Trade unions launch campaign against Wirral by-election candidate

WIRRAL trade unionists are leading a campaign against a right-wing party fielding a candidate in an upcoming local by-election.

Merseyside Coalition Against Racism and Fascism and Wirral TUC are uniting against the English Democrats when the ballot for Pensby and Thingwall ward takes place later this month.

They believe the election of English Democrat candidate Neil Kenny would be “damaging” to Wirral.

Alec McFadden from Wirral TUC said: “This party is neither English nor democratic and they have a violent past.

“We believe they are openly racist and are against gay and lesbian people.

“We will be putting out leaflets and canvassing to let people know about the party, regardless of their existing political beliefs.

“If this candidate was elected, it would have a similar effect as Nick Griffin from the BNP being an MEP for the North West.

“It would damage our reputation greatly at a time when things are already bad with poverty, unemployment and benefit cuts.”

According to their website, English Democrats believe in “standing up for what made England great” and that English residents should not be treated as “second class citizens.”

The website says the party wants the repeal of the Human Rights Act and the withdrawal of the UK from the European Convention on Human Rights.

It claims: “Both of these flawed items of legislation have perversely assisted criminals while offering little of substance to the law-abiding population”.

It also advocates “punitive fining and possible withdrawal of trading rights of companies, company directors and other employers who employ illegal immigrants.”

Immigrants convicted of crimes should be deported, it says.

The Globe has contacted the North West offices of the English Democrats and a response is expected shortly.

Other candidates standing in the by-election, which takes place on February 28, are: Phillip Brightmore for Labour and the Co-operative Party; Allen Burton for The Green Party; Sheila Clarke for Conservatives; Damien Cummins for Liberal Democrats; and Jan Davison for UKIP.

The by-election was triggered by the resignation of Conservative ward Cllr Don McCubbin.

Comments(36)

Jack Boot says...
1:38pm Mon 4 Feb 13

Who does this McFadden think he is? If any party/person wants to stand in an election they pay a deposit and begin electioneering, and if they don't get enough votes they lose their deposit. Its one of the simplest rules of democracy. If candidates are excluded it stops being a democracy and starts to resemble something darker.. so keep your nose out McFadden and stop dictating to the me.

ordinary personn says...
2:20pm Mon 4 Feb 13

Jack Boot - where does Mr McFadden say that the English Democrat candidate should be excluded from standing? Wirral TUC is campaigning against that candidate not stating they should not be allowed to stand. Neither are they dictating to you - they are raising their concerns about the English Democrats and in a democracy they are free
to do so.

Positive thinker says...
3:12pm Mon 4 Feb 13

The man is a first class IDIOT
who would try and cause trouble in
an empty room

Hugo1008 says...
7:03pm Mon 4 Feb 13

There is one important thing to remember this particular candidate has not caused any damage or disgrace in Wirral.

He or she is possible one of a very small handful who can truly claim this distinction among the 60 something parasites we have at present.

A New Face, cannot be any worse that what we have at the moment, and there is always the chance they could be whole lot better than what we have now.

60 something useless parasites who have led Wirral Council into being the "Worst Managed Local Authority in the Whole of Great Britain, with an abysmal record of Waste, Deceit, Misinformation, Cover Up and White Wash, costing us millions over the past 10 years or more.

PaulCa says...
8:47pm Mon 4 Feb 13

I think that's unlikely Hugo. Bad call. Although we have a gang of out and out dyed-in-the-wool crooks, a new face COULD be worse.

Jimrob says...
11:29pm Mon 4 Feb 13

"They believe the election of English Democrat candidate Neil Kenny would be “damaging” to Wirral."

And the current crop of 66 (with the possible exclusion of one very recently elected member) have done wonders for the Borough, it's population, and it's reputation???

I have come to believe, over the years, that the ONLY way we will ever have a Council that works for the people of Wirral, is to SHOCK the current 3 main parties out of their cozy ivory towers and let them know that the VOTERS can, and will, change things, if they do not get their act together and start working for us instead of lining their own pockets.

