"UKIP are bringing fear and intimidation in to British politics"

"After this week’s Twitter row at the Rochester by-election, I am using my keynote speech to the
Labour East Regional Conference today to say that it is UKIP who truly offends working class sentiment and represents a party which is fundamentally un-British.

Today I am lucky to serve as a Euro MP but, like many in our movement, I grew up on a council estate living in poverty, so don’t need any lectures from UKIP about snobbery.

First, we can’t counter UKIP simply by labelling them as extremists as we learnt was not enough either with the BNP. But make no mistake – they are.

Doing a deal with a Polish party that says Hitler didn’t know about the holocaust; that it shouldn’t be a criminal offence to force non-consensual sex on a woman; that women shouldn’t even have the vote.

But it’s not just what they think, it’s how they behave.

When I joined criticism of UKIP’s attitude to disabled people, I started to receive around 50 messages a day from people who were self-professed UKIP supporters, using the most foul and disgusting abuse against me personally.

Two UKIP MEPs actually interrupted a private conversation I was having with two guests from a Stevenage business in a public coffee bar of the European Parliament itself, and proceeded to shout at and abuse me.

I have no doubt that this was an orchestrated campaign in which UKIP’s MEPs were directly involved.

Then last weekend a gang calling themselves UKIP supporters physically attacked aLabour street stall in East Thurrock which is part of my own constituency, injuring two elderly activists.

UKIP are bringing fear and intimidation in to British politics.

UKIP can deny responsibility for attacks like the one on our stall, but no-one should deny that this is the product of ultra-nationalism re-entering British politics.

Meanwhile it is arrant nonsense for millionaire, public school educated, expenses-claiming, City trader Nigel Farage, who kept his savings offshore in a tax haven, to say that he is somehow more in touch with ordinary working people in this country than us – the party of labour.

My single parent mum taught us to say our please and thank-you’s and to apologise for our mistakes. We were the classic poor but proud.

When UKIP Members stood up and turned their backs at the inaugural sitting of the new European Parliament, they symbolised what they would do for our country – making us turn our back on the rest of the world. But what struck me when I knocked on doors the following weekend, was that ordinary voters hadn’t liked it.

When UKIP behaves with such rudeness and unpleasantness, I can tell you: it is them who are offending working class sentiment – not us.

The deepest irony of the United Kingdom Independence Party is how un-British they really are.
British values of reserve, of courtesy, of decency, of respect, and of fair play are values which – by their actions – UKIP shuns.

Patriotism isn’t: ‘My country – right or wrong?’ That’s chauvinism.

Patriotism is a pride in your country because of what you are proud about in your country.

And when I sit in the European Parliament and see the UKIP Members be boorish and insulting I’m not proud they’re British – I’m ashamed. And I don’t believe that’s what the British people really want.

Are there ways in which Labour has to change in the face of UKIP?

One conclusion after the European Elections which I did form is not to change our policies but that we do have to change our language.

It is time to start calling it as it is.

We’ve called a spare room subsidy a bedroom tax and we’ve won.

And so Europe can’t be about the Single Market or subsidiarity.

It’s about your job, your children, your security, your voice, your rights, your future.

And we’ll never win the argument on immigration with statistics or criteria.

We have to say the chance to travel and work in different countries is a good thing.

That low wages and zero hours contracts benefit no-one. To say there are not enough homes or jobs for anyone. That fairness must now be restored.

And we may not be as rude as UKIP. But many people in the electorate are angry and Labour has to show them we are angry for and with them.

The success of Ed Miliband’s so-called “fightback” speech two weeks ago where indeed he came out fighting, may be a lesson for us all.

He fought back and so will we.

Richard Howitt MEP is Labour Member of the European Parliament for the East of England and Chair of the European Parliamentary Labour Party.

Hat tip Labour List 

Vote YES to Give UNISON a Political Voice

Today I received my ballot paper enclosed with the UNISON membership magazine. 

The Tories under their anti-trade union agenda forced a ballot every 10 years on whether or not unions should have a "Political" Fund.

UNISON members can choose to pay a small levy out of their subs (15 pence a week) to one of two different and separate political funds - the APF (Applied political fund) which supports the Labour Party and the GPF (General political fund) which does not.

Or they can choose to pay nothing into either political fund.

I volunteer to pay into the APF political fund but this ballot is not about whether you support the Labour Party or not (and of course I think trade unionists should) but whether you think trade unions should do any sort of political campaigning or not.

