IN THE Salford Irwell Riverside by-election on 21 May, the BNP were confident of winning the seat from Labour. Continual local press coverage combined with leafleting and other actions made the BNP so cocky that their leaflet claimed it was a straight fight between them and Labour.
However, they gained only 43 votes from the last election to poll 276 (17%), ending up in third place. New Labour held the seat but lost a quarter of its vote, unsurprising when their candidate gives Hazel Blears MP “110% support”! The Lib Dems and Tories also lost voters – who the polling figures suggest either remained at home or mostly went to the Greens and UKIP.
Chased out of Salford the weekend before, with their planned gig at a Manchester club cancelled by the venue after mass complaints, it’s clear the BNP are not wanted by working-class youth. And now their Salford organiser has been suspended for making racist comments on Facebook!
Building a socialist alternative and a strong vote for No2EU – Yes to Democracy at the Euro elections is the best way to continue the battle against the racist right.
