Reaching new readers is the key

I have just seen a contact sheet of photographs from the Trafalgar Club Dinner and they look stunning. I had originally left half a page in Freedom for this annual event, but this morning I shall try to 'jig' reports around to give it extra space so that more photographs can be included.

This black tie dinner shows the BNP in its true light and makes a nonsense of the media's 'knuckledragging skinhead' smears. When such events are reported in Freedom with a host of positive images of the membership of the British National Party, it makes the newspaper a particularly powerful propaganda tool. When people see a copy of Freedom for the first time it immediately blows away the media's distorted view of us. I know, because over the years I have received hundreds of emails from first-time readers that say exactly that. And that is why it is so important for BNP branches and groups, and individuals who have their own door-to-door rounds, to keep pushing to get the newspaper into the hands of people who haven't seen it before.

Of course, selling Freedom at branch meetings to our members is as important as servicing existing door-to-door rounds to keep our supporters and voters up-to-date with what is happening and what we think. This also provides a vital stream of income. But getting Freedom out to a new readership is the priority, to spread our message even further so as to bring on board a whole new raft of members. And this is happening. In November's issue there are a host of reports of Freedom sales stalls being set up in town centres up and down the country and a roaring trade being done.

Talking of making space in Freedom for reports, I am leaving some for what I hope will be a positive result from the Royal Courts of Justice with regard to the Rosegrove with Lowerhouse Ward election last May. You may remember that our excellent candidate John Rowe, won the contest by two votes before two previously rejected ballots were added to the Labour vote to make it a tie. Labour then won the seat on the drawing of straws.

John and his fellow councillors in Burnley were outraged by the decision and took their case to the High Court where it was agreed that another count should take place and the rejected ballot papers be re-scrutinised. That re-count took place over FOUR weeks ago and there still has to be a decision on it. Maybe it will come today.

First job for me this morning after posting this blog, is Freedom's Letter's Page. There's room for just 6 to 8 letters, yet there are over twenty that have been put on the short list for publication. Unfortunately for me, some of the best letters are hand-written and sent in by snail mail which means that they have to be re-typed if they are to be included. In an ideal world they should all be emailed letters which I could 'cut, paste & edit' in a matter of minutes, but sadly life is not that easy. The sort of letter I particularly like tends to come from Freedom's older readers who are not computer literate which gives me extra work. Still if it's a good letter the effort is worth it.

And finally, I am always delighted when our opponents end up with egg on their faces. In Kendal in Cumbria, the Westmoreland Gazette tried to do a hatchet job on the BNP after a papersale was held in the town. Together with a front page story and editorial attacking the Party, there was a cartoon about a man having to pull out his own teeth because the BNP had stopped all the Spanish and Polish dentists entering Britain. But the 'joke' misfired and only went to stimulate a debate on why this country wasn't training its own dentists instead of having to recruit them from abroad. Sometimes the anti-BNP brigade can be too clever for their own good.