This Thursday gave an interesting insight into the question as to where BNP voters come from? Labour made two gains in two co-terminous by-elections in Hatfield Central, one for the Borough Council and one for the Town Council. The list of parties was identical - but the BNP only stood for the Borough Council, not the Town Council.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2008/may/28/labour.thefarright?gusrc=rss&feed=society

Dark clouds swirl around the future of tlhe labour party. Hounded in the media and by a hostile public, now we are being held responsible for the rise of the far right in a former stronghold. The implication from the article is clear, our lack of ability to work within a local community has sowed the seeds of fascism. We have become alienated from our origins and that Stoke is symptomatic of the crisis which is engulfing us nationally.

The piece below also appears on the Guardian's Comment is Free section

Patrick Barkham's report in today’s Guardian on the support for the far-right in Stoke-on-Trent well illustrates the need for Labour to strengthen its appeal to the white working-classes as well as to middle England. The increase in levels of support for the BNP raises all sorts of questions about how progressive politics deals with the rise of the far-right in Britain. Gordon Brown has argued that we need to do whatever we can to tackle xenophobia and racial hatred from wherever it surfaces. He is right, of course, but the key question is how is this best achieved?

One way to begin is to stop simply talking about the symptoms of dissatisfaction and address some of the underlying causes that have resulted in an increasing number of traditional Labour supporters taking refuge in the policies of the far-right. For example one reason for the growing support for the BNP has been its ability to respond to and exploit genuine local grievances. As Patrick Barkham’s piece makes clear, the BNP is often successful in so called 'forgotten' white areas, areas where many traditional Labour supporters frequently say that they feel alienated from modern political discourse and have long been of the view that no one in the Labour party is listening to them let alone concerned about them. The BNP often finds support in a context of significant social problems: high unemployment, deprivation, lack of educational achievement, high crime rates, drugs, and people of different ethnic backgrounds living apparently separate lives which encourages the growth of myths and rumour.

The BNP tactic is to use this information to focus on people who traditionally have voted Labour and in many cases feel neglected by this government. Many of these people feel that they have only two places they can go. One is not to vote, the other is to vote for the far-right. I think it is true to argue that all too often there is a lack of what might be described as a 'safe space' for ordinary working people to air their feelings - they often struggle to find the language to say what they want without being thought of or even accused of being a racist. In cities like Stoke-on-Trent the BNP is developing a network of supporters who are now openly willing to admit to not only voting for a racist and bigoted political party, but are doing so with pride and patriotic fervour.

If Labour is to stage a credible fight back then it must not only focus on the needs of the middle classes. Gordon Brown would send out a powerful message to his party’s core supporters if he were to personally throw his weight behind a call for a new ‘coalition of the willing’ that will help to blunt the advance of the far-right in this country by addressing some of the genuine concerns of white working-class voters whilst at the same time openly challenging those concerns that have no factual or legitimate basis. Brown should back calls for the creation of a multi-racial, multi-faith and cross-party movement that can help unite and lead the great majority of people in Britain who feel repulsed by the rhetoric and actions of the likes of the BNP.

Gordon Brown should explain that the reasons for Labour openly taking on the bigots and the bullies of the far-right are not purely tactical and strategic. He should make it clear that the values that underpin the Labour movement demand that it be done.

Worrying signs of support for a far right councillor as Stoke City Council divides up its committee chairs for the next year.

In the general sadness and shock at Ken losing the Mayorality (and Boris winning) comrades may have missed a couple of things. First of all there were swings TO Labour in several places and we won an extra GLA constituency (Brent and Harrow, Navin Shah).

The BNP were out in force as they attempted to intimidate a local paper, Archant's Barking & Dagenham Recorder, into giving them a better press in the London elections.

Read a welcome account in “Inside Housing” about research by the “Equality & Human Rights Commission” into the British housing allocations system.

Unlike the nonsense and “Big lies” pedalled by the BNP, the commission reported categorically that there was “no evidence in the research of any abuse of the system including “queue jumping” to the significant detriment of any group including white families”.

The reality is that “new migrants made up less than 2 per cent of the total number of people in social housing throughout the UK. Around 90 per cent of those living in social housing are born in the UK”.

There is still of course the problem that the perception of “queue jumping” and unfairness still exists. This report will help tackle this mis-perception, although I doubt it has been widely covered in “The Sun” or the “Daily Mail”?

