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Voters turn out in force to reject BNP
2:38pm Thursday 10th July 2008
Comments (32)CORSHAM voters turned out in force to keep British National Party candidate Michael Howson out of the town council.
Liberal Democrat candidate Isabel Langsford, 51, won Thursday's by-election, called after the resignation of Coun Jasvir Singh.
Town council chairman Allan Bosley was delighted with the 43 per cent turnout.
He said: "People have turned out because they realise it is their duty to take part in the electoral process and the effort that the candidates put into canvassing also helped."
Mr Bosley said the turnout was the result of the wake up call given to voters last year when BNP representative Michael Simpkins won a town council seat as the only candidate standing for the Rudloe ward.
He added: "I think there were so many people turning out this year because they wanted to see their favourite candidate in the Corsham seat. There were eight candidates this year, which made more people vote."
Mr Howson was voted into fifth place with 119 votes.
Mrs Langsford, 51, who works part-time at a dental practice in the town, said she was amazed to find that she had won the seat.
She said: "I was so tired when I found out the results but I was really pleased. I still can't believe it, it's like a dream." The mother-of-three was campaigning with her team of ten Liberal Democrats supporters at 6am on the morning of the elections. They posted leaflets to all 3,864 electors in the Corsham ward.
Mrs Langsford, who lives in Winsley, near Bradford on Avon, said she is passionate about Corsham because of its wealth of small business. Supporting the town's traders will be one of her priorities.
She said: "I think the town is fantastic because it is one of few places that has still got local stores like the butchers and fruit and vegetable shops that bring people into the town."
She also vowed to campaign against The Porch Surgery's plan to move to Rudloe.
She has a busy year ahead with her council work, a third grandchild due next month and a degree course in archaeology due to start in October. She said: "I am looking forward to just taking on board all of the things I need to know as a councillor.
"Working part-time and starting my degree in October gives me a chance to get on board with the council."
Your Say YourThe Wiltshire Gazette and Herald
Robert Baggs, Calne says...
6:09pm Thu 10 Jul 08
The facts are that the BNP acheived a respectable vote with a low-key campaign and beat the Green Party and the party who are currently governing this land, the Labour Party. It's another good sign that Gordon Brown is the most unpopular Prime Minister for many a long year and socialism is now a lost cause. The times they are a-changin'.
Steve Michael, kent says...
6:46pm Thu 10 Jul 08
The BNP vote is actually increasing everywhere and the left in their desperation to nullify BNP support will say virtually anything to create a fear factor, the good news is ....it's not working anymore :-)
Chris, says...
9:42pm Thu 10 Jul 08
DingDonG, spoilt balot paper X says...
10:22pm Thu 10 Jul 08
Town council chairman Allan Bosley was delighted with the 43 per cent turnout.The othe 57% voted for Robert Mugabe,Adolph Hitler, Ghengis Khaan,Fred Astaire & Ginger Rogers....
Mr Bean was the Returning Officer and declared that Basil Faulty won by a landslide!
Michael, Corsham says...
12:33am Fri 11 Jul 08
Town council chairman Allan Bosley was delighted with the 43 per cent turnout. He added: "I think there were so many people turning out this year
Actually the 43% turnout was 5% less than 2007. Perhaps the headline should read "Voters don't turn out in force to reject the BNP"?
Joe, Wilts says...
3:25am Fri 11 Jul 08
walter, wilshur says...
6:25am Fri 11 Jul 08
Joe wrote:Quite right Joe. We don't want a load of softy pinkos like the BNP. Bring back the Jackboot and the black-shirts. I've heard a rumour that Russell Hawker is the reincarnation of Bodicia/Boedica and will lead us all to drive out he foreign invaders very soon
Regardless of turnout which is often crap and all the other statistics put about the voters did not want and did not vote for the BNP
donteventhinkit, Corsham says...
8:34am Fri 11 Jul 08
Dr Stuart H Russell, Grantham says...
9:34am Fri 11 Jul 08
tom c, corsham says...
12:16pm Fri 11 Jul 08
Like the vote itself for a toothless town council, do you think anybody cares?
Bill, Wootton says...
8:43pm Fri 11 Jul 08
Gordon Braun, UK says...
10:44pm Fri 11 Jul 08
The so called `free press` is obeying instructions to censure any possible "good reporting" of the BNP`s activities.
The trouble is that these people who enact this policy are, in my opinion signing themselves to eventual oblivion.
This country is falling apart without any input from the BNP, and in a few years it will all "hit the proverbial fan".
Democracy is dead, and
despite the media`s efforts to paper over the cracks, the true will get out, and probably with dire consequences for us all.
Isn`t it great to live in a "free and fair" country? If I only knew where it is!!
KL, chippenham says...
12:48pm Sat 12 Jul 08
!
KL, chippenham says...
12:49pm Sat 12 Jul 08
The BNP members from Corsham are taxi drivers, loosers and dropouts who have nothing better to do and want to be somebody! hahahaha......creeps
!
Dr Stuart H Russell, Grantham says...
12:59pm Sat 12 Jul 08
tom c, corsham says...
1:39pm Sat 12 Jul 08
I personally think these foreign prefixes coming over, taking our words is an outrage. Someone should do something about this horrendous degradation of BRITISH spelling values. It makes me sick every time I see a word that's been blatanly taken over by immigrant spelling.
