County council campaign launched in Maryport

Elections agent Steve Harris, with Tina who is standing in Maryport East

THERE was a very good Allerdale BNP meeting held in Maryport last night where Tina and I were adopted to contest the Cumbria County Council seats of Maryport East and Maryport West.

As in 2007, when Tina and I stood in the Allerdale Borough Council elections, Steve Harris will be our election agent and will be running both our campaigns in the town.

Two years ago I stood in Ellenborough ward and Tina stood in Ewanrigg ward and each of us polled 30% of the vote, which was quite an incredible performance considering Labour hadn't been challenged in the borough council seats for 12 years. Our results shocked the political establishment in Cumbria and even though the local newspapers tried to play down the significance of our votes, they had to admit that there was a groundswell of support for the BNP in Maryport.

In my acceptance speech last night I said:

"We lived and worked in the town for 5 years from our home on Curzon Street. Two of our children were educated at the excellent Camp Road school and our youngest had two very happy years at the Stepping Stones nursery on Wood Street. We made, and still have, many friends in the town.
"We moved up from Worthing in Sussex to live in Maryport. We chose to come and live in this town, to bring up our family in this town, which shows just how much we valued Maryport and the way of life it had to offer."

Back in 2005, when the county council elections were last contested, the result in Maryport East was an easy victory for Labour candidate Keith Little, with 2044 votes over his sole Conservative opposition Derick Pattinson, with 421 votes. On that result it looks as though Tina has a mountain to climb, but the votes in 2007 put a completely different slant on things.

Maryport East is made up of both the Ellenborough and Ewanrigg wards so the results from 2007 show that Labour has 1200 votes against the BNP's 618 - a majority of under 600 votes.

Now just before Christmas the BNP contested another county council seat in Kells in Whitehaven and cut a Labour majority of 1010 votes to just 16! If we can do it in Kells, we can certainly do something similar in Maryport, so there's everything to play for in this ward.

In Maryport West, where I am standing, last time around Labour's Bill Cameron polled 1706 votes against Conservative Neville Lishman, who polled 615 votes.

This ward includes the Allerdale wards of Flimby and Netherhall where Labour was unchallenged in 2007. Well, they are going to be challenged this time around and leafleting is already taking place in Flimby and in Netherhall.

Two years ago there was a real buzz about our campaign in Maryport. Local people rallied around and we had teams of leafleters out working for most of the four weeks of the campaign. We put out four different leaflets and it was only the Labour Party's well organised system for getting out its postal vote support that secured the victory. This time around we have started our campaign much earlier and hopefully we will be able to close the gap on Labour even further on June 4th.

Standing up to the bullies

THIS is the front page of the March issue of Freedom which is out today. I make no apologies for including the photograph from our papersale in Exeter for the second month running. It's a cracking image that not only shows our support for British jobs for British workers but is also a great advertisement for the British National Party at the same time. The front page report, which continues on page two, explains why protectionism is the only way to safeguard the economy and secure financial stability.

Our opponents were up to their dirty tricks at the weekend using bully boy tactics to threaten venues hosting BNP events. If this was Zimbabwe and it was Robert Mugabe using such methods to try to silence an opposition party, the media would be up in arms crying 'foul'. As it is us, the Bristol Evening Post just talks about as our opponents as "good-natured protestors".

It is enough to make you want to spit! These people are in fact acting like the very nazis they claim us to be - denying freedom of speech and assembly to those whose political views they don't agree with.

But I'm glad to report that we are standing up to this sort of bullying, and the mis-reporting of the BNP by our opponents in the media.

Former police inspector Michael Barnbrook, who was our excellent candidate in Bexley in January and was just pipped by 8 votes from winning a safe Tory seat, is taking on a lying Labour former councillor. Here is a press release I received this morning.

"Michael Barnbrook, Bexley Branch, today made an allegation to the Kent Constabulary Racial Incident unit of a race hate crime.
The allegation relates to an article by Jerome Taylor in The Independent newspaper published on Saturday 21st February, 2009, reporting the victory of the British National Party in the Sevenoaks District, Swanley Council By Election on Thursday 19th February, 2009.
The article quotes a Labour activist by the name of Lesley Dyball claiming that British National Supporters chanted "blacks out" after the result was declared at Swanley Town Hall.
Michael was a polling agent at Swanley Civic Centre, where the count took place, between 7.30am and 11. 30pm. He was in the Civic Centre during and after the result had been announced and is emphatic that no such incident took place.
There were three police officers on duty at the count, including an Inspector, a Sergeant and a Constable, who, if such an incident did take place , would surely have reported the incident and made arrests.
The Returning Officer actually thanked everyone at the count for the smooth manner in which it had been conducted.
Michael is alleging that the comments allegedly made by Lesley Dyball, if the article is correct, amount to an intention to stir up racial hatred, an offence under the Public Order Act, 1986. He is asking for a full investigation to take place into the allegations made in the newspaper article.
Michael is prepared to make a statement and attend court to give evidence, if necessary.
Michael is requesting that all members present at the count contact the Kent Constabulary Racial Incident Reporting Line on 0800 138 1624 to complain about the newspaper article and request an investigation."

