BNP Win in Bexley Thwarted by Recount
Posted by jonathanfryer on Thursday, 22nd January, 2009
I spent part of this afternoon telling in Welling, in a primary school that was serving as a polling station in the East Wickham by-election. Two things struck me as unusual. First, people were coming out to vote briskly at a time when normally turnout is sluggish, especially in mid January. But second, and much more disconcerting, was how determinedly charming the three (sic) BNP tellers standing with me were. This is the new style BNP — at least, that is the image they wish to give. Party leader Nick Griffin has masterminded this transformation and was in the ward earlier this week, encouraging the troops. The net result of all this, I was informed sadly at 2330, was that the BNP had won, seizing a ward that was Liberal Democrat not so long ago. But a recount has instead delivered a final, confirmed Tory majority of 8 votes! I don’t normally drink to a Conservative win, but my whisky glass is by my side.
richard said
Put away the scotch as there wont be many more elections to celebrate in the future.The tide has has now turned
Matthew Huntbach said
Yes, I remember sitting with a BNP teller in a Downham ward LB Lewisham (there’s another by-election going on right now – there seems to be a rule that there has to be a Downham by-election in every term – go there – two LibDem seats at stake) during the time they were doing a serious push there, and finding him rather more sane than either the Tory or Labour teller (coming across as sane, at least, agreed it’s difficult to see how a truly sane person could be a BNP activist).
The BNP are out for the traditional left vote (in Downham they used the line “We’re like the Labour Party used to be”) and there’s a big hole there given that Labour and LibDem are perceived to have moved to the right, and the fringe left parties and Greens are too busy on international issues and social liberalism (the sort of things that appeals to young well-educated people but not much to many others) to fill the gap.
We need to worry when the BNP not only crack the trick of appearing sane when campaigning, but also of electing councillors who can do the job effectively. So far, if all else fails, the uselessness of BNP councillors when they do get elected works as a good case argument them.
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