http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/scotland/article6905279.ece

Mainstream parties say that Nick Griffin’s appearance on Question Time has raised the BNP’s profile.
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The mainstream political parties are increasingly worried that British National Party could achieve a political breakthrough in Scotland in next week’s byelection.
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Some privately believe that the BNP stands a chance of winning third place in Glasgow North East, ahead of the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats, or, at best, save its deposit — something the party has never achieved in an election in Scotland.
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In the European elections in June the BNP won 545 votes in Glasgow North East — 4.4 per cent of the overall vote on a 21.5 per cent turn out. To save its deposit on Thursday, the BNP needs to achieve 5 per cent. If the turn-out in Glasgow North East is around the predicted 40 per cent, the BNP would require only 1,200 votes to reach that target.
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The main parties believe that the BNP’s campaign was boosted by the appearance of Nick Griffin, the BNP’s leader, on Question Time last month. They also say that the BNP is feeding off voter antipathy created by the MPs expenses scandal
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Allied to that, Glasgow North East is the only Scottish constituency with a relatively high number of asylum seekers. Ten years ago the city decided to take part in the Home Office’s asylum seeker dispersal programme and many of the several thousand asylum seekers who were sent to Glasgow ended up in the constituency’s notorious Red Road towers.
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Asylum seekers say they regularly face accusations that they are given preferential treatment over local families when it comes to housing allocations.
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Labour MPs out canvassing in the constituency say that they have come across growing support for the BNP among voters.
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“It’s not just in these places where you would expect it but among some of the better-off people as well. I’m worried that the BNP could cause a real shock here,” said one.
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Another was concerned that the BNP could achieve 10 per cent of the vote, although his colleagues disputed that support was as high as that.
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Professor John Curtice, Britain’s most respected polling analyst, said: “You would have to say that this is potentially the best place in Scotland for the BNP.
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“The social profile in Glasgow North East means it is the kind of area where the BNP tend to do well throughout the UK. But you do not expect them to do as well in Scotland as they would do in the same social situation down south.”
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He said that the chances of the BNP coming third were slim. For it to do so would mean that support for parties other than Labour and the SNP had totally collapsed.
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The BNP candidate in the byelection is Charlie Baillie, a long-time member of the party. “The message is that the BNP is opposed to the dispersal policy enacted by the city council. We are opposed to mass immigration and we seek an immediate return for bogus asylum seekers,” he said.
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With the byelection campaign now in its final lap, the Labour candidate, Willie Bain, appears increasingly confident of holding off a strong challenge from the SNP and avoiding a repeat of Glasgow East byelection last year, when the SNP overcame a 13,000 Labour majority.
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Political observers say that the SNP campaign has failed to develop any real momentum.
Labour has made great play of the SNP government’s recent decision to cancel a rail link project from Glasgow to the city’s airport. The SNP has tried to hit back by reminding voters that they have been electing Labour representatives at all levels of government for the past 74 years but that the constituency still remains one of the poorest in the UK.
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The byelection was triggered by the decision of the former Commons speaker, Michael Martin, now Lord Martin of Springburn, to stand down in June as the MP for Glasgow North East in the wake of the expenses scandal.
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Both the Liberal Democrats and the Conservatives, which will also be fighting to save their deposits, did not contest the seat at the General Election in 2005, observing the Westminster tradition that the Speaker is not opposed.
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My information to date, which includes a very good estimate of the votes already cast via the postal votes, is that third place and a stunning shocker is ………..possible, very possible!

Lets not disapoint them! Every member who can get to Glasgow over the next week please contact 07827811008 or 07717774730

The British National Party will support the right of Scotland to have a referendum on independence, even though the party is opposed to independence per se, said Nick Griffin MEP.

Speaking after a packed out meeting to officially launch the BNP’s by-election campaign in Glasgow, Mr Griffin said that he supported the call for an independence referendum.

“We will oppose (independence) because we think overall it will be bad for Scotland and the United Kingdom. But if the Scots choose it then they are entitled to have it,” Mr Griffin said.

