1. Letter to Herald from TORY Andrew James
INDEPENDENT COUNCILLOR BACKS THE BNP
10:30 - 29 November 2007
When does Cllr Chris Cooke intend telling the voters of Glascote that he is no longer Independent but is an active supporter of the BNP?
Not only was Cllr Cooke delivering leaflets for the BNP during the recent Castle ward by-election, but he is also writing letters in support of that party on their website ( http://www.bnp.org.uk/democracy/lettersmain.php )
I have to ask, had the voters of Glascote known about his true allegiance back in April, would Chris Cooke still be an elected councillor?
Looking at the number of votes the BNP received in the by-election, along with Stonydelph back in May, I doubt this very much.
Chris Cooke should now do the decent thing, apologise to the Glascote electorate and then resign his seat as an independent councillor.
If he then chooses to re-stand under the BNP flag, the public will see him in his true colours.
Andrew James, Glascote.
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2. C. COOKE - response (note - text in red was edited out of the Herald published letter - although I would agree it was probably too long.) Also the Herald Letter was given the title “Why I Support The BNP”. I feel that was misleading and unhelpful and so prefer my own more accurate heading of “I don’t Like Bullies Mr James” . Also, although Mr James’s letter appeared on the Herald Internet - my response was left off. Never mind.
From: Chris Cooke
To: Tamworth Herald Letters
Sent: Monday, December 03, 2007 12:02 AM
Subject: I Don't Like Bullies Mr James!
Dear Sir,
Let's be generous and assume Andrew James's informing the media of my BNP support - and demanding my resignation - was sheer public spiritedness, and not at all as a result of over-excitement from this Tory candidate (he forgot to mention that little fact didn't he?) at the prospect of having early crack at the Glascote seat. I'm surprised his detective work did not result in an earlier disclosure. After all - I have clearly put my name on everything I have put out.
Now - sarcasm aside - I'm quite open about it, I did help the BNP's Lynne Smith in her recent by-election campaign. I know Lynne as a long standing and respected Tamworth resident. Three years or more ago I thought much the same as anybody else about the BNP - nasty, racist, fascist thugs. That of course is what we are constantly told isn't it? Therefore it was a shock to me to find a couple of people I respected as sincere and intellectual telling me that they were BNP members. Naturally - me being what I am - I have investigated further. The shock deepened as I came to realise that far from being the thugs and racists we are supposed to believe they are, these people were actually the one's who were being subjected to Nazi-type intimidation. They are constantly threatened with the sack - especially from public service and media jobs - threats of violence and abuse against them and their families. It has been a revelation to me how much courage they needed just to stand for elections. But they do!
I am glad Tory James's letter gave the link to the BNP website letters page. Because there people will find a letter from me on the latest discussion topic - IQ test reliability. The BNP website gets far and away more hits than all the major political parties put together. Not something your average fascist thug could achieve is it?
But why help the BNP locally? Here lies a subtle idea Tory James seems incapable of understanding. An Independent like myself is as entitled as anybody else to have his own political views. I used to be in the SDP, and in the UKIP. That's where I learned I didn't like many of the sorts of tricky people you meet in political parties. Nowadays I might have half an eye on a party name but my vote is always for the individual - and that's my business! Indeed if Tory James was around in 1996 he would have known that whilst still an Independent Councillor, Andrew Smith even stood in the Tamworth by-election as a UKIP candidate. And in those days UKIP was also deemed - again by media-driven public opinion - to be a "far-right, racist" party (which of course it also never was). I don't recall anybody demanding that Independent's resignation?
I like Lynne Smith as an individual. So when the Orwellianly named "United Against Fascism" put out a despicably inaccurate leaflet smearing Lynne's campaign it got my back up. It tried to associate Lynne with muggers and mass murderers. A trick these UAF nasties seem to pull on almost every BNP candidate everywhere. Now I don't like bullies, liars and cowards. You've seen them in the news only last week, demonstrating in Oxford, black uniformed, hidden faces, spitting, screaming hatred and death threats - simply because they didn't like who was invited to a debate. UAF is apparently chaired by Red Ken Livingstone - backed by David Cameron! - and deviously funded from our taxes. They should be ashamed.
