How well will the BNP do in May's elections?

In today's Times Tim Hames warns of "shock" BNP victories in May's elections.  He points to recent BNP successes in local by-elections and also the fact that the far-right party needs just 6% or so to win a seat on the Greater London Assembly.  The BNP scored just under 5% in the last round of GLA elections and the decline of UKIP - which has considerable voter overlap with the BNP - may lift them above that crucial threshold.

There are at least three important qualifications that need to be added to Tim Hames' important article:

1. The BNP, not unlike the LibDems, is very good at pouring activists into by-elections. BNP activists will travel hundreds of miles in the service of their cause.  It is much harder for the BNP to do well when elections are being fought all across the country.
2. The BNP promised a breakthrough in last year's local elections but gained just one seat (net).  They also promised 1,000 candidates and only fielded 700.  To put that one gain into context, the Greens gained 25 seats net last year.
3. On paper the possibility of the BNP winning a GLA seat in London looks likely but it might be avoided if the Boris V Johnson race produces a high turnout.  If Boris can energise voters across Zones 4 to 6 and Ken Livingstone motivates his rainbow coalition of supporters, turnout might be sufficiently high to prevent London electing a BNP Assembly Member.  We can only hope.

Tories have successfully beaten off BNP challenges - partly by stressing issues like the BNP's impact on house prices - but Charles Walker MP has set out a broader strategy in a paper for Cornerstone.

Comments

[Serf]

We pobably need BNP to do a little better, la Respect, so that they gain profile, indulge in infighting and split.

BNP may represent an unpleasant set of ideas, but their real importance is not that they might gain significant traction, but that they encourage the disgruntled to waste their vote rather than help get rid of this incompetent shower that rules us.

The two left parties love BNP, because it gives them an ogre under the bed to frighten voters with. Unfortunately for us, they reduce the credibility and electability of certain ideas, because they are branded "right wing".

As a Eurosceptic, I hate the fact that opponents don't need to create an argument, but can rather just smear my ideas. If the BNP are against it must be a good idea!

Controling immigration is something that we should all be able to agree is a good idea (the area forargument is surely what and how much). Yet the existence of the BNP has made this subject taboo.

[R.Baker.]

Did we have to make a link saying that there is an overlap between the BNP and UKIP voters?The reason I ask is because I find it to be a simple mistake that can cost us dearly,becauseevery fool knows well that the biggest overlap of all is between the Conservative and UKIP voters.

[David]

I've no time for the BNP's racism but the notion that any of the big three parties will stand up for Britain is laughable. That must be the fundamental appeal for someone voting BNP.

[Richard]

If you look at the areas where the BNP do well you will see that most of them are traditional Labour areas.

[UKIP Troll]

Unlike debt free UKIP the cash strapped BNP,many of whose activists are displaced Brits on benefits,are not fighting in every superconstituency.Whilst UKIP will have an electoral broadcast the BNP will not.

[john broughton]

Tim Hames is wrong.

From my considerable experience of talking to supporters of all parties, particularly on the door step, there is a much greater overlap of Labour and BNP voters.

Demonstrably where the BNP has done well (my latest personal evidence being the last Welsh Assembly elections) Labour has suffered.

There seems to be a different dynamic for UKIP supporters (and this is ignoring UKIP's internal stresses)in that a significant number were seduced towards the Conservatives in part by DC's promise to leave the EPP but more importantly the support for a referendum on the constitreaty
and in particular the promise in the Sun to hold that referendum even if the treaty is forced through parliament.

The BNP pose by far the biggest problem for Labour. Why else does anybody think we have had so many announcements on the immigration front?

[Tanuki]

Despite the way they are often described, with their philosophies of economic isolationism and heavy-handed statism, the BNP are fundamentally an extreme-left party, and we should be pointing this out at every possible opportunity.

A good analysis here: http://www.politicalcompass.org/extremeright

[ACT]

The needless (and as has been pointed out, inaccurate) smearing of UKIP was petty hackwork, almost worthy of Dave himself.

[Letters From A Tory]

It's hard to say with any certainty whether BNP voters are former Labour or Conservative supporters, as the issues that underpin BNP campaigns are often very localised.

I sincerely hope that the BNP get a good kicking in the elections, because even the slightest hint of a foothold in mainstream politics will doing a disproportionately large favour for the BNP.