I think they should and the work done by our GPF in helping defeat and then destroy the racist BNP in recent elections shows the value of us having such a political voice.

So if you are a UNISON member please vote yes to retaining our political voices and don't forget to send off your ballot paper!

Remember "Britain First" is a Nazi front

Just a gentle reminder that this is the time of year that the fascist organisation currently known as "Britain First" shares seemingly patriotic posts on Facebook and twitter which appear to be in support of British troops and our Remembrance Sunday.

Please do not share these posts. A number of people have been taken in. So called "Britain First" is a fascist and Nazi organisation formed after a split in the racist BNP. 

Remember that the fascists in this Country supported Hitler during the second world war and wanted the Nazi to win who would have turned Britain into a concentration camp. 

So it is completely hypocritical of them to pretend that they are in anyway a "patriotic" party supporting our military veterans.  

The only "veterans" they will support are Nazi SS murderers of brave British commandos and prison of war escapees who were tortured and then shot in cold blood in World War two. 

Check out what a genuine British combat veteran thinks of "Britain First". 

(picture of recruiting poster for British Nazi's during World War 2)

Jean Geldart from Hope Not Hate - UKIP is a Far Right Party of Race Hatred

Today was the UNISON Greater London Regional Council meeting. Hope Not Hate Trade union organiser,  Jean Geldart was a guest speaker.

Before she retired from Tower Hamlets Council, Jean was my  Branch Secretary and a senior UNISON NEC member. She is also the daughter of Phil Piratin who was the Communist Party MP for Stepney 1945-1950.

Jean described how appalling and openly corrupt many of the UKIP MEPs and Councillors are. While many of them are good for a laugh, the leaflets UKIP have put out are worse than even the fascist BNP!

They have organisers who use to work for the National Front and see nothing wrong with this.

The recent shambles in the European Parliament has seen them form an alliance in order to gain EU funding of £1 million (from us tax payers) with Polish anti-Semitic racists and Holocaust deniers.

While they are not  a serious threat in most of London at the moment we have to be vigilant. UKIP can be defeated. In May 2014 when there was local election as well as Euro elections, voters tended to vote UKIP for the EU since they did not think it was important and mainstream parties for local council.

All polling indicates that although they do have real support, the majority are positively opposed to them and actively dislike the UKIP.

So what we need to do is get the anti UKIP vote out.

In the May elections in the North West, there was was a massive anti BNP and UKIP campaign which resulted in them getting only 6 Councillors in the whole of the region. Compare this to similar areas in North and Midlands where they got far more.

We need to expose UKIP and look at what they say and their voting record in Europe. Such as their views that women deserve less pay, their wish to privatise the NHS and destroy workers employment rights.

We need to get this message out what UKIP is really about. We also need to get people to register to vote and set an positive agenda for multiculturalism in London. Jean encouraged all UNISON branches to affiliate to Hope not Hate!

Keeping our Voice! Winning the Political Fund Ballot fringe #uNDC14

"...don't be confused. The ballot is a vote about having a political voice and not on affiliation"

This fringe took place yesterday lunchtime (Wednesday). Chaired by Vice President Lucia McKeever. Assistant General Secretary Liz Snape was also present.

Eleanor Smith, the Chair of UNISON National Link political fund spoke first. She made it clear that our political funds are our union's voice. That is why the Tories hate them. 

Every 10 years we now have to ballot all members about whether or not to keep our political funds. Eleanor listed the successful campaigns that the funds had run in recent years and this is why we need that voice.

The Labour Link fund is a key voice for union. It means we can take up the big issues of pay and resources and other specific issues such as social care and privatisation. The recent Labour victory in the West Midlands saw the collapse of biggest ever Police staff privatisation programme. Never forget that gay marriage was delivered by Labour MP's. The ballot is not about the relationship with the Labour Party, it is about being able to campaign and speak out.

James Anthony, the General Political Fund (GPF) Chair spoke next. UNISON has a unique political fund structure but other unions may adopt our model soon.

The recent Government "Lobbying Bill" was intended to target UNISON. The law is in place but we are waiting for guidance from the election commission. We can communicate with our members outside the Bill. It is important to have the GPF since many of our members members do not support Labour and vote for the Tories or don't vote at all. 

Nearly all conferences motions need to have a political voice. It would be pointless to try and campaign without this . It works best when the GPF campaigns in tandem with Labour Link. Without a political fund we would not be able to promote causes such as equality, self organised groups, Pride, Durham Miners Gala. The fund also help us make the best arguments by funding research.

