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Lancashire workers urged to vote against BNP

2:58pm Thursday 7th May 2009 in News Photograph of the Author By Nafeesa Shan, Reporter

VOTE CALL Graham Burgess VOTE CALL Graham Burgess

PUBLIC sector workers in Lancashire are being urged to vote in the European elections amid fears that the BNP could win a seat.

Employees of councils, health trusts and non-teaching staff at schools are being targeted by the campaign being led by public sector workers union Unison.

It is urging the workers to use their vote in the June 4 elections.

The European Parliament plays a role in making European Union laws and also has a say over the EU's annual budget.

The eight MEPs who are elected will represent the region on issues including environmental protection, consumer rights, energy policy and transport.

The BNP is standing in June’s polls.

Katherine Johnson, branch secretary of Unison which has 2,500 members, said: “We have worked hard to develop community cohesion and we are con-cerned this will be undermined if the BNP are elected.

“The BNP will get £1million worth of funding over five years which we fear will be put into the party not the community.”

In Blackburn with Darwen, the council is joining forces with Unison to make sure all its workers are registered to vote in the elections on June 4.

Unison, is working with Searchlight's Hope Not Hate campaign, to increase voter registration and turnout.

Ms Johnson added: “Unison in Blackburn, and Blackburn with Darwen United Against Racism, have joined forces in an anti-BNP campaign.

"We are working extremely closely.

On Friday, May 15, the council has agreed to allow its workers to wear a t-shirt in support of Unison’s anti-BNP stance.

Graham Burgess, returning officer for Blackburn with Darwen, urged people to use their vote.

Comments(47)

DaveBurnley says...
3:10pm Thu 7 May 09

"On Friday, May 15, the council has agreed to allow its workers to wear a t-shirt in support of Unison’s anti-BNP stance."

Will the council allow employees to wear pro BNP badges is they so wish?

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Jimmy Paterson says...
4:01pm Thu 7 May 09

I was always under the impression that this was a free country and anyone could vote for whichever party they wish?

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Centaur says...
4:11pm Thu 7 May 09

Sorry Jimmy. It use to be a free country..but not any more.

Unison is there to represent its members...not to actively support or to deny any political party. What it shows is that Unison is an anti democratic group that does not care to use the word FREEDOM, and I'll go so far as to say that they want total anarchy by promoting an anti democratic stance.
Left wing fascists is what they are.

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john the boss says...
4:14pm Thu 7 May 09

just a thought,,what happens to all the members that dont want to wear the t-shirt ? ,for one reason or another do they get branded bnp ?..this seems like your forceing people to wear a t-shirt ,..i hope on the back of the t-shirt it says DONT VOTE LABOUR,

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akon says...
4:21pm Thu 7 May 09

Centaur
Spot on .
Lefty fascist scum think democracy is fine unless it doesn't work in their favour !!
Unison should be fighting on behalf of it's members stopping the influx of foreigner's taking the "british jobs for british people".

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andy1 says...
4:54pm Thu 7 May 09

akon wrote:
Centaur
Spot on .
Lefty fascist scum think democracy is fine unless it doesn't work in their favour !!
Unison should be fighting on behalf of it's members stopping the influx of foreigner's taking the "british jobs for british people".
You read about your brain dead Comrade Mr I set fire alarms off Rowe? Pity we cant comment on this story think akon its what you call censorship dont you?

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Frank Jr says...
5:31pm Thu 7 May 09

I know where im putting my vote .... and its not shayne ward on Xfactor.... SIMPLES..

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milty says...
5:38pm Thu 7 May 09

Now im being dictated to, ill definitely be getting myself registered to vote.FOR THE BNP

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swizz says...
6:52pm Thu 7 May 09

It's obvious that unison are scared of Solidarity that campaigns for British Jobs to British people.

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Ian_G says...
6:59pm Thu 7 May 09

No matter how vile the BNP are, it is completely up to an individual who they vote for.