Great stuff - showing that we won't be bullied or lied about.

And on a similar theme I am delighted to report a couple of responses to the shocking anti-BNP diatribe printed in the Cumbrian News and Star just two days before polling took place in a couple of Carlisle by-elections where our candidates were standing.

My colleague John Bean wrote to the editor:

"It is not the BNP that I find 'revolting' but the crypto-Marxist Neil Hodgkinson who makes a habit of interfering in the electoral procedure by smearing the BNP, but never the Labour, Tory or Lib-Dem parties.
He writes of the BNP, "The party refuses to give respect to the millions who lost their lives fighting the Nazis..."
As a senior member of the BNP I certainly have no love for the Nazis. My family and I were bombed out in 1940 in the London blitz (two of us had superficial wounds) and my father then sent us to live in Ambleside, where I attended Kelsick Grammar School - together with 400 girls evacuated from Newcastle.
In March 1945 I was accepted for RAF Aircrew Reserve, but not old enough to see action.
So please Mr Hodgkinson do not infer that I would not give respect to those who lost their lives fighting the Nazis."

Another response to the smear came from Iris Chalenor and Ian Walsh. They wrote to the Press Complaints Commission.

Interference in Democracy - Cumbrian News & Star.
We wish to register a complaint against the News & Star of Cumbrian Newspapers, Dalston Road, Carlisle, CA2 5UA.
Please find enclosed a printout from their website.
Some of the comments are just terminological inexactitudes, the most diabolical being "The party refuses to give respect to the millions who lost their lives fighting the Nazis…". In actual fact Nick Griffin requested members and supporters to assist in the British Legion Poppy Appeal and purchase and wear a poppy. Many veterans of the Second World War are proud members of the British National Party.
Other comments are derogatory to the many citizens of Cumbria who chose to support and vote for the British National Party.
Such an article only a few days before two important by-elections in the city can only be designed to affect the result of the elections.
Will you please take our complaint forward.

Great responses again showing that we won't be bullied by the opposition and their agents in the media.

When am I going to learn?

Bitterly disappointed this morning.

Bitterly disappointed with myself for breaking, for the umpteenth time, the number one commandment of electioneering . . . .

Thou shalt not be over optimistic about your election prospects.

When am I going to learn? Since 1976, and the Walsall North by-election, I have been getting over optimistic about election results - committing the cardinal sin of nationalist politics - believing that the impossible can be achieved, when I should be happy with just achieving the improbable. I had thought that in recent years I had conquered this shortcoming in my character, but obviously that isn't the case.

Last night in this office when the result of the Carlisle Castle ward by-election came through on the Vote-2007 website I should have been punching the air and dancing around shouting: "YES! - 20% in a ward we have never fought before. We are on course for a seat in the European Parliament." Instead I felt a little deflated, having hoped to poll even better and take second place off Labour.

And I should have been just as happy when the Belah result came through. Doubling our vote from two years ago and polling 10% in a ward that is true blue Tory. But then again here I was hoping for 12%, so still wasn't satisfied.

My sin was compounded furthermore by the announcement of my over-optimistic expectations on this website burdening nearly 2,000 other people with the same unrealistic hope for the Castle ward election.

I fully deserve the ridicule that appears on the pages of various political forums this morning as our opponents snigger: "The BNP believed their own hype over Castle ward", although in fairness it wasn't all our own hype but that of The Independent newspaper as well. This in itself is an interesting point and is a story for another blog. At the back of my mind I have the feeling that it might signify a change of tack by our opponents.

Well, that's my sackcloth and ashes bit over with. Will I learn from this mistake? Well, I haven't yet after 33 years, so please don't hold your breath.

The big picture for the European Elections is looking very good and I was able to snatch a few words with Nick Griffin yesterday morning while leafletting and he said that every aspect of our campaign is on target. Yesterday afternoon Tina spoke with Jean Griffin at fundraising and she reported that two huge mailbags of donation envelopes had just been delivered by Royal Mail. The new Euro-Election orientated BNP website should be launched next week and the website continues to attract record numbers of visitors.

It has been another excellent week for the British National Party - let's just hope Workington Reds can provide the icing on the cake with a victory at Gainsborough tomorrow afternoon.

Carlisle Update . . . 2.30pm

Half past two and just back from a good stint in Carlisle.

First thing this morning it was the delivery of our "good morning/it's a two horse race" leaflet to the confirmed BNP voters and to the possible BNP voters. Then, at ten o'clock, it was telling duty at the Silloth Street polling station.

My impression is that Alistair Barbour and Clive Jefferson have run an excellent campaign in Castle ward. It's meticulous in its planning and there is a full squad of campaigners in the city today to ensure that every last BNP voter gets to polls.

When I left, a team was just going out to hit the 200 postal voters who hadn't returned their ballot papers. Apparently if they take them to the polling station they will still be added to the count.

The Lib-Dems have cranked up their campaign over the last three days. A mail merge personal letter and a huge A3 Focus leaflet which was still being delivered this morning. Like ours it was saying that it's a two horse race and warning that the BNP was close on their coat tails. Now this is a change from an earlier leaflet of theirs which claims it was a two horse race between the Lib-Dems and Labour.

The BNP had tellers at all five polling station from 7.00am, the only other Party doing telling was the Lib-Dems but they weren't covering every one and were only doing selected times at the others.

We are by far the most organised party on polling day and I have no doubt that we will get ALL our voters out. Whether that will be enough to win remains to be seen, but I'm certain that the BNP vote will be over 20% and that we should take 2nd place from Labour.

I have just heard from Wayne McDermott, the East Midlands Elections officer and an expert elections number cruncher. He makes the valid point that in this current round of local council elections leading up to the Euro Elections we should be looking to secure another 50% of the vote over and above what we actually need at the Euro Poll. So in the North West we should be looking to gain a 12% vote share rather than 8% and in the West Midlands over 17% rather than 11.5%.

Freedom 103 went to the printers yesterday and work on issue No. 104 must start tomorrow. But this afternoon I have nearly 200 emails to respond to, so that's what I'm going to do now.

Early Start

Well, I've read the newspapers, answered some emails and had two cups of tea and it's still only ten past six.

I'm up at this time because I'm doing the early shift for polling day in Carlisle for the Castle and Belah ward by-elections. I'm picking up Allerdale organiser Paul Stafford, at half six and we are meeting Castle ward candidate Alistair Barbour at seven. I understand that our duties will be some 'telling' at a polling station and the delivery of a 'Good Morning' leaflet.

Elections are very exciting and at this time on polling day there is everything still to play for. In four by-elections today voters get their chance to pass judgement on the BNP message and it is a nervous time as we wait to see how our campaigns have been received.

It's very easy to become over-optimistic as to expectations. It happens to me at almost every election. But we must keep our feet on the ground and worry about only one aspect of the result - and that is vote share.

The important elections this year, the European Elections, are conducted under proportional representation which means that its not about getting the most votes, but about getting a certain share of the vote .

In the North West Euro-Constituency that share of the vote is 8%.

In the West Midlands Euro-Constituency it is 11.5%.

These are the important figures to have in mind when judging whether our four elections today have been a success or failure.

As regular as clockwork . . .

When polling day in any Cumbrian election approaches, and there are British National Party candidates standing, you can always rely on one thing.

An attack on the BNP by Cumbrian Newspapers.

It's as regular as clockwork and here's the one that appeared yesterday, timed for the two council by-elections in Castle and Belah wards on Thursday.

No room for racism

No other political party standing for election in Cumbria has to put up with this sort of press coverage just two days before polling day. It is a calculated attempt to interfere with the democratic process and it happens every time.

Please make your feelings known to Cumbrian newspapers, and the PCC, at this intrusion into local politics by the editor, Neil Hodgkinson, who is using the newspaper to promote his own personal political agenda.
(see Ref)

Contact Cumbrian newspapers
Newspaper House, Dalston Road, Carlisle, CA2 5UA Location map
Main switchboard: 01228 612600 - fax 01900 612601
Newsdesk: 01228 612665 - fax 01228 612640
3. By email,
Send a letter: letters@cumbrian-newspapers.co.uk
Newsdesk: news@cumbrian-newspapers.co.uk

Press Complaints Commission
Halton House
20/23 High Holborn
London
EC1N 2JD
Tel: 0207 831 0022

Ref: Just Google "Neil Hodgkinson and BNP" for further background.