Sunday 14 June 2009

Paying tribute to a worthy opponent


EVERY morning I work out on my cross-trainer and rowing machine. When you are 58 and the years come and go with increasing speed, trying to keep fit is important. I love ski-ing and if you are not fit you can't do it or risk serious injury, so that's my incentive each morning.

While exercising I listen to the Today Programme during the week, Sounds of the Sixties on Saturday and then Sunday Worship 24 hours later.

This morning the service was from Blackburn Cathedral and I was pleased to hear a prayer being said for those who face persecution. Tagged on the end of quite a lengthy list of recipients, was "those who face persecution for their political beliefs."

Now that has to be the members of the British National Party, because no one else in Britain faces persecution for their political beliefs.

At last, after having our elected representatives attacked by a mob and our members persecuted in the workplace, the Christian Church is acknowledging that such actions are wrong and has offered a prayer on our behalf.

Sunday is a time for reflection and seven days ago I felt very different to how I feel today.

Last Sunday there was a ball of fear in the pit of my stomach. I felt like a boxer who has just given their all over 15 rounds and now sits on the stool in his corner waiting for the referee's verdict.

My heart felt we had done enough for a narrow victory, but my head said that our County council returns might not be quite good enough to secure a seat, especially in the North West.

The fear in my stomach was about what might happen afterwards. As a veteran Nationalist I know what comes after election results that don't meet expectations. It's something much worse than anything our opponents can throw at us.

That ball of fear was with me until the announcement that Andrew Brons had won in Yorkshire. Then it disappeared in an instant, and then Nick's election ensured that we could rightly claim our victory.

The glow of victory makes it easy to pay tribute to your opponents and I shall do so now.

When I talk of opponents, I don't mean the moronic UAF who tried to jump on the publicity bandwagon once the hard work was all over, just in an attempt to boost the membership of the Socialist Workers Party which runs it.

No I'm talking about our old 'friends' Gerry, Sonia and Nick from Searchlight who fought to us toe to toe for the full 15 rounds and were only beaten by the narrowest of margins.

In the intro to Joey Smith's Victory Song it says that the BNP victory was achieved:
" . . .despite the biggest media hate campaign ever witnessed in Britain".

Well, that hate campaign was down to Searchlight. Nick Lowles admits this in his Hate Not Hope blog.

It must have taken some doing to keep this campaign going for a full three weeks and although the expenses scandal no doubt helped because it made editors more susceptible to anti-BNP stories because of the hammering the three mainstream parties were receiving, it is still a feat worth acknowledging.

I see that Searchlight is now to start an investigation into why one million people voted for the British National Party.

Always willing to help a worthy opponent I would like to offer my contribution.

As an over-50 I would suggest that many people of my age group support the BNP because they feel uncomfortable with the demographic changes that have taken place in this country - they just prefer the way things were before large scale immigration.

I have just seen Andrew and the Good Reverend on the BBC's Big Question and they did very well indeed. Hostility from all quarters but they met it with sensible and polite answers which must have won the support of many uncommitted viewers.

6 comments:

Peter said...

I expect the "Searchlight investigation" will be an in house cover up. Despite one million people voting for us they will no doubt ignore the obvious answers and settle for the Labour protest vote instead.

Whats nice to see now is that our vote base is developing into something rock solid for the BNP. Despite the low turnout at the Euro we can take heart from our increased vote.

Watching the big question also, I agree that Andrew and the Reverand West did well. The audience were obviously selected to be hostile and as usual the brain dead UAF did not show up because debate is beyond them.

Martin its been a week now since the election. I enjoyed reading your brief account of that day. For me I was a bag of nerves all day. My nerves were not feeling any better when turning up at the separation count for my council in the evening, nine of our seals were missing of the ballot box's. None of this matters now as we have representation with a BNP MEP.

Lets enjoy the next few years and then the hard work starts all over again in making sure that Nick gets reelected. That's if he is not a Westminster MP by then of course.

Martin Wingfield said...

A comment from Jean Purdy who was our excellent candidate in Bury and also on the Euro-Election list alongside me. I'm very pleased to post here differing viewpoint as she is unable to do so.

"I cannot agree with your statement on admiring Searchlight’s campaign. In Greater Manchester at least they have been fully involved in the so-called “Hope not Hate” Campaign---more aptly called by us “Hate not Hope”.

On the Sunday before the election this group leafleted Radcliffe West. The leaflet had the usual smears, but the last bit stated that the BNP did not agree with income tax and there would therefore be no schools; hospitals or pensions.

I cannot admire any group that has not the courage to stand for election themselves, but uses the tool of fear by the most vulnerable members of our communities.
We were aware that they planned to come and had a 3rd by-election leaflet ready, but that last bit was a new smear---particularly to one who at elections pushes that I first became interested in the BNP because of the health policies and our care for the elderly and disadvantaged.

We tried to counteract this smear by running round all the old people’s bungalows and the local market with the election copy of “Freedom”.

Searchlight were also heavily involved with the feeding of lies, especially here, to “The Manchester Evening News”, including suggesting we would throw out of the country a whole raft of Sportsmen and women who were born in this country. On the evening before the election, the MEN announced that a vote for the BNP was a vote against Rio Ferdinand and numerous others. In the last couple of weeks of the campaign these names were increasingly shouted at our teams.

Then too were the sentiments “My father fought in WW2”---they might have done—as most fathers did (and my late husband too), but Searchlight /UAF’s political predecessors did not. I remember the groups marching down the road near my home, carrying their banners demanding that workers should not fight against their Soviet brothers or produce arms to fight the battle. They called it a “Toff’s War”.
Why do I remember the wording so well? I was 5 yrs old and just realising I could read these things---but for me “arms” were things that stuck out from shoulders and thought “Toffs “ were toffees and had to ask my father about it.
Their banners changed when Russia was invaded, then we must open a second front—though no way could we have done it at the time.
A campaign where the parties argue their own policies against another party’s is a well fought campaign. Searchlight and all the fellow left wing Fascists, know they cannot win via the ballot box and fight with violence and lies. Is this something we should really be stating publicly that we admire"

Martin Wingfield said...

In my defence, I never mention 'admire'.

I just 'acknowledge' which is very different.

alanorei said...

Re: "As a veteran Nationalist I know what comes after election results that don't meet expectations. It's something much worse that anything our opponents can throw at us."

Says it all, Martin.

Peter said...

Jean Purdy has got a point Martin. Searchlight are hardly worthy opponents. They are also not worth a tribute.

We can offer a handshake in response to what appears to be a fair battle but it is just an illusion with these "Searchlight scum"..Would they have been as sporting as you in their defeat, I think not. These individuals are not worthy of the comparison to a fifteen round bout.

This is round one as the next round is in five years time. I would not waste your breath on these traitors for they will not give you the time of the day should they "fix" the next round.

The Green Arrow said...

Sorry to disagree with you Martin but Gable an Lowles done nothing except spend tax payers money and pay others to do the work for them.

Paid journalists, paid activists, coaches paid for, free tickets for shows and for some "gifted" council houses.

Give me the kind of money they had to spend and I would have wiped the floor with them.

They were pathetic and their tactics beneath contempt.

Our people fight for what they believe in. Their people are mercenaries who are paid to fight to protect their masters positions.