Carman selected as Barnsley by-election candidate
I see that Dominic Carman has been selected as the Liberal Democrat candidate for the forthcoming Barnsley Central by-election.
I don't know a great deal about either Carman or Barnsley, other than the the BNP did exceptionally well there in the European elections and that Carman has been an outspoken critic of both the BNP and Nick Griffin.
Obviously, the media will interpret the final Barnsley Central result in respect of the performance and standing of the coalition government. However, it seems the Lib Dems have identified early the potential for the BNP to do well here (there is certainly scope for a significant anti-politics vote) and were determined to adopt a candidate with a real track record of taking on the BNP. As well as being a renowned campaigner, Carman has written a critical biography of Griffin and stood against him at the General Election. He also wrote an informative piece for the Daily Mail on Griffin's personality and psychological profile: A deeply disturbing encounter with Nick Griffin.
Carman is a candidate with genuine intellectual gravitas as well as someone with a deep understanding of the BNP, its machinery and its tactics. Hopefully he will not only keep the BNP vote low, but eat into the huge majority enjoyed by the former MP, Eric Illsley, who is now serving a 12-month sentence for fraudulently claiming expenses.
Good luck, Dominic!
I don't know a great deal about either Carman or Barnsley, other than the the BNP did exceptionally well there in the European elections and that Carman has been an outspoken critic of both the BNP and Nick Griffin.
Obviously, the media will interpret the final Barnsley Central result in respect of the performance and standing of the coalition government. However, it seems the Lib Dems have identified early the potential for the BNP to do well here (there is certainly scope for a significant anti-politics vote) and were determined to adopt a candidate with a real track record of taking on the BNP. As well as being a renowned campaigner, Carman has written a critical biography of Griffin and stood against him at the General Election. He also wrote an informative piece for the Daily Mail on Griffin's personality and psychological profile: A deeply disturbing encounter with Nick Griffin.
Carman is a candidate with genuine intellectual gravitas as well as someone with a deep understanding of the BNP, its machinery and its tactics. Hopefully he will not only keep the BNP vote low, but eat into the huge majority enjoyed by the former MP, Eric Illsley, who is now serving a 12-month sentence for fraudulently claiming expenses.
Good luck, Dominic!
Comments
Of course this is solid Labour territory. It should be a totally unspectacular by-election. But it should be noted that the BNP have a significant level of support here, and polled 17% in Barnsley at the European elections. With the potential for a fourth party to do well given public dissatisfaction with the three main parties, there is a very real possibility that the BNP could poll respectably, or even outpoll the Lib Dems - an outcome that no-one would want apart from Nick Griffin.
Carman might not win the seat, but he is the right man to make sure the BNP do not make further progress here at the expense of the Lib Dems - which is of course why he's been selected.