BNP set to advance in ex-Speaker Martin's Glasgow seat
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The battle for the parliamentary seat vacated by former House of Commons speaker Michael Martin could hand the British National Party its first major breakthrough in Scotland, it was claimed yesterday.
Senior politicians from all the main parties have conceded that the BNP could make the significant advance of saving its deposit in the Glasgow North East by-election, on Thursday.
However, Labour Party officials campaigning in the constituency warned yesterday that the BNP could even come third, as part of a "protest vote" against the number of asylum-seekers living in the area.
Although Scotland has not had a significant problem with issues of race and immigration in the past, Glasgow North East has one of the highest percentages of asylum-seekers in the country. The BNP has targeted the asylum issue with a campaign pledge to end "mass immigration".
"We say, 'No to mass immigration and bogus asylum-seeking. Yes to repatriation of bogus asylum-seekers and illegal immigrants'," the party's campaign literature said. "We are unique in campaigning for these policies. All the other major parties, and especially the SNP and the Labour Party want to promote mass immigration and bogus asylum-seeking into Scotland, and into Glasgow in particular."
A senior national Labour official said the impact of the BNP message could not be ignored. He said: "We have been comforted by the strong showing for Labour on the doorsteps of the constituency. But there is a significant minority who are clearly considering voting for the BNP and these should not be overlooked. The BNP message is hateful and it is full of holes, but every other party should be prepared to take them on and argue against it; otherwise they will have a propaganda coup."
Elections expert Professor John Curtice of Strathclyde University said the constituency represented fertile ground for the BNP in Scotland. He added: "The social profile in Glasgow North East means it is the kind of area where the BNP tends to do well throughout the UK. But you do not expect them to do as well in Scotland as they would do in the same social situation down south."
The BNP question has deflected attention from a relatively successful Labour campaign in the constituency, compared with the disastrous loss of Glasgow East to the Scottish National Party last year. Labour followed the SNP's example from last year by selecting a popular local man – law lecturer Willie Bain – to fight the seat.
But SNP candidate David Kerr has struggled to make headway during the campaign, and the seat is expected to stay in Labour's hands. The SNP has also suffered from the downturn in the popularity of leader Alex Salmond's administration in the Scottish Parliament. A poll last week suggested Labour would win more seats in the parliament if a Holyrood election were held today.
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Comments
We have all benefitted from easier international travel. Look in any travel agent or on the Internet and the number of places you can go is mind-boggling. There's so much international trade now with planes, trucks and ships crossing borders and the high seas in greater numbers every year, the opportunities for migration have never been easier.
And here's the rub. International gangs of criminals have moved in, to the extent that people trafficking is now big business. Immigrants and "asylum seekers" are often pawns in a sinister game in which a lot of people are victims. Like the drugs trade, a lot of money is involved.
What's the answer? The BNP don't have it. A "send them all home" policy would be hugely expensive and finding out where "home" is often time-consuming and problematical. So what else might the BNP do? Holocaust Mark 2? Surely not when they deny Holocaust Mark 1? Close the borders? Stop international trade and travel? Consider the uproar that would cause from all quarters. Would you give up your holiday in the sun? Surely not.
Mass migration is a worldwide problem and the solution is international. Governments need to work together to control the situation. The migrant route often crosses many countries. This is a complex problem which it will take time and effort to bring under control.
Beware of those who peddle quick-fixes or who jump on bandwagons. They are part of the problem and not the solution.
£abour's policy in Glasgow, and elsewhere is simple, 'keep em on the dole and benifits and they will vote for us!' Hopefully the good people of north Glasgow kick them in polls. Punish the pigs I say.
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Only last week India cancelled work permits for one million 'cheap labour' workers and gave them 24 hours to leave the country
They try to use this to justify their racist policies.
In India where those cheap labour workers Asian, white or black ?
If they where Asian then its not a race issue and under labour laws any country can do that, if India had got rid of non Asian workers then it would be a race issue and there would be an out cry.
On this day how dare you say - Childish rants about 'holocausts' are silly - How dare you.
