Sunderland rejects BNP

| Wednesday, 30 November 2005 Source: Searchlight

The BNP took a mere 67 votes in a Sunderland City Council by-election on 24 November. Ian Leadbitter's 3.0% in Barnes ward represented a drop of 6.6% since the party contested the ward in 2004.

This failure must be a big disappointment for the top ranks of the BNP as it shows that Kevin Scott, the party's regional organiser, is achieving a diminishing political return for all his efforts. Scott is ideal material to become a high flier in the BNP, being both a university graduate and a thug but such results will not help his career.

Perhaps for the people of Sunderland knowing the BNP is not to love them. This is typical of results in other areas where the BNP has initially done quite well but lost support in later elections.

But the BNP appears not to be put off by results that must question whether standing in local elections is worth the effort for the fascist party. At the other end of the country, Barry Bennett is standing in a Bournemouth Borough Council by-election in Littledown & Iford ward on 15 December.

His ever-so-polite leaflet, which exhorts: "Please consider voting 'Barry Bennett' BNP", is full of promises that he cannot keep. One is to uphold standards in public life, something that the BNP really knows about. One of its councillors on Epping Forest District Council was recently suspended by the District Standards Committee for breaching the council's code of conduct, a Burnley BNP councillor has 12 convictions, the latest for assaulting his wife and a police officer, and others are currently progressing through the criminal justice system. Bennett must be in the wrong party if he is keen on high standards.

Bennett, chairman of Bournemouth BNP, tells voters that he is a CWU member and "registered supporter" of Amnesty International. Other people in these organisations must be overjoyed at his association with them.

Sunderland City Council, Barnes ward 24 November 2005

Turnout 25.5%