of my family come from Eastern Europe. My wife Lena was probably the first Lib Dem council candidate from Novorossiisk. One of Lena's Russian-born friends lives in Dagenham and tells her that since the BNP became active, her neighbours have almost completely stopped talking to her. It's becoming scary.

I was very impressed by David Morton's post earlier this week, which I quote in full here:

I welcome the election of the BNP councillor in Morley South. Thats a shocking thing to say but I mean it. The unpleasent truth is that this has been comming for years and the sooner we lance the boil the better. Last Thursday 11% of voters in Leeds voted for a neo nazi party of thugs, racists and convicts. We are supposed to take lectures on patriotism from a party that thinks the wrong side won the Second World War. But vote they did and what if the BNP had contested all 33 seats not just 22? 13% ? 14%

At what level of popular support does the BNP become legitimate? When will we listen to the grievences of those that vote this way? try and understand the anger? the disillusion of those who feel they have no other choice?

The BNP councillor is a crisis in the best sence of the word (Greek - time of decision)

We could all hold hands and teach the world to sing. Have a multi cultural festival and a tactical voting campaign. perhaps we could prevent a BNP victory for a few more years. But at some point all politicans have to engage with the lethal cocktail of lies and legitimate grievance that fuels this abomination. When 1 in 9 leeds people votes neo nazi then its incumbent upon us all to reexamine the entire system and its failings

There are weapons in the liberal armoury that can help. We need immeadiate action to devolve power to communities, take graffiti and enviromental crime seriously and really, really radical reform of community policing. Most importantly some body some where needs to tackle the housing crisis. I'm no command and control socialist but the most appropriate way of doing this may in many cases building more Council Houses.

I won't be the only one watching Cllr Chris Beverley of Morley South very carefully. If he doesn't attend, doesn't speak, isn't very good or fails to fight for Morley then people will know about it. But I really feel that its in this way that we will fight this off not SHOCK! HORROR! conferences of the liberal middle classes miles away.

So I stand by provocative opening sentence. "Welcoming" a BNP victory is a very odd thing to say but I mean it because it means that the phoney war is over. The City needs a sustained debate about these issues and this election result means it can't be delayed any longer.

We do indeed need to do less 'hand-holding' - David seems to know what practical steps to take instead.

One of the other side, I noticed a comment from a Liberal Review thread on Israel where someone wrote:

In the UK, we have a political party which seeks to guarantee that the majority of people living in this country continue to be white North Europeans. That party is the BNP.

As far as I can see, that comment was against the concept of the majority of people living in this country being white North Europeans. But why? This is a Northern European country where historically people were white. I like the idea of Britain being a cosmopolitan, non-racist society - a sort of multi-coloured centre of the home of the English language. But immigrants to this country should be exactly that - immigrants- and not try to emulate what we were in Canada, Australia etc - colonists.

I'm not saying that any political party should give any guarantee that Britain will stay "White and Northern European". The passage of time will probably make us all coffee-coloured in a couple of centuries and speaking English with a lot of Chinese loan-words. (But it would be nice to think that old cultural traditions will be maintained so that a time-traveller from our era could still go forward 200 years and still enjoy free speech, a beer and a sandwich, watch football and cricket, read JK Rowling , wear jeans and vote in elections.)

But on the mundane ,immediate level: - Just as the 'educated persons media' love shock-horror stories about the BNP winning somewhere, the 'liberal establishment' tend to avoid the idea that being boring plain English, Scottish or Welsh is a perfectly OK thing to be. The ordinary bloke who likes the odd curry but wants to wave the St Georges Flag during the World Cup needs to know that the Lib Dems are there for him, just as we are for anybody else.

This has been a difficult subject to write about - I hope I've conveyed my views accurately and that I'm not offending anybody with this.

In A Censorious Mood

Maybe I've not had enough sleep today, but I'm not feeling charitable.

Guido made money out of John Smith's heart attack and seems proud of it? Not something that will ever happen to you Guido, you clearly haven't got one. I won't want a link to your site any more...

Mark Oaten blames a mid-life crisis and losing his hair? Not a career-saving statement. Please announce your intention to stand down at the next election and enjoy the rest of your life.

Chris Davies in a hole and still digging Here I'm feeling slightly more charitable. He agreed to resign as European leader, that's enough. Shouldn't resign seat.

A Brave Letter from a Labour Candidate

Julian Ware-Lane, who stood for parliament in Rayleigh last year for the Labour Party, has written a very honest letter to the Essex Enquirer newspaper.

In case you can’t read the text, he says:

“Political parties depend on donations , and I have often been asked and regularly respond positively. This time, however , I am having serious doubts. Will my ten pound donation be used for more hairdressing for the prime minister’s wife?”
….