So I was very happy to produce a debunking leaflet that ripped UAF's deceitful lies to pieces. It was my leaflet. I delivered it. My only regret was that I was not able to deliver to more than 1000 of Castle Ward's 3,500 homes (copies still available for anyone who asks). Because, unlike those UAF thugs I had the decency to attach my proper name and address to my leaflets. And in my leaflet I praised ALL of the candidates who were standing - Lynne included.
I'll say it again Mr James. I don't like bullies. And I don't feel like resigning just because it suits you.
Yours sincerely
Cllr Chris Cooke
Glascote Independent, 33 Camhouses, Tamworth, Staffs. B77 4HJ
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3. The following week (Dec. 20th) we have three letters anti me. The first from a Mr John Davies (I can honestly say I don’t know him nor his politics - INDEPENDENT perhaps??) . As these three replies were for some reason left off the Herald website, I’ll retype them here.
Local Politics and the BNP
My first thought on reading Cllr Chris Cooke’s letter in last week’s Herald praising Lynne Smith and her BNP views was, here we go again, to quote Lenin, another “useful idiot”, this time for that nasty fascist party the BNP.
But then I thought you are being silly. You are taking a biased view of the British National Party without knowing too much about them other than what you read in the newspapers or heard on the radio or TV.
So, to improve my knowledge and to give them an unbiased approach, I went on the Internet and looked at their website.
Lo and behold what did I find? I am not biased - they are a nasty horrible party with fascist views. (And your reason - or two - for this now strongly held of yours view might be .....? It would have been interesting for you to have given a reason. If it’s simply because the BNP want to stop immigration - well perhaps I am really a fascist? Funnily enough so are many immigrants who are already here who also feel the same way! {check out this Google Video - http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=5313967073906592014 } )
It is very strange that fascist parties all seem to have the word “National” in their name, the “national Socialist” Party in prewar Germany which we know as the “Nazis”, Mussolini’s “National Fascist Party”, General Franco’s “National Movement” and our own “British National Party”. (Not a name I would support - I wasn’t happy with UK Independence Party either - don’t like pointless nationalism - but I do like decentralisation of power - and you won’t get that in your EU or One World type superstates).
One other point, the ones that did gain power destroyed democracy and were run by dictators. (I can see something very similar happening right now in this country - our Government being enabled to change any Act it wants without parliamentary approval - precisely what Hitler did. Please wake up!)
Mr Cooke says, and I quote: “I like Lynne Smith as an individual.”
I remember the private secretary Traudl Junge saying something similar about her boss, because he was kind to her and liked small children and dogs.
His name was Adolf Hitler. (Yes - and I’ve no doubt some people liked Ghengis Khan too - but your point about Lynne Smith is ..... ??)
John Davies (via email)
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4 (From Margaret Clarke - LABOUR Candidate for Stonydelph)
As the saying goes, friendships can be affected by discussions of sex, politics or religion. No matter how nice your friends are, it is not always possible to agree with them - and so it is with the BNP.
However pleasant the candidate, they still represent a one-issue party that is difficult to stomach. (And therein lies your whole misconception of the BNP - they have a full range of policies - local and national. Not that I’m going to get drawn in to defending BNP policies. That’s not the issue here. You might want people to believe they are only a single issue party - which issue would that be by the way - Getting out of the EU or ending mass immigration? Some of their policies I would not agree with {for instance - the death penalty or large payments to immigrants to return to their countries of origin} but they most certainly do have a large number of policies)
Chris Cooke stated his friend is harassed by employers for her political views, well so are a lot of other people. (No - I didn’t say that. I said “{BNP members...} .... are constantly threatened with the sack - especially from public service and media jobs.” I did not say Lynne Smith was one of those.)
