Ex-YUSU President and York City Councillor, James Alexander, has continued his campaign against the BNP in Yorkshire.
Alexander completed phase one of the York Vision backed campaign by presenting a petition with over 1000 signatures to the European Parliament in Brussels.
Despite receiving threats and abuse on far-right websites Alexander remains undeterred in his crusade against the BNP claiming: “it takes more than a few online threats to stop my campaign against the BNP and the politics of hate.”
He is also confident that this will be the first in a series of many petitions handed into the European Parliament.
“The petition so far has over 1,000 signatures and I am hoping more people will sign up on the Vision website and join the Facebook group” he told Vision.
Alexander, who is also the prospective Labour MP for York Outer (the constituency into which the University falls), claims that the campaign is now more important than ever as it was recently confirmed that the BNP will indeed be fielding a candidate in York Outer in the form of Cathy Smurthwaite.
Smurthwaite was the centre of a recent controversy after it was discovered she had been recruited onto Heworth Parish Council without being elected.
The Heworth area is home to many students from the University of York, many of whom expressed their anger to York Vision.
“I’m outraged that someone with the bigoted views expressed by the BNP was allowed to make decisions, which affect a large amount of people, without even being elected” one third year politics student and resident of the Heworth remarked.
“Even if the Parish Council is supposed to be non-political, people’s views, especially if they are so extreme, can’t fail to have an affect on the choices they make.”
James Alexander, however, believes that as long as people actually go out and vote there won’t be a repeat of last June’s European Parliament elections, at which the BNP managed to win a seat in Yorkshire and the Humber.
“We need as many people to turn out to vote as possible in York Outer to show the BNP the door.”
I’d have thought that a third year politics student would know how the parish council vacancy system works and realise that there is nothing wrong sinister being co-opted. Hundreds of new parish councillors join councils this way every year.
A new councillor is going to be co-opted onto York’s “Rufforth & Knapton” Parish Council. Are you going to run a story on this?
Oh, and by the way. None of Heslington’s (which covers the university) Parish Councillors were elected in the 2007 elections either – including the anti-BNP Green Party member, Andrew Collingwood.
It was an uncontested election with less, or the same number of candidates as vacancies.
I know many Heslington residents who will be disgusted about being represented by a Green Party member without getting the chance to vote against him.
You’ll by hypocrites if you don’t investigate this “controversy” on your doorstep.
You are incorrect about Heslington. I stood for election to the Parish Council in 2007. A full slate of candidates did not stand which meant I was elected by default. This is not the same as being co-opted after the election. I am very open about my membership of the Green Party, and if people felt strongly about me being on the parish council they should have run against me.
It still means you’re unelected though! Which is what the local newspaper and York Vision have been getting at regarding Cathy Smurthwaite.
I agree completely with your second point though, which also shows all this hysteria around Cathy Smurthwaite / BNP is a complete non-story.
*… A by-election could have been called, but no local residents wanted to know.
Clive Henry Vs UPS Ltd – Race Discrimination Case
I worked at UPS Ltd for 11 years, with 100% attendance for seven years. I had NEVER received any disciplinary action before.
In January 2008 I was asked by Manager A to supervise the merge of all the Lynx Courier accounts in our department.
In July 2008 Manager B who was a director at Lynx couriers became my manager.
In October 2008 I was placed on a Performance Improvement Plan (PIP) which was never authorised by HR.
I hit the £3000 department monthly target. This was raised to £4000 the next month. I was shouted at and given a written warning on failing this target. I was also given a smudged warning letter. I was signed off with occupational stress because of these events.
The warning was revoked after my appeal but I was advised in writing that I would be placed back on the PIP.
I emailed HR to escalate to the corporate office. I was quickly contacted by HR to arrange an emergency meeting at this point. UPS HR and management were trying to cover this up.
In that meeting I was told to ignore being placed back on the Performance Improvement Plan. At this point I raised a grievance. I again asked for the corporate office details but was given a false HR contact.
The Race Discrimination Tribunal hearing was March 23, 2010. I represented myself as I thought it was an open and closed case. I resigned from UPS on March 11, 2010.
I was the only Black male and the ONLY person EVER to be placed on a PIP.
UPS are an official supporter for the 2012 Olympics and an equal opportunities employer.
I am fighting an appeal after the judge dismissed the case in a perverse way by removing vital information in his judgment reasons.
Please can you sign my petition: http://www.gopetition.com/petition/39283.html
Facebook group: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=153519774670654&ref=ts