NW Respect backs Peter Cranie for MEP

I thought Daily (Maybe) readers would be interested in this statement from the North West region of Respect.

A message to Respect supporters in the North West: Euro Elections - Respect says unite red and green to stop the BNP. By Dr Kay Phillips, National Chair, Respect

With a headline including the words ‘European Elections’ it's a good bet than many people will think this article isn't for them. After all the majority of people don't vote in these elections which come round every five years. Those who do vote often never hear from those they have elected for the next five years.

So you could be forgiven for thinking that this summer's European Parliament elections, to be held on June 4th, can be safely put into the box marked – ‘not important or relevant to me.’ But to do that this year could mean waking up on June 11th to a very ugly fright.

The British National Party have declared their intention to stand in these elections - and to head their list in the North West with their leader Nick Griffin.

Because these elections are held under a system of proportional representation this means that a party only needs around 8% of the vote to win a seat.

If those who are opposed to the racist and anti-worker policies of the BNP stay at home on election day then this fascist party will have a greater chance of winning one seat. That would give their leader a office with a large budget and the electoral credibility to allow him into our newspapers and onto our television sets. It would be a disaster for community relations across the North West and beyond.

As the election approaches you may hear from New Labour supporters that the only way to stop the BNP is to vote Labour. This is a bit rich considering it is the disillusionment with Blair and Brown plus their pandering to the right wing press on issues like immigration and asylum that have allowed the BNP to grow.

But many people simply can't stomach the idea of voting Labour again.

In such circumstances those who oppose the BNP must take the danger of them winning a seat very seriously indeed. It is for this reason that Respect have decided not to stand in this year's Euro-elections but, instead, to ask our supporters vote for the Green Party list headed by Peter Cranie.

We did not take this decision lightly but we genuinely believe that the votes of both Respect and Green Party are better combined than divided. Respect has a number of political differences with the Greens but we are confident that their lead candidate, Peter Cranie – who has a consistent record of anti-racism and issues such as support for Palestine - would make an excellent, progressive MEP.

So please ensure that you are registered to vote before these elections in June – and when the day arrives please don't stay at home. This year your vote really does matter.

You have until the 19th May to register to vote.

Please have a look at these websites: Stop Nick Griffin - the site for suppporting Peter Cranie. Plus, the article from The Independent which picks up on Respect's belief about how to stop the BNP this June.

(European Election material on behalf of Peter Cranie, by Brian Candeland, 13 Devonshire Road, Manchester M21 8ZB)