Another political earthquake for London?

Of course the BNP’s Quiet Revolution (see www.bnp.org.uk/freedom) is the most significant overall aspect of progress made by the British National Party during 2007. But if I was asked to pinpoint one particular area of encouragement for the Party over the past 12 months, I would say it’s the rejuvenation of the BNP in London.

I must admit that before the 2004 London Assembly and European Elections, I had just about written our capital city off as a place where the BNP could make an impact, simply because White Britons were rapidly becoming the ethnic minority. But in those elections, traditional Londoners showed that they were still prepared to fight for their city and although it was Barking & Dagenham with 5,266 (14.7%) and Havering with 6.309 (9,5%) that led the way, in many borough’s across London, the BNP was polled a more than respectable 5% of the vote.

For the General Election in 2005 I spent a week in Barking helping Richard Barnbrook with his campaign. It was a strange experience with plenty of BNP support evident yet a highly visible ethnic minority population giving an impression that White people might be in the minority. The General Election results showed that some progress in the borough had been made with the votes for the two Parliamentary constituencies as follows.


BARKING
Margaret Hodge (Lab) 13,826
Keith Prince (Con) 4,943
Richard Barnbrook (BNP) 4,916
Toby Wickenden (Lib-Dem) 3,211
Terence Jones (UKIP) 803
Laurence Cleland (Green) 618
Demetrius Panton (Ind)530 votes (2%)
Michael Saxby (Comm) 59
BNP Percentage: 17%

DAGENHAM
Jonathan Cruddas (Lab) 15,446
Michael White (Con) 7,841 votes
James Kempton (Lib-Dem) 3,106
Lawrence Rustem (BNP) 2,870
Joseph Batten (UKIP) 1,578
BNP Percentage 9%

But it was that political earthquake in the following year’s local council elections in Barking and Dagenham that changed London’s political map for good. The results were so significant that it is worthwhile being reminded of them.

Alibon Ward
Robert Bailey(BNP) 1329
Clare Doncaster(BNP) 1323
John Davis (Lab) 1071
Terence Wade (Lab) 1018
David Miles (Lab) 957
Margaret Whitson (UKIP) 394
Lucy East (Con) 393

Eastbury Ward
Jeffrey Steed (BNP) 1102
James McDermott (Lab) 965
Patricia Northover (Lab) 944
Hardial Rai (Lab) 852
Patrick Manley (UKIP) 546
Dianne Challis (Lib-Dem) 523
Ashley McIlroy (UKIP) 455
Ryan Edwards (Lib-Dem) 451
Darren McIlroy (UKIP) 425
Geoff Sheridan (Green) 260
Claire Stepton (Lib-Dem) 131

Goresbrook Ward
Richard Barnbrook(BNP) 1434
Tracy Lansdown (BNP) 1357
Warren Northover (Lab) 1204
Edna Fergus (Lab) 1162
Jeff Porter (Lab) 1135
George Naylor (Con) 373
Terence Jones (UKIP) 367

Mayesbrook Ward
Robert Buckley (BNP) 1145
Christine Knight (BNP) 1070
Dorothy Hunt (Lab) 845
Vivian Patten (UKIP) 741
Kerry Smith (UKIP) 733
John Bolton (UKIP) 697
Dominic Twomey (Lab) 695
Ahmed Choudhury (Lab) 679
Christopher Newton (Con) 249


Parsloes Ward
Ronald Doncaster (BNP) 1120
Darren Tuffs (BNP) 1052
Herbert Collins (Lab) 1050
Frederick Jones (Lab) 1026
Catherine Osborn (Lab) 948
Peter Compobassi (UKIP) 423

Valence Ward
Sandra Doncaster (BNP) 1219
Lawrence Rustem (BNP) 1203
Donald Hemmett (Lab)1071
Dennis O'Brien (Lab) 1005
Bryan Osborn (Lab) 915
Angela Lambert (UKIP) 372
Maria Sentivani (Green) 360


Village Ward
Philip Waker (Lab) 1276
Lee Waker (Lab) 1269
James Jarvis (BNP) 1227
William Dale (Lab) 1209
James Webb (BNP) 1208
Kenneth Coombs (Con) 370
Frederick Tindling (Lib-Dem) 287
Leslie Parsons (UKIP) 272

It was a stunning performance achieved in the face of a disgraceful Labour/UKIP electoral pact whereby in the wards UKIP put up candidates against the BNP, Labour Party supporters delivered their leaflets.

The results gave hope to ‘White London’ and this year has seen real BNP growth in many London boroughs with people joining the British National Party in record numbers.

At the Annual Conference in Blackpool last month, Richard Barnbrook told a packed hall that London Mayor Ken Livingstone, was in a state of panic because Labour Party activists on the doorstep were reporting such support for the BNP that the Party seemed certain to win one and possibly two seats in the London Assembly. Livingstone was now desperately trying to change the funding rules within the Assembly to limit the finance that would be available to the BNP if it got representatives elected.

Yes, London is fighting back and next May’s London Assembly elections might well provide another political earthquake that will shake the Establishment to its foundations.