Elections a go-go
Whilst we’ve been campaigning for some time in key areas, the nominations for this year’s local elections have now been published so the elections have officially started. Yesterday, whilst waiting in the elections office for forms to be sorted out I got that same feeling I used to have when as a swimmer I on the starting blocks waiting for the race to begin.
This year the three main parties have fielded a full slate of candidates across the 20 wards of the city, but we also have a range of other candidates as follows:
- British Nazi National Party: 6 (Winton, Pendlebury, Walkden South, Little Hulton, Irwell Riverside, Claremont)
- Independents: 4 (Winton, Barton, Swinton South, Pendlebury)
- Community Action Party: 2 (Irlam, Cadishead)
- UKIP: 1 (Claremont)
I’m surprised to see no Greens this year – they’ve been making and effort to gain a foothold in the city for the last two-three years, though their I seem to recall that their candidates may have lived outside the city. Given their performance in Greater Manchester and the likelihood that they’ll loose their one Manchester councillor this year perhaps they’re on the wane. No English Democrats either perhaps they’ve merged with the BNP – they seemed pretty pally at the count last year), and it seems that the Liberal Party may have finally expired in Salford as I’ve not seen them rear their head for a while now. Also, I’m pretty sure that the CAP wanted to field a candidate in Langworthy, so I wonder what went wrong there. Lastly, I see Alan Valentine is now standing as an Independent – he stood for UKIP last year so they mustn’t have been for him (before that he was and Independent and before that a Lib Dem).
Bizarrely the CAP rang us up this morning to demand we withdraw our candidates in Irlam and Cadishead – apparently in return for some fictional great service they’d rendered us. Needless to say, they’ve received short shrift from us over this rather foolish suggestion. Only a couple of weeks now before the first votes start being cast.
For completeness sake – here are a list numbers and locations of minor and unaligned party candidates from last year:
- UKIP: 3 (Barton, Ordsall, Walkden North Ward)
- BNP: 5 (Claremont, Irwell Riverside, Little Hulton, Pendlebury, Walkden South)
- Green: 3 (Boothstown and Ellenbrook, Walkden South, Worsley)
- English Democrats: 1 (Swinton South)
- Community Action: 2 (Irlam, Cadishead)
- Indpendent: 1 (Swinton South)
4:22 pm on April 4th, 2008
Let’s hope we have fewer Labour councillors in Salford soon!
It would be great to see somebody ‘take the scalp’ of Deputy Council Leader David Lancaster in marginal Winton ward.
6:38 pm on April 17th, 2008
Somewhat worrying to see the BNP rising up a notch, especially as voters are starting to split away from the traditional Labour/Tory lines.. unfortunately not all of them will be heading for the Lib Dems as an alternative.
8:30 pm on April 17th, 2008
The BNP have been increasing their presence over the past few years in Salford. They’re nowhere near winning anywhere thankfully. BNP candidates actually seem to take votes from Labour more often than not – perhaps that’s one reason why the trade unions pile in to support Labour where ever they stand and no matter how likely they are to win. Last year we had USDAW trying to tell Claremont voters that only Labour could stop the BNP in the ward. Shame it was a complete lie.
Nationally the BNP are in complete disarray, with infighting and nastiness all round. In London they’ve gone off the rails spectacularly and I have no doubt they’ll have little impact here in Salford. I’ll certainly keep challenging their sexist, racist and homophobic bigotry where ever I find it.
1:16 am on April 18th, 2008
Steve, I agree that the main party the BNP steals votes from is Labour. I reckon they also win votes from a significant minority of those who would otherwise remain apathetic (and not exercise their vote due to disillusionment with the major parties). The BNP has Labour in Salford [and elsewhere] worried because in time it could conceivably win a seat(s) on Salford Council; I know this from what I consistently hear from trade unionists… Alec McFadden for one regularly warns against the onward march of the BNP in Salford.
7:36 am on April 18th, 2008
Richard – I’ve been fighting the BNP for as long as I’ve been in politics and was a founder member of Manchester Against Racism. It’ll be a while time before the BNP could conceivably win a seat here. The trade unionists have a vested interest in inflating the BNP threat – it mobilises their activists and is a tool to convince people that the fight is against the BNP rather than the real target, which is often the Lib Dems. I know this because I’m a trade unionist myself and have received the material on how to use the fight against the BNP for Labour purposes from the Labour Link group in my union. I’ve also seen the same stuff from other unions.
11:37 am on April 18th, 2008
Oh… that’s a tasty bit of insight Steve…thanks for sharing that!
I am – needless to say – not a trade unionist so [though I do 'have my sources' and I do attend the occasional open-to-the-public meetings] it’s always nice to hear an insider speak out openly. I feel all excited now like a journalist with a press tip! Tell us more Steve by all means…
P.S. I like the point [Gwyneth's point really] you made about Hazel Blears in your tribute to the late Gwyneth Dunwoody MP… in fact, I like it a lot! I have a passionate dislike of Hazel Blears (as do many Salfordians) because she is frankly a staggeringly awful and apallingly bad MP whichever way one considers her. I must say – as a general point about opportunist, careerist, conniving and talentless MPs in general, as Gwyneth surely meant it, and not referring to anybody in particular – I noted how Gwyneth laboured the point [in her Commons speech to which your article provides a link] about some aspirant MPs using sex to further their own ends!!
It’s an interesting point isn’t it… PPC/MP sleeps here and there to advance political career. That’s an eyeopener isn’t it… I had no idea that sort of thing went on [!]. You won’t catch me sleeping with anyone to advance my political career… I find it much better to tantalise women with their unfulfilled desires! Oh, and it’s immoral!
12:21 pm on April 19th, 2008
Finding the magazines sent be Labour Link would take a while (they’re buried in my ‘filing system” – however, here are a couple of illustrative quotes:
“Running a strong anti-BNP campaign can also increase the activism of your own members. What better reason to get active than to stop the fascist BNP. Oldham Labour Party used this tactic to great effect back in 2002 as a way to mobilise its disillusioned supporters. Membership and activism rose sharply as dormant Labour Party members saw stopping the BNP as a genuine reason to get active again.”
http://www.zen26144.zen.co.uk/resources/Why%20the%20BNP%20must%20be%20confronted.pdf
“The threat of the BNP mobilised previously unwilling Labour supporters like no other issue.”
Progress Magazine (2006), ‘The rise of the BNP: what should Labour’s strategy be?’ 28 June.