York politicians ‘sick’ at BNP European election win (From York Press)

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York politicians ‘sick’ at BNP European election win

9:22am Tuesday 9th June 2009 in News Photograph of the Author By Mike Laycock, Chief reporter

Coun David Scott

MAINSTREAM politicians from York have been left sickened after the far right BNP in Yorkshire won its first seat in the European Parliament.

Andrew Brons, 61, a retired Harrogate College politics lecturer, took a seat previously held by Labour’s Richard Corbett, leaving Linda McAvan as the party’s sole representative in Brussels.

The Tories kept their two Yorkshire seats, with sitting MEPs Edward McMillan-Scott and Timothy Kirkhope both being returned, while UKIP’s Godfrey Bloom and Liberal Democrat Diana Wallis also retained their seats.

Mr Brons claimed that his party, which won 120,000 votes – almost ten per cent of the total votes cast – was not racist, argued that he had survived “lies and misrepresentation”, and claimed that his victory was the first step towards Britain removing itself from an “EU dictatorship”.

But York’s Labour MP, Hugh Bayley, said the BNP’s victory left him feeling “sick in the stomach.”

He claimed the BNP was a party was “full of prejudice and hatred for minorities”, and said it had won the seat not because of an increased vote but because Labour’s vote had collapsed.

He said Labour needed to rally its support to marginalise the far right.

York’s Liberal Democrat council leader, Coun Andrew Waller, claimed Mr Brons’s victory would harm Yorkshire’s image, adding: “I am sure that there will be many thousands of people in the region who now wished that they had turned out to vote for other parties to prevent an extremist MEP being elected.”

He said it was now more essential than ever that the mainstream parties should work hard to connect closer with the electorate.

He said MPs’ expenses had dominated the campaign, and it was essential that MPs did not leave Westminster for their summer holidays before they had sorted out reforms needed to restore public confidence in the system.

The council’s Labour’s group leader, Coun David Scott, claimed the BNP had gained the seat not because of an increase in its vote but because voters had stayed at home. “The BNP do not represent me, my views or those of the residents of York at the European Parliament,” he said. “If Mr Brons thinks otherwise, let him come to York and debate with me.”

The council’s Tory leader, Ian Gillies, claimed the BNP’s victory was a direct result of proportional representation (PR).

“The number of votes for the BNP went down from the last Euro election, but due to the collapse of the Labour vote, the BNP percentage rose, resulting in the gain of the seat,” he said.

“PR brings in minority parties, which often represent views that are offensive to most people, as in the case of the BNP, but those are the rules.”

* Election officials put the turnout for the European elections in Yorkshire and Humber at only 32.33 per cent.

Rally pledges to reverse party’s poll success

DOZENS of protesters gathered in York to show their disappointment at the success of the far-right British National Party (BNP) in the European Elections.

Members of the York branch of Unite Against Fascism (UAF) held a rally in the city’s Exhibition Square last night.

Ben Drake, chair of the York UAF, said: “I think people across Yorkshire will be horrified about being represented by the BNP.

“We want to make it clear that although a low turnout meant the BNP were able to scrape together enough votes to win a seat, the vast majority still oppose them and we will work to unseat them.”

City of York councillor Dave Taylor, who represents the Greens, attended the rally to display his opposition to the BNP.

“I’m shocked and horrified that Yorkshire and Humber has voted to return a BNP candidate to the European Assembly,” he said. “It’s due to people not turning out to vote.”

Comments(54)

plangy says...
9:30am Tue 9 Jun 09

As a former Tory voter who left the country due to ridiculous migration policies by the UK Govt. and the socio-economic problems these are now causing. I do feel that both the major parties now should take a good hard look at themselves and how they have managed to allow all the native britons to become disenfranchised and marginalised by their foolish migration policies over the past 20+ years.