Bishop joins fight against nationalists

Jule Wilson | Tuesday, 15 April 2008 Source: The Journal

THE Bishop of Durham is courting controversy by calling on clergymen and parishioners in the North to oppose the British National Party in May’s local elections.

In a message in the Durham Diocesan email Forum, the Right Reverend Dr Tom Wright highlighted “splendid work” done by several clergy in the region to oppose the BNP and called on other people to join the effort.

But he also called on other political parties to do more to address the concerns of voters who end up turning to the BNP after becoming “disaffected” by mainstream politics.

His comments have been criticised by BNP officials in the North, who said the Bishop should remain out of politics.

Bishop Wright had said: “With local elections coming up, we face again the unwelcome news of the BNP making potential inroads in our region.

“Splendid work has been done to counter this by several clergy working with local community leaders, for instance in distributing the pamphlet, ‘Hope Not Hate’.

“I want to urge all of you to get involved in this effort in whatever local sphere you can.

“This isn’t anybody’s fault in particular. But when a party like the BNP seems to be gaining ground we should all ask the question, ‘Why is there a vacuum there that the other parties aren’t filling? What frustrations are there that the BNP are exploiting, and what are the wise ways of reacting to, or even meeting, those needs?’

“It is one thing to point out, as many have already done, the neo-nazi tendencies of the BNP, and to warn with a shudder against our society even taking a small step in any such direction.

“It is another to say, ‘How can we drain the swamp so that this kind of ideology won’t breed again?’ None of us, in other words, can be complacent.”

Yesterday Ken Booth, who is standing for the BNP for Elswick, Newcastle, in the May local elections and is also the North East regional organiser for the party, said the Bishop has no business commenting on political matters.

He said: “If the Bishop wants to be a politician let him stand as a politician and take part in the local elections, but as a religious leader he should stay out of it.”