And I'm sorry if some out their think that this guy from the English Democrats is not up to the mark or unsuitable in some way, but the mere fact that he is being so vehemently attacked and slandered by so called "mainstream organizations" who lets face it, have almost destroyed democracy in this country, makes me even MORE likely to vote for him.

For the record. I totally agree with every word that Hugo1008 wrote.

It's more than time for a change now. And I am looking at ALL possibilities to try to restore some semblance of democracy to this Borough/land.

As the powers that be are always saying these days, "All options are on the table" unless they begin to listen to us.

Hugo1008 says...
2:12pm Tue 5 Feb 13

PaulCa: Over the years I have read many of your postings and to be honest have found a great deal of them to be along the same lines as myself.

That said it is Physically, Morally, Ethically, and in all decency impossible for any new face to be worse that the 60 something parasites we are stuck with at present.

Lets not lose sight of the fact we have a totally undemocratic process with all the seats on the cabinet taken by Labour Party Supporters, most of those have been in prominent positions during all the past scandalous immoral and disgraceful events over the last 10 years.

Councillors in General, by and large the biggest proportion of them from whatever party have been in office over the past 20 years with a long history of abject waste, deceit, cruel, and disgusting behavior carried out against individuals and groups that for many reasons were unable to defend themselves from very highly paid Council Management.
Remember all this disgraceful behavior was not only overseen by Councillors but positively encouraged condoned and colluded with by a succession of Mayors, Committees, Councilors, and management, that has led to the situation we are now in.
Nothing to do with serving the electorate or listening to the people, purely and simply so they could keep their noses in the trough of plenty, and to hell with the rest of humanity.

So I say again vote for a new face any face that is not belonging to Conservative, Labour, or Liberal Democrat Candidates, the change can only be good for the Wirral Population.

Jack Boot says...
9:39pm Tue 5 Feb 13

I do miss the Monster Raving Loony Party, it was the perfect protest vote.

bickyboy says...
3:53pm Wed 6 Feb 13

Wirral TUC have nothing to worry about, although it must be comforting to find a cause behind which they can all unite in order to temporarily forget their inability to mount effective opposition to government cuts.

Electing an English Democrat councillor would require a degree of imagination and daring which is clearly beyond the voters of Wirral.

The knee will jerk, and the old order will be maintained.

PaulCa says...
8:03pm Wed 6 Feb 13

Sorry, but welcoming in a (racist, fascist, homophobic) trojan horse would give us somebody who was worse.

Pre-war Germans saw Hitler as a viable alternative. In return for popular backing, he kept the word "Socialist" in his party's title. And the rest is history.

englishdemocrats says...
7:39pm Thu 7 Feb 13

I would like to ask Alec McFadden from Wirral TUC about his statement “This party is neither English nor democratic and they have a violent past." Which part of our party is not English and for him to highlight the violent past he states.
He also states “We believe they are openly racist and are against gay and lesbian people." I will ask him to check out the English Democrats candidate, Mr Michael Felse who stood in the Salford Mayoral Elections in 2012 who was also the Gay Pride Queen in the Manchester parade 2011.

Mr McFadden please check your facts, as the Labour party openly ignored England in the devolutionary process they discriminated against ALL the people of England, it didn't matter what colour, religion, sexuality or other catagory you wish to put people in, it was the fact the people of England are being denied the same Democratic rights as the people of Scotland, Wales and N. Ireland. It is the Labour party along with the Tory's & Lib Dems you should be fighting against if you want equality for and in England.

PaulCa says...
9:02pm Thu 7 Feb 13

I must admit, the Labour party, turning a strong shade of Tory nationally and being crooked power abusers, liars, deniers, whitewashers, bullies and disabled abusers locally...

.... has opened the door to all sorts of cranks.

They only have themselves to blame for it.

englishdemocrats says...
9:57am Sat 9 Feb 13

Trade unions launch campaign against Wirral by-election candidate (From Wirral Globe)

The Editor
Wirral Globe

Dear Sir

Re: Article Monday, 4th February 2013 by Stephanie Cureton “Trade unions launch campaign against Wirral by-election candidate”
This nakedly Labour Party partisan article falsely asserts that the English Democrats are:- “neither English nor democratic and they have a violent past. We believe they are openly racist and are against gay and lesbian people”… “If this candidate was elected, it would have a similar effect as Nick Griffin from the BNP being an MEP for the North West.” These comments are wildly inaccurate, untrue and libellous. Printing such a report without checking with us was grossly inappropriate.

