The election of three members of the British National Party (BNP) when considered in the context of the 6,000 seats contested in England's local elections seems insignificant.
But a rise in support for the far right, however localised, must still be regarded with concern. The BNP's gains are slight when compared to the support for Jean-Marie Le Pen in France, but the Burnley results along with the 27 per cent BNP poll in Oldham and 20 per cent in Sunderland are on a par with the recent right-wing successes in eastern France where Mr Le Pen gained his strongest support.
Voters in France, Italy, Germany - and even Denmark with its long tradition of liberalism and tolerance - have placed people with perniciously racist views in positions of responsibility. That they have been joined by England, which played such a proud role in the defeat of fascism, is a matter of sadness for all right-thinking people. In Holland, another country with a strong tradition of tolerance and decency, the extreme right, in the form of Mr Pim Fortuyn and his populist supporters, appears poised to take up to 20 seats in the legislative elections on May 15th. His message is a seductive one given the malaise which affects Europe at this time. The freedoms enjoyed by the Dutch people should, he declares, be maintained. They should, however, be confined to the Dutch alone.
In this State, we are fortunate that all the main parties have eschewed racist policies. But there is no reason to be complacent; racism here is on the rise. Urban myths suggesting that immigrants are given preferential treatment over others constituted a strong part of the BNP's campaign; similar slanders are now commonplace here. There may be a temptation, therefore, given the rise of racism here, for some individual candidates to descend to the lowest levels of populism in order to gain votes in the current election campaign. Any such moves must be rejected not only by the party leaders but by the voters themselves.
Mr Le Pen's successes of a fortnight ago and the BNP's strong regional showing in England may have created the impression that it has now become acceptable to vote for extreme right-wing policies. The French people have the opportunity tomorrow to reverse this trend. It is strongly to be hoped that they will do so in thoroughly resounding fashion.