On May 6th there will borough council elections in Crawley and probably a general election on the same date.

We know that the BNP will have candidates in the general election and expect them to have candidates in the local elections too.  We intend to campaign in the run-up to elections.

As normal we will not be promoting any particular party: we will just be asking people who would otherwise not vote to get out and vote against the BNP.

Anybody who would like to help in our campaigning, or would like some help organisnig their own anti-fascist events can contact the secretary by email.

There are a few things going on in Sussex this month:

18th May
Love Music Hate Racism concert at Sussex University.

Students at Sussex have organised an event that features bands, Djs and other acts from 12.pm to 8pm on Monday. It will be an excellent day, come and enjoy the music and stop at the LMHR and UAF stalls while you are there.

21st May
Mass leafleting at Brighton Station

Assisted by the South East region PCS and others Mid Sussex UAF will be holding a mass leafleting at Brighton Station from 5.30 –7.00pm the aim is to have as many people attend as possible to create a memorable and eye-catching event that will send out our message as widely as possible. Meet in front of the station gates, we will be leafleting in the area outside the station property. Please join us for this important event.

26th May

Lewes Trades Union Council is running an anti- BNP public meeting at the All Saints Centre, Lewes 7.00pm Dealing with the fight against fascism both past and present speakers include representatives of the International Brigade and Unite Against Fascism. There is a short film showing as well.

29th May
Mass leafleting at Haywards Heath Station

Richard Trower, one of the BNP’s key figures in the South East is standing for election to WSCC in Haywards Heath. As a key commuter town this is another opportunity not only to damage the vote of a leading member of this unpleasant party, but to get information widely spread across the south east by creating a spectacle event. Meet from 5.30, outside Railway premises.

Stalls.

Mid Sussex UAF are already holding a stall every Saturday from 2pm in Churchill Square Brighton. Please come along and help, or say hello, have a look at their selection of literature, badges, shirts etc.

The results for wards in Reigate & Banstead and Crawley where the BNP were standing are as follows:

That is 15% in 5 wards and between 7.2% and 11.5% in the other 5. 

Note: the BNP vote and percentage for Merstham has been corrected. The perils of copy & paste and coding tables by hand in HTML had caused the West Green numbers to be repeated there.

Some reminders for the next couple of weeks:

1.
Its local elections on May 1st.  Its important to vote anyway, but if you are in one of the 10 wards in Reigate & Banstead or Crawley with a BNP candidate it is especially important to go out and vote for any other candidate.  Every voter who stays at home makes the BNP proportion of the vote look higher!

2.
Love Music Hate Racism are holding their free carnival in Victoria Park, London on Sunday, April 27th. Full details at www.lovemusichateracism.com.  It should be a great day out and its only a short train ride from the Wealden area.

3.
If you can't get to the carnival you can still show your support by texting LMHR to 84424 which will donate £3 to help meet the costs of holding the carnival.

4.
Its never a bad time to join us and help to keep fascist parties out of the Wealden area.

In case anyone needs reminding, the full line-up on Sunday is:

• The Good The Bad The Queen
• Jerry Dammers & RAR Allstars
• Drew McConnell (Babyshambles) + friends feat v/special guests
• Hard-Fi
• Akala
• Roll Deep presents… inc Wiley, Tinchy Stryder, Jammer
• Jay Sean
• Get Cape Wear Cape Fly
• Poly Styrene (X-ray Specs)
• Bashy
• Natty
• The View
• Patrick Wolf
• Paddingtons
• The Thirst
• The Tribunes
• Rugrats
• Statik
• Target
• Nihal
• Don Letts
• Ace n Vis
• Dennis Bovell's  London Lovers'
• Rock Crew
• London Community Gospel Choir
• Mistajam + PA's tbc
• Aruba Red (PA)
• Tommy Def v King Bats
• Target & Karnage
• Dubstep slot with Skream & Benga
• Old skool jungle with DJ Hype & Daddy Earl
• DJ Nihal
• Heartless Crew
• Adelaide McKenzie
• Hoodstars
• Ny
• Snakeyman / No.Lay / Lil Rascals / Stylo G
• Mecca 2 Medina
• Nathan 'Flutebox' Lee

Despite most politically-active people having their own election campaigns to worry about and heavy rain and hail, the Wealden UAF were out in force today talking to voters and handing out leaflets at shopping parades in Ifield, Bewbush and West Green and delivering leaflets through doors in Gossops Green and Ifield West.