[Tim Roll-Pickering]

The legal threshold for winning a seat on the London Assembly is 5% and was triggered in 2004 to block both the BNP and "RESPECT" from qualifying (and similarly in 2000 it hit the Christian People's Alliance). However once that threshold is passed the average percentage of votes needed for further seats drops further, but by how much is hard to say - votes wasted on parties not qualifying (about 12% last time)bring the percentage down, conversely if one of the main parties gets more seats from the constituencies than their list vote "qualifies" them for (an "overhang") then other parties will be trying to play catch-up first and this will push the percentage back up. (Unfortunately no-one seems willing to try decoy lists...) If the BNP did get near double their vote last time then they'd be looking at two seats.

I don't think we should underestimate the importance of the Assembly seat in the BNP calculations. As Tim Hames notes, they were only a few thousand votes short last time and it was probably only thanks to the good showing of UKIP (voting was the same day as the Euros) that they missed out. This time round UKIP will have a much lower profile whilst the BNP has been building strength. And the Assembly seat is worth a tonne of council seats. Hence many activists are being sent London's way.

As for the turnout, I have to say I'm dubious the rise will be sufficient to push the BNP total below 5%. The possibility of a BNP victory may, if anything, get left-wing voters disillusioned with Livingstone to turn out to try & stop the BNP and vote for him while they're there.

[UKIP Troll]

The Irish Independent today publish a guide to the Bertie Ahern 'Money Trail'

With so much Sterling being banked I would expect our own authorities will start to take an interest.
see www.independent.ie

[Tom FD]

Boris V Johnson? A one-horse race now is it? Heh heh.

[asquith]

The BNP will never get anywhere because they're pig-ignorant morons. They don't have the answers, and those who vote for them soon come to realise that when they get BNP councillors who are totally incompetent.

[michael mcgough]

The E.Standard are running a hustings tonight from which most of the candidates for Mayor are excluded save for one whose associates are under police investigation and is perceived as a bully and anti semite,a very boring gay ex copper and a very entertaining journalist perceived as a saviour by some and a buffoon by others (but labelled racist by his enemies).
Sparks are expected to fly as strict security is in place with participants having to prove ID.

[asquith]

Remember 4 years ago when everyone said they'd make a breakthrough in the Euro elections? That didn't happen. It's never going to happen. We can wipe them out if we keep kicking at them.

[Malcolm Dunn]

Where are the hustings Michael? Can people just turn up?
Thanks
Malcolm

[Christina Speight]

"Getting rid of this incompetent shower that rules us." is not enough. Many of us have given Cameron's leadership a chance but he has given us nothing to vote FOR.

To abstain is barely noticed and the reason for voting UKIP will be misinterpreted, so the BNP's role becomes more important. As David says at 9.32 "the notion that any of the big three parties will stand up for Britain is laughable"

Sure, they are an unpleasant crowd but it might just clear out all the toy-boys in CCHQ and give us a proper Tory party which we could embrace with enthusiasm. I don't think that many Tories on this list have realised how widespread the disillusion in the party with Cameron's leadership has spread.

[asquith]

"BNP councillors aren't good for house prices", you opine in your link.

Speaking as someone who can't yet afford a property, I rather like low house prices, if it's all the same to you!

I bet the Daily Hate Mail is really confused. They'd have a field day if it was asylum-seeking paedophiles lowering house prices, but it's the BNP!

[Gareth]

Christina Spite - what utter nonsense that you have ever given Cameron's leadership 'a chance'. From the day he was elected you assured us you would (a) never vote tory again and (b) it would all end in tears. Re: (a) so what and re: (b) you serve only to demonstrate your own foolishness by continuing to insist he is unpopular in the face of overwhelming evidence to the contrary.

The fact you've now finally thrown your lot in with the fascists hardly comes as a surprise. Better you stick with them than drag my party into that particular sewer.

[Christina Speight]

Gareth - How unpleasant and how untrue. I have not thrown in my lot with the BNP - I just understand why people WILL do so.

As for not giving Cameron a chance it was only yesterday I was writing on my lists "The reality is that we can only get out of the EU - or as I prefer to envisage it - so alter our relationship with the EU that it becomes a first step to breaking up the EU itself altogether via the Tory party. There is no other vehicle around.
There is fertile ground there - a majority of Tory MPs do not want to leave the EU but they do want to pull back to a relationship which is quite different. Devise some way of influencing and reinforcing that. "

There are superb MPs in the party but a desperately poor leadership.