The significance of this unjustified attack taking place in the midst of a by-election makes this matter one of importance.

I request the right of reply to these spurious allegations.

These allegations are put as a statement of fact not opinion (within the usual meaning given both by the law of defamation and of common sense). They thus clearly relate also to our candidate’s personal character or conduct. In the context of the article, its timing, and the absence of defamatory comments about any other candidates an inference can be drawn of the improper purpose of affecting the election of our candidate.

I respectfully suggest that you would be hard pressed to support any defence of reasonable belief in the truth of these statements. There is no sensible suggestion anywhere that we are a racist etc., nor indeed have you made any sufficient effort to find out what we do stand for. Indeed we have recently had a forced retraction of a lesser smear by the Sunday Times >>> http://www.pcc.org.u
k/case/resolved.html
?article=ODI1MA%3D%3
D

Also insufficient effort was made to speak to anyone from the English Democrats about these allegations prior to making them.

Not only do Alex McFadden’s professional standards (if any) appear to be very sloppy, but also, I would respectfully submit, your reporting of them, or relying on such an obviously dubious and partisan source, breaches the Press Complaints Commission's Editor’s Code of Practice by failing to maintain the “highest professional standards”. The comments are frankly inaccurate and misleading and untruthful and thus contrary to section 1 of the PCC's Editors' Code.

Rather than accurately reporting you seem to have stooped to cloak with respectability smears and innuendo against the English Democrats and against our candidate, Mr Kenny.

It may also be that these smears derive from an anti-English discriminatory attitude either by you or Mr McFadden, who bears a Scottish or Irish surname. Such is contrary to section 12 of the PCC Editors' Code.

In the circumstances I wish formally, and on behalf of our candidate so smeared, and also of the English Democrats, to complain and to request the Right of Reply pursuant to section 2 of the PCC Editors' Code.

Yours faithfully

Robin Tilbrook
Chairman,
The English Democrats,

craigot89 says...
6:26pm Sat 9 Feb 13

Seems this party is being infiltrated by the BNP but don't take my word for it.

http://www.bbc.co.uk
/news/uk-politics-21
335384

simon22 says...
6:45pm Sat 9 Feb 13

alex mcfadden would you accuse the scottish nationalist party and plaid cymru as far right extremists ?,no i doubt it,
if you bother to look at the english democrat website,it states its not left or right,just english,which means we are not interested what creed,sexuality or colour poeple are,we are interested in the rites of the english and protecting ourselves from bureaucratic idiots like you.
the party is the english democrats,democracy seems to be a word you do not understand

englishdemocrats says...
9:50am Sun 10 Feb 13

Dear Editor, As North West Chairman of the English Democrats I would like to clarify a point you have made in the report where you state "The Globe has contacted the North West offices of the English Democrats and a response is expected shortly" This is completely incorrect, you contacted our National call center at 12:11, one hour before publication and again at 16:07, 3 hours after the publication. At no point have you contacted myself or my office either by email at NorthWest@EngDem.org or Stephenmorris@EngDem
.org Regards Stephen Morris,
NW Chairman,
English Democrats

PaulCa says...
11:25am Sun 10 Feb 13

43% of English Democrats candidates in the 2012 local elections were former BNP members

Hiutsuri says...
12:22pm Sun 10 Feb 13

Union?

Cammell Laird Shipyard,Birkenhead have made a man redundant 1 week before death.
On informing them his only treatment was palliative Cammell Laird made the employee redundant.
The man died one week later.
His widow was therefore not entitled to death in service benefit.
Contact the following for further information.

