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Oldham Local Elections
by Barnie Choudhury
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The Labour MP for Oldham East and Saddleworth, Phil Woolas, is urging people to vote for any party to stop the far-right British National Party winning a council seat in forthcoming local elections. Our social affairs correspondent Barnie Choudhury analyses the BNP threat.
You can see a full list of the candidates standing in the Alexandra Ward at the foot of the page.
Feelings are still running high in Oldham even though it has been almost a year since the riots. I remember covering them for Today. Night after night, divided communities fought against each other. Petrol bombs were thrown at the police who were caught in the middle. Racist abuse was hurled indiscriminately from both sides. It is a complex and decades-old problem.
But as the causes continue to be analyzed, Oldham is once again at the centre of another potentially embarrassing story. Could this be one of the places to elect a far-right British National Party councillor?
We will know soon after 9pm on 2 May. But New Labour is not taking any chances. The Home Secretary, David Blunkett, has already spoken about the BNP threat. Oldham East and Saddleworth MP, Phil Woolas, is not taking any chances:
"I'd want people to vote Conservative, Liberal Democrat or whoever; but they must come out and stop the BNP."
This is significant. What Mr. Woolas is really saying is stop the BNP at any cost, even if Labour loses seats.
The BNP is putting up 68 candidates in the local elections. Its tactic is clear - target white, disaffected voters in working class areas. Alexandra in Oldham is one of them. It is the 83rd most deprived area in England and it is estimated that three quarters of residents are white.
The BNP has been working these areas for months - in some instances for years - promising to help residents with their local problems, gradually building support. Whatever the ploy, it appears to be working.
One young Mum told me: "Muslims, they get everything, temples (sic) and that, we get nothing."
Two young men chipped in: "I believe in them (the BNP) to sort out all the trouble with the Pakis and that. And stop them building all those houses around Fitton Hill for the Pakis."
So what do they think the BNP will do?
"Keep Fitton Hill white and keep Oldham white" came the reply.
I spoke to more than two dozen people on this part of the estate. In this unscientific straw poll all but one said their families and they would be voting BNP. Of these ALL said they had been traditional Labour voters.
Maybe David Blunkett and his party have a right to be worried.
Here is the list of all the candidates standing in the ALEXANDRA WARD in Oldham on 2 May 2002:
Asaf Ali -- The Labour Party
William Lockett -- British National Party
Israk Miah -- Liberal Democrat
Margaret Riley -- Independent
David Roney -- Green Party
Paul Stephenson -- The Conservative Party
Links
大象传媒 profile of MP .
NB. The 大象传媒 cannot be held responsible for the content of external websites.
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The streets of Oldham in the wake of race disturbances last year. |
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