It's a pity that Gareth can only be personal (and inaccurate) and not answer the points I made.

But twas ever so!

[Editor]

Let's avoid personal attacks on each other please. My finger is hovvering over the delete button!

[Sean Fear]

On topic, I think the BNP will win two seats on the Assembly, for the reasons Hames outlines.

[David Bodden]

I would love the BNP to stand in Bethnal Green and Bow. It would most entertaining to see a fight between them and ‘Respect’. However, all it would do would be to split the Labour vote and thereby increase the evil bastards control over Tower Hamlets council.

[michael mcgough]

Malcolm,hustings are at Cadogan Hall but strictly ticket only as past events.I had to sign up as an Eros card member to secure an invitation.I expect the event may get a clip shown on the News but representative it ain't;a skewed audience and restricted panel.The E.Standard have been running a pro-Boris anti Ken campaign for months and push the greens as the fourth party to try and add bias to second choice votes.Fortunately it is such a poor value read these days that it lacks material influence

[NuContrick]

I would be interested to know what specific policies the BNP promote that bloggers disagree with. Any answers please (please avoid generalisations like "they are racist" etc as I am interested in the specifics)?

[passing leftie]

Well, let's see. In their own words is probably best.

Their constitution:
"The British National Party stands for the preservation of the national and ethnic character of the British people and is wholly opposed to any form of racial integration between British and non-European peoples. It is therefore committed to stemming and reversing the tide of non-white immigration …"

Nick Griffin:
"we affirm that non-Whites have no place here at all and will not rest until every last one has left our land.""

"Yes, Adolf went a bit too far. His legacy is the biggest problem that the British nationalist movement has to deal with. It just creates a bad image."

“I am well aware that the orthodox opinion is that 6 million Jews were gassed and cremated or turned into lamp shades. Orthodox opinion also once held that the earth is flat … I have reached the conclusion that the ‘extermination’ tale is a mixture of Allied wartime propaganda, extremely profitable lie and latter witch-hysteria.”

Mark Collett said:

"Churchill was a f***** c*** who led us into a pointless war with other whites [i.e. The Nazis] standing up for their race".

On Aids: "A friendly disease because blacks, drug users and gays have it."

John Tyndall, founder of the BNP said “Mein Kampf is my bible.”

Their other policies are almost entirely irrelevant; because of these views they are beyond the pale. They are a useless shower of incompetent, criminal racists who could run a bath, let alone a council. They want to introduce apartheid into Britain.

But if you are interested, they are broadly socially conservative, ostensibly Christian and protectionist. They are in favour of every policy in the "right wing" column of the previous CH post.

They are "pro-family", pro selective education, anti-EU, corporal and capital punishment and more imprisonment, a preference for the ownership of private property over state-owned property, removal of all foreign aid, cutting fuel tax and removing speed cameras, stopping asylum and immigration,

[Observer]

The BNP nationally are split with Scotland, Yorkshire and large parts of the East and West Midlands effectively a separate entity from the Griffin-led BNP. This follows some bizarre 'explusions' last December.

The Griffin loyalists in London need at least two victories in the Assembly elections to bolster his very shaky leadership facade and there are many BNP activists who seem unsure whether to help sustain him (by campaigning in London) or to help hasten his departure by campaigning as independant nationalists anywhere but London...

Those interested in the internal affairs of the BNP should read Searchlight, a blog called Enough is Enough Nick and (if you have a strong stomach) the official BNP website.

My guess - the BNP will succeed in London if mainstream parties campaign on issues that do not address the actual concerns of residents, even if those concerns aren't quite as 'pretty' as liberal minds would wish.

[Dontmakemelaugh]

Christina Speight is not a fascist, far from it. Most governments have some elements of fascism in their make up (including Labour), but overall you would not stigmatized them as being fascist. Christina Speight was merely trying to point out why people will vote BNP and it isn't because they regard themselves as fascists. The BNP in response to what it sees as threats to the culture and future of Britain has some policies more akin to Fascism, but I do not believe that its leaders regard themselves as the reincarnation of Hitler of Mussolini. The BNP could more accurately be described now as National Culturalist rather that racists. I am given to understand that the party does not believe in deporting lawfully settled ethnic immigrants nor, is it a Holocaust Denier.