Cammell Laird HR Manager Danny Hart
Cammell Laird Chief Executive John Syvret

MP:Frank Field / Alison McGovern
Union:Amicus / Unite / Graham Daley

englishdemocrats says...
3:42pm Sun 10 Feb 13

The English Democrats were formed in 2002, with being a new party it was natural for us to pick up members from other failing British party's who ignored and continue to ignore England, besides Tory's, Labour and Lib Dems this also includes former bnp members who also realised our civic nationalist policies best suited them and not the racist policies of the bnp, people who join us sign up to our polices of looking after ALL the people of England. The TUC and Labour have failed to deal with Diane Abboot who has made a number of racist comments but still remains a Labour MP, not forgetting Jack Straw and John Prescott's derogatory comments about English people. Figures can be made to suit ones argument however all our candidates were English Democrats who follow our policies.

Jack Boot says...
5:56pm Sun 10 Feb 13

Hi Robin Tilbrook

I hope you are well.

I am rather disillusioned with the 3 main parties, and I think it is important to vote because my compatriots laid their lives down for me to have luxury.

So I would like to vote for a different party.

My skin colour is brown, would I be welcomed into the English Democrats?

I was born here, speak perfect English, although my Hindu is rather good too; I work full time and do not claim any benefits.

Are you the party for me?

englishdemocrats says...
7:21pm Sun 10 Feb 13

Hi Jack Boot,
Colour or religion does not bar anyone from joining our party, as you have already stated that you were born in England, this of course makes you English, whether you would be welcomed into the English Democrats only depends on whether you agree or not with the majority of our manifesto.
Sometimes groups who, like the article above, will make comments about our party without properly checking us out. The article above states “We believe they are openly racist and are against gay and lesbian people.” In this comment a quick check would have shown our candidate in the Salford Mayoral Elections in 2012 was also the Gay Pride Queen for Manchester in 2011, secondly a well known left wing group attacked one of our candidates in the Police & Crime commissioner elections down south calling him a racist for our parties views on uncontrolled immigration, what they failed to notice is his wife is from the African continent, has brown skin and came to England a number of years ago.
As an Englishman or EnglishWomen (regardless of skin colour or religion) we are discriminated against by the British Government, besides the free prescriptions available in Scotland, Wales and N. Ireland but in England we pay £7.65 per item, tuition fees forced on us by Labour MPs from Scotland and increased to £9000 by the coalition whilst free in Scotland or heavily subsidised in Wales & N. Ireland, we have to pay parking charges at hospitals, we had foundation hospitals forced on us by Scottish and Welsh MPs who rejected them as inadequate for their own nations to name a few, this affects English people regardless of your colour but affects you for being English.
Remember Jade Goodey, if she was Welsh or Scottish she would have had a standard cancer screening at the age of 20, because she was English this wasn’t due until she turned 25, unfortunately this was to late as she became ill aged 23 and diagnosed with cancer, if she was regularly scanned from the age of 20 like a Scottish or Welsh women this may, just may have given her a fighting chance, yes she was white but cancer doesn’t attack based on colour and could have been any English women.

I hope this helps with your question.

Stephen Morris
N. W. Chairman

Jack Boot says...
2:17pm Mon 11 Feb 13

You got my vote brother!

athelstan927 says...
10:30pm Thu 14 Feb 13

Dear Jack Boot and any other contributors.. if you would like to discuss and possibly involve yourselves with Merseyside English Democrats we would be happy to meet up. We are a small local group and very keen to attract interest and involvement. What i would say about the slanderous article run by The Globe is that accurately reflects the political concensus present day. It is the principal tactic of the Labour Party to smear all and everybody , with the multifaceted aims of bullying, intimidating, preventing debate, stifling dissent as they in no way regard or believe in democracy or freedom of speech! Alec Mcfadden may be many things but he correctly understand the tactics of Labour Party. And they along with the anaemic conservatives have successful run this country, with the exception of the left and right ruling elites, into the ground. Neil Kenny english democrats candidate for Pensby & Thingwall

