That BNP List

I've been pondering which of the news stories that caught my attention over the past couple of days to blog about. Lack of time due to the by-election which I am involved in means I can't cover all of them. That means I'm keeping my counsel on John Sergeant's departure from Strictly!

One of the biggest stories this week has been the publication of a "membership" list of the BNP on the internet. First things first - I have no intention on publishing where people can find the details of the BNP list, nor do I condone what the people who have published it have done.

I don't make any secret of the fact that I find the BNP abhorrent as a party, however, publishing people's details on the internet is completely irresponsible.

The BNP as an organisation works on fear, and in these difficult economic times, it is easy for them to blame minority groups for the country's problems. It has come to my attention that the party has been out canvassing in some areas in Newton Abbot recently.

What I found most shocking about the list was the number of young people who have membership with the party, and that Teignbridge has the highest concentration of members in Devon.

As a Councillor, and in particular as the Youth Champion for Teignbridge; I see my role as one of being a community champion, and I guess that this includes promoting diversity within our area so that parties like the BNP don't make any headway.

It is too easy to blame others for our problems; what we should be doing is embracing the skills that we all can bring forward to get ourselves back on track.