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

nuf said? Hat tip Harry's Place

"Never was so much owed by so many to so few"

The 70th "anniversary" of the Battle of Britain was marked today by a reading of the famous Churchill "few" speech by actor Robert Hardy in Whitehall. 

Hearing his stirring words were actual veterans of the conflict and (Newham born) Dame Vera Lynn.

This was followed by a flypast by  Spitfire and Hurricane fighter planes.

If it was not for their incredible bravery and self sacrifice of the (whole) RAF at this time it would have been very likely that we would have been defeated in the Second world war and would all been subject to Nazi rule.

I hope all members of the Nazi BNP feel deeply ashamed of themselves on such a day.

Equally those cowardly armchair warriors on the ultra left who sneer on those who actually had the courage to put themselves in harms way and actually fight fascism.

Two sides of the same debased coin.

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!!!

“On the knocker” for Lollypop Louise against the Nasty Nazi.

Yesterday afternoon I went to help out in the Goresbrook ward by-election in Barking and Dagenham. UNISON NEC member and long serving Lollypop Lady (aka "school crossing officer") Louise Couling is fighting it out with BNP Assembly member Richard Barnbrook for the seat. Louise had been elected as Councillor in May but due to a cock-up with the paperwork she had to resign and refight the seat.

Newham Labour members had turned out in the morning to help the campaign including Mayor Sir Robin Wales and East Ham MP Stephen Timms. The meeting point was the 3rd floor of “Transport House” which was only a few minutes walk away from Goresbrook Road. The Anti-fascists “Hope Not Hate” are based on the same floor and I met up there with my former branch secretary Jean Geldart who is spending part of her very busy “retirement” helping them out.

Looking out of the back windows of the building you can get some idea of the problems that have faced this community in recent years. Next door are some decaying Ford buildings. The Ford motor car factory at its peak use to stretch for as far as you could see.  An incredible whole 1 mile by 3 miles and employed 40,000 workers. It even had its own railway station and ferry. No wonder there has been huge difficulties - but let’s not forget that (a much smaller) Ford still produce a million car engines per year at this site.

The voter ID session actually went very well. People were in general very positive and promised to support Louise and Labour - and to keep Barnbrook out. We didn’t see any BNP canvassers although their Führer "I hate Londoners" Nick was supposed to be about. But complacency and a low turn out is a big, big risk and we need to get everyone out for Thursday.

Ring 07540 079 685 if you can help out this week and especially on polling day (this Thursday 8 July).

UPDATE: email from Margaret Hodge "Campaign HQ for the day will be 34 Amesbury Road RM9 6AB, Dagenham, which will open at 6.45am and close at 10pm. It's a two minute walk from Becontree Underground Station, on the district line.  However, the District Line caught fire at Barking on Friday, so we are not sure if it will be up and running again. If it's not, we will lay on minibuses from Barking Train Station throughout the day.

Barking is on the c2c line, which runs every ten minutes or so from Fenchurch Street, West Ham and Limehouse - it takes a maximum of 15 minutes to get here. Look out for people in 'Lollipop Louise' t.shirts.  If you need directions, more information or want to let us know you are coming, please phone  07540 079 685 or e-mail back (margarethodgebarkingATgooglemailDOTcom).

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.

Beat the BNP in Barking: Saturday 24th April (POSTAL VOTERS WEEKEND!!!)

"Friends,

Thank you to all who have supported the campaign so far. We've spoken to thousands of local people, making the case for Labour, and against the BNP. And we've delivered hundreds of thousands of leaflets and direct mails.

Next week voters receive their postal votes. This weekend is therefore crucial in making one last push to speak with as many residents as possible. We'll be based in Mayesbrook Ward, a BNP/Labour split ward.

Please join us from 10am - 4.30pm.

- Saturday 24th April. - 26 Bromhall Road.

- Turn left out of Becontree Tube station (District Line), then left again along Rugby Road, a 5 minute walk on the right you'll find Bromhall Road.

- We'll provide lunch and refreshments.  There's plenty of leafleting to do if you'd prefer.

Any questions, please call 07576 323 109.

All the best, Margaret"

Promoted by Jen Oliver on behalf of Margaret Hodge, both at 152 Reede Road, RM10 8DX

Billy Bragg V BNP Barnbrook

hat-tip Socialist Unity

You Can Stop the BNP

hat tip "hope not hate"

"I fought the Nazi. will you?"

"John, When I enlisted in the army 66 years ago, I did it for Britain.  Now I need you to do something for me.