It was standing room only at a packed meeting for the official launch of the Glasgow by-election campaign at a plush hotel in Glasgow City centre on Tuesday night, reports our Scottish correspondent.

More than 80 members and supporters filled the room with members of the press in attendance to hear Mr Griffin, BNP Scottish leader Gary Raikes and candidate Charles Baillie speak.

Mr Raikes talked about election strategy in Scotland and of how important it was for supporters to take an active part in the campaign.

Mr Baillie provided a round-up of the campaign’s progress. Mr Griffin then spoke and a collection afterwards raised £890 for the campaign.

Mr Griffin then went live on a local radio station for nearly two hours the next morning, and conducted numerous media interviews.

Mr Griffin told the radio show that the BNP hoped to gain ground in Scotland and the main aim of contesting the Glasgow North East by-election was to build on the party’s profile before the next Holyrood elections in 2011.

“We were 4.4 percent in Glasgow North East in the European elections,” Mr Griffin said. “We are going to be running a better campaign and there is a lot of public interest and sympathy for us so I think it is realistic.

“In Glasgow there is a [Holyrood] seat to be taken with probably about 6.5 percent of the vote and we believe that is a do-able thing.”

The next stop on his tour was to visit the FEBA centre for ex-veterans. Some BNP members been involved with helping that organisation and Mr Griffin was able to speak to a number of veterans. He later described their accounts as “harrowing.”

Mr Griffin also spent some time with FEBA founder Mr Tommy Moffat. Many ideas for helping FEBA further were discussed which will likely come to fruition within the next few months.

Mr Griffin said he planned to continue supporting veterans. “If the generals want to be involved in politics for the British Isles, then all they have to do is come out openly and say that how the Government treats our ex-servicemen is a disgrace,” he said.

He also pledged to set up a support network for FEBA if it did not find the £100,000-a-year funding it needed over the next five years. “They are doing wonderful, important work here and they need recognition from the Scottish government,” he said.

Mr Moffat stressed that he was not a BNP member and said that FEBA was a non-political organisation.

The British National Party in Scotland continues to expand and has appointed yet another new organiser and deputy leader, Scottish leader Gary Raikes has announced. “I am pleased to announce that Joe Finnie will be the new organiser for Renfrewshire and Walter Hamilton will take up the role of Scottish deputy leader,” Mr Raikes told a regional meeting of BNP Scotland over the weekend.
“The meeting opened with encouraging reports from Local Authority organisers on the activities which have already taken place in preparation for elections,” Mr Raikes told BNP News. “I told the meeting about the BNP’s ethos of authority and responsibility and why we have to adhere to a disciplined structure if we are to gain success,” he said. “The BNP Scotland is currently at an all-time record with the highest number of active members ever and we are building on our growing vote tallies.”
The meeting was given a roundup of articles from the Scottish press which had featured the BNP. These included many front page items which proved how newsworthy the party had become in Scotland. “Even though they were written with a negative slant, they were on average favourable to our cause,” Mr Raikes said.
Also on the agenda was the upcoming Glasgow by-election which provoked much lively discussion. Invaluable advice was provided by England’s North West regional organiser Clive Jefferson. “We all know Mr Jefferson ran the successful campaign which led to the BNP victory in his region in the European elections and we’re grateful for Mr Jefferson’s help,” Mr Raikes said. Also attending the meeting was BNP deputy leader Simon Darby who fielded a number of questions concerning the proposed changes to the BNP constitution and the importance of the coming appearance of the Chairman on Question Time.
“All organisers were given info packs and copies of Voice of Freedom to take away to help in promoting the party in their regions,” Mr Raikes continued. “In addition, BNP Scotland’s 23 seat electoral strategy was presented by one of our think tank members. This let everyone know the goal towards which we are working in the elections.”
“It was a pleasure to meet up with all our newly appointed local authority area organisers and to hear how keen they all are to get things moving in their regions,” Mr Raikes said. “All agreed this meeting was one of the best attended, most productive, and professionally run we have had so far. Thanks go to secretary Ian Wilson for preparing all relevant paperwork and meetings chairman Robert Bonnar for keeping proceedings running smoothly.”