I think "Dr" Russell should take his Germanic spelling back to where he and it came from.
DingDonG, Wilds of Wiltshire says...
8:29pm Sat 12 Jul 08
tom c wrote:The English language is full of words with roots from all over the world, especially Germanic, mostly via Latin ! That's the glory of it...
It's interesting to see how "Dr" Russell incorrectly spells shrift with a typically German prefix of sch. I personally think these foreign prefixes coming over, taking our words is an outrage. Someone should do something about this horrendous degradation of BRITISH spelling values. It makes me sick every time I see a word that's been blatanly taken over by immigrant spelling. I think "Dr" Russell should take his Germanic spelling back to where he and it came from.
Back to the topic, perhaps voting should be compulsory, true representation will be clear.
Even if you turn up and write "none of the candidates are worthy of my vote", it will show a result we can't moan about by nit-picking percentages.
Or, as my grandad told me, on poling day "VOTE EARLY...VOTE OFTEN"
Titus, Wiltshire says...
6:07pm Mon 14 Jul 08
I don't subscribe to your rather vile views "Dr"Russell, but I agree with your right to express them - which you have done quite extensively here on this Gannett newspaper's website.
Joe, wilts says...
12:37am Tue 15 Jul 08
If all the estates are brimming with BNP supporters then why did the BNP not get them out to vote, simple because they are not.
The BNP will stay on the fringes of politics along with the monster raving looneys, greens and all other such narrow focused groups.
donteventhinkit, Corsham says...
9:27am Tue 15 Jul 08
moonraker1, chippenham says...
4:20pm Tue 15 Jul 08
All the same just different titles.
Dr Stuart H Russell, Grantham says...
5:13pm Tue 15 Jul 08
From Stuart H Russell PhD (Nottingham University)
Phil_S, Chippenham says...
4:03am Wed 16 Jul 08
Titus, Wiltshire says...
11:15am Wed 16 Jul 08
I'm not sure the Sun or the Sport could be described as Marxist controlled.
Titus, Wiltshire says...
11:18am Wed 16 Jul 08
I'm not sure the Sun or the Sport could be described as Marxist controlled.
moonraker1, chippenham says...
4:15pm Thu 17 Jul 08
Voters turn out in force to reject BNP
What was the actual turnout.
Joe, wilts says...
12:27am Fri 18 Jul 08
Dr Stuart H Russell, Grantham says...
12:21pm Fri 18 Jul 08
Joe, wilts says...
12:50am Sun 20 Jul 08
I dont think you can really blame it on the media or a few homos or butch woman!!!
weirdbeard, Chippenham says...
5:34pm Thu 24 Jul 08
Dr Stuart H Russell wrote:Perhaps "Dr Stuart H Russell (Phd in b*llocks)" has forgotten that mass immigration created our country as early as the 11th Century.
The Marxists of the 1920s Frankfurt School turned from economics to culture to advance their revolution. They gave victim status to ethnic minorites (ie blacks in the West), homosexuals and non feminist women. The degeneracy of the 1960s - Bob Dylan, militant queers, feminazis, "free love", STDs, AIDS, family breakdown - oh, and mass immigration - has rotted our country to the core. If the media are not controlled by the cultural Marxists (ie the PC brigade) how come they don't criticise the afore mentioned, except in a sensationalised manner to sell copy?
Of course it's a biased article - based on the principle of appealing to the majority of the population, who have decent moral values, not based on prejudice and hatred.
weirdbeard, Chippenham says...
5:38pm Thu 24 Jul 08
Dr Stuart H Russell wrote:Why don't you tell us all how pop music has also destroyed the country, like you did in your comments on the Telegraph's web page?
The weird views of some of the dimmer posters on this thread are proof positive of the brainwashing power of the Marxist controlled media. I often wonder how some free thinking press employees (if that isn't an oxymoron) cope with having to go along with such un British bias. In a real democracy, all views must be examined and debated fairly, not ignored and vilified. The BNP are the only truely democratic party, the others all drink at the same saloon (hopefully the last saloon).
From Stuart H Russell PhD (Nottingham University)
Just so we're clear on the kind of person "Dr" Russell is, here's a comment he posted on the Times site:
"Women have a very important job - bearing, nurturing, & generally looking after our next generation, & keeping home for hubby. Nature has equipped them for this task."
Hmm!
Isabel Langsford
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Michael, Corsham says...
3:58pm Thu 10 Jul 08
Lib-Dem 676 (40.6%)
Con 399 (24.0%)
Ind 172 (10.3%)
Ind 147 (8.8%)
BNP - 119 (7.3%)
Lab - 92 (5.5%)
Grn - 42 (2.5%)
Ind - 16 (1%)
So rather than rejecting the BNP, who were up 2% on their 2007 vote the voters rejected the Greens who fielded their Parliamentary candidate and Labour who dropped 1% on their 2007 vote. Intresting point - if this was a full council election the BNP would have got in with a top 7 finish. Finally your article implies the voters turned out in favour of Isabel Langford only because the BNP were standing against her. Don't you think it might just be the case that Isabel won because she was the better of all candidates in the eyes of the voter. To imply otherwise does the lady no justice!