Without the political fund we would not be able to ask voters not to vote for racist parties. Remember how we helped defeat the BNP fascist. Pay is a huge issue. We need to take forward a political message. We will only win strike action if we win the support of the public as well as our members.

If the political funds were not so successful, the Tories would have not tried so hard to get rid of them.

Jean Geldart from "Hope Not Hate" spoke last. Jean is of course a retired UNISON activist and former NEC member.  She reminded us that in 1993 the first ever BNP Councillor was elected in Tower Hamlets in a by election. The GPF gave £30k and bank rolled the campaign to get rid him.  Which 9 months later we did at the full Council election. You can only campaign against a political party if you have a political fund.

There used to be 2 BNP European Members of Parliament and 57 Councillors with 12 in Stoke and 12 in Barking and Dagenham where they formed the opposition. We didn't listen to those who said "ignore them they will go away". HNH paid for organisers to work in Barking & Dagenham.  The BNP is now finished. They have only 2 Cllrs left. This was due substantially due to funded campaigning.

We now have UKIP. Again, some people are saying "ignore them and they will go away". The UNISON campaign in North West region against the BNP & UKIP involved over a million bits of paper. Only 6 UKIP Cllrs were elected in that region. Which is far less than other similar parts of the country.

This country would be going in a different direction if not for the GPF which embodies Union values.

In Q&A I asked Jean (I use to be the assistant branch secretary of Tower Hamlets Local Government branch when she was branch secretary) What impact the lobbying bill will have on Hope Not Hate?
She said not as much as on the GPF since their total income is relatively small but the biggest problem is the 10k limit per Parliamentary Constituency. That means for example that UKIP will out spend us in their target seats since you just don't just pay for the paper in leaflets but also the pay of staff who design it.

Liz Snape concluded that this ballot is not about a particular party but about the funds. We want a big yes vote."... don't be confused. The ballot is a vote about having a political voice and not on affiliation"

There was a good question from a delegate that Labour Link should be doing more to point out its successes since he was fed up with the extreme left whinging about the Labour Party during every opportunity at conference.

Lucia reminded us about the threat that UKIP poses.  In her home in the north of Ireland she had lived through 40 years of racism and sectarianism. This has got to stop. There are now 3 UKIP Councillors in Northern Ireland who had all left unionist parties due to their extremist views.

Seeing Nick Griffin go bankrupt: Priceless

As Ricky Gervais put it tonight - Nick Griffin never did like the term "in the black". Check out Lily Allen lament for Nasty Nazi Nick.

Holocaust Memorial Day 2013

Today (27 January) is Holocaust Memorial Day.  This date is the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz concentration camp in 1945.

On Friday morning I was travelling through Liverpool Street Railway station and the statutes of the "Kindertransport" children next to the main ticket office, reminded me of the 9,500 children who were allowed to flee Germany before the Second World War and live in Britain.

Many of them arrived in Liverpool Street station from Harwich. The vast majority would have died in German concentration camps if they had not been able to flee. Many never saw their parents again.

While 80% of the children were Jewish, the rest were children of anti-fascists who also knew what would happen to their children if they did not escape.

Newham Council and the Mayor, Sir Robin Wales, held an event on Friday morning to unite communities and reflect on the horrors of Nazi atrocities.

On Saturday I received through the post, the latest edition of UK anti-fascist magazine, Searchlight.  Reading in the magazine the accounts of current fascist activity in the UK, you must be amazed and sickened, that there are still Nazi's in our country, such as the those in the BNP, who think there is nothing wrong with mass murder and turning dead bodies into lamp shades and soap.

UNISON NDC 12: Kicking the Far Right out of the Union

During the rules debate on Thursday afternoon I was really pleased that Conference finally agreed to change membership rules that will enable the union to expel existing members of far right political parties and refuse admission.

(It did help on this occasion that members of the People's Front of Judea finally showed enough gumption to publicly tell the Judean People's Front to stop their completely untruthful sectarian scaremongering and squabbling).

Battle of Cable Street 75th Anniversary Rally

I wasn't able to make the march but I did manage to turn up to the Battle of Cable Street 75th Anniversary rally at St George in the East park, East London.   Home of the famous mural. Former UNISON General Secretary Rodney Bickeerstaffe was speaking as I came in. He reminded the rally of the close connection of Cable Street with the International Brigade who fought in Spain against the fascists 1936-1939.

