Warsi warns of BNP but pandered to them too


by Sunny Hundal    
3:26 pm - March 30th 2011

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Conservative minister Sayeeda Warsi says today:

Too often, those people tend to be the ones who vote for extremist parties.

This means AV could see candidates pandering to extremist voters – because to win a seat they will need to win the support of people whose first choices have already been eliminated.

What kind of a candidate would pander to ‘extremist voters’ who might want to vote BNP?

Erm, someone like Sayeeda Warsi herself? Here is a leaflet she issued in 2005 (thanks Mark Pack)

At the time, she also told the BBC that people who voted BNP “had some legitimate concerns”. Bizarrely, she doesn’t seem to think that now.

Isn’t it odd that Tories who usually complain about the race card being played are staying very silent now?

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About the author
Sunny Hundal is editor of LC. Also: on Twitter, at Pickled Politics and Guardian CIF.
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Reader comments


1. john Ried

Cameron really has done him self no favours with her

2. John Hedges

Warsi’s three points to BNP voters that the BNP could not win the seat and therefore “cannot deliver” expose what she really means – if you want BNP policies then vote Tory, vote Warsi.

Outrageous.

3. Mr X

A few years ago I happened to be at a public meeting in Bristol attended by many members of the local community, as well as by two Police Officers from Trinity nick.

The officers were asking the locals what their policing priorities should be. In short, the locals were saying that they wanted considerable numbers of people rounded up off the streets and deported. The shock on the two very pc PC’s faces was a sight to behold. One after another the locals kept telling the plod that “I have a British passport – they don’t. They are criminals. Why have you not deported them?”

Did I mention that this gathering of locals was about 95% Afro Caribbean and Asian? In fact there were only two white Brits there – me, and the council employee chairing the meeting.

4. damon

Isn’t something being muddled here? Warsi appealed to people who might vote for the BNP. That’s fair enough as the BNP got hundreds of thousands of votes. She wants them not to vote for the BNP but for the Tories.
And her warning is of people voting for the BNP, not BNP voters themselves.

I think there’s lots of spinning going on here:

Conservative community cohesion spokesman Lady Warsi has described claims she is pandering to the BNP on immigration as “ludicrous”.
The Muslim peer is under fire after telling the Independent on Sunday immigration had been out of control and was making people “uneasy”.

Lady Warsi criticised the BNP’s race agenda but said the party’s supporters had valid concerns about immigration.

Former race minister Phil Woolas described the remarks as “shocking”.

“You have to acknowledge the fears that people have that make them vote for the BNP,” said the Labour MP for Oldham East and Saddleworth.

“But effectively to endorse the BNP’s views is shocking.”

Her comments also drew criticism from anti-racist group Operation Black Vote – for whom Lady Warsi used to work.

Spokesman Simon Woolley told the Independent on Sunday: “Pandering to the racist views peddled by the BNP and bought by the BNP voters is wrong. “The fact of the matter is that this country would collapse if it wasn’t for migrant workers.”

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7020848.stm

Simon Woolley most definitely was spinning there. It’s what he often does.

5. Tim J

Former race minister Phil Woolas described the remarks as “shocking”.

Oh, the irony…

6. Birdie

Well said Damon.

Wake up people – this is how party democracy works! One set of politicians have to persuade voters to switch their votes from other parties to their party. To do so they have to address those voters concerns.

7. Chaise Guevara

Meh. Based on that leaflet, her 2005 attitude to immigration can broadly be described as “blah blah blah whatever sounds right blah blah”. Hardly BNP material. She might be pandering to extremist voters, but only by asking them to vote for a non-extreme position. Which isn’t, y’know, evulz.

8. tim f

Of course, under AV she won’t be able to use the “vote for the Tories, the BNP have no chance of winning” argument – but she would be able to pander to racist views on immigration to get the second preferences of BNP voters, (whose second preferences are more valuable to her than the second preferences of Labour voters, as the BNP will be eliminated first).

9. Chaise Guevara

I like the fact she’s promoting “an end to political correctness”, though. Call brown people at work “pakis” without fear of reprisals! Force your wife to get out of her job and back in the kitchen! Vote Conservative!

10. Mr X

(whose second preferences are more valuable to her than the second preferences of Labour voters, as the BNP will be eliminated first).

