With the news that the BNP have gained a Council byelection it is important not to hype them. They have around 50 councillors out of 8,000 - about half the number of the Green Party. Often their councillors are very low calibre. Often they realise they were politically naive and leave the Party.
But in other respects it is a source of dismay that a political party so widely exposed not only for its association with racism Neo-Nazism and violence should have gained elected office at all. They have benefited (as Hitler did) from Proportional Representation which has meant the London Assembly is tarnished by the inclusion a BNP representative as one of their members. In Stoke-on-Trent and Barking and Dagenham there are fears they might gain power.
A great opportunity comes to them exploiting grievances over social housing. The system means that housing allocation is politicised rather than left to the market so resentment is easy to foster. Labour Councils that practice political correctness and positive discrimination offer potential for the BNP to exploit. They often do well in areas where the Conservatives are weak. By offering decent, robust, common sense, colour blind opposition to Labour's PC approach we can help defeat the BNP.