Being urged to vote one way or another is even more abhorrent than the BNP!

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Inter-Rossiter says...
7:32pm Thu 7 May 09

Unions should be trying to save their members jobs and not concerning themselves with this deeply patronising b0ll0cks.

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simone5 says...
8:54pm Thu 7 May 09

Why does the left hate free speech?

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Darren Reynolds says...
9:46pm Thu 7 May 09

Being urged to vote one way or another is even more abhorrent than the BNP!

Don't be daft! Election campaigns are all about persuading people to vote one way or the other. Expect to see quite a few leaflets through your letterbox in the coming weeks. That's how democracy works!

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Stephanie2 says...
9:57pm Thu 7 May 09

As you witness before you, when you pay Unison your tenner every month you are paying for much more than union protection facade, you are paying for communism and a second world country.

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soap opera says...
10:41pm Thu 7 May 09

milty wrote:
Now im being dictated to, ill definitely be getting myself registered to vote.FOR THE BNP
im fed up of being taken for a ride by this goverment of headless chickens and know who i will be voting for(and it wont be the party mr mulla as any conections with)

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SylvieM says...
10:52pm Thu 7 May 09

I am sickened by this. It is up to people who they vote for. This is persecution. I can understand why the left are worried,they have had it their own way for too long. Whether you vote BNP or not, it isn't right to attack a legal political party like this. They are like a pack of animals. You expect this from the violent UAF and Searchlight, but the unions should get on with their job. Instead of backing foreign workers, they should look after our own unemployed. How dare you put yourselves forward as the voters police. What we do and who we vote for is a matter for us. Keep your noses out.

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duke bar says...
11:06pm Thu 7 May 09

Well they tried to stop the BNP getting votes in Burnley after the riots.The press the government tried every trick in the book.

IT FAILED
Burnley folk voted for the bnp and the uk was in shock.



Over 10,000 people voted for them.
Mostly due to no Asians ever being charged with any crime. After they set the duke of york pub on fire and loads of cars on fire with the police sat watching them .Duke Bar was in flames and not 1 SINGLE PERSON WAS EVER CONVICTED FOR THIS NASTY CRIME .

The councilors the police and local MP still after all these years .Have never given an answer WHY NO ASIANS WERE EVER CONVICTED OF RIOTING.

When over 60 white men were sent to jail for rioting in Burnleywood.

Can any of you councilors answer the question. All these years after ?

The unions are playing a dangerous game doing this.Folk will not be told what to do.Quite the opposite infact


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remf says...
11:41pm Thu 7 May 09

Id vote BNP. Even though Im of Asian origin, Ive served in the British forces and I am educated, also Ive never done time at her majestys pleasure.
Get the BNP in and us Ethnics can go back to where we belong.
As long as all people worldwide of white origin get brought back here.
Fair deal I think?!?

I wonder what the BNP thinks of the Gurkhas that have fought and died for this country! probably the same as labour!!!

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FredaLivery says...
3:52am Fri 8 May 09

Well done Nafessa Shan, author of this report!

Well done Unison!

You've brought to my attention:

1) There's an election for EuroMPs soon.

and

2) There is a BNP party member that we can vote for

if we're unhappy (for example) about UK work being sipped abroad, like Indian Call Centres, and about migrant workers who have no existing financial responibilities (like a mortgage & family to support) coming in to the UK & undercutting our workers and essentially stealing their work.

And as a Civil Servant, if anyone finds out that I intend to vote for BNP, my job would be at risk. Why should that be?

I thought we were allowed to vote for whoever we wanted to?

By delaring that hundreds of thousnads of govt employees risk loosing their jobs if they're found to support BNP is a govt way of vote rigging and trying to surpress freedom of democracy. And we can't do ANYTHING about it.

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spyderleg says...
8:04am Fri 8 May 09

Well done Unison! The best advertisement the BNP have had in years,you muppets!