Those that vote BNP do so imho because they disagree with the mainstream politicos policies on immigration. Its policy of removing Britain from the EU is regarded as a bonus. The Revenge for Thatcher/Culloden & Affiliated Polygamy Party led by Blair/Brown has overseen the biggest influx of immigrants ever, in all of our History, in the past 10 years. Cameron is in denial and is not interested in the large number of immigrants enter from the EU or through its backdoor. Indeed his Shadow Defence Minister, Liam Fox (a Eurosceptic?) wants Turkey, a land of 70,000,000 and of a different culture and religion, to join the EU. The Lib/Dims are complete basket cases. Some will not be voting for that - come what may and you can call the BNP fascists until you lungs collapse.

So that, imho, is why a significant minority (enough to damage Cameron's chances wont vote for him).

The Reverend Dr Peter Cullen recently wrote an article in the Telegraph deploring what the political parties have done to Britain and our heritage/culture during the past 40 years. You could, I suppose, describe him as being a fascist. But he wants to change what a motley collection of liars, charlatans, fraudsters and those that have just stood by and let Britain its institutions, education and religion/culture be trashed - from A to Z. Thank God for the armed forces, but they are working on it, slowly but surely castrating it. At this moment in time voting for Cameron and his alleged Tories is like the cynics description of a second marriage - a triumph of hope over experience.

But who knows perhaps in the long run Cameron will consult a good marriage guidance counselor and we will all be reunited. It will only be spoilt by the Left who will shout out, "Fascists" - but who cares?

[Gareth]

Christina certainly was advocating that people should vote BNP - on the grounds that (in her own words),

"... it might just clear out all the toy-boys in CCHQ and give us a proper Tory party which we could embrace with enthusiasm."

It's a matter for her how she justifies this. Personally, I could never countenance voting for fascist bully-boys. Other, it seems, take a different view.

[Malcolm Dunn]

Thanks Michael @12.56, a shame I won't be able to go then.I hope you enjoy it.

[Jack Stone]

The BNP are evil and no one should vote for them or encourage them to do so as MS Speight seems to be doing.
There are things in life bigger than party politics and one of those is fighting and opposing racism.Anyone who doesn`t should be condemned.
This site should be ashamed of itself. It continually talks down the Conservative Party`s chances but this editorial talks up the BNP`s chances of success.
Are the editors of the site in the same game Ms Speight wants to play?

[Sean Fear]

Yes, Jack. I suppose Tim Hames is a BNP stooge, as well.

[Yet Another Anon]

The BNP didn't make any progress in last years Local Elections, in past years they had made net gains from Labour, but not last year - in fact the BNP lost seats where they had them and gains they did make were outnumbered by losses.

A lot of time is wasted on talking about the BNP, although they struggle nationally to get even as much as a quarter of a million votes.

Are UKIP falling back, they have never done that well in Local Elections. In last years parliamentary by-election their vote was quite solid

As for BNP and UKIP support overlapping, actually the BNP mainly draw support from elements that would either vote Labour, not vote, or vote National Front. UKIP attracts those favouring economic liberalism.

Even where the BNP do get elected what happens is that they mostly either don't turn up, or if they do they don't understand what is going on and usually switch to sitting as an Independent or resigning. Nick Griffin their leader seems so far to be unable to get elected to anything, no matter how much of their resources they out into elections he is contensting.

[Christina Speight]

The 'head-in-the sand brigade' who fail to see the appeal of the BNP to decent - mainly working class - patriotic Englishmen who are fed to the back teeth with their country being sold out by the Blair-Brown axis and see no hope with Cameron who STILL won't say what he is prepared to do to fulfill his promise that if the EU Constitution is ratified "We will not let it rest there". Nobody knows where he stands on this defining moment in our existence as a nation.

As I said in the first place "Sure, they [BNP] are an unpleasant crowd" but people are desperate and several here on the blog - the usual suspects - flatly refuse to face facts. If they dislike the BNP, as they claim, what can they propose to pull the rug out from under the BNP's appeal?

[Malcolm Dunn]

'This site should be ashamed of itself.... this editorial talks up the BNP's chances of success'.-Jack Stone.
In addition to writing most of the more half witted posts to appear on Conservative Home,having spelling that would disgrace a seven year old you also appear to have trouble reading English Jack. Read the post again!

[Your so right]

"Facist Bully Boys" That sounds like a party who would impose MEPs and MPs on the membership of the party (activley discriminating against white hetrosexual males) to meet gender, sexulality and race quotas?

