Meeting up with old friends

posted by: Nick | on: Sunday, 3 February 2008, 15:03

It’s Sunday morning and I’m sitting in a railway station coffee shop. I thought I’d update my blog as I wait for my train back home. It’s been another busy few days, this time up in the North West of England.

With London being such a focus this year I’m finding it more difficult to spend as much time as I would like on the road. This is especially the case with the North West where, due partly to our own success, I feel that it is no longer such a priority. It was here that the BNP first made its breakthrough in 2001 and over the next couple of years Burnley, Oldham and Blackburn were the front line.

Times have changed. The BNP hardly exist anymore in Blackburn, are a mere shadow of themselves in Oldham and now only have four councillors left in Burnley, down from a one-time high of eight.

All this is about to change. BNP leader Nick Griffin has announced his intention to be the party’s leading candidate in the region in next year’s European Elections. Needing as little as 9% of the vote, the North West is set to become the frontline once more.

The BNP is planning monthly regional activities between now and then to raise the party’s profile. As I write this, at 10am, Griffin himself will be making his way to Burnley for the first such activity.

There are several established anti-fascist groups across the North West, including my old friends in Oldham and Burnley. In the aftermath of the riots in 2001 I lived up in the region and worked closely with Oldham United Against Racism and Burnley Trades Council.

Last Thursday evening we brought together groups from across the North West. Over 25 people representing 15 organisations from 12 local authority areas were present. I found it a very uplifting meeting, not least because it was conducted in a friendly and comradely fashion. There were people from several different political parties and none, different trade unions and faith groups. All were united in a determination to develop a regional network that can defeat the BNP this May but also build a platform for resistance for the European Elections.

In addition to the people there from Manchester, Oldham, Tameside, Wigan, Liverpool, Lancaster, Blackpool, Burnley, Sefton, Bury, Ribble Valley and St Helens, there were others from Pendle, Blackburn, Preston, Hyndburn and Stockport who were unable to attend but keen to get involved.

I will be holding several of these regional meetings across the country over the next few weeks. If you or your organisation would like to be invited to the meeting in your area please feel free to contact me directly at nick@stopthebnp.org.uk.