wonkotsane says...
7:40pm Wed 20 Feb 13

43% of English Democrats candidates in the last English local elections were former BNP members. We're told the BNP leopards have changed their spots but they've apparently started slinking back off to the BNP again so clearly not all of them have and of course some of them are still working for the BNP whilst supposedly trying to win elections for the English Democrats. The English Democrats is being taken over by racists and extremists and the standard response from them whenever anyone points out inconvenient facts is for their Chairman, Robin Tilbrook, to abuse his position as a practising solicitor to legally harass their critics and for their attack dogs to launch libellous and harassing hate campaigns against them. I've been on the receiving end of both Tilbrook's inept attempts at legal harassment (resolved in the High Court where his case against me was thrown out as being entirely without merit) and the unwelcome attention of barely literate, socially retarded members of the party led by one of the most awful people to have been inflicted on the human race, Steve Uncles, who have publicly accused me of pretty much everything you could imaging short of being a terrorist or child abuser (I'm sure it's only a matter of time). Last year I had to involve the police over one particularly venomous attack on me that had both myself and the police officers that dealt with the case concerned enough that the person in question had such extreme homophobic views that there was a strong possibility they could do harm to someone that they traced them through their high tech crime unit.

England needs someone to speak out against the institutional racism of the British state against English people but fighting British racism in England with racists and homophobes is jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire.

Toque says...
9:26pm Wed 20 Feb 13

Instead of threatening to sue all and sundry who besmirch the English Democrats' good name with allegations of racism and homophobia, Robin Tilbrook should cull the English Democrats of racists and homophobes.

There may not be many English Democrat members left at the end of the cull but at least Tilbrook could once again hold his head up high in decent society, possibly.

That the English Democrats are targets for the 'anti-fascists' is no surprise. The only surprise is that they've managed to slip under their radar for so long.

englishdemocrats says...
10:02pm Wed 20 Feb 13

As we have already pointed out Toque, McFaddens statement is false and inaccurate, as his sole intent is to mislead the electorate during an election he has also broken Electoral Law for which the Police have been informed.

Toque says...
10:50pm Wed 20 Feb 13

The first sentence - "This party is neither English nor democratic and they have a violent past" - seems unfair but as a long time observer of the English Democrats I wouldn't take issue with the rest of it.

Having positioned yourselves in the gutter by courting BNP, England First Party and the EDL you've brought this type of publicity upon yourselves. As a party that routinely rubs shoulders with the far-right you're now a legitimate target of the far-left, and they can be as adept at spreading misinformation as the English Democrats' own "English Passport" blog. It's a sad end for a party that started out well-intentioned.

englishdemocrats says...
4:20pm Thu 21 Feb 13

We have many people who have joined us from varying parties, ALL have signed up to our manifesto, no one seems to ask Labour about former BNP members going into their ranks. As for rubbing shoulders with various groups we meet many groups from all sides of the political spectrum to enter into debate and understand peoples concerns but in mentioning who we meet can you also add our parties 2010 alliance with the Christian party, run by the Rev Hargreaves (a colour gentleman as is most of the executive). The English Democrats do not own the "English Passport" blog, the blog is a personal site and there is a disclaimer on his page stating such. McFaddens statement can and has been completely shown as false.

wonkotsane says...
8:23pm Thu 21 Feb 13

The English Passport blog is written by Steve Uncles who is #2 in the party and their second largest creditor. When the de facto leader of the party posts his hate-filled rants on the internet with English Democrats logos on every page you can't fail to associate it with the party.

As for nobody questioning Labour taking on BNP members - I believe they have one former BNP councillor out of nearly 22k councillors. Yes, Labour are equally wrong to allow BNP racists in their party but it's not exactly on the same level as 43% of English Democrats candidates being former BNP members is it?

I see Robin Tilbrook has an unchallenged, comments-closed "right of reply" article published on this website after he threw his teddies out of his pram and threatened the Wirral Globe for daring to run a story criticising his party. The man is pathetic, you'd think that losing the only libel case he's actually gone through with against one of his critics (me) he'd have lost his appetite for throwing his legal weight around.