I was sorry to have missed Max Levitas, a 97 year old real life veteran of the Battle speak. I have heard Max a number of times over the years on many issues but never at this event. Max still lives in Tower Hamlets but he comes shopping to Stratford and has stopped off at our Labour Party stalls over the years to have a chat. He is still a convinced communist but is pleased to see the Labour Party out campaigning and is still very vocal about the dangers we all face from the splitters and wreakers. 

The video is of Kosru Uddin, Tower Hamlets Labour Councillor, talking not as a polititian but as someone who had lived through racism and who stressed the importance of being united in order to defeat it.  

I was pleased that my UNISON Housing Association branch banner was there – thanks to activists Tony and Mary. There was a number of UNISON folk about including my former Branch secretary Jean Geldart (daughter of another Cable Street veteran and former Red Stepney Communist MP Phil Piratin) and Head of UNISON Local Government Heather Wakefield.  

There was some sectarian silliness by the usual suspects. But such ritualistic howling at the moon amidst grandiose claims of betrayal politics just adds to the colour of the occasion.   

The final speaker was former BNP member turned Hope Not Hate activist Matthew Collins whose recent book “Hate – My life in the British Far Right” I have just ordered. Just saying you are going to Smash the BNP or the EDL is not enough. We will not let them pass - but we also need to fully understand our enemy in order to overcome them. 

English/Welsh/Scottish "Defence" leagues...and their Nazi supporters

nuf said? Hat tip Harry's Place

“Even the Olives are Bleeding...”

Yesterday I posted here on listening to an interview on Radio 4 with a BNP apologist for the murder and torture of British POWs.

I was driving home to London from Edinburgh. The next radio programme iPM calmed my soul and restored my faith somewhat in the world. The iPM programme firstly had an intelligent feature on “strikes” and “picket lines”. Its listener’s reported mostly positive and uplifting experiences of taking part in strike action including romance, humour and camaraderie. But there were also some negative experiences.

A former British Leyland machinist turned coal miner who scabbed during the national strike of 1984-85 talked about his experiences and how now 25 years later he recognised that NUM leader Arthur Scargill had been right at the time to fight pit closures but he should have “...had the guts to hold a national ballot”. Which I thought was just a little bit rich and self serving. This “anonomised” worker had recently been out on strike action over zero pay offers which he supported. Not least since the company enjoyed not only good profits but was still paying their executives big bonuses!

The next feature was about the Irish poet, Charles Connolly, who was killed aged 24 in action fighting the fascists during the Spanish Civil War. His family had been invited to Spain to take part in recent commemorations.

Shortly before Charles was killed in battle he made the remark to a compatriot about this bloody war that “even the olives are bleeding....”.

You can listen again to the programme (recommended) on iplayer for the next few days or so - but I have down loaded it as a podcast so if you send me your email I assume I can forward it to you (12MB file!)

BNP "honours" Japan criminals who murdered Brit POW'S

Driving back home to the Smoke (London) from Auld Reekie (Edinburgh) today I was incensed to listen to a news report on Radio 4 "PM" about a senior full time official of the BNP (British Nazi Party) Adam Walker, who is attending a meeting of fascists in Tokyo organised by an extreme right wing nationalist party who deny that Japan committed atrocities during the Second World War.

They are all also even going to visit  "Yasukuni, a Shinto shrine in the capital that honours Japan's war dead, including 14 class-A war criminals".

I listened to this mumbling apologist for the mass murder, torture and starvation of British and Commonwealth 2nd World War prisoners (and the murder and rape of countless millions of other victims of Japanese racist aggression) as he tried to defend the indefensible. 

By coincidence on Thursday I visited the three military museums in Edinburgh Castle and can vividly remember the many harrowing accounts and pictures of Japanese executions and deliberate cruelty to Scottish Prisoners of War. 

Putting aside mere common decency and humanity for the moment - how on earth can anyone who claim to support our armed forces and be a patriotic Brit possibly support the BNP after this latest crass exposure of its deep rooted Nazi cultism?

Hat-tip to Paul for YouTube video.

(Check out my next post for details of a later Radio 4 programme I heard this afternoon that I did not shout abuse at).

"Lily Allen - F**K You"

 I hope I'm not really a prude but I did think when I first heard this song by Lily Allen that it is a just a little bit too much - but then I found it was also about BNP Nazi leader, Nick Griffin...:)

No other reason!

Lollypop Louise defeats BNP in Barking & Dagenham

 Great New! UNISON NEC member  Louise Couling clearly defeated BNP Nazi Richard Barnbrook in yesterday's by-election in Barking & Dagenham.