Many employees in customer-facing jobs are warned against joining any political party by their employers.
This is not harassment, it is employers warding off what they perceive as possible conflicts of interest. (That’s fine - perfectly acceptable - when the ban applies to ALL parties! But when teachers and social workers for instance are almost encouraged to be local councillors - yet woe betide any member of those professions who dares to stand for the BNP. By contrast a Communist candidate is apparently pretty kosher these days!) It also accounts for some people standing as Independent candidates. (Is that why you stood as an Independent originally? Just an aside - in 1999 you stood as an Independent and very soon afterwards took the Labour Party whip. You didn’t resign. You’ll remember I still supported you. Now some from your party are demanding I MUST join the BNP and I MUST resign. Can you understand that logic?)
As a Labour candidate in next years elections, I am looking to fulfil local people’s needs. No doubt my Conservative counterparts will be looking to assist the local economy of Tamworth, as will the Lib Dem candidates.
In other words they are looking to represent residents on many issues.
Is this the BNP’s aims? I don’t think so.
Margaret Clarke, Tamworth
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5. And here TORY Andrew James has yet another go!
Having read Cllr Chris Cooke’s response to my recent letter outing him (Outing me indeed! My name went clearly on everything I produced. “Outing” me! I “Outed” myself if anything!!) as a BNP supporter, I would like to put the record straight.
Despite Cllr Cooke’s announcement, I am not the Conservative Party candidate for Glascote, (Read it again - this time carefully!! I never said you were the Glascote Candidate - however - your wife certainly was and you definitely have a vested interest) and Cllr Cooke claims he only started supporting the BNP because of the recent attack on his friend Lynne Smith by the UAF. (Where did I “claim” that please? Are you actually reading my letter? I said around THREE YEARS AGO I started researching the BNP - and was shocked at how they were being smeared and misrepresented . I stick by that. That doesn’t mean to say I’m off to join them. It just means I feel they have a right to stand as a proper political party without the dirty tricks that are being played on them. I would do precisely the same for any other political party being treated in that grossly unfair way. Does that mean I now have to join all the political parties? What part of this can’t you understand? The BNP should be able to stand unmolested by mass campaigns of smears, lies and disinformation in any election in this country - just like other political parties can. It’s because I’m genuinely Independent that I can say things like this.)
I find this statement very strange because in September 2005 Cllr Cooke wrote on the BNP message board: “I hope when the BNP come to power that they allow themselves to dig a bit deeper into such things as the NHS than just the pay of the top guys. The whole edificial empire needs an overhaul” (Yes - I’m on the Health Committee and have a special interest in the NHS. A BNP article talked about what they would do within the NHS “when the BNP come to power”. Can’t I repeat those words back? It was otherwise an interesting discussion on yet another BNP policy. What’s wrong with that?)
If Cllr Cooke had made his views public prior his re-election last May I would not have said anything, but he chose to keep quiet and let the voters of Glascote believe him to be truly Independent. (“Chose to keep quiet....”?? Good grief! Where do you come from?? My views are entirely what people have come to expect of me. I stand by them - they were on my election leaflets - and on my website - ever seen it? If you had then you would know it also had links to the BNP website well BEFORE my re-election this year. My name went on everything I put out {that’s how you were able to “Out” me - remember?}. People know I am completely Independent, hard-working and am a damn sight more in touch with the average resident than the money wasting rubber stamps that comprise the other political parties in this town.)
Come on Cllr Cooke, resign your seat, then re-stand in Glascote as the official BNP candidate. Let democracy prevail and let the public decide. (Perhaps an analogy will help here? I spent a great deal of time and effort helping a local Labour Councillor who I felt was being unjustly treated. Councillors from both parties know what I am referring to and they know this to be true. Nobody else would have done what I did to help that Labour councillor. I also support some Labour party policies. Does this mean I must join the Labour Party and resign my seat? I don’t think so - not just to make your Christmas happy. One other point. I did make a promise to Glascote voters. I would not join another political party or I would resign if I did - unlike quite a few other ex-Independents I could name. And although it is obviously disappointing to you it’s a promise I intend to keep! )
Andrew James, Glascote.
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6. And now one from the LIB DEMS - Jenny Pinkett, teacher and local Lib Dem leader.
HOW CAN CLLR COOKE BE 'INDEPENDENT' AFTER SIDING WITH THE BNP?
11:30 - 27 December 2007
Councillor Chris Cook spoke to me after the recent Castle Ward by-election and gave me a copy of the leaflet that he had put out in support of the BNP to correct the lies that had been put in a United Against Facism leaflet. (I’m like that! Very open, very helpful! :-)
He also said he would let me have a copy of that UAF leaflet which he has not yet forwarded to me although he promised to do so. (I think you gave me a duff email address Jenny - I sent you a copy on 10th November - anyway I’ve reprinted a copy on this website now with links HERE )
Until immediately after the count I was not aware of either this leaflet or the anti-fascist leaflet.
I was somewhat shocked that he had thought it his duty to defend another party as he claims to be truly independent of any political dogma. (It’s all our duty to defend propriety in politics. It’s because people don’t seem to understand and don’t defend such things that politics has become a cesspit of greed and corruption)
If Chris had been so concerned about fair play he could have contacted the other party candidates and the Herald to alert them to the UAF literature and let us all have the opportunity to deal with any dishonesty that was being published. (Laugh in my face time!! Come on I’m not so stupid as to believe the other parties would do anything but sneer at the BNP. My point in any case was that the law as it stands would also not help from this sort of dishonesty)
I was deeply disappointed in the Lib Dem vote at this election as our candidates usually get up to 20 per cent of the electors' support. (You got 14% in May this year and 12% last year - so your by-election vote of 7% odd held up reasonably well seeing as a lot of Lib Dem voting is normally protest voting and some was bound to go to the BNP. )
I thought at the time it was probably due to a protest vote against the conventional parties. I was not aware that Chris had taken it upon himself to openly support the BNP. (Couple of points here. You told me once that the Lib Dems in Tamworth only really put up candidates to help their National party image. You don’t really fight elections - and you certainly aren’t around for the rest of the year. That might easily explain why you knew absolutely nothing about the anti-BNP UAF leaflet or my leaflet that went around. Also I was only able to deliver around a quarter of the ward with my anti-UAF response leaflet. So what went wrong for the Lib Dems in the remaining three quarters of the Ward? It was uniformly bad for you. By the way - you might not know who delivered these UAF leaflets in this by election - but a Lib Dem candidate has certainly been caught out recently delivering the same anti-BNP UAF leaflets in other nearby local by elections. That’s illegal! But it’s a game you three parties play between you isn’t it?)
Whilst I agree with Chris that any legitimate party deserves a chance to express a valid opinion, I cannot understand why someone who is meant to be politically independent could openly support and put out literature on their behalf, literature that does not, if I understand the rules correctly, have to be declared in the BNP electoral expenses. (Come on Jenny - you’ve read my leaflet - it attacked the UAF leaflet. Otherwise I supported ALL the other candidates! It was neutral - It didn’t say “Vote BNP”. It supported the BNP - yes - only inasmuch as the BNP had a right to stand unmolested by the UAF extremists who I’m sure you must know very well work hand in glove with the three major parties. That’s what you three party guys don’t like isn’t it? You feel you can do anything you like to the BNP because you’ve managed to give it such a diabolical reputation that you think nobody will care. I’ll not fall for this game you play.)
