BNP councillor - pull the plug on local newspapers

Hat-tip to Recess Monkey for this scoop on the BNP in Barking. According to the Ilford Recorder, Cllr. Bob Bailey - the Deputy Leader no less of the BNP on Barking and Dagenham Council - launched a verbal attack on the newspaper's reporter after complaints about biased coverage.

Now, I'm sure all councillors have felt a bit hurt from time to time by biased or shoddy by local papers. However, few then choose to pitch up at the newspaper's hq with some 'supporters' to make the point, er, more clearly.

The Ilford Recorder, rather ironically, is owned by the Archant Newspaper Group, which defended their decision to run BNP ads two weeks ago on the grounds of freedom of speech. The anti-fascist left have long argued that it is difficult to reconcile freedom of speech with parties who ultimately want to radically curtail it.

True to form Cllr Bailey revealingly said: "When we have control on Barking and Dagenham Council we are going to hit you where it hurts. You won't see a penny from us and we will tell everyone to boycott your paper."

In a more reflective mood the next day, he apologised for calling the journalist, ahem, "a Nazi."

Here in Camden officers will look at the council's relationship with Archant titles after the election on May 1st. It may be that the council will reject sponsorship of its community awards from Archant due to its decision to run with the BNP.

That, along with the knowledge that the Ham&High has damaged its reputation in the local community looks like a proportionate response.

Meanwhile in Camden, Ham&High marketing guru Geoff Martin doesn't know when to stop swinging his sword about when he writes a letter in to his local rival, the Camden New Journal, protesting at Howard Hannah's piece on BNP and freedom of speech last week. Sadly, for Martin he falls victim of the old editor's trick of the immediate response from Hannah, and the parry is a quality one.