For decades we have also had a corrosive policy of allowing Council homes to be sold under the “right to buy” without these rented homes being replaced. This has led to not only rapidly changing communities but scarcity and perceived competition between communities for homes and shelter.

Thankfully we are now planning to build new homes in London (Ken willing).

The Pensioners Party website is urging its supporters in Stoke-on-Trent to vote for certain candidates. What the site does NOT tell you is which party the candidates it is endorsing are standing for. Imagine the surprise some of its supporters will have when it becomes evident that the Pensioners Party are giving their backing to several BNP candidates.

The British National Party have been permitted to advertise in newspapers run by the Archant group, whose titles include the Camden and Islington Gazettes and the Ham&High but also include 20 plus papers across North and East London.

The BNP are fiedling a record 10 candidates in St Helens for the locals.  They have only previously put up one or two candidates.  I am sure that this concerns us all as St Helens could be taken back into Labour control this time.  We are leafleting on the 12 and 13.  Please contact me on JWis221300@aol.com.  If you can help.

With Regards

John Wiseman
TULO and Executive Member
St Helens South and Whiston CLP

Back from an Easter visit to home in North Wales to find out that the BNP held the seat in the Havering Council by-election on Thursday in Gooshays. A disappointing result of course. Despite Labour coming 2nd and increasing its share of the vote at the expense of the Tories (and the turnout only being a miserly 22%).

However, there is no way that this overwhelmingly white working class ward should be represented by one BNP and two Tories! We all need to try harder! I think there is more to it than just racism and Labour unpopularity.

Gooshays is not a “sink estate” but to all appearances, a well run and looked after, traditional outer London Council estate. Most of the properties I guess, have now been sold under “The Right to Buy”. I don’t think (this was on a Sunday I visited) that I have ever seen so many “white vans” parked outside homes with adverts on their sides for their self employed owners. This made me think.

Yesterday morning there was a TULO day of action across London in support of Labour Party candidates in the forthcoming Assembly and the Mayor elections. In our London Assembly constituency, City & East, trade unionists were asked to go and help out with canvassing and leafleting in the Gooshays council by-election in Havering, East London.

Out of the 7 of us in our canvass team, 4 were called “John” (including John Biggs the City & East GLA assembly member)– is this some sort of record? Also, in our team was Gloria Hanson, UNISON London convenor and the candiate herself, Eve Cornell.

This is an intriguing by-election. There was a BNP and two Tory Councillors in the ward. The useless BNP Councillor has just given up and resigned after only 2 years. No doubt there is some sort of court appearance pending. At the last election there was a “dead heat” between Eve (who is standing again) and a Tory. The returning officer had to toss a coin to decide the result. Unfortunately (for the residents of Goodshays) Eve lost the toss.

On Sunday 9 March 2008 there will be a London wide day of action organised by TULO in support of Labour Mayor, Ken Livingstone and all our London Assembly candidates.

In the City & East GLA constituency on 9 March we are planning to support our neighbours in Havering by campaigning in the Goodshays by-Election. The ward BNP councillor has resigned. At the 2006 council election, Gooshays Ward was highly marginal between Labour, the Tories and the BNP candidate. Yve Cornell, the Labour candidate, was beaten by the narrowest possible margin, on the flip of a coin. The by-election on 20 March gives us an opportunity to win back a seat on the council and kick the BNP out of Havering. Not only that but we can firm up the GLA Labour vote for Ken and the other Labour wide candidates.

On Wednesday Ken Livingstone ended a powerful speech to Labour trade unionists by speculating whether the “Standard” (aka the “Evening Boris”) would ever print any of the truth about Ken and the Labour Assembly members during the current campaign.

Of course everyone laughed at the prospect of the “Standard” accurately reporting the significant reduction in crime in London.

The event was organised by TULO and held in the historic old Town Hall in Stratford, East London.

On Thursday I went to a Searchlight meeting at the House of Commons, held on “Beating the BNP in London”. Frank Dobson MP chaired, speakers included Jon Cruddas MP, Megan Dobney (SETUC) and Nick Lowles (Searchlight). As you would expect there was a good attendance and range of people present.

Afterwards I went to a West Ham Labour Party Campaign meeting, where we had invited our “City & East” London Assembly member John Biggs, to talk to us about campaign issues. The BNP came up as well since Barking and Dagenham is also in “City & East” constituency (City of London, Tower Hamlets and Newham).