Jonathan Bowden vs Richard Barnbrook 2008

Added: 2026-05-16

[00:00:00][applause] [applause] >> How have you found your first couple of months in the GLA? A walk in the park? A walk in the park? A walk in the park. In Boris's park? Uh, no, in his living room. Yes.

[00:00:16]When you were elected, many of the staff and the secretariat and fellow members of the GLA said they wouldn't talk to you. They would cross the corridor. They wouldn't work with you. How have you found the response since? Well, I think the first thing to undermine was a smile and a good morning and a thank you.

[00:00:32]Uh, the fact that they even considered not to work with me was never on the playground at all.

[00:00:39]Do you think that, uh, John, any Tories on the right of the party in London have any sympathy for your positions at all?

[00:00:48]Well, it's all right to mention names to the press, but I'm quite happy to say at least three of the Tories would quite happily shake hands with Lee Daniel.

[00:00:53]Well, why don't you join them, then?

[00:00:55]Well, I think the fact is I think they're more keen to join me now.

[00:00:58]Really? Really? Name names, my friend.

[00:01:00]Name names. So, for our friends here.

[00:01:03]Well, we can say that the younger Tories just recently elected don't know they're coming or going after the first couple of question times. They soon realize that their own leaders are going wrong.

[00:01:11]We're moving forward. What's your perspective on the, uh, sacking of Boris Johnson's race adviser?

[00:01:17]Well, I think it's unfortunate. The guy is going to tell the truth and I think Boris Johnson showed his colors that, uh, I can never work out who's Boris and who's, uh, Livingstone.

[00:01:26]Yes. Yes, indeed. Um, do you believe that Labour constituencies, particularly in Barking and Dagenham, are vulnerable parliamentary constituencies next time?

[00:01:37]Well, there's no doubt.

[00:01:38]Uh, not both will take Barking. And with the fact of the Labour group now, uh, collapsing and people crossing the floor possibly in the future, I think the, uh, voice across the whole United Kingdom is about Labour's collapse is now being really properly heard in Barking and Dagenham. We're seeing a shift back to the Tories now, particularly in the south and in Middle England and in the suburbs of London. Now, the radical right does poorly traditionally when the Tories are in. What can keep white working class ex-Labour voters loyal to the BNP when Labour can make all sorts of claims in opposition? I think recognition of what the Conservatives have done in the last elections or last uh positions in office being a pack of lies and Labour's collapse, I think the moment it was more of a rush for London I'm speaking about.

[00:02:26]Rush to get rid of Livingstone and go towards Boris Johnson. With regards key locations in London where the white working class have been dispossessed, first by Thatcher, then by um Oh, names. By uh >> By Major.

[00:02:41]Major. Calls from the audience.

[00:02:44]Uh well, by Brown and also by Blair. I think the fact is that key locations we're making breakthroughs in now have made breakthroughs will remain with us.

[00:02:52]How can you get the middle class people in the suburbs of London who naturally think of the Tories as their home to vote BNP?

[00:02:59]You have to persuade them that they may still be sitting comfortably at the moment, but when the crunch comes forward they'll find that to those that we've been we've been supporting will not be able to support any longer and uh in the future a future Conservative actually won't take you forward. The mother of Stephen Lawrence said that the election of Johnson would be a disaster for London and would lead to disunity.

[00:03:19]How would you uh respond to her remarks?

[00:03:22]Well, I'd quite say thank you.

[00:03:24]And I suppose you could say that. Um I would like to say that that would be your comment and uh my heart goes out to you, but uh well, you know, put it down to the electorate.

[00:03:34]Do you think any ethnic minority voters in London would ever vote BNP? They have already.

[00:03:39]In Barking and Dagenham or across the GLA? Across the GLA. And why have they done that? I feel that the first generation here for one reason or another have actually seen that the collapse on the immigration front is actually affecting them as citizens and citizens that have actually become British in the sense of our identity through following our ways.

[00:04:01]I've seen the basic fundamentals that worked with the last 20-30 years being undermined. What do you think the attitude of the general white population in London is to the enormous amount of black on black crime, knifings, and shootings involving gangs all over London, particularly in South London?

[00:04:19]My comments to this I think that all people in London would look upon any murder regardless black on black or black on white as being horrific.

[00:04:26]What do you think should happen to these murders if they are punished if they are caught and given due sentence?

[00:04:32]>> [clears throat] >> Well, I think it's my opinion and also the party's opinion that the death penalty death penalty comes back and that is simply a capital punishment.

[00:04:41]The vote >> [applause] >> The vote increased by 0.7% to put you into the assembly. How do you think that the party can get the leap in the vote that is necessary to add a second, a third, and a fourth seat so that you no longer have a single member of the assembly but a group? By continuing the work we do as a party, working from the streets, talking to people, finding out their aspirations, their needs, their desires, and also fears.

[00:05:09]Do you think that the liberal establishment are worried by the fact that it's the first time in British history that the radical right has got into a parliament?

[00:05:18][clears throat] Radical right, radical right, that's interesting. Uh I think that the liberal elites are I'll put it really unbelievably frightened of the fact that their nonsense and mess they've left the British people in is actually now coming back to bite them.

[00:05:34]And the the recognition of policies being put forward, common sense, and now transcending both the Labour and the Conservative back to the people.

[00:05:45]Uh the point where this is, to release some of the minds from their program of destruction. Thank you very much GLA member Richard Chambers. Thank you very much.

[00:05:53]>> [applause]