No winners in Primrose

Whilst looking at the prospects for the “winners and losers” re May’s local elections, I was reminded of the problems that might be faced in the Primrose Ward. BNP posters are already being displayed in residential windows, and there is a strong possibility that the area will deliver South Tyneside its first ultra right wing Councillor.

An article in today’s Telegraph may give an indication as to why we find ourselves in this situation. A survey carried out by BBC 2 of white people all older than 18 showed that a large element of the working class feel let down by Labour. Defining the sample as working class, the following results emerged:

58% felt unrepresented
71% felt that crime had gone up
52% felt that immigration was bad for the country

Whilst this survey is clearly not representative of Primrose Ward, it goes a long to explaining why a certain element of society are looking to the more extreme party’s for an answer to their problems.

If May does see a BNP Councillor sitting in the Town Hall Chamber, there will be nobody else to blame except for Messrs Waggott and Malcolm. If they had the strength of their political convictions, they would walk the streets of Primrose and listen to the views of the residents. They should also unite with opposition members and issue a declaration condemning the BNP’s presence in the area and the Borough as a whole.

Then again, pigs might fly.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?view=DETAILS&grid=&xml=/news/2008/03/07/nworkers107.xml