Following on from our success in getting the Sunday Times to retract their smear that the English Democrats are an “Extremist” party, we have recently had another contretemps with a newspaper, this time a local one in Cheshire.
We have been standing an excellent candidate, Neil Kenny in a Wirral local election.
Neil has never previously belonged to any other political party and has not stood for any other party other than the English Democrats. He is a respectable and professional family man and has absolutely no track record of any extremism, let alone racism, homophobia or any tendency to violence. Any such accusations are therefore not only outrageous libels but are also criminal offences under Section 106 of the Representation of Peoples Act 1983.
Below is the trail of correspondence leading to the retraction and finally the corrective article published on-line. I understand that my response was also published in full in the printed edition of the Wirral Globe.
First here is the offending article:-
Trade unions launch campaign against Wirral by-election candidate
1:16pm Monday 4th February 2013 in NewsExclusive By Stephanie Cureton
WIRRAL trade unionists are leading a campaign against a right-wing party fielding a candidate in an upcoming local by-election.
Merseyside Coalition Against Racism and Fascism and Wirral TUC are uniting against the English Democrats when the ballot for Pensby and Thingwall ward takes place later this month.
They believe the election of English Democrat candidate Neil Kenny would be “damaging” to Wirral.
Alec McFadden from Wirral TUC said: “This party is neither English nor democratic and they have a violent past.
“We believe they are openly racist and are against gay and lesbian people.
“We will be putting out leaflets and canvassing to let people know about the party, regardless of their existing political beliefs.
“If this candidate was elected, it would have a similar effect as Nick Griffin from the BNP being an MEP for the North West.
“It would damage our reputation greatly at a time when things are already bad with poverty, unemployment and benefit cuts.”
According to their website, English Democrats believe in “standing up for what made England great” and that English residents should not be treated as “second class citizens.”
The website says the party wants the repeal of the Human Rights Act and the withdrawal of the UK from the European Convention on Human Rights.
It claims: “Both of these flawed items of legislation have perversely assisted criminals while offering little of substance to the law-abiding population”.
It also advocates “punitive fining and possible withdrawal of trading rights of companies, company directors and other employers who employ illegal immigrants.”
Immigrants convicted of crimes should be deported, it says.
The Globe has contacted the North West offices of the English Democrats and a response is expected shortly.
Other candidates standing in the by-election, which takes place on February 28, are: Phillip Brightmore for Labour and the Co-operative Party; Allen Burton for The Green Party; Sheila Clarke for Conservatives; Damien Cummins for Liberal Democrats; and Jan Davison for UKIP.
The by-election was triggered by the resignation of Conservative ward Cllr Don McCubbin.
Here is the trail of correspondence:-
Sent: 08/02/2013 18:59:39 GMT Standard Time
Subj: Check out Trade unions launch campaign against Wirral by-election candidate (
Trade unions launch campaign against Wirral by-election candidate (From Wirral Globe)
The Editor
Wirral Globe
Dear Sir
Re: Article Monday, 4th February 2013 by Stephanie Cureton “Trade unions launch campaign against Wirral by-election candidate”
This nakedly Labour Party partisan article falsely asserts that the English Democrats are:- “neither English nor democratic and they have a violent past. We believe they are openly racist and are against gay and lesbian people”… “If this candidate was elected, it would have a similar effect as Nick Griffin from the BNP being an MEP for the North West.” These comments are wildly inaccurate, untrue and libellous. Printing such a report without checking with us was grossly inappropriate.
The significance of this unjustified attack taking place in the midst of a by-election makes this matter one of importance.
I request the right of reply to these spurious allegations.
These allegations are put as a statement of fact not opinion (within the usual meaning given both by the law of defamation and of common sense). They thus clearly relate also to our candidate’s personal character or conduct. In the context of the article, its timing, and the absence of defamatory comments about any other candidates an inference can be drawn of the improper purpose of affecting the election of our candidate.
I respectfully suggest that you would be hard pressed to support any defence of reasonable belief in the truth of these statements. There is no sensible suggestion anywhere that we are a racist etc., nor indeed have you made any sufficient effort to find out what we do stand for. Indeed we have recently had a forced retraction of a lesser smear by the Sunday Times >>>http://www.pcc.org.uk/case/resolved.html?article=ODI1MA%3D%3D
Also insufficient effort was made to speak to anyone from the English Democrats about these allegations prior to making them.
Not only do Alex McFadden’s professional standards (if any) appear to be very sloppy, but also, I would respectfully submit, your reporting of them, or relying on such an obviously dubious and partisan source, breaches the Press Complaints Commission’s Editor’s Code of Practice by failing to maintain the “highest professional standards”. The comments are frankly inaccurate and misleading and untruthful and thus contrary to section 1 of the PCC’s Editors’ Code.
Rather than accurately reporting you seem to have stooped to cloak with respectability smears and innuendo against the English Democrats and against our candidate, Mr Kenny.
It may also be that these smears derive from an anti-English discriminatory attitude either by you or Mr McFadden, who bears a Scottish or Irish surname. Such is contrary to section 12 of the PCC Editors’ Code.
In the circumstances I wish formally, and on behalf of our candidate so smeared, and also of the English Democrats, to complain and to request the Right of Reply pursuant to section 2 of the PCC Editors’ Code.
Yours faithfully
Robin Tilbrook
Chairman,
The English Democrats,
In a message dated 11/02/2013 09:26:28 GMT Standard Time,
Dear Mr Tilbrook
Thank you for your email.
I do understand your anger, and it would be entirely appropriate had
we not made any efforts to speak to the English Democrats.
But I must respectfully point out we did try to contact your party
using the press inquiries telephone number on your website – 0207 242
1066 – and asked several times for a response to the Wirral
TUC/Merseyside Coalition Against Racism and Fascism statement – but
none had materialised by the time the Globe went to press last Tuesday
afternoon.
I am more than happy to give you the right of reply, and would have
done so in the original article had this have been possible.
Yours sincerely,
Leigh Marles,
Globe editor.
Sent: 11/02/2013 09:45:54 GMT Standard Time
Subj: Re: Right of reply
Dear Mr Marles,
Thank you for your email. I am looking into what you say as that should not have happened.
Thank you also for your agreement to give us a right of reply. How many words are you offering and what is the deadline?
Robin Tilbrook
Sent: 11/02/2013 10:01:02 GMT Standard Time
Subj: Re: Right of reply
Dear Mr Tilbrook
I would suggest a piece of around 300-350 words.
If it is to appear in this week’s edition, we would need it by around
10am tomorrow, if that would be possible?
The English Democrat press officers our reporter spoke to said they
were going to put us in touch with a North West ED representative; we
tried to firm this up two or three times, but unfortunately it just
did not happen.
Regards
Leigh Marles
Sent: 12/02/2013 10:08:02 GMT Standard Time
Subj: Re: Right of reply
Dear Mr Marles
Here is my piece. I am afraid I am a bit over on the word count. Is that OK?
Robin Tilbrook
I am writing to reply to the downright lies written about the English Democrats and our candidate, Neil Kenny, by Mr Alec McFadden purportedly of the “Merseyside Coalition Against Racism and Fascism and Wirral TUC”.
The English Democrats are certainly not a racist or homophobic Party and have never had any history whatsoever of violence and nor has our candidate. All of that is pure invention by a Far Left activist who hates the very “idea of England itself”.
Alec McFadden claims to represent an organisation, Labour’s Trade Union Congress, which is however, just like the Labour Party itself, institutionally anti-English, being happy to have a Scottish TUC and a Welsh TUC but is totally opposed to an English TUC! Just consider these comments:-
Labour – Jack Straw – “The English are potentially very aggressive, very violent”.
Labour – John Prescott – “There is no such nationality as English”
The English Democrats’ campaign is a moderate and sensible one to improve England’s democracy. We are England’s answer to the Scottish National Party and Plaid Cymru. We campaign for a Parliament for England, First Minister and Government, with at least the same powers as the Scottish ones within a Federal UK; for St George’s Day to be England’s National holiday; for Jerusalem to be England’s National Anthem; for a Referendum to leave the EU; for an end to mass immigration; for the Cross of St George to be flown on all public buildings in England.
The English Democrats’ greatest electoral successes to date include winning the Directly Elected Executive Mayoralty of Doncaster MBC. We won the referendum which triggered a referendum to give Salford City an Elected Mayor; In 2012 we saved all our deposits in the Police Commissioner elections and came second in South Yorkshire; In the 2009 EU election we gained 279,801 votes after a total EU campaign spend of less than £25,000 (giving the English Democrats by far the most cost efficient electoral result of any serious Party in the UK!)
We are a Party that is making steady progress and are spearheading the growth of English National Identity. In reply to the 2011 Census over 32 million people in England stated that they are “English Only”. This shows that moderate, democratic English Nationalism is the future for England and the English Nation. This is why anyone who cares about England should support us and our candidates!
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Sent: 12/02/2013 10:34:54 GMT Standard Time
Subj: Re: Right of reply
Dear Mr Tilbrook
I think it’s fine, it’ll go on page 3 in this week’s edition of the Globe.
How should I describe your position in the ED? Are you party chairman?
Regards
Leigh Marles
Sent: 12/02/2013 10:40:30 GMT Standard Time
Subj: Re: Right of reply
Thank you. Yes I am.
Robin
————————————————————————————————
On Wed, Feb 20, 2013 at 7:04 PM,
Dear Mr Marles
When is this to be published?
Robin Tilbrook
Sent: 20/02/2013 19:37:20 GMT Standard Time
Subj: Re: Right of reply
Dear Mr Tilbrook
I am away from work this week visiting Malta but the article appeared at the top of page 3 in last week’s edition of the Globe.
Here is the corrective which has been published on-line:-
English Democrat Party hits back after accusations of ‘racism and homophobia’
9:34am Thursday 21st February 2013 in News
Robin Tilbrook
THE English Democrat Party has hit back after a Wirral trade unionist accused it of ‘racism and homophobia’.
Party chairman and founder Robin Tilbrook said the claims were ‘downright lies’.
Last week, Alec McFadden said Wirral TUC and the Merseyside Coalition Against Racism Fascism and would campaign against the ED candidate for the Pensby and Thingwall by-election, which will take place on February 28.
Mr Tilbrook, in a letter to the Globe, which we are treating as a right of reply, said: “The English Democrats are certainly not a racist or homophobic party and have never had any history whatsoever of violence, and nor has our candidate. All of that is pure invention.
“Alec McFadden claims to represent an organisation, Labour’s Trade Union Congress, which is, however, just like the Labour Party itself, institutionally anti-English, being happy to have a Scottish TUC and a Welsh TUC – but opposed to an English TUC.
“The English Democrats’ campaign is a moderate and sensible one to improve England’s
“We are England’s answer to the Scottish National Party and Plaid Cymru.”
He continued: “We campaign for a Parliament for England, First Minister and Government, with at least the same powers as the Scottish ones within a Federal UK [and] for St George’s Day to be England’s National holiday.”
He said the English Democrats’ greatest electoral success includes winning the directly-elected executive mayorality of Doncaster.