Media bias raises a laugh at Maryport meeting

IT WAS the usual warm and friendly meeting in Maryport last night with 30 odd locals braving the rain and hail to hear an update on our campaign in Carlisle for the local elections.

Allerdale BNP organiser Paul Stafford, opened the meeting with a minute's silence for our lost comrade Nigel Williamson and at the end there was a collection of £150 for his widow Martine.

I spoke on the media's bias against the BNP and as if to make my point, our local News & Star newspaper had that very evening a full page on how wonderful the Rock against Racism concerts were going to be next month and an editorial about how beneficial the recent increase in the number of immigrants in Carlisle has been to the city. Thankfully most local people now treat such propaganda with the contempt it deserves.

While I spoke on the media's bias in general, I did focus on the local media as well recalling the coverage of last year's Allerdale Council's local election count by the Times & Star. It carried a running commentary as events unfolded and the blatant anti-BNP bias, which I recalled last night, raised a laugh or two amongst the audience it was so obvious.

Here are some snippets:

"11.30am: RESULT: - and a huge cheer from the hall - ELLENBOROUGH - Janice Wood (L) 635; Martin Wood (L) 580; Martin Wingfield (BNP) 342. That's one of the four BNP candidates out of the running.

12.26pm RESULT: WIGTON - John Armstrong (I) 756, Alan Hortin 518, John Crouch (L) 650, George Scott (I) 821, Paul Stafford (BNP) 347. Armstrong, Crouch and Scott elected. That's two down for the BNP - the party had high hopes of capturing a seat there but they were given a hiding.

12.55pm "Wonderful news - obviously Jim's (the Labour leader of Allerdale Council) electorate didn't feel he was doing quite the 'perfect' job which he himself did. Jim gone, one Wingfield gone (that was me) - it's only lunchtime and I feel like cracking open the wine!"

2.36pm RESULT: EWANRIGG - Tina Wingfield (BNP) 276, Carl John Holding (L) 610, Carni McCarron-Holmes (L) 572. Holding and McCarron-Holmes elected. It's not a good day for the BNP - they've failed to capture any seats so far and they've just one candidate left.

It's all over for the BNP, who have left the centre. Four candidates fielded - no winners."

Neither Labour, the Tories or the Liberal Democrats were reported on in such a manner during this blow by blow account of the results. And in their summing up the newspaper said that the big losers of the elections were the BNP even though we had polled our best votes ever in Allerdale. Yet Labour, who had been annihilated and humiliated in that election, weren't deemed to have 'lost' as badly as the BNP.

This wasn't just biased journalism, it was bad journalism and that newspaper and its editorial team should hang their heads in shame.

Following on from yesterday's report that Rock Against Racism was targeting inmates on remand at Brixton to get them to vote for any political party other than the BNP, now we have Operation Black Vote urging immigrant groups to register to vote against the BNP.

"OBV (Operation Black Vote) have made a call for every black citizen who is eligible to vote to register before April 16th, and exercise this right at the London elections on May 1st.

"Every Black person eligible to vote must exercise that right as the threat of the British National Party gaining a significant foothold in the London election son May 1st is very real, the UK's leading national black policy research and networking organisation warn.

"Black populations of England and Wales are more concentrated in London than any other part of the UK, so representation in this city is critical to health, well being and future prosperity of these communities.

"There are concerns that many of the pressing issues effecting black Londoner's such as: the increasing representation of African Caribbean patients in psychiatric care; deaths of patients in mental health units. The over representation of black people within prison settings despite having lower offending rates and the school exclusion rates of black children will continue to get worse unless black voters ensure they elect a London Mayor who is committed to address these injustices.

"OBV, estimate that if 50,000 more Black Londoners vote than in the last London elections along with other communities we can defeat the rise of the BNP."

There certainly seems as much belief amongst our opponents as amongst ourselves that we are going to do well in the elections five weeks today.

ELECTION LATEST:
Just had this in from Keith Thompson in Southend:
"I was with Len Heather yesterday with his nominations at the Basildon Civic Suite. He is fighting the full slate, that is 14 candidates for the full 14 wards that are up for election. Southend on Sea are likewise fighting the full slate of 17 wards."

That's excellent news from Keith and should give everyone a morale boost.

This afternoon will be a sombre occasion as we lay to rest Nigel Williamson. He was such a key part of the BNP revival here in Cumbria and his contribution will be sorely missed.