IT IS time to put the policies of the BNP under a microscope (The Press, April 9).

The BNP says on its website that it will encourage legal immigrants to return to their country of origin and only employ British workers in British factories. How exactly will this Britishness be worked out?

If your father was Polish and your mother English, would you be allowed to work in a British factory? Will the same apply if your father was Nigerian? Will BNP nationalism be only applied to non-whites like Apartheid in South Africa?

The rulers there came up with the “pencil test” which was carried out by placing one in the hair of a person.

If the hair was soft enough for the pencil to fall to the ground they were deemed white; if the hair was coarse enough to hold the pencil then the person was deemed coloured.

Uncontrolled immigration concerns all British people. Many are working on solutions that balance the staffing needs of industry and agriculture with a fair immigration policy.

Others are working tirelessly in improving human rights so that fewer asylum seekers leave their country in absolute desperation looking for refuge.

Britons have always contributed generously to charities working to improve economic conditions in developing countries, provide fair trading conditions to farmers and reduce the burden of debt.

They are all part of the solution. Unfortunately, the BNP is part of the problem. All they end up doing is inciting racial hatred and providing an outlet for prejudices.

Seggy T Segaran, York.

• YOUR report headlined “BNP candidate is York parish councillor”, states that the literature of Cathy Smurthwaite, British National Party candidate for York Outer, mentions local issues but not the BNP’s national policies, contradicting a widely held view of the main parties that the BNP is concerned only with national rather than local issues.

Regarding the BNP’s national policies, party leader Nick Griffin issued a press statement on April 8 stating that the party will fight the election on withdrawal from Afghanistan, an immediate halt and reversal of the immigration invasion, and an end to the global warming conspiracy which is being used to pay billions to build up the industries of China and India while much of British manufacturing is being lost.

Trevor Brown (York BNP Group Organiser), Newbury Avenue, York.

• WITH reference to your front-page article headlined “Storm over BNP Candidate”, who is the creator of this so-called “storm” and have they something to gain or is it another media invention?

Your article seems to imply that Cathy Smurthwaite is some sort of deceiver and miscreant. As far as I can see she has for 18 months or so, given of herself, her energy and her valuable free time to serve as a parish councillor. Her comments are non-political so her membership of any party has no relevance.

I served on the Heworth Without parish council for a couple of years during which time my political views were not an issue, never mentioned. Apart from the then chairman Mr M Bradley and later on Mr M Lancelot, I was not aware of the political leanings of any other member of the council.

Unlike Nigel Ayre, I see no reason to be “uneasy” about Mrs Smurthwaite’s voluntary commitment to Heworth Without. I am sure that even Ben Drake, of York Branch of Unite Against Fascism, would struggle to fit “sneaky tactics” and extremist agenda to Mrs Smurthwaite’s service on the parish council.

So who has created this “storm”?

Mrs W M Warriner, Lawn Way, Stockton Lane, York.