PaulCa says...
8:28pm Thu 21 Feb 13

Q. How do you we recognise the English Democrats candidate?

A. He's the one in the flowing white robes and the pointy white hat.

englishdemocrats says...
8:43pm Thu 21 Feb 13

You play with interesting figures wonkotsane, how about 60% of our PCC candidates were former Torys, or both the Rotherham and current Eastleigh candidates were former Libdems 100%, however all our candidates have signed up to and agree to our manifesto. The party had a right of reply to the inaccurate statement by McFadden which we are entitled to, this is why the paper even had to mention it was our right of reply. PaulCA name calling doesn't become you and shows an unwillingness to debate the issues.

PaulCa says...
9:03pm Thu 21 Feb 13

You're right, it doesn't.

But as you pass into history, I'll be relieved I didn't waste my time and energy on empty debate.

wonkotsane says...
9:47pm Thu 21 Feb 13

PCC candidates had to put up a deposit, you're drawing from a much smaller pool and as BNP members tend to be working class it's hardly surprising that they didn't end up on the PCC list. However, the fact remains that 43% of English Democrats candidates in the last English local elections were former BNP members. And it's no good claiming that they have to sign up to not being knuckle draggers any more because they've started sloping back to the BNP now they've realised that the English Democrats are just as tainted as the BNP but even less electable. Ironically, Tilbrook's "right of reply" mentions that your biggest success was the election of Peter Davies as Mayor of Doncaster. Peter Davies recently resigned from the English Democrats because of the influx of racists and homophobes into the party and the party's response was to accuse him of being a gambling addict and then claim that he was asked to resign by the party despite Tilbrook singing his praises on his blog the day before he resigned. What a joke!

athelstan927 says...
1:05am Tue 26 Feb 13

Sadly, it appears that the left leaning contributions of wonkotsane, PaulCa et al are people whose individual bias blinkers them from all criticism. Your frightening leader? Miliband is a millionaire Marxist. He believes in increasing State involvement in society and in people’s lives! This is not what he expresses to the media of course but his model for society is a failed one. The left leaning consensus which includes all the three political parties, have since WW2 led? us down the wrong path and, I suspect, in the next few years will pull Britain and England into an irreversible move towards mediocrity already experienced by millions of British and English who will be led towards new lows. This will be a world where the McFaddens and people of similar ilk will be allowed to intimidate, bully and silence those who don’t agree with them and be able to have this published free of the rigours of a truth seeking press! Oh, what I am saying...
Be aware this narrowing political narrative we enjoy in 21st century, where religions such as Christianity (do you remember that) are becoming underground, like in 2nd century Rome will be the thin end of the wedge.
Who is to blame, WE ARE!! and you frightened souls, so scared of people wanting to represent the people in preference to a horde of corrupt, incompetent failures, should hang your heads in shame. Or show character and come from behind your blog contributions and stand!
It is vital to society that a wider political narrative is established! De base debate and end up pointing fingers and calling names leaving debate in the hands of McFaddens and poor journalists seeking to gain personal advantage! This ugly tactic of the left leaning political establishment extends and legitimises their political failure of a 75 year experiment which is likely to combust in as little as 5 years. This dead end, of course, will manifest itself with The State tightening the hangcuffs on the individual.
This tired political class of people have created an ‘entitlement society’. Having failed to empower the people and facilitate opportunity, they have gone for broke and promised us guaranteed outcomes with the sole yet nefarious intent of moulding a society in their reflection not that of the people. What a black reflection that must be, but only if you’re looking through at it.
Let us remember the Labour government having been handed a golden inheritance in 1997, systemically and irretrievably changed our country for the worse. With very little likelihood of redirecting the good ship Great Britain off course away from the shores of mediocrity.
Only a Labour administration is capable of this. It is only the Labour Party that could be that arrogant and out of touch with reality, yet still claim to be capable of fixing the nation’s problems!!
I say vote Labour and be damned!!

athelstan927 says...
1:06am Tue 26 Feb 13

That was from Neil Kenny English Democrat candidate Pensby & Thingwall

wonkotsane says...
7:05am Tue 26 Feb 13

Left leaning? I'm in UKIP! I'm certainly not blinkered when it comes to the English Democrats - I have been involved in the English nationalist scene much longer than your fleeing interest and I know the English Democrats very well. Do your research before you make yourself look even more daft.

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