Humiliation in Wingrove Leads to Discord within North East BNP
 Critical of Booth:Keith McFarlane |
May’s local elections this year saw the North East BNP’s vote decrease in most of their target seats. On Thursday 15th June the BNP suffered a further humiliation; BNP candidates Viv Browne and Graham Hodgson managed just 81 and 80 votes (3%) respectively in the Wingrove by-election in Newcastle. The BNP knew that this was not likely to be a strong ward for them, with relatively high student and BME populations. But their vote has collapsed even since last year, when they polled 157 (6%). Even more embarrassing for the party, all four Green Party and Conservative candidates beat Browne and Hodgson comfortably, leaving the BNP in distant last place.
Coming so soon after the lacklustre local election results, it is not surprising that members of North East BNP are starting to question the abilities of regional organiser Ken Booth, who was the agent in the by-election and lives in the ward. His presence in the community clearly has not helped the party win over local people. The most public criticism has come from Gateshead organiser Keith McFarlane, in the person of his Stormfront alter-ego Bob Blatchford. Foregoing his usual blind optimism, McFarlane called it an “Absulout p*ss poor result” [sic], and was careful to distance himself from the decision to contest the ward in the first place. If this is the reaction of one of the BNP’s most enthusiastic cheerleaders, TWAFA is confident that there will be few BNP members regionally who have managed to put a brave face on this disaster. |