Taking a fairly generous definition of the Horsham area - all of the RH12 and RH13 postcodes, plus the BN44 postcode area (so that includes Lower Beeding, Rusper, Broadbridge Heat, Roffey, Partridge Green, Southwater etc.) the leaked list of BNP members contains 40 names in Horsham and surrounding villages, living in 33 separate households.  Just seven are tagged as activists.

So memberships seems to be at similar levels to Crawley, but a lower proportion are active.  This could be because they are more spread out and have fewer expectations of success, and because they are concentrating their efforts more on neighbouring Crawley.

Again, this pitiful level of membership (no wonder Griffin was less than pleased about the leak!) should not tempt us into complacency.  We have seen how just a few people can give the appearance of greater numbers if they are fanatical and well-organised- but these low numbers should give us some comfort.

This week there is a parish council by election in Upper Beeding.  One independent candidate is Donna Bailey, who will be remembered as a failed BNP candidate in the Holbrook West by election of last year.

Some comment about Mrs Bailey can be found here on the Lancaster UAF website, and there is an article about her in the Daily Mail here.

She is quoted as saying:

I didn't offer myself up as a member of the BNP, so it shouldn't be an issue at all. Actually, I think they are discriminating against me by making it an issue.

But the BNP are promoting her candidacy on their website, and should she win they will certainly be referring to her as a 'BNP councillor', so despite those protestations it is an issue. At the next district council elections she will almost certainly be a candidate for the BNP again, and you can bet that Parish Councillor will feature prominently on her CV, along with her involvement in the local youth club, children's football team and other things she has been involved with as 'just an ordinary person'.

As the Mail says:

If Donna wins on Thursday, Upper Beeding might well get its new toddler swing. But will the price be worth paying?

The results in Thursday's by-election were:

(A Lib Dem gain from Conservative)

There is a report on the election at the Lancaster UAF website. 

Wealden UAF are disappointed whenever the BNP get any votes, let alone more than 10%, but there is a feeling that it could have been a lot worse.  The BNP traditionally get a high vote the first time they stand in an area, and the low turnouts in most district council by-elections. 

Combine those factors with the fact that there has been no organised anti-fascist activity in the area previously while the BNP have been working in Horsham for a year or two and the fact that their candidate lived in the area and was presentable and they will have been hoping for and expecting a better result.

Without our efforts to encourage a higher turnout there might have been fewer votes for the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats, giving the BNP a higher proportion of the vote.

This morning a group of activists from the Wealden UAF delivered leaflets in the Holbrook West area of Horsham where there is a by-election this week.

Obviously there is not much personal contact when delivering leaflets, but the few people we spoke to were very supportive.  Some even asked for extra leaflets which they could use to encourage their own local organisations to affiliate with the UAF. 

While out, members encountered a small group of BNP supporters canvassing door-to-door.  They are taking this election seriously, trying to take advantage of the traditional low turnouts in by-elections in order to inflate their own position, demonstrating the importance of everyone else taking the election just as seriously.

This is why the Wealden UAF message to voters is simply

"Vote.  Do not stay at home, but use your vote against the BNP and for any other party which is not a front for a fascist organisation."

From Friday's West Sussex County Times:

Anti-BNP initiative

Anti-British National Party campaigners staged a protest in Horsham's Carfax on Saturday.The rally was led by Ray Chapman, Labour candidate for the Holbrook West by-election, and Horsham Labour parliamentary candidate Andrew Skudder.The initiative was backed by local anti-BNP group Wealden Unite against Fascism who campaign against BNP activity in West Sussex.
Mr Chapman said the protest was well received by Horsham residents.
He said he was particularly proud to stand against the BNP in Holbrook, where he has been resident for over 20 years.
"I'm very concerned to see the increased activity by the BNP in Horsham." he added.

While there is, apparently, no such thing as bad publicity there are a few points to note here:

1. It was not a protest
2. It was not a rally
   We were just talking to voters, reminding them of the importance of voting in elections, and letting them take leaflets from us.
3. Andrew Skudder is not the parliamentary candidate for Horsham Labour.
   Until an election is called there are no candidates; only prospective parliamentary candidates, and even that is subject to endorsement by Labour's NEC.
4. The event was not backed by Wealden UAF
   It was organised by us, albeit at the request of Ray Chapman and his colleagues in Horsham LP because they were unable to join in with the UAF's by-election activity on Oct 6th.
5. Wealden UAF does not just campaign against BNP activity in West Sussex
   It only covers the Northern part of West Sussex and, in the absence of any other groups, it also covers parts of Kent, East Sussex and Surrey

The article is unfortunate, in that it gives the false impression that the Wealden UAF is supporting the Labour party.  While many members are indeed Labour members we do support that party, there are members of of other parties and some who belong to no party at all.

The Wealden UAF is scrupulously careful to not promote any one party over the others, regardless of any personal loyalties of individual members.

Following the previous week's sighting of two BNP members trying to drum up support in Horsham, last weekend the Wealden Unite Against Fascism campaign were out in rather larger numbers.

The UAF members spoke to many people in the Carfax and the reception was very positive for the first event organised by the new Wealden UAF.  The BNP thrive when there is no organised opposition and they know it too, if the reaction so far is anything to go by.

Next week there is a by-election in the Holbrook West ward of Horsham and the UAF is asking everybody there to not stay at home, but to get out and use their vote to support any party which supports the UAF's aims to oppose Fascism in all its forms.

Two members of the BNP were spotted in Horsham town centre today trying to get support for their candidate.

A UAF supporter challenged them on their policies and found them to be quite unaware themselves of some of the BNP policies!   It looks like they were duped into joining the party rather than being hardcore fascists.  One of the UAF objectives is to raise awareness so that fewer people are drawn in like that.

The BNP were not well-received by the public in Horsham town centre, but the very fact that they were there demonstrates that Wealden UAF needs to be active there too. 

There will be a general meeting of the Wealden UAF on October 3rd.  This meeting is open to all members, but non-members are welcome to come along and join on the night. (Membership is a reasonable £5, or £2 for unwaged plus any discretionary donations)

The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the way forward for the organisation in the longer term, and a proposal to do some awareness-raising leafletting in Horsham and Redhil.  Since then the BNP have announced a candidate in October's by-election in Horsham.

There will also be an opportunity to elect a new member to the executive committee as there is a vacancy.

7:30pm Wednesday October 3rd
St John's Church Hall
Town Centre
Crawley

St John's is right next to County Mall, Crawley bus station and Crawley railway station.

Following the resignation of Councillor Roger Edworthy from Horsham District Council there is to be a by-election held on October 11th 2007.

The candidates are:

• Donna Bailey (British National Party)
• Raymond Chapman (Labour Party)
• Ronald Vimpany (Conservative Party)
• Belinda Walters (Liberal Democrat Party)

Wealden UAF hopes to be active in Holbrook West at some stage of the campaign, urging voters in the ward to use their vote against the BNP candidate.

If anybody is interested in helping out they can contact us or come to our meeting on October 3rd (details to be published soon). 

The BNP stood in 4 wards in Crawley and 2 in Horsham. 4000 leaflets telling voters about what the BNP have done in the past and explaining what their policies are were delivered in the 6 wards. The results were: