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news
1st May 2006
The BNP can be stopped
by Mohammed Azam, Unite Against Fascism
Unite Against Fascism is urging people to use their vote to stop the fascist British National Party (BNP) in the local elections on 4 May. The BNP are attempting to make their biggest local election breakthrough ever. Concerns are mounting about the level of votes the BNP could receive, fielding a record 365 candidates — 31 more than in the 2004 local elections — hoping to significantly add to their current 20 councillors.
The BNP are standing 105 candidates in Yorkshire and Humberside, 88 in the West Midlands, 51 in the North West, 43 in the North East, 37 in London, 22 in the Eastern region, 15 in the South East, three in the East Midlands and one in the South West.
There are also concerns about racist attacks increasing in the areas the BNP is targeting, after the BNP’s decision to stand in Huyton, Knowsley, where black teenager Anthony Walker was murdered. Latest Home office figures show a 12 per cent increase in racist attacks nationally.
Recently there have been concerns that media reports exaggerated the BNP’s support and led to an increase in those saying they would be willing to vote BNP. A YouGov poll put BNP support at seven per cent, compared to zero per cent earlier this year and a poll in the Sunday Mirror on 23 April put BNP support at 45.5 per cent in Barking and Dagenham.
In addition to reports that eight in ten white working class families in the east London Borough could vote BNP, there were others claiming one in four Londoners ‘might vote’ BNP, compared to one in five elsewhere in England and one in six across the whole of Britain according to The BNP: the roots of its appeal, published by the Democratic Audit. Alarmingly, some language has served to legitimise support for the BNP, talking about ‘legitimate concerns’ or ‘grievances’ of the white working class in relation to housing, education and the NHS.
Challenging racism
Problems in these sectors affect all working class people — not just white people. Such language legitimises scape-goating the ethnic minority population and asylum seekers and panders to the BNP’s agenda. Instead, politicians, the media and all democrats opposed to the BNP must openly challenge their racism and expose them. Past experience shows that ignoring the BNP and brushing the threat under the carpet benefits the fascists.
However in challenging the BNP we must be accurate about the level of their support. ‘Talking up’ the BNP’s support is dangerous, as recent opinion polls seem to indicate.
The only way to accurately measure BNP support is to look at their vote, and the trends, over the last few years. An assessment of the 2005 general election shows that the BNP vote is higher in Yorkshire and Humberside, the West Midlands and the North West, than in London. The actual BNP vote in Yorkshire and Humberside is treble that of London, in the West Midlands it is more than double that of London, and in the North West it is 50 per cent higher.
A comparison between 2005 and 2001 shows that the biggest increase in the BNP vote was in Yorkshire & the Humber and the West Midlands.
In the 2004 European elections the BNP vote was again higher in Yorkshire and Humberside, the West Midlands, the North West and also in the East Midlands, than in London. A comparison between the BNP vote in 1999 and 2004 shows by far the biggest increase in the BNP vote in Yorkshire & the Humber.
These figures show that claims about BNP support being higher in London is a myth. Whilst Barking and Dagenham sees concentrated support for the BNP, this is not matched in any other London boroughs. London Mayor Ken Livingstone underlined this, pointing out ‘80 per cent of Londoners say diversity is what they most value’ and urging voters to use 4 May to ‘stop the BNP from poisoning our city’.
| The rise in BNP votes |
| General elections |
| 2001 |
47,129 |
| 2005 |
192,750 |
| London Assembly |
| 2000 |
47,670 |
| 2004 |
90,365 |
| European Parliament |
| 1999 |
12,161 |
| 2004 |
64,877 |
The figures clearly show that if the BNP’s vote trend continues they could be on course to make a national breakthrough. However the BNP has not made a national breakthrough yet and we can stop it from happening — by learning lessons of campaigns that have comprehensively defeated the BNP in areas such as Oldham — where the BNP’s racist myths were challenged and exposed and their vote subsequently halved.
A crucial step towards halting the BNP’s advance will be mobilising the anti-BNP vote on 4 May — and challenging the BNP’s racist lies.
From Socialist Campaign Group News, May 2006
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