Nick Griffin has a criminal record for denying the holocaust...... and holocaust was not childish.
What the BNP say on their website and what they do are generally 2 different things, as the BNP are known to be 2 faced and they will do ANYTHING to gain power and fool people to vote for them as protest vote.
They hate the EU and want Britian to leave it, yet they got 2 MEPS in the same EU they hate so much, now thats a good example of being 2 faced.
In the 1930s in the Nazis pre election papers they never said they where racists, they never said they where going to force jews out of germany, they never said they where going to kill countless jews and none whites.
But guess what when the Nazis got in they showed their true colours, they showed they where racists and they did kill jews and none whites, jews where forced out of Germany.
The BNP are the same, I don't believe anything they say.
You're correct the British government do have a policy of aiding immigrants who wish to return to their homeland with a financial handshake, but so far British government are not racist and will NOT repatriate British citizens of colour, the BNP will.
The British government will NOT ban mixed race marriages, the BNP will.
The British government class immigrants as any one who isn't a British Citizen, the BNP class immigrants as any one who isn't white. If you're white polish the BNP don't care as you're white.
So the BNP do NOT advocated the policies of the British government, the BNP try to twist these for their own hate filled needs.
The BNP are pigs not any one else.
The white races are certainly not the only racists and certainly not the WORST racists on this planet.
Lets have some truth for a change were this issue is concerned.
We throw out the most openly corrupt Speaker for 400 years and instead of putting him in jail for fraud - we make him a Lord and end up having to pay for his pension and expenses until he pops his clogs.
Then the people who voted for him in the first place, think it's a good idea to vote for the same party again!
I do however, suspect that the vote in Springburn will be stitched up by the local Labour Mafia and the people of Springburn will continue to be treated as fools and simply "Labour Fodder".
If they think they will they be insulated from the coming economic storm by voting Labour, they really ARE stupid.
No forced repatriations.
Only a very necessary closure on any more immigration.
Removal of illegals, transient economic migrants,and those who bypass the rest of the world on their journey, to get access to the British welfare state.
But then most of you would not want to read it,and make your own mind up.
No!
You might find yourselves agreeing with it.
And that would not do for the tunnel visioned searchlight type scum out there, to have their fixed ideas brought into conflict inside their heads-would it.
i hope the people of Glasgow North East vote for the BNP just to show the
dictators who are currently in power that we British people vote for who we
want to vote for.
Kind regards
Stephen
It is not rascist to think mass immigration is a mistake but one is not scum to disagree with the BNP interpretation of the solution.
One aspect that I'll never find myself agreeing to though is where the subject of race and immigration in concerned. Although there is no mention of "forced repatriation", they do however state that they would offer "generous financial incentives" for legally settled immigrants who agree to return to their "lands on ethnic origin". Surely you don't need to be one of the "tunnel visioned searchlight type scum" to see that that's hardly a democratic process in today's world?
It sounds more as if the BNP will be making every effort to alienate those who have already become accepted members of communities around the country, and most likely make a valuable contribution to society.
And then there's the matter of how the BNP chooses to list it's policies: immigration first and democracy last. No one can argue that that's a coincidence!
Other correspondents have already pointed out contradictions and inconsistencies in the BNP's manifesto and policies. This is obviously proof of that point.
By the way I believe that unfettled immigration is socially divisive and economically unsound and immigration into this coutry should therefore subject to sensible controls. The xenophobism and racism exhibited by the BNP and many of its supporters causes considerable harm to the social fabric of this nation and damages the global standing of the UK (I suppose the BNP consider the last point irrelevant).
<<<<<<<< For the truth about Labour you could read the article in the Times today
which details the COVER UP in the Home Office that permitted Taliban
asylum seekers to remain in Britain>>>>>>>>>>
Rejoice the BNP will match the bogus asylum seekers with bogus policies,no wonder so many Scots are leaving for Spain Australia Thailand and Ameica
Smoke Salmond out has worked at the real prospect of paying for the unwashed the Caledonian taxpppayer would rather be tax free and join the Canadian club,remember the BNP cannot polish a turd.