“I am a proud Labour Party member and was a local candidate and still urge people to vote for us. Locally Labour has much to offer. Nationally I am starting to wonder whether the best option has now become the least worst”

Essex Triumphant

Coca-Cola Football League One Table:

1. Southend 82
2. Colchester 79
3. Brentford 76
4. Huddersfield 73
5. Barnsley 72
6. Swansea 71
7. Nottm Forest 69

If my father was still alive (he'd be 104!) he would be very proud.... he was so devoted he wouldn't get married on a Saturday because he didn't want to miss a reserve game.

Jaggy Thistle

Now the elections are over, and I've a bit of time to devote to blogging, can I just say how much I enjoy this Scottish satirical site , for example this piece.

Congrats to Southend Lib Dems

It's not easy to reverse a decline in your number of seats - but Southend Lib Dems have done that last night and are back to being the second largest party. Although the BBC website currently shows one Lib Dem gain, they actually made two - including the seat of the Tory leader Anna Waite.

So well done!

News from Rochford - we make no gains, but hold our seats with increased majorities

Election news:

We're pretty pleased with the election results in Rayleigh.

Chris Black and Chris Lumley both held their seats with increased majorities.

This was particularly good for Chris Lumley because the Tories tried very hard to defeat him, bringing in Tories from other parts of Rayleigh to canvass against him.

Elsewhere in Rayleigh, Pat Putt, Jackie Dillnutt, Keith Budden and Mark Pearson all came second. Jackie got 411 votes, which was the highest of any losing candidate in Rayleigh.

We are extremely grateful to them for standing, and of course we'd like to thank all our helpers and indeed everyone who voted for us.

In other parts of the district, the Tories made two gains. They won Hawkwell South simply because independent Heather Glynn has joined the Conservative Party. They also won in Rochford, with 24 year-old James Cottis defeating the last remaining Labour councillor, popular Maureen Vince, by 95 votes. However Residents' councillor James Mason defiantly held on to Hawkwell West with a majority of 132.

Full results are available from the District Council website but here are the results for where the Lib Dems stood:


Downhall & Rawreth Ward
Christopher Ian Black Liberal Democrats 900
Victor Charles Howlett Conservative 328
Turnout: 37.6%

Grange Ward
Christopher John Lumley Liberal Democrats 683
Roland Frank Adams Conservative 347
Turnout: 37.4%

Rayleigh Central Ward
Patricia Aves Conservative 654
Patricia Ann Putt Liberal Democrats 283
Christopher Richard Morgan Labour 135
Turnout: 32.7%

Trinity Ward
James Edward Grey Conservative 618
Keith John Budden Liberal Democrats 310
Neil Kirsh Green Party 76
Turnout: 34.8%

Wheatley Ward
Mavis Joan Webster Conservative 768
Mark Andrew Pearson Liberal Democrats 322
Turnout: 34.4%

Whitehouse Ward
Peter Frederick Arthur Webster Conservative 711
Jacqueline Dillnutt Liberal Democrats 411
Turnout: 37.1%

From the Brentwood Gazette

POLICE INQUIRY INTO POLL CLAIM

BY KATHY CANHAM

10:30 - 03 May 2006
A Police investigation is underway following an alleged incident involving rival parties out on the election campaign trail. After four weeks of electioneering, a row over rubbish collection allegedly came to a head in a quiet residential road in Brentwood on Friday night.

It is alleged that a 22-year-old university student was canvassing alone on behalf of the Lib Dems when he was 'confronted' by members of the Conservative Party.

The student, who comes from Brentwood, was collecting signatures from residents for a Lib Dem petition to oppose any move by Brentwood Borough Council for a fortnightly collection for household rubbish.

Council chief executive Bob McLintock and council leader, Tory member Brandon Lewis, have consistently denied any plans to change domestic refuse collections to fortnightly.

The incident, which has since been reported to Brentwood Police by the Lib Dems, took place at around 7.30pm.

Det Sgt Tom O'Brien, from Brentwood CID, said: "The allegations have been referred to the Special Branch as they have a remit for dealing with electioneering. One of the allegations is under section four of the Public Order Act."

The Lib Dems have also made a formal complaint to Mr McLintock in his role as returning officer in the council elections.

Lib Dem councillor Pauline Myers, one of her party's election agents, said: "The people concerned know only too well the procedure if they have a grievance during an election campaign and that is to contact the election agent for that ward."

Lib Dem leader Cllr Vicky Cook said: "Our canvasser was simply doing what every other party worker does at election time."

Conservative leader Cllr Lewis said: "This is just a desperate last-minute attempt by the Lib Dems to try to get some press coverage.

