BNP choice steps up by-election pressure

It looks as though there could be an entertaining fight ahead for the Boston North West seat on Lincolnshire county council - which was made vacant by the forced resignation of Andrea Jenkyns.
Back in June, seven candidates contested the seat, which Miss Jenkyns won with 462 votes ... 89 ahead of the BNP candidate, and 180 ahead of the next placed candidate - Boston Bypass Independent Alison Austin, wife of the Dear Leader.
The BNP candidate - Colin Westcott from Lincoln - was an unknown quantity, but that didn't stop him getting an impressive result.
But Mr Westcott will not be contesting the seat at the by-election.
His place has been taken by Boston Borough Councillor David Owens, who was elected to the Fenside ward in November last year.
He told Boston Eye: "The situation which has led to this by-election has shocked and angered voters, whose hard earned taxes will now have to be used to pay for this by-election.
"This careless waste of money by people who should know the rules but clearly don't, brands them as incompetent and not worthy of trust.
"This election will give the people of Boston North West a chance to elect a BNP councillor to the county council, a councillor who does care about how money is spent and waste avoided."
Councillor Owens's selection is a shrewd strategic move by the BNP.
Fenside and Boston North West wards share a great deal of common territory, and if Councillor Owens has been putting himself about since his election, he will hit the ground running as a candidate well known to local voters, which must improve his chances.
This piles the pressure on to whomever stands for the other parties.
Not only that, but it could well see some rethinking about the nominees.
Miss Jenkyns has already said that she will contest the seat once again and, given the anger at the way she was forced out, has to be considered a highly popular candidate.
But what about the BBI and Labour?
While Councillor Alison Austin fought Boston North West, her husband was defending Boston South - which he had previously held, but from which he was rejected by the voters.
If Councillor Richard Austin now decided to contest Boston North West - and if he were to win it - he would again become a voice at County Hall, rebuild some important personal credibility, and hope to be taken seriously once more.
Labour's candidate in June, Pam Kenny, is the wife of Paul - the man responsible for forcing this by-election on what was more or less a technicality.
Mr Kenny lost the borough council by-election for Pilgrim Ward to none other than Myles Larrington - the man he is now pursuing through the council's complaints procedure, having been stung by comments allegedly made in Councillor Larrington's blog. Let's not also forget that he lost Boston East to the Tories at the county elections.
Mr Kenny will look more than a little silly if - after all the trouble he has taken to force a by-election in Boston North west - he doesn't then bother to contest it personally and see if the voters share his sense of moral outrage.
However he might be afraid to risk three electoral flops in around as many months ... which scarcely looks good on the CV of a man who hopes to be Boston's Labour MP this time next year.
He might also wish to have to avoid writing the press release if his intervention resulted in the BNP winning its first seat on Lincolnshire County Council.
But before all that, both men would have to persuade their respective spouses not to stand again.
Interesting times ahead, as they say.
The full results for Boston North West on 4th June were:
Andrea Jenkyns - Conservative 463
Colin Westcott - British National Party 374 Alison Austin - Boston Bypass Independents 283
Richard Leggott - Independent 279 Pam Kenny - Labour 205
Paul Appleby - Liberal Democrat 130
Andrew Bakewell -Independent 82

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