Check out background here.

Results for the Goresbrook Ward By-Election

•Ayer, Paul - Conservative Party. Votes cast = 108

•Barnbrook, Richard - British National Party. Votes cast = 642

•Choudhury, Faruk Ahmed - Independent. Votes cast = 11

•Couling, Louise - The Labour Party Candidate. Votes cast = 881. Elected

•Manning, Nobby - UK Independence Party. Votes cast = 50

•Northover, Warren - Independent. Votes cast = 63

•Taiwo, Felicia - Liberal Democrat Focus Team. Votes cast = 136

Turnout = 25.29%

UPDATE: From Luke's blog "Last night's results - some very pleasing ones for Labour in London (suggesting the good borough results in May were not just down to the General Election high turnout) and Wales: 

Goresbrook Ward, LB Barking & Dagenham. Lab hold. Lab 881 (46.6%, +3), BNP 642 (34.0%, +6.8), LD 136 (7.2%, -2.1), Con 108 (5.7%, -7.4), Ind 63 (3.3%, -3.5), UKIP 50 (2.6%, +2.6), Ind 11 (0.6%, +0.6). Swing of 1.7% from Lab to BNP since May this year. This ward returned 2 BNP councillors in 2006."

NB: 3% increase in Louise's % vote!!!

Defeat the BNP in the Barking & Dagenham By-Election 6 July

UNISON NEC member Louise Couling who won the election last month has had to resign and re-run in a by-election on 8 July.

BNP assembly member Richard Barnbrook is standing against her.  I also received this email from local MP Margaret Hodge. 

"We now have just over two weeks to go until polling day. This election will be vital in determining whether we have truly seen the back of the far right in our Borough.

Please do come and help us if you have time over the next few weeks.

We will be campaigning this Saturday 11am-3pm at Transport House 50-52 New Road, Dagenham RM9 6YS. We'll provide lunch, training for anyone who is new and of course a warm welcome. The nearest train station is Dagenham Dock, trains run from Fenchurch Street (Tower Hill) and West Ham every half hour and it's a five minute walk from the station to Transport House.

This Thursday and Friday we will be delivering postal vote GOTV letters, this is crucial to our strategy of getting all of our Labour promises out to vote.

Please put Saturday 3rd July in your diary - it is the final Saturday before polling day and we will be holding a big final push to make sure we speak to all of our promises before July 8th. We will be meeting again at Transport House at 11am. I do hope that you will be able to join me".

If you can help with any of our activities or have a spare hour or two, please do call Jen on the campagins hotline on 07576 323 109 or e-mail me at margarethodgebarking@googlemail.com".

Promoted by Jennifer Oliver on behalf of Louise Couling all at 304 Hedgemans Road, Dagenham, RM9 6DA.

UNISON NDC 2010: The Bard of Barking

 This was a great performance at Conference on Thursday by singer/campaigner, Billy Bragg. It started off with a video of Billy confronting the BNP/fascist Councillor and London Assembly member, Richard Barnbrook, on St Georges Day.

Every year Barnbrook dresses as in a suit of armour and pretends to be the patron saint of England, St George. Billy pointed out that in reality, St George had been born in Lebanon and would have not been able to even come to visit England if the BNP immigration polices were in force - never mind be its patron saint! This made Barnbrook look even more stupid than usual. The video also showed up imported BNP yobs accusing Billy of not being from Barking yet he was able to ask them the name of the historic building behind them (the remains of Barking Abbey) and none of them knew what is was called.

Billy pointed out that his home borough of Barking and Dagenham which returned 12 BNP Councillors in 2006 was no more or less racist than your home town. People knock on doors and stir up trouble. The BNP ship activists into the borough purely to cause hate. There use to be 40 000 people working in the Ford’s car factory in Dagenham - now there is only 3 000. This has led to pressures on services and social housing. Immigration is not the true problem - it’s the supply of housing and structures. His parents, like any other immigrants, came to Barking to seek a better life for their children.

He actually had 2 confrontations with Barnbrook. In the 2nd one, Barnbrook said that the ballot box who will show us who is right. The ballot box did. The BNP lost all their seats. Up to a 1000 people per day turned up to campaign against the BNP. The fight is not over. While the “Clash” fans generation know that fascists can be beaten - they will come back. Billy personally thanked everyone for their support in Barking and elsewhere (Stoke) and for working against the English defence League.