"With regard to their petition, I have been saying for several weeks that it is a misrepresentation. We have never said we will go to a fortnightly rubbish collection. That is what the Lib Dems did in Chelmsford which the Conservatives repealed."

My Sixth Defence

Well, it's nearly over for another spring.

The key battleground is in the next-door ward to mine, Grange. The Tories are dragging in people from all over the place to try to knock our Chris Lumley off the council. Chris is a classic “residents first, politics second” sort of councillor, and even the Tories admit that he is very popular on the doorstep. But can the Conservatives win by sheer weight of manpower on election day?

In my own patch, Downhall and Rawreth, the Tories are making a late effort. Some of their helpers clearly don’t know the area - one of them was seen delivering their leaflet in the wrong ward.

I was struck by one of the points in their leaflet:

"Voting Liberal would mean a vote 'for the wrong party' , due to them being the minority on the council. This means to you, local residents, little chance of getting anything altered or done".

So presumably all the Tories should vote for Labour at the next General Election - after all they are in a minority in the Commons.

"Tory Councillor Arrested"

I hear that a Conservative Councillor in Brentwood, Essex has been arrested under the Public Order Act following an incident involving a 22 year old Lib Dem canvasser who was apparently surrounded by a group of Conservatives....

I don't want to name any names until I see some independent confirmation..

Typing left handed

After about 25 years of delivering leaflets , it's finally happened today - I got bitten by a dog.(well, I didn't actually see or hear it - so it could have been anything).

So I'll use a stick from now on.

I have to say, Basildon A and E were very quick and pleasant.

Has this happened to any other Lib Dem Bloggers?

Where are you George?

I'm never complacent at election time but things are going moderately well. Latest local news is on our onlinefocus .

However, we've hit one snag. When we told one of our new candidates that she could have anyone as her counting agent, she chose George Clooney. Not something easy to arrange at short notice.

Besides, he's probably already a counting agent in one of the more high-profile places, like Islington.

"there is reportedly nothing he can do to prevent his existence from slowly marching toward its inevitable conclusion."

Well, another year , another election address - and another photo of me which will be the standard one for the next 12 months or so and is now in my blogger profile. So out goes the one that was allegedly "Cameronesque" (presumably David Cameron, not Doctor Cameron) and in comes a photo that ,well, makes me look more like 50 than 40.

Well, I am 47. And then I depressed myself slightly by finding this...

Every Agent's Nightmare

To quote from tonight's Southend Evening Echo :

THE Labour Party has been left without election candidates in five Southend Council wards after a freak theft.

Nomination papers for next month's elections were stolen from the back seat of a car minutes before they were to be submitted.

One of the wards the party is now unable to contest is Prittlewell, where Ian Gilbert had been selected to challenge council leader Anna Waite.

Mr Gilbert, 27, who was Labour's youngest candidate, said: "I was looking forward to fighting on local issues in an important election."

The papers were stolen from the back seat of a car belonging to Southend West constituency secretary Ron Kennedy, who had stopped in Tintern Avenue, Westcliff, to get signatures from two party members before handing the forms in at the Civic Centre.

You have to feel very sorry for the people involved , but clearly Labour were leaving things until the last minute. Here in Rayleigh our (excellent) agent Ron took our six papers in last Thursday. One paper was rejected because of a query over one letter of a polling number. But Ron had given himself plenty of time to sort it out...

The result in Prittlewell last time was:
Conservative 1303
Lib Dems 926
Labour 338
Greens 279

Those Other Lords

Inquiries into the so-called "Loans for Lordships" scandal dramatically widened today when two further Lords were interviewed by the Metropolitan Police.

One of them , Labour peer Lord Voldemort of Little Hangleton, has aroused suspicion because the precise circumstances of his elevation from plain Thomas Riddle to Lord Voldemort are somewhat obscure even to most political journalists.

In a rare public statement, Voldemort said "There's nothing wrong with me giving financial help to Labour, they are the party most in line with my own beliefs. They want an aspirational country, and I'm pretty aspirational myself. Restricting civil liberties, new powers to arrest people, taking control of people's identities, all seems fine stuff to me. Mind you, some of Blair's men do frighten me a little - I wouldn't like to have that Clarke opposing me, but I don't suppose we are likely to disagree on very much.

I'm not saying there aren't interesting figures in other parties. That Menzies Campbell - with a name like that, I'm sure he's a pure-blood. And his comment at PMQs about the vacancies for school headships, well he's pretty spot on there..."


Another peer, disgraced and reclusive landowner Lord Sauron , would only say a few words, indicating that, whoever he had supported in the past, he was now disillusioned about Labour. "When I think about how much I trusted that man... 'You must invade Gondor' he said, 'They have weapons of mass destruction... '. I swear, I'd go over to the BNP, only they are prejudiced against my orcs..."