The message is getting across.  Several new faces were seen, as those who are not normally involved in politics and do not support any specific party turned up to help increase the anti-BNP vote. Our aim is to be able to have a presence in all 10 wards where the BNP are standing in this area simultaneously, and that is looking increasingly feasible.

In the Crawley area, where we were today, there is a chronic problem with low turnouts at election time - a situation that the BNP always thrive on.  They seek out places with a low turnout where their small hardcore vote, plus the few extra votes they get at first as novelty candidates can look like a high proportion.  As we have seen elsewhere in the country, they can succeed where voter apathy lets them and we are asking for nothing more than that the overwhelming majority who reject the BNP actually vote to register that rejection.

Such tactics have worked in the past.  Consistent campaigning has seen the BNP vote fall in Southgate. So much so that this year the BNP are not bothering to contest the election in Southgate despite two of their candidates living there!  They are now relying on attracting votes in areas where they will be seen as a novelty like Pound Hill South and Bewbush or in Tilgate where they stood for the first time last year.  A good effort to increase the turnout in those areas will let them see they are not wanted there either.

There are many thousands of people who are absolutely opposed to the BNP but do not have the voting habit, and our aim is to persuade them to use their vote.

See the links above for how to get involved in one of the fastest-growing campaigns in the area.

Wealden UAF will be active in Crawley and Reigate & Banstead boroughs during the 2008 elections.

If, like us, you are concerned about the increasing activity of the BNP in our area there are many ways you can help out:

• Deliver some leaflets (contact us for more details)
• Come along with us when we go out talking to voters (contact us for more details)
• Join the UAF and use your skills to help us.
• Make a donation and help to cover the cost of our leaflet
• VOTE!  We don't care if you vote for a Liberal Democrat, Conservative, Labour, Independent, Green or Monster Raving Loony candidate but if you disagree with BNP's policies make sure you use your vote and don't stay at home. It is not too late to get a postal vote if you need one - contact your town hall for details.

The nominations are now in for the May 2008 local elections, and in Crawley the BNP will be standing in six wards:

• Tilgate
• West Green
• Pound Hill South
• Ifield
• Gossops Green
• Bewbush

There will be some UAF activity in those wards before the election, delivering leaflets urging electors to use their vote against the BNP.  Anyone who would like to help out can contact us via the contact page.

(Full list of nominations is here) 

This week there is a parish council by election in Upper Beeding.  One independent candidate is Donna Bailey, who will be remembered as a failed BNP candidate in the Holbrook West by election of last year.

Some comment about Mrs Bailey can be found here on the Lancaster UAF website, and there is an article about her in the Daily Mail here.

She is quoted as saying:

I didn't offer myself up as a member of the BNP, so it shouldn't be an issue at all. Actually, I think they are discriminating against me by making it an issue.

But the BNP are promoting her candidacy on their website, and should she win they will certainly be referring to her as a 'BNP councillor', so despite those protestations it is an issue. At the next district council elections she will almost certainly be a candidate for the BNP again, and you can bet that Parish Councillor will feature prominently on her CV, along with her involvement in the local youth club, children's football team and other things she has been involved with as 'just an ordinary person'.

As the Mail says:

If Donna wins on Thursday, Upper Beeding might well get its new toddler swing. But will the price be worth paying?

The results in Thursday's by-election were:

(A Lib Dem gain from Conservative)

There is a report on the election at the Lancaster UAF website. 

Wealden UAF are disappointed whenever the BNP get any votes, let alone more than 10%, but there is a feeling that it could have been a lot worse.  The BNP traditionally get a high vote the first time they stand in an area, and the low turnouts in most district council by-elections. 

Combine those factors with the fact that there has been no organised anti-fascist activity in the area previously while the BNP have been working in Horsham for a year or two and the fact that their candidate lived in the area and was presentable and they will have been hoping for and expecting a better result.

Without our efforts to encourage a higher turnout there might have been fewer votes for the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats, giving the BNP a higher proportion of the vote.