[Yet Another Anon]

John Tyndall, founder of the BNP said “Mein Kampf is my bible.”
He was of course happy to be photographed dressed in SS uniforms, he also left the National Front because he saw them as having become too mainstream under actually many of those who later left to takeover the BNP such as Nick Griffin.

John Tyndall founded Combat 18 as well, certainly the BNP became less extreme after his influence was reduced, more for PR purposes than anything else - Nick Griffin has introduced some campaign tactics more commonly used by the main Westminster parties.

[Dontmakemelaugh]

Fascist or not, I heard Griffin on BBC R5 last year and, much to the consternation of the BBC presenter, after the show the great majority of people phoning in agreed with his views. Which is all that Christina Speight is trying to point out.

Immigration into Britain, I believe is the number 1 concern - only the BNP, Ukip and English Democrats are addressing it in any meaningful way to the majority of the electorate

[Gareth]

Christina,

I entirely understand that you now want to backtrack from your earlier post but the sentiment you expressed was clear: you advocated voting BNP to deliver a bloody nose to Cameron.

You haven't been misrepresented by anyone. You've advanced an argument that, to many of us, is abhorrent. Whinge away but your words were clear.

[Christina Speight]

Gareth

Please stop putting words in my mouth - and I wouldn't reacted like I did to nasty original post if you hadn;t opened with a nasty PERSONAL deliberate misspelling of my name.

[Editor]

Any further off topic comments attacking another person WILL be deleted,

Tim

[Graeme Pirie]

I'm quite shocked at this article.

Instead of lamblasting the BNP, you would do well to remember that it's not the party that matters, it's the voters.

If the BNP increase their share of the votes then it's because neither Labour or Conservative are listening to what the electorate want.

[Jack Stone]

What rubbish. If the voters want to kill all first born do you say right we will go ahead and do it.
What the BNP stand for is wrong, there are no if`s but`s and maybe`s they are wrong and all that they stand for is evil.

[Will Stobart]

I'm shocked that we're even debating this. There's so much infighting left to do and yet we waste our time attacking other parties, it's just not right!

Seriously though, let us focus on the big parties. By discussing small parties we make them big in our minds and such views can only help the BNP. Regardless of whether the BNP is left or right (personally I think the term 'fascist' as applied to Naziism and Communism works well here instead of a left-right placement) we need to emphasise that it can never be right for a party with their views to be popular with the majority of people today.

[Pete]

To save this country, how about a new party with the fanaticism of the BNP, the resources of the Tories, and the policies of UKIP?

[Will Stobart]

I agree with everything that Pete says, apart from the "save" bit.

I'd substitute "ruin".

[Mr Disgusted]

This is so funny, all the damage that Labour has done over the last ten years that is certainly undemocratic and fascist in parts, the identity politics that cameron is now using himself and everyone on here is wetting themselves over the BNP. Maybe these same people should actually start listening to the public instead.

[Dale]

"I agree with everything that Pete says, apart from the "save" bit.

I'd substitute "ruin"."

I think that was his point.

I really don't know why everyone is in a tizz about the bnp. Its not like they are going to win enoughseats in the assembly to make a difference t the busines that goes on there.

Besides, a bnp victory could give us ammo against forms of pr.

PS Does anyone know what our policy is on the alternative vote for mayoral elections and additional member system for the assembly?

[Mr Disgusted]

Well done Dale, if you don't get the result you wanted then just do away with democracy.
Crikey, and some are calling the BNP fascist.
What most on here seem to hate is the thought of actually having to listen and the end of two Party concensus politics.
As things stand the main 3 just close ranks and we have to just stomach what they want to impose on us.
Maybe the BNP will give us democracy by the back door.

[Will Stobart]

Mr D, would you give us your definition of fascist please?

Wikipedia says that: "Fascists seek to forge a type of national unity, usually based on (but not limited to) ethnic, cultural, racial, and/or religious attributes."

How is that not the BNP?

[Mr Disgusted]

Fascist seems to mean whatever you want it to. To me it means authoritarian and oppressive, New labour in fact.
The reality is that the BNP smears are usually oh so old and desperate, but they have become the acceptable hate for the establishment whilst real Islamic hatemongers whose intentions are clear, are feted.
Funny old World.

[Hardcore Conservative]

A few observations:

Underestimate your enemy at your peril. The BNP leadership are not knuckle dragging idiots as has been implied (though their activists might be), in fact the leadership are very well educated, articulate and plausible. That is what makes them dangerous.

