JimThank you for posting this up for me in a readable format. I'll have to familiarise myself with the techie stuff as quickly as possible if I am not to be embarrassed...Like I said earlier, my problem is not with these people referring to my political history if they think there are votes to be had from it (although past experience would suggest that the opposite is the case, which in turn would suggest that they are simply doing it to create fear in the community). Politicians do this kind of thing and, provided it is accurate, I can have no argument with it.The letter, of course, is not accurate. David Freeman was the leader of the ICG at the time this letter was published, and Paul Fisher is now. Neither, to my knowledge, are "former leading members of the National Front" and if the Labour Party has any evidence to the contrary I would be grateful if they would kindly forward it to me.I suspect the comment is intended as a reference to me. Why then have I been described as the ICG "leader" - a position I have never held nor even sought? Who decides who is the ICG's leader, the Labour Party or the ICG? The intention behind the remark, of course, is to imply that the ICG is a front organisation for the National Front, something which they admitted to be false during the Malicious Falsehood hearing a couple of years back and which is a matter of public record. In other words they are publishing allegations which they know and have accepted are unfounded. Guy Smith's comments would appear to suggest that if the organic matter hits the fan they will simply deny authorship. This is the kind of nonsense the people of Isleworth are up against. According to informed anti-fascist sources, the National Front's national membership stands at a little under 200. About one eighth, in other words, of the membership of the ICG, a purely local organisation. It doesn't have nor ever has had any council seats. The ICG has three and expects to gain more in May. The modern-day NF, as far as I can see, is a pathetic mutation of the neo-fascist organisation of the same name which won 250,000 votes in local elections during the late seventies and which went on to achieve some notoriety in the eighties. Its activities appear to consist of knuckle-scraping "marches" of 20-30 skinheads through the channel ports of Kent, escorted by much larger numbers of police officers. Yet we are supposed to be a front organisation for them? Amazing!It seems to me that the New Labour Party in Isleworth is honouring its long-standing tradition of distributing material with complete disregard and indifference as to whether or not there is any truth in it. In 2002 this included a leaflet which claimed that Labour councillors had been active on a non-existent housing estate, and claiming the credit for the completion of a window-replacement programme on Ivybridge which had barely even begun. Not to mention, of course, the leaflet published in their name which they went on to deny all knowledge of in court.In the 2005 general election the same mentality manifested itself in the publication of a leaflet which was designed to deceive voters into thinking it had been issued by the Liberal Democrats.Add to this the HM Magazine co-delivery scam, and we get some idea of the kind of people we are dealing with.I am looking forward to kicking this lot into touch for once and for all, and would ask all decent people who are concerned to see openness and honesty reintroduced into our local politics to do whatever they can to help, because this is a cause which really does transcend ideology or organisational allegiance.If you think you can help - by participating, donating, or even just by voting in the most effective way possible to get these people out of office - please contact me, in complete confidence, at phil@communitygroup.org.uk.
Phil Andrews ● 7022d