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BigJockKnew says...
9:20am Fri 8 May 09

Looks like the communists are running scared.These control freaks will have us all microchipped within 5 years via the I.D card.Watch out for their fear campaigns.As they like to keep telling us "Its all on the database".

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YorkshireExminer says...
9:53am Fri 8 May 09

Unison should stick to protecting its membership.They pay good subs for protection not to send elitist Uni grads to cause grief on our streets
All the major unions have fiddled while Rome (Britain) has burned.
They have more interest in Gaza than someone down the road losing their job to cheap migrant labour.
They back a alien idioligy (Islam) and its backward mysogonistic views.
They associate with organisation like the Socialist Workers Party who have backed terrorism here and abroad.
Yet they think the BNP are in some way evil?
As a third generation life long union member its obvious the unions have lost their way.

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ChrisSm says...
10:06am Fri 8 May 09

Why would anyone want to wear a BNP tshirt. I seen the vid on youtube of BNP leader Nick Griffin in USA with Klu Klux Klan leader Dave Duke. I seen photos in national press of BNP deputy leader Simon Derby being hailed with Nazi salutes at a Fascist meeting in Italy. I've seen photos of BNP founder John Tyndall with London nail-bomber David Copeland. Checkout all this and the BNP on wikipedia and you'll wounder why anyone would want to wear a BNP tshirt.

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akon says...
10:22am Fri 8 May 09

Andy1
If Mr.Rowe is guilty he should pay the price.What's your point ?Why should a union who receive money from their members use it in such a crass undemocratic way,& with who's permission ? What if Mr.Rowe had been charged with gross indecency with another male in a public place ? Would we have heard about it then ?

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midas says...
11:06am Fri 8 May 09

When you sign up for the union don't you also sign up for their political views as well? Unions fund labour MPs and thats made quite clear on the forms. So it comes as no surprise that they are political campaigns as well. If you don't like it, don't join the union.

I don't really understand many of the posts, they seem to have twisted the article. There is nothing in there about people being forced to vote, or people being persecuted, nor about Gov workers losing their job if they vote BNP etc.

There also seems to be a misunderstanding about the role of unions. They can't campaign to stop workers from EU countries working in the UK as that is the Law and to do so would be discrimination. What they can do is campaign to ensure that these workers are paid the same as UK workers.

Have the BNP asked the council to let their supporters wear BNP shirts on any occasion. Do they need to? Why don't all the BNP supporters chose their own day to wear a T shirt? How many BNP supporters would be proud to wear a BNP t shirt. I haven't seen any.

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midas says...
11:07am Fri 8 May 09

When you sign up for the union don't you also sign up for their political views as well? Unions fund labour MPs and thats made quite clear on the forms. So it comes as no surprise that they are political campaigns as well. If you don't like it, don't join the union.

I don't really understand many of the posts, they seem to have twisted the article. There is nothing in there about people being forced to vote, or people being persecuted, nor about Gov workers losing their job if they vote BNP etc.

There also seems to be a misunderstanding about the role of unions. They can't campaign to stop workers from EU countries working in the UK as that is the Law and to do so would be discrimination. What they can do is campaign to ensure that these workers are paid the same as UK workers.

Have the BNP asked the council to let their supporters wear BNP shirts on any occasion. Do they need to? Why don't all the BNP supporters chose their own day to wear a T shirt? How many BNP supporters would be proud to wear a BNP t shirt. I haven't seen any.

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ChrisSm says...
11:14am Fri 8 May 09

Think you hit the nail on the head there, midas.

"Why don't all the BNP supporters chose their own day to wear a T shirt? How many BNP supporters would be proud to wear a BNP t shirt. I haven't seen any."


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hoodle says...
12:40pm Fri 8 May 09

I will certainly be voting BNP. I'm not in a union as I am anti-EU and anti-Islam. The BNP is the only party that stands up for the indigenous white workers.

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ChrisSm says...
1:16pm Fri 8 May 09

I seen the vid on youtube of BNP leader Nick Griffin in USA with Klu Klux Klan leader Dave Duke.

