Sunday, May 07, 2006

Race Hate Capital of Britian

The few regular readers of this blog may rightly have realised that I've not mentioned the local elections that took place on Thursday yet.

I knew it was going to happen but that doesn't prepare you for the headlines that declare that the town in which you live is now the 'race hate capital of Britain' (Evening Standard) or 'the far right capital of Britian' (Guardian). The BNP had a field of 13 candidates across the 17 wards that comprise the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham. 11 have been elected as councellors with a twelfth to be added, in all likelihood, once a clerical order has been overturned in the High Court next week. I took some consolation that in my ward the BNP was not elected but that was shortlived as he is the twelth man.

It's thoroughly depressing and I have so much to say on the matter that it's all jumbled up in my head at the moment. There'll be more in due course.

6 comments:

Shep said...

I was about to blog angrily about this after the election then thought...Em will probably do that, and save me the trouble. She is the Barking correspondant, after all...

And now all I need to do is keep watching the Guardian letters page too...

coolbuddha said...

What would I do if I were in your position? Well - after chewing the carpet/floor boards and poohing on the door step of the local MP - ignore them. Yes, its attention and publicity which they try and thrive on. So: ignore them. (Funny: dog handlers apply a similar tactic).

pat said...

it is democracy at work.

Ashley said...

Welcome to the club. I live in one of two counties (out of a total of 254 counties) in Texas that didn't vote for Bush and his ilk (out of 19 million registered voters). I know too well the feelings of despair when you realize just how many of your 'neighbors' don't share your perspective. At all.

Hang in there.... and yes, keep writing letters to the Guardian!!

Shep said...

Hilarious but in many ways terrible moment on Radio Five Live this morning as they interviewed a resident on the streets of Barking.

"Rascist? I'm not rascist. I got coloureds in my family!"

Anonymous said...

I blame what Harrison (my favourite living poet) called the 'Boom and blast bollock-Blairite Britain.' This is just the beginning of the end.