Surprise Nationalist Win in Doncaster

There has been a surprise win for the English Democrats in Doncaster, with Peter Davies (father of the Shipley Conservative MP Philip Davies) being elected Mayor and beating Labour into third place. This is not a fact that has pleased Don Valley MP Caroline Flint, but Mr Davies's victory demonstrates that Labour is not safe from electoral challenge in what are considered to be its most robust bailiwicks.

Doncaster has been mired in a succession of financial scandals for years, and Mr Davies's appeal to traditional Labour voters has evidently been rooted in his strongly populist programme for the town which includes: slashing his own mayoral salary from £62,000 to £30,000; reducing the number of Doncaster councillors from 63 to 21; getting rid of translation services for immigrants and axing (according to a quote in the Yorkshire Post) "politically correct non-jobs and encouraging the former employees to seek meaningful employment." This potent cocktail evidently possessed widespread popular appeal.

This is the first significant electoral success for the English Democrats and, as can be seen from the nature and focus of the Davies agenda, much of the Party's policy overlaps heavily with that of the BNP. Unlike the BNP however, the English Democrats are not subject to the unremitting media attacks co-ordinated by Searchlight, the mainstream political parties and their media allies. However, their performance in local council elections has attracted scant success compared to the BNP.

Davies came second in the first round to an independent candidate, with 16,961 votes to 17,150. However, the result was determined by second preferences. Given that the BNP candidate had polled a healthy 8,175 votes, I am certain that these proved pivotal in securing victory for the English Democrats. The final result came in at 25,344 to 24,990.

Although this election is encouraging insofar as it demonstrates that nationalist politics can have a powerful appeal to the electorate in England, my concern is that this result could raise the profile of the English Democrats and thereby fatally divide and cripple the emergence of a viable nationalist party in England. Only if the BNP achieves a breakthrough and obtains at least one MEP this year will there be a chance for it to overcome the media blackout and get its message out to the wider public. It is certain to resonate strongly if the barrage of anti-BNP propaganda can be neutralised and Nick Griffin or other leading BNP figures can secure airtime on Question Time. However, I anticipate that the BBC will continue to operate a no-platform policy for the BNP on this programme and its radio equivalent Any Questions.

The nationalist challenge to the established parties can only be effective if there is a single electable nationalist party, but the BNP faces serious obstacles if it is to become this party. The media-inflated UKIP is used to siphon off many disgruntled nationalist voters and effectively channel them into a cul-de-sac, for UKIP is ultimately a globalist free-trade party. The English Democrats are closer to the BNP in terms of their policies, but accentuate civic rather than ethnic nationalism and, as their name suggests, seek only to operate in England. Time will tell which of these contenders evolves into the credible nationalist party that we so desperately need. In the meantime, I wish good luck to Peter Davies in his new mayoral role.

For further details see: http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/election/Labour-crashes-out-of-Doncaster.5339729.jp and http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/election/Shock-message-for-Government-as.5341413.jp