Leaflets flooding in

Above is an updated version of my candidates contacts chart showing the recent influx of leaflets from the various candidates in York Central.

On Monday I received a leaflet from the BNP and one from UKIP. Both were waiting for me together when I got home from work and both are the same size and of equally lurid design. This did seem a little suspicious but the BNP leaflet explicitly criticises UKIP so we will put their simultaneous arrival down to a coincidence.

Of the other parties the latest Labour leaflet concentrates on what Labour and Hugh Bayley have done for families while the Lib Dem leaflet contains the word "change" 11 times. The Greens focus on their local work as councillors and campaigners but also include more of their national policies than they have on previous leaflets. Interestingly they are continuing to push the message that the Tory's are not targeting York. Something which can be seen from my own candidates contacts chart above. (Although to be fair Susan Wade-Weeks may have been preoccupied this week what with the assassination attempt on her at the weekend).

Last, but certainly not least, the Monster Raving Loony leaflet puts forward a range of local and national policies. My favourite of which is the elimination of red tape - by making it blue.

Lib Dems Start Campaigning

Christian Vassie and the Lib Dems have started sending out election literature. Under the tag line Community, Sustainability, Liberty, Equality they reference a bunch of issues including MP's expenses, the transition to a post carbon economy and Christian Vassie's record as a councillor.

One of the repeated themes of the leaflet is that Christian Vassie is an outsider not tainted by the same brush as career politicians (he has been on York Council for 6 years). The leaflet includes a cartoon suggesting that most MP's are just empty suits and poses the question "Do you want an MP who will do more than sit there drawing a salary?"

The "outsider who can make a difference" is of course a tried and tested political campaign strategy and it doesn't seem that Christian Vassie will be alone in claiming this status in the 2010 general election. Indeed the York BNP end their most recent blog with the statement
"We are the real alternative to the LIB-LAB-CON crooks". It will be interesting to see if UKIP and the Conservatives try and use the same tactics once the campaign proper gets under way.

BNP stirring up fears over paedophiles

The York BNP blog is continuing to try and stir up fears about paedophiles in the local area. Specifically it suggests that convicted paedophiles being housed at the Southview Bail hostel have been filming children playing at Poppleton Road Primary School.

Helpfully the York BNP blog includes images of what appear to be official BNP leaflets entitled “Paedophile Scum out of our Community”.

The address given on these is PO Box 669, YO32 2WB. This is the same as the contact address provided by the York BNP blog. Why does this matter? Well the York BNP blog claims that

We are an independent Community Voice Group in York that supports the British National Party. Please note that these posts are entirely the opinion of the author/s and not the British National Party.

So the York BNP blog claims not to represent the opinions of the BNP but it is based at the same address as the BNP in York. So are the York BNP confused about their opinions, or their address or both?

Jeff Kelly - BNP

Updated 24/01/10 with picture of Jeff Kelly

Jeff Kelly stood in the recent council by-election in the Heworth ward of York gaining about 6.7% of the vote and finishing in 5th place.

Jeff Kelly also stood in the Rydale Distict (Norton Division) of the North Yorkshire County Council elections in June 2009 where he got over 10% of the vote and beat Labour into 4th place.

Jeff Kelly's website doesn't contain any biographical information on him and none seems to be available from the official BNP website. Jeff Kelly's website does not contain much in the way of policies. Instead it concentrates on the unfairness of the York Press Newspaper not publishing his letters.

The BNP did not field a candidate in the York constituency in any of the last three general elections (1997, 2001 or 2005).

Contact Details

The Secretary, PO Box 699, York, YO32 2WB

Telephone: 07531 339238

email: Heworth_BNP@live.co.uk