I lived in Basildon for the first 18 years of my life. It looks like the place has taken a turn for the worse since then, judging by this website (as found by Mike Ion). I’ve got issues with some of our local Tories, but almost without exception they are better than this one.

Its not even worth cherry-picking examples of of idiocy from this site to hold up to ridicule because there is no challenge at all – it would be like shooting fish in a barrel. Right at the top it says:

I beleive Vangewillbe best represented by Conervative Candidate. If elected I promise to be help with any issue thats within my power to deal with, no matter hoiw big or small that issue is.

The rest is no better written, looking like its been  put together by someone with English as a third language.  Worryingly, he says he is studying economics with politics at university…

More worrying is the content itself: there really is no need to vote BNP in Basildon if so-called mainstream parties can find room for someone like this.  His election campaign trots out the old canard of council housing going to asylum seekers (a claim recently proved to be a myth) and his policies generally are old BNP favourites (limit immigration and put everyone else in jail) or look like they come from Arshad Khan’s Justice Party.

No mention of policies on education though.  It would be interesting to hear how someone who talks about things “making no sence” , “a action day”, and  “a inconvenience” and has a random approach to punctuation would propose to improve education – he obviously has first-hand experience of a failing system, and his presence at university could be held up as proof of falling standards.

But that is unfair.  It is Essex county council that is responsible for his illiteracy and not Mackenzie himself, however he should be held responsible for his extreme views and his party should look to itself for allowing him to represent them after he was accused last year of producing BNP-alike literature.  At the time Jon Cruddas said:

This dangerous exploitation of people’s fears is a gift to extremist organisations such as the BNP. Peddling myths about immigrants pouring into a town or about asylum seekers supposedly being given council housing ahead of other residents is incredibly unhelpful. If David Cameron is serious about fighting racism he should disown this candidate straight away.

Far from being disowned, he is back as a candidate this year and I have a little less affection for my old manor than I used to have.