Chin Chin
The BNP are getting very very clever now and they don't give up.
Pity their leader wasn't so good on BBC Question Time and showed the public what the BNP really are.
Some voters don't really know what the BNP really are but still voting for the BNP as protest vote.
70 years ago our solders died fighting the racist and Nazis with similar views to the BNP, yet now some people vote in protest for the modern day Nazis.
Why don't they vote for UKIP who have a similar anti immigration policy to the BNP but are not racists like the BNP.
Why don't they vote for the Green party, why has it always got be a load of racists at BNP ?
It feels like some voters are black mailing the non racist parties with the threat of the BNP, this is not a dictator ship and black mail should be allowed to happen and I don't care what comments BNP supporters on here will say to justify their hate filled party.
Its funny how at the same time the BNP say under free speech they should be allowed to exist, yet they complain when Muslim extremist try to do a march in London. Shouldn't the muslim extremists be allowed to march and exist under the same laws of free speech the BNP love to crow about ?
Both the BNP and muslim extremists are as bad as each other.
Where are the SNP, labour, lib dems and conservatives ?
They have to take the BNP head on and do to the BNP what their people did to the BNPs leader on BBC Question Time.
You are bloody typical, ranting about the BNP BECAUSE IT MIGHT HURT YOU. Let those suffering elsewhere go hang, they dont matter do they?
I don't know if the BNP will place third. I rather doubt it. But it is NOT the BNP who has the support of the sectarian organization the Orange Order.
It is LABOUR! And they have not repudiated that support.
A vote for Labour in Glasgow NE is in effect a vote for the Orange Order AND for sectarianism.
Ther poll suggesting Labour would win more seats in the Scottish Parliament if a poll was held today is a strange beast altogether. The effort made to provide weightings on a poll that shows the SNP with a higher vote than it acheived at the SP election yet gaining fewer seats was one of thr finest execises in creative fashioning that I have ever seen.
I had believed the Independent stood a little apart from the rest of thr UK's unionist and entirely predictable popular press but I'm afraid after reading this Labour party puff from Brian Brady I'm persuaded thas this is not the case,sadly.
As a matter of interest the popular polls gave Labour a 14 point lead on the Tuesday before the Glasgow East by election which the SNP won.
If he had he would see that the BNP is the only party that has the guts to stand up for what patriotic British people have been thinking for a very long time, but they often feel they cannot speak their minds... from a fear of being charged with not being 'politically correct'.
I think it is a great shame that I have to be careful these days if I want to say that I love Scottish traditions, I love Scottish culture, I love Scottish people.
This used to be an indication that I am patriotic, but sadly now I am likely to be labelled a racist!
I am not a racist, or a bigot.
I just have concerns about the future for my children and grandchildren.
I would like to make sure their futures are secure...
To make sure they get the education they are entitled to.
Have the right to follow their Christian beliefs.
Have the right to equality in their own country. Is that too much to ask for?
I want to preserve our right to have a country where we get to have a say in the running, instead of being dictated to by foreign governors such as the European Union.
I am concerned about our membership to the EU in case we lose the right of self-determination.
There was nothing wrong with EFTA - the 'European Free Trade Association' - I am all for that, but I hate the move now towards us becoming a mere state of Europe, dictated to by Brussels.
Stupid laws like those inflicted on our fishermen and farmers that lead to their ruin and waste of precious resources.
Our Unemployment figures are increasing - so why do we need migrant workers?
More should be done to ensure that Scottish jobs are primarily for Scottish people.
Let's have positive discrimination for Scottish people in Scotland!
Does that make me racist or a bigot? I think not - it is just common sense... that those, whose forefathers have fought for freedom here - and they that have paid in their taxes for many generations... it is their descendants who should take priority in receiving the benefits in Scotland - this is what our forefathers would have wanted.
Is that too much to ask for, is that more than we are entitled to?
No... it is the Labour Party & Policies that are full of holes, which is why Great Britain is all the poorer after adopting them for the past 10 years.