What is clear from this continuing debate is that Chris is not truly independent; he has long since left the SDP, refused to join the Liberal Democrats Party when SDP and the Liberals merged and showed his true nationalistic colours by joining UKIP. (People know far more about my genuine views than they do any other group or councillor in Tamworth. I am completely open in all aspects of policy and what I have done - you only have to study this website to see that. Nationally I oppose European superstate, and one world government. Power corrupts and super power corrupts absolutely. I like small and de-centralised government. Does that make me Nationalist? If you say so! Anyway - just because I’m Independent doesn’t mean I can’t political views - I’ve got to vote for somebody - yet another “Independent” may have completely opposite views.)
While he expresses concern about dirty trick politics, he has engaged in the sort of activity he has condemned in others. (I call it fair play - and at least my leaflets weren’t a pack of smears and lies)
Chris would have us believe that he is the shining knight of local politics defending the rights of the underdogs, and perhaps he is. (Very kind of you to acknowledge I might be doing something right). But is he too playing political games to keep his name in the headlines and help him retain his seat on the council? (Damned if I do and damned if I don’t isn’t it?? I can’t win can I? However - it doesn’t explain why I spend the majority of my casework with people either from outside of my ward so they can’t vote for me - or people who rarely if ever vote because they are simply too inadequate and never have voted! Headlines? Political games? I’ll make you an offer - come and see what I do - I’ll show you things way, way beyond the call of duty. In fact have a look at this link HERE.)
If I was a voter I would be deeply suspicious of anyone who changes parties so often. What does he believe in and what is his vision for Tamworth? (Oh come on! Two parties I belonged to. That’s all! One party died on me {the SDP - or merged with you Liberals if you prefer - didn’t do you much good did it?} and the other party {UKIP} was such a huge disappointment to me that I now value my Independence and will never join another political party. What’s suspicious about that?? You’ve known me long enough to know whatever party I’ve been in I’ve always been very independent. You ask what I believe in? It’s staring you in the face. Spend some time reading this website - it’s all there - and it’ll tell you far more about me than you’ll ever find out about any other councillor in Tamworth. )
I'm a Liberal Democrat because I believe in a fair, free and open society, a society that allows minority parties with radical views to exist. (free from abuse - like the BNP?? I don’t think so!) If Chris really wants to be fair and open then he should be a Liberal Democrat. (You still want me to join the Lib Dems??? I’ll say the same as I’ve said regularly to all the parties (including the BNP!) - it ain’t going to happen!!)
Liberal Democrats support having a proportional system of voting whereby minority parties can have their say through the ballot box and achieve representation according to their proportion of the vote. (I agree with PR - and that is why I’d vote Lib Dem in front of Tory or Labour - but that’s as far as it goes!)
However, while I support the right of minority parties to exist I believe that there is sufficient evidence that the BNP do not support a fair and free society and their very association with those who deny that the Holocaust ever existed is enough for me to have serious doubts about their ambitions for this country. (You can have all the “serious doubts” and accept as truth any smears you like about the BNP - but that doesn’t give you the right to deny the BNP their rights to stand unmolested by the lies, smears and threats in free and fair elections to be judged on their merits by all voters - does it?)
Jenny Pinkett, Liberal Democrat candidate for Castle Ward.
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7. And just a one liner from Kevan Garratt. Thought I had seen the name before. A candidate for the LABOUR in the Trinity ward in 2002. His letter was mostly an attack on the Tories. He saved the last line for me. Perhaps he wants another go at getting a Council seat for Labour?
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Finally, when is Cllr Chris Cooke going to do the honourable thing and resign now he has also shown HIS true colours? (refer you to the reply to your Tory counterpart above Mr Garratt - click HERE )
Kevan Garratt.
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N.B.
Notice how all these correspondents deliberately want to confuse “supporting the BNP” (ie supporting the right of the BNP to exist and fight in fair and free elections) with “supporting the BNP” (ie - supporting all their policies and political activities). I guess that’s politics for you. Not nice - but it’s what I’ve come to expect.
Anyhow - anybody who wants to reply - or wants to add a new comment - feel free to email me at chris@chris-cooke.co.uk . I’ll post anything reasonable ........ for or against.
Chris
