Canons Ward, Colin Auty & Lessons from the Past

I had a good chat with Black Country organiser Ken Griffiths, on Friday evening with regard to Thursday's Prince's End by-election. While naturally disappointed, he said the voting pattern wasn't that depressing with one usually solid BNP supporting estate just staying at home rather than switching votes to another party. The turnout overall was a shocking 18% but on this estate it was just half that, showing residents' general disillusionment with politics. Ken believes that trust in the BNP can be rebuilt and there was a meeting of key activists yesterday to discuss the strategy for the next round of elections in May.

This week the British National Party contests a by-election in the London Borough of Harrow where Howard Studley is our candidate. Now I can't remember the last time we fought an election there and neither can one of Howard's potential voters. Tom emailed me from the ward last week with the following:
"At last a pamphlet from the British National Party in my area announcing that a BNP candidate is standing in Canons Ward. For years I have waited for this happy day, each election leaving me more frustrated than ever. No candidate and therefore nobody for whom I could vote.
"At last a ray of sunshine on a storm-wracked horizon, a glimmer of hope where once was only ashes and dust.
"I congratulate you on the quality of the material delivered through my door. I only wish I had met the gentlemen performing this act and I would have invited them in for a drink! But, on a more sober note, is there really any hope that the British here will snap out of their television induced trance and their love affair with credit cards to see the light?
"I am overjoyed, as you probably have already gathered by the tone of this email! Keep up the good work!"

The details of this by-election are:
Harrow Council
Canons Ward
Thursday 13th December 2007
Hussain Akhtar (Con)
Marcello Borgese (Ind)
Anne Diamond (Lib-Dem)
Richard Harrod (Lab)
Howard Studley (BNP)

I was gutted yesterday to miss Colin Auty's appearance in Maryport. I am feeling better but I was so fearful of a relapse that I decided it was more prudent to stay in doors. We were represented by Tina's mum and dad and they said it was a brilliant afternoon with the pub so packed that they could hardly see Colin. Allerdale BNP organiser Paul Stafford, said it was a great success with a 100% local audience loving Colin's set and pledging their support for the BNP. To console myself I spent the afternoon on the Great White Records website, playing Colin's new Christmas recording over and over again. It's a gem and if it gets enough exposure should be a huge Christmas hit.

As I said, I am feeling a little better now and this has been further helped by just two calls for my resignation in this morning's mail over my ill-thought out remarks in last Wednesday's posting. I'm hoping I might have weathered the storm. One of these gentlemen called me a "left-wing socialist" which made me smile and I was tempted to forward the email to Nick Griffin who I know would have appreciated the irony. Many years ago when Nick and I had a political falling out he accused me of being "just a right-wing Tory". How times change and it might be worthwhile at this time to think back on that episode.

It was in May 1986 when the leading nationalist political party of the time was riven by a split which led to its destruction within a year and exiled British Nationalism to the political wilderness for the next 15 years. It was a bitter and hard lesson that Nick and I both learnt then and one that we will never forget . . . UNITED WE STAND, DIVIDED WE FALL. In our politics we have to work together, with everyone on our side, those who don't are stabbing ALL their colleagues in the back!