The BNP is a divisive party that couldn't care less about the future of Burnley and Padiham.

The BNP aren't a proper political party working for the best interests of the whole of our town and communities. Instead they have a different agenda, which is to divide and weaken our town and communities. They want to make us fearful of our friends and neighbours and promote racial tension between us. They promote policies and mistruths against minority groups and the vulnerable in our society. Diversity and freedom of expression is the enemy of the mainstream BNP but they use it to their own political advantage when it meets their own selfish ends. They would be happy to see local people in Burnley and Padiham fighting each other. The Labour Party wants to see us fighting together in our common interest to regenerate our town and neighbourhoods to bring improved living standards for all.

The Labour Party believes we are all fundamentally of equal worth, regardless of who we are and where we come from - or our gender, age, sexual orientation or religion. Because the BNP leadership is fascist - like Hitler's Germany - they do not believe this. Every day in every way they try to divide us and promote tension between us. They do not have the interests of our town at heart.

The Labour Party, by contrast, believes we are stronger when we are working together for the things we all need, like better housing, schools and jobs.

BNP MYTH: Rebuilding our communities

The BNP have been opposing the reshaping of our neighbourhoods through the ELEVATE project since the Labour government commenced investing millions 6 years ago. Even when there were 4000 empty homes across the Borough and the local population decreasing they opposed any demolition. This despite the fact that this massive over supply of housing was depressing all property values within the town.

It suits the BNP to depress the living standards of people in Burnley and Padiham.   

BNP MYTH: Investing in new schools

The BNP have opposed the Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme ever since the Labour government selected Burnley as a priority area 6 years ago. They attempted at every stage to politicise our children’s education by classing it as a social engineering exercise. They ignored that Burnley and Padiham had too many secondary schools, they were old buildings, not fit-for-purpose in the 21^st century and children’s education was suffering compared with other areas nationally.

It suits the BNP to restrict the life chances of our children.

BNP MYTH: Political Correctness

The BNP would have you believe that the local authorities employ lots of people to enforce political correctness (whatever that is?). They invent fears and then promote them as the truth to frighten people into believing that there way of life is threatened. They waste Council time by putting forward motions to prevent things from happening that were never going to happen anyway. Their motion to Full Council asking the Council to ensure that the Burnley and Padiham Christmas lights continue to be called Christmas lights is a classic example.

It suits the BNP to put out non stories and issues to create a climate of fear in our communities.

BNP MYTH: Community relations

The BNP would like to turn the clock back to the disturbances of 2001. The enquiry that followed concluded that the local authorities needed to do more to bring communities together, not forced integration, but improved understanding and tolerance of each community’s customs and traditions. Lots of time and money has been invested to achieve this and things are much better than they were in the dark days of 2001. There is still a long way to go but events like the Community Festival introduced by Labour are breaking down the barriers between communities. The BNP hate the fact that our communities are growing stronger. In the budget debate of 2009 the BNP wanted to cut the money allocated to community cohesion unit which if passed would destroy hopes for further improvement in community relations.

It suits the BNP to return to the levels of mistrust that existed between communities in 2001.