If you live in the north-west of England and want to stop Nick Griffin being an MEP...

[policywonk]

here's how to do it

It was an FE college, the students would be from 16 to 60. I think it's quite wrong to sack people on the basis of their private beliefs actually. Almost .... fascist.

As it happens I spent six hours a week with him for a year, and I didn't get any inkling of any sort of racism. And I got very well with him too, I got an A for all my essays and would sometimes bump into him and have a chat. He easily could have tried to 'groom' me for far right politics - I probably made it clear that I was right-wing rather than a lefty - so the opportunity was there (not that I would have been interested), but he didn't. He stuck strictly to 'safe' subjects. He doesn't come across in the video in the least bit fascist does he? But he has done a huge amount of far right stuff, marches, writing manifestos, etc.

I do remember the line about the famous Belgians though, I think he must have told that one a hundred times.

Bump! Thanks for this. I'm in the NW and am going to email people I know. A few have already said they are going out to vote for anyone rather than let the BNP in.

Thanks SomeGuy for the PR explanation - I have read it twice, slowly, and now understand, I think.

I think there are some careers which are not compatible with being a member of the BNP tbh but that is for another thread.

I have worked with a teacher who was a member of the BNP and I know we were glad top be rid of him and am, relieved to know he is no longer a teacher.

I am trying to understand the PR, have not decided yet how I am going to vote.

have already voted lib dem, postal vote you see.. was ditheing about green,but went libn dem,is that still ok reBNP?

Here's another article pointing out that 'Vote Green to stop the BNP' is basically a load of bollocks.

politicalbetting.com/index.php/archives/2009/05/23/vote-green-to-stop-the-bnp/

He's saying vote Lib Dem?

Tim Dowling in the Guardian today - helps a bit (sort of!)

Not about who to vote for but explains some helpful things about the European Parliament (eg that they can fiddle even more expenses than our MPs can )

I think the message is (sort of) that if you actually have a party you want to vote for, vote for them. If you are in the NW and voting largely to stop the BNP getting a seat, then if you would normally have voted for Respect vote Green, if you would normally have voted for someone else vote LibDem. More or less, anyway. And encourage other people to vote because minority parties like the BNP do better when there's a low turnout.

There will be similar "best way to stop the BNP getting a seat" strategies in other parts of the country, but they won't necessarily all be the same.

So BNP managed to win a County Council seat - a first

So BNP managed to win a County Council seat - a first

oops - sorry - I got a silly message full of $$$$ the first time

a first for Lancashire, but they've had a few round and about the country. They are almost always completely thick and useless.

They've had local council seats before - they haven't had a County Council seat.

Lancashire can be proud today

The Green campaign was only ever about self-interest, cynically using the BNP to try and get votes.

Oh dear, has this campaign backfired then?

I don't think it backfired but it didn't work - the final figures (between Greens & BNP) were very close.

BNP 132,094 8.00%
Greens 127,133 7.70%

So less than 5000 in it. Bugger.

But there's this analysis by SomeGuy:

The Greens picked up 35,456 votes over 2004. Not sure where those votes come from, but had all those 35,000 voted Lib Dem, then the Lib Dems would have taken the seat from the BNP.

Had just 2400 of them voted UKIP instead (which doesn't seem unreasonable, as the Greens are a Eurosceptic party), UKIP would have taken the BNP's seat.

Hindsight is a wonderful thing

(I was going to vote Green anyway!)