Not everything the BNP stands for is evil in the public’s eyes. The reintroduction of corporal punishment, even capital punishment and pulling out of the EU are polices that may be quite popular with the general public. These policies are probably popular with many in this party. (Personally I don’t support the death penalty but I certainly support whole life imprisonment for murder and corporal punishment in schools). They also talk the talk on immigration. Their social policy is more left wing than right and may be popular with many people working in the public sector (which is now very big).

One major advantage that they have is not being paralysed by political correctness.

I have enough principles left not to vote for them, but many people from all walks of life (including professional people) are turning to them and will continue to do so, unless mainstream politicians get a grip and offer a real alternative to the daily patronising crap that we have to listen to.

These are facts and no amount of mud slinging or glossing over will make this go away. It is time for the mainstream to wake up and do something about our terminally ill country, otherwise we risk some not very nice people doing it instead.

[Buckinghamshire Tory]

Frankly, I don’t see what the big deal is about. Our main opponents in this election is Labour and (to some extent) the Liberal Democrats. We should not waste time focusing on marginal and irrelevant parties like the UKIP, BNP, Respect and the Socialist Workers Party, to name just a few.
They are simply not worth it.

[Buckinghamshire Tory]

"To save this country, how about a new party with the fanaticism of the BNP, the resources of the Tories, and the policies of UKIP?"

Indeed, and then we could suffer a defeat that would make the 1997 Election seem like a Conservative landslide victory.

[Dave]

The BNP are a legal political party and if people want to vote for them then that's their right and all the anguished hand-wringing from a bunch of brainwashed, middle-class liberals won't change that. To their credit the BNP seem to take most votes from Labour so if they deprive just one or two Labour apparatchiks from seats, by letting the Tory or LibDem in, then so much the better.

Meanwhile, back in the real world, the only battle that counts is between Tories and Labour and the only thing serious minded people should be concerned about is supporting Cameron and ridding our country of this dishonest, incompetent, and ruinous government before Brown does even more damage to the economy and society in general.

[Matt Wright]

Its always seemed to me that far-right and far-left are part of an extreme ideological circle that meet at the same point ie telling people what to do by state force because they didn't share a view voluntarily when the ideology proved unworkable. Nazism was National Socialism and all elements of the country, both sides of moderate political persuasion (Labour and Conservative) gave their lives to rid Europe of it. Worth remembering.

[Ex candidate]

Am I the only one who was appalled that Syed Kamall, Nirj Deva and Zehra Zaida were ranked so poorly? I fear that Conservative members remain hostile to ethnic minority candidates even if they Eurosceptic MPs. Racism is still a problem in our Party but affirmative action only makes it worse.

[StevenAdams]

some posts on here shock me, others enrage me (I'mtalking about the various BNP apologists who make huge leaps of 'logic' in explaining the rationality of voting BNP but quite clearly ignore facts and evidence when looking at the Tories or Cameron), but most of all I'm surprised with how paralysed with fear people are.

The fact is that whilst the Tories are doing well, attracting women and aspirational middle class voters we have a strong majority that gives us policy freedom. The same is true of Labour who were able to ditch much of their socialist core with those votes behind them. When we DON'T have those votes, the so-called 'real' Tories come out of the woodwork and bemoan the leadership's lack of values or policy.

The trick is to remember that the far right of the Conservative Party (and beyond, into small single issue parties) is NOT where votes lay as their policies do not reflect the desire of the British people, although they may amplify certain concerns and worries. That is why the strategy of returning to comfortable ground failed Labour in the 80's and failed the Tories since '97.

The BNP is abominable - but not a threat to any major party.

[Dale]

"Am I the only one who was appalled that Syed Kamall, Nirj Deva and Zehra Zaida were ranked so poorly? I fear that Conservative members remain hostile to ethnic minority candidates even if they Eurosceptic MPs. Racism is still a problem in our Party but affirmative action only makes it worse."

None of them are eurosceptic and none of them are mps.

The SE conservative members had to rank the candididates and just because Nirj Deva wasn't at the top of the list doesn't mean people don't like him, Nirj Deva is incredibly popular, just not as popular as dan hannan.

[Christina Speight]

Dave @ 2228 -" the only thing serious minded people should be concerned about is supporting Cameron and ridding our country of this dishonest, incompetent, and ruinous government before Brown does even more damage to the economy and society in general."

