That liberal in conservative clothes, Eric Pickles is clearly worried about ….. sshh, you know who ….. the BNP. For he has written to Conservative associations, giving them guidance on how to campaign against them.
Managing to be both patronising and arrogant, the trade mark of all good Lib/Dems, Tubby Pickles, shows just how detached he is from real life. Not surprising for someone who has spent so little time outside of the political goldfish bowl. He even claims that it is Lib/Dims who are most vulnerable to a protracted BNP ‘charm’ offensive!
Having read the Pickles homily copied below, we hope you will agree that the best advice we can give to any ‘genuine’ conservatives remaining in the Brentwood & Ongar constituency is to stop selecting a Lib/Dem as your candidate.
9 March 2007
Dear colleague,
CAMPAIGNING AGAINST THE BNP
Ahead of May’s extensive set of local elections, I thought it would be useful to outline the campaigning advice that we are recommending on how to campaign locally against the British National Party.
Fighting the BNP is no different to fighting any other minority or protest party. Like any protest party they will fill a political vacuum. They are a manifestation of Labour’s neglect of its’ ‘core areas’.
In an attempt to exploit Labour’s neglect and to appear respectable, the BNP now campaigns on issues like crime, schools and the level of council tax in addition to immigration. But at heart it remains a racist party that seeks to judge people by their ethnic background.
It seeks to exploit the current disillusionment with politics by arguing that the mainstream parties have failed local people and only the BNP will address their concerns. Research by MORI has found that many people vote for the BNP as a protest against mainstream politics, not because they necessarily support its policies on immigration. This strategy has allowed the BNP to attract support from former supporters of all the mainstream parties; Liberal Democrats voters seem to be particularly vulnerable to a protracted BNP ‘charm’ offensive.
The BNP has also benefited from media coverage wholly disproportionate to its electoral success. They are a threat only in areas of neglect. To beat the BNP we are advising local campaigners that they must do three things:
First, work hard in a ward well before the election, survey, question and keep in touch your electorate. Make sure your literature reflects the electorate’s concerns and that you regularly report back to it. Never allow yourself to pander to the BNP’s racist obsessions.
Do not refer to or repeat their rhetoric.
Do not believe that referring to our own Party’s stance on asylum and immigration is some ‘magic bullet’ that will neutralise support for the BNP; it will merely emphasise the BNP core issue. The public readily recognises that the Conservative Party has a ‘firm but fair immigration policy’. If however you have a specific issue relation to asylum and immigration seek advice from your regional office or CCHQ.
Do not agree with any statement made by a BNP candidate in debate, or across the council chamber; nor second or support any motion proposed by the BNP. It is always necessary to be unambiguous in all dealings; there can be no coming together for the good of the community.
What might seem reasonable with the full knowledge of the facts, will be misrepresented by others with the passage of time when the surrounding facts are long forgotten. Conservatives should always lead in matters of community interest.
Second, the BNP is no different from any other political party in that it makes no sense to refer to them in our literature. It only gives them free publicity. There are only two exceptions to this: if they have put out malicious and untrue literature designed to make the public fearful; or if it is a clear fight with the BNP.
It is well evidenced that as a deliberate policy the BNP will run stories that a particular group is receiving preference on a housing list or that a particular property is to be used for a controversial project when there is no truth in it. By all means exposes the lies for what they are. Conservatives have a duty to put the well-being of the public first.
If it is clear that the contest is between our Party and the BNP target voters of other political parties, assert ‘Only the Conservatives can keep the BNP out’. Ask residents to lend you their vote for ‘just this election’. Make sure your message is tailored to each party’s supporters. The consequences of election a BNP councillor is hardly a badge of honour for a community and the clearest indication that the area is on the ‘way down’, and their property within the ward will become less desirable. While these facts may be pointed out, care for accuracy is advised.
Both these exceptions should be approached with caution, so please take advice from your regional office.
• If you are fighting a sitting BNP councillor, check their record.
• Do they turn up for meetings?
• Do they speak up on behalf of their ward at meetings?
• Have they delivered on their promises?
• BNP councillors are poor performers and rarely speak and have a low re-election record.
Make sure that the voter understands that they have elected a dud.
Third, field a candidate for every council seat. The failure of the mainstream parties to offer electors a choice on polling day is one of the things that fuels voter disillusionment.
You are also giving the BNP a free hit and making it easier for them to field candidates against Conservatives in other wards.
The BNP is a vile party and we must do all in our power to protect the public from them.
Above all, regular campaigning reflecting local issues is the most affective method to prevent the electorate from feeling neglected enough to look to extreme parties.
If you have any queries, please do contact Eric Ollerenshaw, Head of Cities and Diversity at CCHQ, email:
eric.ollerenshaw@conversatives.com.
I hope this is helpful.
Yours truly,
Eric Pickles MP
Shadow Minister for Local Government
& Deputy Chairman of the Conservative Party
It would be a shame not to take the advice and put your queries to Eric, don’t you agree?
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