I think you may have this a bit wrong tim f. If you look at where parties like The Greens do best in council elections, you’ll find that it tends to happen in areas that were previously Conservative. Areas where the BNP do best however tend to be areas that used to vote Labour – not really all that surprising really when you read the BNP’s manifesto, most of it reads like Labour circa 1950′s with added deportation. Mind you, the post war Labour government did (illegaly) round up and deport Chinese people in Liverpool. Once again we’re back onto that old discussion about why working class people just don’t seem to have a huge love of left wing politics anymore.

As an aside, just after I posted on the Adam Ramsay thread the other day, The Conservative Leaflet for the upcoming elction dropped through my letterbox. Our local Conservative candidate is a working class mother of five who lives in a council house. I’ll be interested to see Labour’s offering this time, though I seem to remember the last one was a young university wonk shipped in from Bristol.

11. cardown

this person is insufferable. Dam you Warsi!

12. tim f

#10

Sorry, I think you’re missing my point. The point is not whether most BNP voters are likely to put Labour or Conservative as their second preference (for what it’s worth, the trope that BNP voters are disillusioned Labour voters is not always consistent with research), the point is that under AV the top two parties are looking to win the second preferences of the parties that will get eliminated first, rather than the second preferences of each other’s voters, which are useless to them. This means reaching out to BNP voters. Tories are unlikely to do this on issues like building more council housing or increasing the minimum wage, probably more likely on doing nasty things to migrants.

13. Hum_Con

#9

“I like the fact she’s promoting “an end to political correctness”, though. Call brown people at work “pakis” without fear of reprisals! Force your wife to get out of her job and back in the kitchen! Vote Conservative!”

Slagg off Muslims at dinner parties?

14. aaa

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15. Chaise Guevara

“Slagg off Muslims at dinner parties?”

That too! All will be possible under Warsi’s vision of a brave new non-PC world. Except getting a job as a Muslim, foreigner or woman, of course.

Along with the campaigns against the Human Rights Act, the whole anti-PC movement demonstrates to me that humanity is hell-bent on shooting itself in the foot.

16. Davey Boy

Typical!

You want to shut the BNP up?
Take away from them the GENUINE and indeed FACTUAL concerns they talk about (that famously the majority of people agreed with in a poll before being told they were BNP policies!) and do something about them.

Thus you literally silence their bark.

For example, it was ‘racist’ to be concerned about the mass immigration into the country (esp the utterly unwelcome elements) a few years back…Now it’s one of THE most discussed and indeed acknowledge problems the UK faces.

And how about the oh so vile and racist rubbish the BNP said years ago about Asian/mostly Muslim gangs specifically targeting white girls for sex grooming and out and out rape?
Seems it took a good many rapes of worthless of worry by the Governments of this country white English girls, and one too many (sparse) reports in the news before (sure enough!) the Police and the Government dared to admit to the problem!

Just because the BNP said it, does not always mean it’s wrong or inaccurate!
So mainstream parties should deal with these issues when they arise..and then the BNP (and indeed EDL) will have no fuel to keep them going!

And as for Warsi! Oh yeah, she’s a devout Muslim (yep, Islam, very tolerant) who has let slip her own religious criticism (or criticism based on ancient superstitious nonsense if you will) of Homosexuality for example.

I won’t be lectured on morals, bigotry and tolerance by ANYONE who represents one of the most bigoted and intolerant organised religions in the world (followed closely by Roman Catholicism and Black Baptist teachings).

17. Chaise Guevara

“Take away from them the GENUINE and indeed FACTUAL concerns they talk about (that famously the majority of people agreed with in a poll before being told they were BNP policies!) ”

Hardly surprising, as they probably mentioned BNP policies like “restrict immigration” and “protect the countryside” rather than BNP policies like “mixed-race people are pitiful”.

“And how about the oh so vile and racist rubbish the BNP said years ago about Asian/mostly Muslim gangs specifically targeting white girls for sex grooming and out and out rape?”

You mean selectively reporting crimes committed by non-whites? Yep, that’s the sort of thing that makes most people despise the BNP.

On your way.

18. Davey Boy

Chaise Guevara you really are a fawning, appeasing, apologist, fool aren;t you?!

If you don’t acknowledge the problem…you’re not doing anything about it.
You lose.
WE lose.

YOU feed the BNP.
YOU created them. And all the pond life like you.
You’re as dangerous to the future of this country as any mad Mullah or suicide bomber.

So no…on YOUR way!

19. Chaise Guevara

@ Davey Boy

“Chaise Guevara you really are a fawning, appeasing, apologist, fool aren;t you?!”

Nope!

(As your premise above was incorrect, the rest of your post was irrelevant.)

20. Anthony Miller

“Sorry, I think you’re missing my point. The point is not whether most BNP voters are likely to put Labour or Conservative as their second preference (for what it’s worth, the trope that BNP voters are disillusioned Labour voters is not always consistent with research), the point is that under AV the top two parties are looking to win the second preferences of the parties that will get eliminated first, rather than the second preferences of each other’s voters, which are useless to them. This means reaching out to BNP voters.”

Okay, let’s take the worst case senario in my marginal constituency.

Conservative Gavin Barwell 39.5
Labour Co-op Gerry Ryan 33.5
Liberal Democrat Peter Lambell 13.2
Independent Andrew Pelling 6.5
BNP Cliff le May 2.9
UKIP Ralph Atkinson 2
Green Bernice Golberg 1.2
Christian James Gitau 0.5
Monster Raving Loony John Cartwright 0.4
Independent Michael Castle 0.3

All the small parties recommend the same 2nd preference so as the 9th place candidate is eliminated all their votes transfer to the 8th place candidate and so on. Even reallocating the votes in the most illogical way possible by round 6:

Conservative 39.5
Labour Co-op 33.5
Liberal Democrat 13.2
Independent (Pelling standing against own party as sacked by them) 6.5
BNP + UKIP + Green + Christian + Loony + Independents 7.3

All the minor parties combined wouldn’t have enough votes to give a decisive winner even if they all distributed their votes for the same candidate.

Moving onto round 7

Conservative 39.5
Labour Co-op 33.5
Liberal Democrat 13.2
Independent Pelling 13.8

If 75% of Pelling and all other small party voters put
Conservative as their second preference it would just push Barwell over the 50% finishing line
However, if they all put Labour Gery Ryan as their second preference it wouldn’t push him over the line the Lib Dem votes would have to be counted.
As there are more Lib Dem voters it would be logical to try to attract people in the middle of the political spectrum rather than on the outside.
As opposed to the situation at the moment where Phil Woolas etc get in trouble in marginals where the BNP really do hold the ballence of power
Lady Warsi really is talking mathematical nonsense.
The truth is the system moves power towards the center – that’s why the Lib Dems want it.


Reactions: Twitter, blogs
  1. Alexander Wynne

    RT @libcon: Sayeeda Warsi warns of BNP voters, but appealed to them in her leaflets http://bit.ly/hsbGgr

  2. Alexander Wynne

    RT @libcon: Sayeeda Warsi warns of BNP voters, but appealed to them in her leaflets http://bit.ly/hsbGgr

  3. Vilhelm Sørensen

    RT @libcon: Sayeeda Warsi warns of BNP voters, but appealed to them in her leaflets http://bit.ly/hsbGgr

  4. Jonathan Lintern

    RT @libcon: Sayeeda Warsi warns of BNP voters, but appealed to them in her leaflets http://bit.ly/hsbGgr < This is quality.

  5. Jonathan Lintern

    RT @libcon: Sayeeda Warsi warns of BNP voters, but appealed to them in her leaflets http://bit.ly/hsbGgr < This is quality.

  6. Ben Cadwallader

    RT @libcon: Sayeeda Warsi warns of BNP voters, but appealed to them in her leaflets http://bit.ly/hsbGgr

  7. Ben Cadwallader

    RT @libcon: Sayeeda Warsi warns of BNP voters, but appealed to them in her leaflets http://bit.ly/hsbGgr

  8. Pucci Dellanno

    RT @libcon: Sayeeda Warsi warns of BNP voters, but appealed to them in her leaflets http://bit.ly/hsbGgr

  9. Richard

    woah. RT @libcon: Sayeeda Warsi warns of BNP voters, but appealed to them in her leaflets http://bit.ly/hsbGgr

  10. sunny hundal

    Sayeeda Warsi today warns of politicians appealing to BNP voters. Here's a leaflet of her do that – http://bit.ly/hsbGgr (via @markpack)

  11. John H

    Wow. I mean, really: WOW. RT @libcon: Sayeeda Warsi warns of BNP voters, but appealed to them in her leaflets http://bit.ly/hsbGgr

  12. John Symons

    RT @libcon: Sayeeda Warsi warns of BNP voters, but appealed to them in her leaflets http://bit.ly/hsbGgr

