BNP humiliated in Oldham

The following article was recently posted on Eddy Butler's blog, www.eddybutler.blogspot.com.

Populist right wins 10.7% of the vote in Oldham East and Saddleworth by-election.

BNP humiliated and loses its deposit in Oldham East and Saddleworth by-election.

Compared to the General Election, the BNP vote share fell on a much lower turn out and the BNP also lost its deposit with 4.5%. UKIP considerably increased its vote and its percentage and defeated the BNP for the first time in Oldham East and Saddleworth.

I can muster some sympathy for Derek Adams, the hapless BNP candidate. This is despite the fact that he agreed to stand as a stooge candidate to undermine the BNP’s internal democratic process in last year’s leadership election and despite the fact that he gloatingly expressed satisfaction in Nick Griffin’s rigged electoral process.

ALIEN LIFE FORM

Mr Adams agreed to step in over the head of a local candidate that was preferred by the local branch. This was due to a pathetic power play by Clive Jefferson who wanted everyone to know who was really in change. In charge of what though?

The BNP campaign was characterised by incompetence and cock ups. Hardly any activists could be bothered to turn up. Local activists were demoralised by Jefferson’s antics. It is extra proof that Nick Griffin has destroyed the BNP.

Clive Jefferson and Nick Griffin have been touting their electoral brilliance lately, with their fantastic new system called ALF. Houston... we have a problem.

TWITTER YE NOT

I see that Nick Griffin has taken up a new exercise regime. I don’t want to sound unkind, but it isn’t before time. However he has ignored my advice to stop his ‘Twittering’ nonsense. The trouble is that he keeps making these instant ‘Tweets’ without first engaging the remnants of his brain.

Take tonight. While in a state of high excitement, with adrenaline running through his veins and his hands trembling at twice the normal alarming rate, he had this to say:

“Speaking to Paul Morris, Eastern regional organiser. He's had relaunch Thurrock branch tonight. I'll be speaking down there soon. Like several other key areas in Essex it appears to have been deliberately neglected. Same as our elections systems. Not any more. Hand brake's off, now we motor!”

Here I presume he is hinting that the BNP in Essex was sabotaged, I guess by me. Or perhaps by others? Particularly Thurrock? Interesting claim. I wonder if he will elaborate.

He also claims that our election systems were deliberately neglected. The man is deluded and in serious need of a permanent rest from politics.

I see he is using a car driving metaphor – ‘hand break off’. He and his close colleague Clive Jefferson seem to have driven the BNP off the road.

NICK GRIFFIN – YOU HAVE CAUSED A PROBLEM

Nick Griffin mismanagement of the BNP and its finances has resulted in a situation where the party is distrusted by the electorate and starved of funds so it cannot campaign effectively.

The BNP needs a root and branch re-launch to rejuvenate it and make itself acceptable to the electorate. That takes a lot more than a new logo. It takes getting rid of the walking disaster area, the most unpopular politician in recent British history, the man who has totally run out of steam and ideas. The man who abuses his position in the party by corrupting the BNP’s internal processes. Yes that man is Nick Griffin.

This by-election defeat is Nick Griffin’s defeat. There will only be defeats until Nick Griffin is an ex-Chairman.

Make no mistake, this should have been a good constituency for the BNP. That is why Nick Griffin originally announced himself as the candidate. Remember that?

Oldham is BNP territory. The sort of place where the BNP should have won council seats. The BNP polled 5,091 votes which was 11.2% back in 2001. It is the sort of place where the BNP always outclasses UKIP. Indeed the BNP have outpolled UKIP here in the last three General Elections. In the last General Election the BNP saved its deposit with 5.7% of the vote and 2,546 votes. Quite simply the BNP under Nick Griffin has taken off the handbrake and gone into reverse gear. Fast.

To be defeated here and totally outflanked by UKIP on the ethnic question, is a disaster.

THE GOOD NEWS?

The good news is that the ‘right wing’, populist, anti-European, identity candidates together got 3,733 votes and 10.7%. If they had fought together who knows? It would certainly have been higher. It would have been an eye catching total.

The good news is that the vote is there. The task is to mobilise it through political action. There is one certainty. That cannot happen with Nick Griffin having anything to do with it. If Nick Griffin is jettisoned the activists will come back and hope will return.

This by-election is yet another urgent wake up call.

The only people to blame for this are Nick Griffin and Clive Jefferson.

WAKE UP BEFORE IT’S TOO LATE.

ELECTION RESULTS

Oldham East and Saddleworth

By-election, 13th January 2011 – Turnout 48.1%
Debbie Abrahams, Labour 14,718 votes – 42.1%
Elwyn Watkins, Liberal Democrat 11,160 votes – 31.9%
Kashif Ali, Conservative 4,481 votes – 12.8%
Paul Nuttall, UKIP 2,029 votes – 5.8%
Derek Adams, BNP 1,560 votes – 4.5%
Peter Allen, Green 530 votes – 1.5%
Nick "The Flying Brick" Delves, Monster Raving Loony 145 votes – 0.4%
Stephen Morris, English Democrats 144 votes - 0.4%
Loz Kaye, Pirate 96 votes – 0.3%
David Bishop, Bus-Pass Elvis 67 votes – 0.2%

General Election 2010 - Turnout: 61.2%
Phil Woolas, Labour 14,186 votes 31.9%
Elwyn Watkins, Liberal Democrat 14,083 votes - 31.6%
Kashif Ali, Conservative 11,773 votes - 26.4%
Alwyn Stott, BNP 2,546 votes - 5.7%
David Bentley, UKIP 1,720 votes - 3.9%
Gulzar Nazir, Christian 212 votes - 0.5%

General Election 2005 - Turnout: 57.3%
Phil Woolas, Labour 17,968 - 41.4%
Tony Dawson, Liberal Democrat 14,378 - 33.2%
Keith Chapman, Conservative 7,901, 18.2%
Michael Treacy, BNP 2,109 - 4.9%
Valerie Nield, UKIP 873 - 2.0%
Philip O'Grady, Independent 138 - 0.3%

General Election 2001 - Turnout: 61.0%
Phil Woolas, Labour 17,537 - 38.6%
Howard Sykes, Liberal Democrat 14,811 - 32.6%
Craig Heeley, Conservative 7,304 - 16.1%
Michael Treacy, BNP 5,091 - 11.2%
Barbara Little, UKIP 677 - 1.5%