Scanner casts eye on BNP campaign

Now that that the dust has settled, people are collecting their thoughts on last week's British National Party victory in the Fenside ward of Boston. Here, our regular contributor Scanner offers his take on: "The BNP Guide On How to Win A By- Election."

- Save money by distributing a leaflet that makes no mention of a single local issue (don’t mention a by-pass!!!!)
- Make your contact point a PO Box no. in a distant town. This leaflet can then be used nationwide with little alteration. (See next point.) It also means you don’t get any awkward phone calls.
- Give no details of the candidate but his name.
- Print several questions each beginning with “Do you feel that……. “ and then tell voters they must vote now and support you to put right these items that you feel are “wrongs.”
- Tell them yours is the only party who speaks for “the silent majority” and, with their support, will put right all those perceived injustices.
- Vilify a group of people that, on the most part, cannot answer for themselves.
- Declare that you have nothing against them and vehemently protest that those who say that you do are all liars.
- Flood the area on election day, and the days before if possible, with workers from distant cities. I don’t think my informant recognized even one local face (I know most parties bring in outside volunteers for parliamentary and county by-elections but not, usually, for a small district council election.) This will give you the advantage of appearing to be a party that has a strong local following when you have little or none at all.
- Use a mini-bus to carry voters to the polling stations. This gives ample time to “talk” to them while the bus is filled.
- Proclaim your patriotism as though it is on par with a religion and don’t forget to infer that God is on your side.

I am sure that is only some of the advice that could be given to our local parties. If they take note before next May’s County Council elections, we could see some interesting campaigns.
Seriously, as I see it, the main reasons for this result stem from:-

- The Government’s apparent lack of concern in recognizing and helping to deal with the difficulties caused by the relatively quick influx of large numbers of migrant workers.

- Relying on the long out of date population statistics used when finance is allocated to this area. The huge sums of cash needed to rescue the banks were soon found!

- As you have already mentioned, the impact the BBI has had on the council’s general reputation in the area.

- The unpopularity of the government. Where was Labour’s election team by the way? I understand that they didn’t even turn up to the election count. - Nationally, the Conservatives are doing well but at local level, the Labour, the Liberal Democrats and the Conservatives seem to have sunk into obscurity.

- The energetic efforts of the BNP. They even out-campaigned the BBI who must have been confident, given their strong young local candidate and their usual brilliance at fighting elections. - The poor treatment meted out to many migrant workers by some unscrupulous landlords and employers.

But part of the reason must lie with the incomers themselves. Some of them seem oblivious to the feelings of local people and don’t seem to worry about those living around them, as well as ignoring our laws on drinking and driving. Early morning transport noise seems to be a particular issue in some areas. It may only be a minority causing these problems but the mud sticks to all and it must colour the perception of many local people.

I have one last comment to make. It concerns the statement made in the BNP’s election leaflet: “The BNP respects the right of people of all races and all creeds to their cultural religious beliefs and practises and has no wish to interfere with them.”

I ask the PO Box office in Louth: Who distributed hundreds of leaflets in an area of Boston attacking the plans of a small Muslim group who wished to set up a place of worship there? No prizes for the answer, but it wasn’t the “silent majority.”

I congratulate Councillor Owens on his election and I am sure he realises that it is an honour to be a councillor and as such he now pledges to represent EVERY resident of the borough whatever their race, colour or creed, and to offer what assistance he can to them, irrespective of his personal beliefs.

"SCANNER"

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