  13. Drew Smith

    RT @libcon: Sayeeda Warsi warns of BNP voters, but appealed to them in her leaflets http://bit.ly/hsbGgr

  14. Matt Harwood

    RT @libcon: Warsi warns of BNP voters, but appealed to them too http://bit.ly/hsbGgr

  15. Counterfire

    RT @libcon: Warsi warns of BNP voters, but appealed to them too http://bit.ly/hsbGgr #alltoriesarescum

  16. BroughtonLass

    RT @mycrippledeagle: RT @libcon: Sayeeda Warsi warns of BNP voters, but appealed to them in her leaflets http://bit.ly/hsbGgr < This …

  17. David L Rattigan

    RT @libcon: Sayeeda Warsi warns of BNP voters, but appealed to them in her leaflets http://bit.ly/hsbGgr

  18. Ellen Watts

    RT @libcon: Sayeeda Warsi warns of BNP voters, but appealed to them in her leaflets http://bit.ly/hsbGgr

  19. Peter Thomas

    RT @libcon: Sayeeda Warsi warns of BNP voters, but appealed to them in her leaflets http://bit.ly/hsbGgr

  20. paurina

    RT @libcon: Sayeeda Warsi warns of BNP voters, but appealed to them in her leaflets http://bit.ly/hsbGgr

  21. Former GONW Branch

    @SayeedaWarsi warns of politicians appealing to BNP voters. Here's a leaflet of her do that – http://bit.ly/hsbGgr (via @markpack) #tory

  22. Former GONW Branch

    @SayeedaWarsi warns of politicians appealing to BNP voters. Here's a leaflet of her do that – http://bit.ly/hsbGgr (via @markpack) #tory

  23. Matthew McGregor

    Don't try to appeal to BNP voters says failed Tory candidate who spent campaign money trying to appeal to BNP voters. http://bit.ly/eF48pb

  24. Liberal Conspiracy

    So which Conservative is going to step forward and explain Sayeeda Warsi's hypocrisy over BNP voters? http://t.co/HCfUPMD

  25. sunny hundal

    So which Conservative is going to step forward and explain Sayeeda Warsi's hypocrisy over BNP voters? http://t.co/WSn2FZI

  26. Sue Marsh

    RT @sunny_hundal: So which Conservative is going to step forward and explain Sayeeda Warsi's hypocrisy over BNP voters? http://t.co/WSn2FZI

  27. David Harney

    RT @sunny_hundal: So which Conservative is going to step forward and explain Sayeeda Warsi's hypocrisy over BNP voters? http://t.co/WSn2FZI

  28. Greg Eden

    RT @sunny_hundal: So which Conservative is going to step forward and explain Sayeeda Warsi's hypocrisy over BNP voters? http://t.co/WSn2FZI

  29. Peter Clarke

    RT @sunny_hundal: So which Conservative is going to step forward and explain Sayeeda Warsi's hypocrisy over BNP voters? http://t.co/WSn2FZI

  30. Paul Wood

    RT @sunny_hundal: So which Conservative is going to step forward and explain Sayeeda Warsi's hypocrisy over BNP voters? http://t.co/WSn2FZI

  31. Richard Hall

    RT @sunny_hundal: So which Conservative is going to step forward and explain Sayeeda Warsi's hypocrisy over BNP voters? http://t.co/WSn2FZI

  32. Roxanne Ellis

    RT @sunny_hundal: So which Conservative is going to step forward and explain Sayeeda Warsi's hypocrisy over BNP voters? http://t.co/WSn2FZI

  33. Mancunian Candidate

    RT @libcon: Sayeeda Warsi warns of BNP voters, but appealed to them in her leaflets http://bit.ly/hsbGgr

  34. PFSHIELDS

    RT @sunny_hundal: So which Conservative is going to step forward and explain Sayeeda Warsi's hypocrisy over BNP voters? http://t.co/WSn2FZI

  35. Steven Maclean

    Warsi warns that MP's like herself could pander to 'extremist' voters | Liberal Conspiracy | http://bit.ly/hck8Vp

  36. Mags

    RT @sunny_hundal: So which Conservative is going to step forward and explain Sayeeda Warsi's hypocrisy over BNP voters? http://t.co/WSn2FZI

  37. Andy Bean

    RT @sunny_hundal: So which Conservative is going to step forward and explain Sayeeda Warsi's hypocrisy over BNP voters? http://t.co/WSn2FZI