The BNP is trying to strangle our great nation with the same extremist and fascist agenda that Hitler's Nazis threatened us with decades ago. Today, the war isn't being fought on the battlefield - but in the ballot box.

Hope Not Hate is on the front lines of our fight. They're organising to make sure modern-day Nazis aren't elected on 6 May and to preserve the Britain for which I fought so hard. If I had my health I would be out there with them. But I can't - so I'm writing to ask you to volunteer for me.

Please join Hope Not Hate's Day of Action this weekend - the campaign has laid on transport to help you get to the areas in which you are needed the most:

http://action.hopenothate.org.uk/fightthenazis

I was barely in my twenties when I went to fight for Britain. I left home with friends - all young lads like myself - and many never returned.

Today, the BNP salute and say "Heil Hitler" - and they support the same all-white Britain. They're proud of what the Nazis did to my friends, and what they did to millions of innocent people throughout Europe.

We didn't fight with our lives on the line years ago just to be right back here today.

We need to do everything we can to stop the BNP from being elected to local councils and to Parliament. Those boys lost to the war would proudly go door-to-door with Hope Not Hate to fight against the fascist BNP today.

There are no tanks and no guns in this fight - but we still need your courage to speak out.

Attend a Hope Not Hate event this weekend and join the fight against fascism:

http://action.hopenothate.org.uk/fightthenazis

The elections on 6 May are personal to me - and I hope they will be to you. I'd like to thank you in advance for your service.

Yours,

Kenneth Riley
Normandy Veteran - Tank Division"

(hat-tip an email from "Hope Not Hate")

Lollypop vs Nazi: Couling vs Barnbrook

The Labour Party's Louise Couling will be challenging the BNP's Richard Barnbrook for his seat on Barking and Dagenham Council in 2010. Good luck Louise! Icepicker100.

Great video Icepicker! - check out this report here about UNISON NEC member Louise and her campaign. Louise is a true Brit - anti-fascist, trade union, Labour Party loyalist.

The other Labour Candidates standing in Goresbrook ward are Graham Letchford and James Clee.

UPDATE: Labour list

...I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to Her Majesty...

The photo is of my Facebook “Friend” Tareq Chowdbury (3rd left) at his British Citizenship ceremony last month. Tareq had to memorise this oath of Allegiance to the Queen

“I, Tareq Chowdhury, do solemnly, sincerely and truly declare and affirm that on becoming a British Citizen, I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Second, her Heirs and Successors, according to law. I will give my loyalty to the United Kingdom and respect its rights and freedoms. I will observe its laws faithfully and fulfill my duties and obligations as a British citizen”

He also had to memorise and sing the national anthem and be tested on facts about Britain.

At last year’s UNISON conference I entered a prize draw competition and took the written British citizenship test which I failed miserably. I doubt that unprompted I know all the words of even the first verse of the national anthem.

Today there has been an announcement that Citizenship will be made even more difficult. Being an active trade union steward will however, apparently make it quicker.

I will admit to being unsure whether these tests and ceremonies are a good thing or not? Are such public announcements and flag waving essentially “un-British”? I did recently meet someone who was very proud to become a British citizen but had put it off for years since he was a committed republican and could not bear to take an oath of allegiance to a heredity monarch. He did eventually but it was I assume a meaningless occasion to him.

Tareq and his friends who commented on it did not feel this way and everyone was genuinely warm and obviously pleased with the ceremony. I am reminded of those surveys that show that immigrants often feel more British and patriotic than the average Brit. It is also tragically ironic that I think it was in the last Council election in Barking and Dagenham that research found that up to 7% of the BNP vote came from members of the local BME community who thought from the name that they were voting for a “British” patriotic Party rather than a bunch of Nazi goons.

I think on balance such ceremonies are a “good thing” and that a public declaration of your loyalty to your state is important for the individual involved and the wider community. Who knows, despite being very proud of being Welsh/Scots should I face facts and recognise that I have now spent most of my life in England. Should I start calling myself English? (God forbid)

Tareq is a member of Newham Labour Party and a local solicitor. I actually met him properly for the first time last week at the Labour Party headquarters in Victoria (in somewhat unusual circumstances). Typically neither of us “Facebook Friends” recognised each other. According to his latest Facebook posting he is currently on holiday in Spain. Now how British is that!

BNP Out

An excellent anti-Nazi (BNP) leaflet from UNISON (double click)

You wouldn't vote for these fascists...

This is the Hope Not Hate leaflet we were handing out outside Norwich station on Union Friday.

I think it is pretty effective.