Sandwell is still solid Labour territory, but beneath the surface the tectonic plates are shifting ahead of the English local elections.

Thousands of voters who would once never have looked beyond Labour have switched allegiance to the BNP which is putting up 750 candidates across England on 3 May - cast aside, they believe, by the party founded to promote their interests.

In Sandwell the BNP already has four councillors. In next month's council election it is fielding 15 candidates in the 24 seats and its political opponents fear the party could win in up to half a dozen wards.
At Princes End in Tipton, there is a strong possibility that for the first time in Britain the BNP could end up holding all three seats in a single ward.

On the streets BNP supporters aren't hard to find. There is open and unblushing backing for a party traditionally seen as racist, xenophobic and homophobic.

Some voters might struggle to articulate their reasons, but they can be summed up with the thought that "the BNP would put British people first".

Working class

Labour and the Conservatives have had their chance and blown it, the thinking goes, now it's time to give the BNP a shout.

In a predominantly white working class area, immigration is an issue - though, interestingly, the people now blamed for stealing jobs are Poles and East Europeans rather than Asians.

The BNP is also campaigning hard on housing, crime and a series of local issues..........................

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/6575333.stm

This piece includes a video of Cllr Steve Smith and a report on the coming elections. Well worth a look!

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Living under the tyranny of a Labour government.