ASSOCIATED PRESS: MANCHESTER, England — In some of Manchester's bleakest neighborhoods where unemployment is rife and anxiety about an immigration influx is palpable, one of Prime Minister Gordon Brown's worst fears is unfolding before Thursday's European Union elections.
The British National Party, which doesn't allow nonwhites as members and is against membership in the European Union, is gaining ground in former Labour Party strongholds that once threw their support behind Brown and his predecessor, Tony Blair.
Widespread voter discontent across Europe is expected to give extremist and fringe groups like the BNP gains in the European assembly elections, victories that could mire the EU in even more confusion.
"I think the BNP could do a lot better for the country," Chris Rowlinson, 38, said Tuesday. "It would be sort of like the positive things what Winston Churchill did for the British people."
The recession, corruption, a culture of excess — these issues and others have angered many of the 27-nation bloc's 375 million voters. Turnout is expected to be low for the European parliament election on Thursday through Saturday. If people vote at all, many will cast protest ballots against mainstream parties.
Britain has felt the biggest voter backlash after an expense scandal tarred all three main political parties. Data leaked to a newspaper showed that lawmakers submitted expense claims for everything from pornography to chandeliers and moats at country estates — all while people were losing jobs, homes or pensions.
In northern cities like Manchester, where gritty housing projects stand near abandoned textile warehouses and recycling plants, voters have turned against Brown over fears that jobs will be lost to foreign workers or immigrants. The Manchester area is also home to one of Britain's largest Muslim communities. >>> By Paisley Dodds | Tuesday, June 02, 2009