Yes OK and replace it with precisely WHAT? Apparently with a clone of that 'incompetent, and ruinous government', taxing, taxing all the way and making no significant policy changes when the whole 'incompetent, and ruinous' mess needs a radical clean out.

Abandon hope at the next election.

[Will Stobart]

Thanks Christina, my thoughts exactly.

[Jack Stone]

Abandon hope at the next election Christine. I thought you were going to end with vote BNP!

[Gareth]

Fighting the BNP isn't theoretical for me. In the ward I have represented since May 2007, the BNP vote has fallen from over 15% to less than 7% in 2 elections. I expect it to decline further this year. During the same time the Conservative vote has increased by 20%. We've certainly not achieved a halving of the BNP vote by pandering to their issues.

[Richard Carey]

While not wishing to double-post, I thought it might be worth pointing readers of this thread towards my contribution on the London Mayor section today on a similar topic.

[RW]

"Controling [sic] immigration is something that we should all be able to agree is a good idea (the area for argument is surely what and how much). Yet the existence of the BNP has made this subject taboo." -- Haha!! That's so funny; the subject was made illegal in I think 1973, before the BNP even existed.

I'm amused at the low level of intelligence on this site, worthy of the facist and rascist crowd. No-one here understands what 'Fascism' was, or has any idea about Germany, or for that matter Spain. The Tories make little appeal because they ar so stupid, frankly. Labour has it's own secret and highly unpleasant agenda, which the Tories can't understand and therefore make no attempt to fight. Johnson is, in fact, a perfect Tory candidate; he's (presumably) wealthy, not of course through his own efforts, has had a second-rate education of the sort deemed suitable by people anxious not to raise serious issues, and has nothing to say on any serious issue. He can't even either describe London buses, or delegate th subject to someone competent. He has no science knowledge and no grasp of the problems of paper money and credit. He has no grasp of the influence of laws on society.

My best guess is that the BNP will get 3 or 4 GLA seats; possibly 5, since UKIP, with 2 seats, is floundering, apparently because Ramage gets so much money as an MEP that he's reluctant to campaign against the EU.

Nobody here has mentioned Islam; someone, I forget who, challenged both Livingstone and Johnson to state their views on a proposed 'mega-Mosque', but neither has the intelligence or guts to say anything about it.

You people seem to think London is as it was in say 1900, with comfortable talk about the suburbs, north west London's heights, the city, and so on. You should wake up and smell the bacon -- while it's there.

[RW]

Ah, my email made it; I thought perhaps it was too long. (Apologies for the typos). I note incidentally nobody has mentioned either [1] postal vote fraud, [2] immigrants imported because they mostly vote labour -- absurdly, they are allowed to vote. Labour without these votes would have shrunk away. Diane Abbott the other day smirked on TV, and said 4 out of 5 immigrants 'go on to vote Labour'. This pattern may be disrupted by Poles and others, including the Irish -- the latter being under threat from African immigration. So we'll see. The only thing that won't happen is intelligent analysis from the Tories.

[Jack Stone]

Personally I think the bit about thebacon is offensive and unnecessary.
At the heart of the BNP is a hatred of those with non-white skins or those who were not born here.It is a party born of hatred nothing more nothing less and no right thinking person would ever support it.

[martell]

long live the B.N.P.

[Joan Cortez]

The BNP are far more dangerous now. They are sophisticated and media savvy. Under the leadership of Nick Griffin they are moving to a Front National model. Look at the way they have urged their voters to give second preference votes to Boris. They lose nothing by this but put Conservatives in to a bind. On the one hand some will be tempted to give their candidate Richard Barnbrook a second preference vote. On the other Boris has to distance himself and risk losing 'right wing' working class voters who will then give the BNP first preference. Not all of them are 'knucle-draggers' it would seem.

[Steve]

The spite shown towards the BNP is amazing, you would swear that they voted for sending the Army to kill 1000's in Iraq and Afganistan. I suggest that the real evil parties are those in government and opposition. After all who has the BNP murdered?

[Tom]

If the Conservative Party doesn't want to continue to lose its vote share to the British National Party it should stop portraying itself as Labour light. Most Britains are concerned with unchecked immigration and a justice system that coddles criminals.

[GB£.com]

"UKIP - which has considerable voter overlap with the BNP"

So with a previous poll here showing that UKIP is by far the second favourite party for Tory voters, your clumsy attempt to smear UKIP has simply indirectly confirmed how close Tory and BNP voters are.

You didn't really stop and think before you let your prejudice out did you?