During election periods Rotherham Politics is remarkably free of mentions of the BNP and BNP-Light, known to local voters as UKIP. This is to ensure that we don’t assist them by giving them publicity, all be it, of a negative nature!
At the elections this year both fielded candidates, UKIP 12 and BNP 5. The number of seats available was 23, so they managed to avoid fighting each other in 17 of the 21 ward elections, without, we are told, any collusion!
These two political parties have also managed this trick once before, in 2010 I believe. As the chances of this happening once are vanishingly small, for it to have happened twice in 3 years is almost impossible, without a pact not to fight one another’s candidates and collusion over which seats to fight, that is! Any other interpretation of the facts would stretch credibility too far.
Why is this important? When two Parties enter an electoral pact, implicit in this, is the recommending to BNP voters that they should vote for a UKIP candidate in the absence of a BNP candidate and vice versa! This makes them amount to the same thing, two sides of the same coin as it were, quite outrageous and totally unacceptable!
The BNP is populated with various racists and bigots in Rotherham as elsewhere. The organiser for them locally? Marlene Guest! The same Marlene Guest that occasionally pours out her pernicious opinions in the letters pages of the Advertiser.
It comes as a bit rich, when Nigel Farage the UKIP leader, tells the world that they are a nice cuddly party that has dealt with their racists and thrown them out. This clear out has not gone as far as Rotherham, if they can enter such a disgraceful electoral pact! Which is why Rotherham Politics refers to them as BNP-Light and will continue to do so until Rotherham UKIP rids itself of it’s BNP Fellow Traveller members and joins the fight against the BNP!
UKIP’s problems in South Yorkshire are not confined to Rotherham it would seem? Sheffield UKIP candidate sacked over Breivik comments
| Party | UKIP | BNP |
| Candidates | 12 | 5 |
| Total Vote | 8940 | 2953 |
| Average per Ward | 745 | 590 |
This is an excellent piece, I understand UKIP have denied making a deal nationally but it’s clear that here in Rotherham they have come up with a cosy deal. The tag of BNP – light to describe UKIP is not only apt but ingenious. Thank you for exposing this unholy alliance and I hope the people who voted for UKIP look very closely in the future at they’re policies which are further to the right of the Tories who destroyed our once great mining and steel industries.
Thanks for that Adam, not used to compliments.
Surprised UKIP members have not been on yet in full denial mode?
I’m not a UKIP member, just a UKIP voter. I don’t know how agreeing not to split the anti-Labour vote, by contesting different wards makes UKIP BNP light – I’m not saying they have done this, but if it were the case, it is purely common sense. UKIP have done this before unilaterally with Tory candidates in the GE. Does that make them BNP-Tory light?
Just remember, NuLabour has its bigots, as Gordon Brown showed us.
2008 was the last time at the 2010 count actually heard UKIP and BNP candidates discussing this openly.
At the count, when Martin Kimber declared the result of the Rotherham West Ward, I distinctly recall him calling Caven Vines, the UKIP candidate, Craven Vines! Have we at last found something that we can agree upon with Martin Kimber?
It’s been happening in other places not just Rotherham. And what has been said on doorsteps by UKIP in various places would frighten Mr Farage to death – or would it? I can’t stand the bloke and think he is a self seeking arrogant git, and tha’s the polit version,
And Adam forget the past, please let’s move on. The Tories did not single-handedly destroy the coal and steel industries. They had an awful lot of help fom those industries themselves – I know I worked in them.
Sorry for errors on last post, my keyboard is about to self destruct.
Know that experience well!
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Why are they running against each other here?
Who knows!
Maybe because the English Democrats and the EDL are also running candidates?
Remember that the English Democrats did pretty well in the recent PCC elections.
Nice try but there did not have to be any collusion.
For all you know, UKIP declared first in 12 wards and then the BNP made a tactical decision not to have their 5 candidates stand in those wards.
It doesn’t work that way! The chances of this happening by chance is vanishingly small.
Perhaps there might be a statistician who could calculate the odds for us?
Candidates can apply to stand in more than one ward as long as they either live there or work there or own property there – which is more than likely if it’s a local election – but they must withraw from all but one ward one day after the candidate list is published. The five BNP candidates could have applied to stand in, say, 10 wards then when they saw the candidate list withdrew where UKIP were standing to concentrate protest votes to themselves. Or any other combination of scenarios.
PDF: Electoral Commision guidance document for candidates:
http://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0010/141787/Part-2b-standing-as-a-party-candidate-LGEW.pdf
That would of course be a much stronger argument had the BNP not been defending seats.
Excellent piece. The allegation is consistent with the pattern this year but not for 2010 where they appear to have stood against each other in 11 wards
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rotherham_Council_election,_2010
robin symonds @charlielard
Oops, seems I caused a stir last night with BNP/UKIP rumour. Seems I got it wrong and it was Middlesbrough not #Rotherham. Oops, my bad!
Does this shed a little light on the subject?
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Let’s be clear: the ‘Guardian’ and others have got it wrong.
Caven Vines has never been a member of the BNP.
Any working relationship with Marlene Guest finished years ago. At the time Mr Vines was on Council Watch with her it should be noted that he was an Independent councillor and she was a Lib-Dem. After working with her over 10 years ago is it wrong to speak to her when meeting in public – at the count for instance?
Just so you all know.
John Wilkinson
Agent for Caven Vines UKIP candidate for Rawmarsh ward.