  38. Iain

    Warsi warns of BNP voters, but appealed to them too | Liberal Conspiracy http://t.co/tiG3AE8

  39. Tom Ashworth

    RT @Steven_Maclean: Warsi warns that MP's like herself could pander to 'extremist' voters | Liberal Conspiracy | http://bit.ly/hck8Vp

  40. Holly Smith

    Baroness Warsi warns of politicians appealing to BNP voters. What a disgusting hypocrite. Here's her doing just that: http://bit.ly/ijFHJ4

  41. John F

    Anyone decent out there against AV? Doesn't look like it: Warsi warns of BNP, but pandered to them too: http://t.co/rTh3R3Q via @libcon

  42. Stella K

    RT @libcon Sayeeda Warsi warns of BNP voters, but appealed to them in her leaflets http://bit.ly/hsbGgr

  43. asquith

    RT @libcon: Sayeeda Warsi warns of BNP voters, but appealed to them in her leaflets http://bit.ly/hsbGgr

  44. Keiran Macintosh

    RT @Conservatives Warsi warns AV will give extremist parties more credibility in Parliamentary elections >> http://t.co/WSn2FZI tee hee hee

  45. links for 2011-03-30 « Embololalia

    [...] Warsi warns of BNP voters, but appealed to them too What kind of a candidate would pander to ‘extremist voters’ who might want to vote BNP? [...]

  46. Nick H.

    RT @sunny_hundal: So which Conservative is going to step forward and explain Sayeeda Warsi's hypocrisy over BNP voters? http://t.co/WSn2FZI

  47. Razan Saffour

    #Warsi warns of BNP voters but did the same http://t.co/GR9W41v 0 – I'm not even convinced with AV reform but Warsi sure does annoy me.

  48. Matt Wootton

    RT @sunny_hundal So which Conservative is going to step forward and explain Sayeeda Warsi's hypocrisy over BNP voters? http://t.co/WSn2FZI

  49. John Nor

    RT @sunny_hundal: So which Conservative is going to step forward and explain Sayeeda Warsi's hypocrisy over BNP voters? http://t.co/WSn2FZI

  50. Fran

    RT @sunny_hundal: So which Conservative is going to step forward and explain Sayeeda Warsi's hypocrisy over BNP voters? http://t.co/WSn2FZI

  51. Rick Seymour

    RT @libcon: Warsi warns of BNP voters but did the same http://bit.ly/hsbGgr

  52. Liberal Ideals

    Warsi warns of BNP but pandered to them too | Liberal Conspiracy: What kind of a candidate would pander to 'extr… http://bit.ly/gJ4TVo

  53. Would AV help the BNP? « Paperback Rioter

    [...] remember “British Jobs for British Workers”? It’s not as if Warsi herself is immune from this treatment: she said in an interview back in 2007 that people voting BNP had “legitimate [...]

  54. Would AV help the BNP? | Yes to Fairer Votes – Birmingham

    [...] remember “British Jobs for British Workers”? It’s not as if Warsi herself is immune from this treatment: she said in an interview back in 2007 that people voting BNP had “legitimate [...]

  55. sunny hundal

    @james_macintyre @ns_mehdihasan Hah! that's not an exclusive! We had the leaflet and everything a while back http://ow.ly/4HWPp

  56. Alan Martin

    @furlongthedog 2 drinks, and the fear that you let an extremist, racist drink in. Bless her, but she's a simpleton. http://is.gd/mmR6yk

  57. Quaequam Blog! » Why we should take accusations of “militant secularism” seriously.

    [...] someone as absurd as her (remember this is the woman who made a direct appeal to get BNP voters to support her when she was a Conservative Party candidate) to make such a statement is one thing; for the BBC to [...]

  58. neilrfoster

    @oflynnexpress Is this the same Sayeeda Warsi as this beaten parliamentary candidate who pandered to…the BNP? http://t.co/k6rzs8P7

  59. James Graham

    Sayeeda Warsi and the art of the political innuendo: http://t.co/n4SZ2HpX Apropos of nothing: http://t.co/UH6abYBm

  60. Karin Robinson

    Sayeeda Warsi and the art of the political innuendo: http://t.co/n4SZ2HpX Apropos of nothing: http://t.co/UH6abYBm

  61. Chris

    @MattDeaves @GarethJCampbell Actually, she's incredibly wrong, as usual. http://t.co/jaC7GyAW





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