Billy lives in west Dorset. There a Tory usually gets elected. In 2005 he helped run a tactical voting campaign. Jim Knight was elected. He was the first Labour Party MP in Dorset since 1960s. In 69% of Consistencies Labour came second to the Tories. Billy voted Lib Dem in his consistency in last election. Tactically it worked well in past but now it has turned and bitten us and ended up with Libcons. Tactical voting is a symptom not a solution. The problem in Barking and Dagenham Labour Party was that they had been in control since 1931. They had been a fine council but under New Labour it was taken for granted. The same thing happened nationally. The Labour Party focused on the 20% of seats with swing voters and left their core vote behind.

Need to listen people and make sure their vote count. If we do have referendum on electoral change then we as a labour movement must embrace it. In West Dorset there are more than 7% labour voters. Fear of trusting the people just helps the BNP. The pluralism from such change would help Mr Angry voter to protest amongst progressive alternatives not the BNP. Look at what has happened in Scotland and Wales. Trust the people.

How do we hold those in economic power to account? In the USA he remembered President George Bush at a G20 meeting calling for everyone to come together and save “democratic capitalism”. Billy is baffled by two other such sets of words often found together. “Military intelligence” and “American football” It deeply annoys him - the idea of “self regulation”. The idea that capitalism is democratic and can be regulated by Bankers. He pointed out that the so-called new government regulatory committee being set up has loads of Bankers on it.

How do we hold those in power over us to account? The way to hold then to account is by organising. Unions need to organise. Bankers have already forgotten what had happened in 2007 and 2008. It is the unions who will have to fight to hold capitalism to account. Political parties change from time to time but organised labour remains solid. This is the modern red edge to the Green politics of Glastonbury.

The whole conference hall then all donned masks and sang along with Billy the Robin Hood anthem in support of a Tobin Tax (see next post). As you do.

Nice Nick meets Nasty Nazi Nick

Searchlight editor Nick Lowles confronts defeated BNP leader Nick Griffin at Barking and Dagenham Council Count. Great stuff!

Red Newham: 63 – Nil

Not forgetting for a moment that we were beaten nationally and are facing the awful prospect of a Tory/Liberal coalition government. I will congratulate Labour comrades in Newham and across London for some magnificent results.

In Newham as I have already posted here our two MPs were re-elected with massive and increased majorities and there was a swing from the Conservatives to Labour!

Our Labour Mayor, Sir Robin Wales, was elected on the first ballot with an equally huge majority and nearly 65,000 votes (68% of turnout).

While we also won all 60 Councillor seats in Newham Council with thumping majorities - defeating the last remaining Respect Councillor and seeing off the simply dreadful CPA by over 600 votes. The Tories came closest at Royal Docks ward but still lost by over 400 votes.

I was really pleased and very proud to be elected as a Labour Councillor with Ron Manley and Freda Bourne for West Ham ward. Freda came top with 3290 votes, Ron next with 3048 and I was the 3rd elected member with 2906. The 4th non-elected candidate was a Conservative who polled 886.  There was another 6 opposition candidates.

Arguable it was "65 - nil" since our London Assembly member John Biggs and our MEP Claude Moraes are both Labour as well. Check out Newham results here.

I will post further on the campaign and the ordeal of the Counts another time.

Congratulation to Barking and Dagenham comrades (and “Hope not Hate”) who wiped out all the BNP Councillors and also took all the Council seats (51 – nil). Special mention to UNISON NEC member and Lolly pop lady, Louise Couling, who DID defeat BNP Assembly member Barnbrook.

I was also ecstatic that Team Labour was elected in Tower Hamlets.   Rushanara Ali was elected MP for Bethnal Green & Bow, Respect were practically wiped out (only one seat left) and the utterly loathsome (and now exposed as cowardly) Mr Galloway, was soundly defeated by Jim Fitzpatrick in Limehouse and Poplar.

I understand that Labour will now control a majority of “London Councils”.

Finally Commiserations to all Labour Parliamentary and Council Candidates who were not elected. We must not be carried away with our relative local successes but must concentrate now on getting the National Party in shape, revitalised and re-organised in time for a probable general election coming some time soon.

The BNP: Betraying our finest hour

UNISON Labour Link 

Message to UNISON members: Don't Let the BNP break up our public services

"Use your vote to keep them out"...."Vote against Hate"...  This leaflet is being delivered to the home addresses of UNISON members in Greater London.  Check out UNISON Stop the BNP.  This is also a  Million Voices for public services campaign.