I seen photos in national press of BNP deputy leader Simon Derby being hailed with Nazi salutes at a Fascist meeting in Italy.

I've seen photos of BNP founder John Tyndall with London nail-bomber David Copeland.

Checkout all this and the BNP on wikipedia and you'll wonder why anyone would want to wear a BNP tshirt or vote for them.

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DavidBurnley says...
1:42pm Fri 8 May 09

I've seen this from my own union. I was under the impression, like others, that a union was there to represent its memebers and not to get into political campaigning.

It's a free country - vote for who ever you want and don't be swayed by the rubbish you see aimning at 'doing down' political parties.

Look at the policies they say they want to implement and decide which opne you agree most with - then put your cross there..... simples.

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duke bar says...
6:30pm Fri 8 May 09

duke bar wrote:
Well they tried to stop the BNP getting votes in Burnley after the riots.The press the government tried every trick in the book. IT FAILED Burnley folk voted for the bnp and the uk was in shock. Over 10,000 people voted for them. Mostly due to no Asians ever being charged with any crime. After they set the duke of york pub on fire and loads of cars on fire with the police sat watching them .Duke Bar was in flames and not 1 SINGLE PERSON WAS EVER CONVICTED FOR THIS NASTY CRIME . The councilors the police and local MP still after all these years .Have never given an answer WHY NO ASIANS WERE EVER CONVICTED OF RIOTING. When over 60 white men were sent to jail for rioting in Burnleywood. Can any of you councilors answer the question. All these years after ? The unions are playing a dangerous game doing this.Folk will not be told what to do.Quite the opposite infact
Where,s all the Burnley Councilors to reply to my Questions?

There are normally a few on this forum.

The are not hear because they can not answer my question.

Then they start crying when people vote for the BNP...




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duke bar says...
6:36pm Fri 8 May 09

Strange how we have no reports in the LTE about the on going war in Pakistan with the Taliban.

When we had the conflict in Gazza it was all over this newspaper.WE have a massive community from Pakistan in East Lancs how come we are not having reports about this war.As 500.000 are now refugees.

Lots of East Lancs folk will have family affected by this war .How come the LTE is ignoring this conflict?

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duke bar says...
6:42pm Fri 8 May 09

Will we see marches supporting the Pakistani Government or will we see Anti Pakistani Government marches.Just like we so in the Gaza conflict.

The people of Blackburn had a massvie anti war demonstration when the Gaza conflict was on.Will we see the same now?

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robinjevansbnp says...
3:51am Sat 9 May 09

The whole point of the article is that it is actually against the council constitution and policy to promote or display any political article whatsoever in any council owned/run property. If you check with the council legal dept they will confirm that it is in fact illegal. Apparently a small union jack flag on a petition in a community centre is considered political if a BNP councillor displays it.There will be no BNP T shirts in the town hall because they aren't allowed in law.Therefore anti BNP t SHIRTS AREN'T ALLOWED.Burgess recons he didn't speak to the papers and that the Unison rep was mis quoted.
I will be checking the proposed shirts to see if they are indeed as the legal dept claim them to be, without any political bias.Ready yourselves for a demo both outside and inside the town hall on Friday 15th if I find out that anti BNP shirts will be worn. Contact me through www.bnp.org.uk (they'll put you in touch)

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willybob says...
10:22am Sat 9 May 09

duke bar wrote:
Strange how we have no reports in the LTE about the on going war in Pakistan with the Taliban. When we had the conflict in Gazza it was all over this newspaper.WE have a massive community from Pakistan in East Lancs how come we are not having reports about this war.As 500.000 are now refugees. Lots of East Lancs folk will have family affected by this war .How come the LTE is ignoring this conflict?
dont worry duke bar, no doubt the half a million ppl that have just fled in fear of their lives will be on their way to britain, seeking asylum in our wonderful country, and welcomed with open arms. Personally, i cant wait for the elections, cos i am definatley voting the BNP

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disgusted tunbridge wells says...
4:35pm Sat 9 May 09

MPs and Union Leaders are all very similar with their noses in the trough, just a pity we pick up the bill every time

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duke bar says...
10:15pm Sat 9 May 09

Looks like kitty kat usher has been caught on the fiddle .just like the rest of the labour scum bags.

COUNCILORS COME ON I AM WAITING FOR YOUR REPONSE .

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Hugh, West Mids says...
1:29pm Mon 11 May 09

Fair enough to warn for the Euros, but at the general election there are other dangers. Labour must lose South Ribble or they will secure another Commons majority. People can safely vote Tory to stop them without giving Cameron his own majority, whereas in West Lancs a Tory vote is too risky. A win there probably means a Tory Commons majority, so in West Lancs Labour must be supported to stop them.

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Hugh, West Mids says...
1:30pm Mon 11 May 09

Fair enough to warn for the Euros, but at the general election there are other dangers. Labour must lose South Ribble or they will secure another Commons majority. People can safely vote Tory to stop them without giving Cameron his own majority, whereas in West Lancs a Tory vote is too risky. A win there probably means a Tory Commons majority, so in West Lancs Labour must be supported to stop them.

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Hugh, West Mids says...
1:30pm Mon 11 May 09

Fair enough to warn for the Euros, but at the general election there are other dangers. Labour must lose South Ribble or they will secure another Commons majority. People can safely vote Tory to stop them without giving Cameron his own majority, whereas in West Lancs a Tory vote is too risky. A win there probably means a Tory Commons majority, so in West Lancs Labour must be supported to stop them.

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Hugh, West Mids says...
1:31pm Mon 11 May 09

Fair enough to warn for the Euros, but at the general election there are other dangers. Labour must lose South Ribble or they will secure another Commons majority. People can safely vote Tory to stop them without giving Cameron his own majority, whereas in West Lancs a Tory vote is too risky. A win there probably means a Tory Commons majority, so in West Lancs Labour must be supported to stop them.

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Ian123xyz says...
7:52pm Mon 11 May 09

How dare a union try and bully and manipulate people into voting how they want? I thought that only "fascists" behaved in that sort of way.

Don't worry Unite, I'm sure plenty of your buddies will get to the trough-business as usual.

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Ann Savage says...
12:08am Tue 12 May 09

It's obvious Unison and the LieBour govt are running scared like startled rabbits in the headlights of a speeding lorry about to wipe them out !

To resort to such panic measures means their time has come for reckoning. After all the crimes of the establishment, this is not too soon. Roll on the elections.

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Ann Savage says...
12:08am Tue 12 May 09

It's obvious Unison and the LieBour govt are running scared like startled rabbits in the headlights of a speeding lorry about to wipe them out !

To resort to such panic measures means their time has come for reckoning. After all the crimes of the establishment, this is not too soon. Roll on the elections.

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Ann Savage says...
12:09am Tue 12 May 09

It's obvious Unison and the LieBour govt are running scared like startled rabbits in the headlights of a speeding lorry about to wipe them out !

To resort to such panic measures means their time has come for reckoning. After all the crimes of the establishment, this is not too soon. Roll on the elections.

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midas says...
9:25am Tue 12 May 09

Do some people not actually read the first line?......"PUBLIC sector workers in Lancashire are being urged to vote in the European elections..." Nothing about who to vote for, just a campaign to get people to use their vote.

I accept that the idea behind the campaign is that anyone with enough intelligence to have a job will be able to devot a modicum of that intelligence to their decision, and the logical extrapolation of that is that they wont be voting BNP.

So the union get their message across without breaching any campaign rules.

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Faithless says...
7:57am Thu 14 May 09

Vote BNP.

We will stop immigration.

We will repatriate all racial foreigners.

Then we will close hospitals at least 3 days a week because there are not enough doctors.

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