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Is this the new face of democracy in Scotland?

TWO members of far-right party the Scottish National Front are to target West Lothian constituencies in the upcoming election with the hope they will win a seat in the Scottish Parliament.

The party has put Mike Coyle and Neil McIvor up to battle for Linlithgow and the newly created Almond Valley seats.

Mike Coyle and Neil McIvor

The National Front, which will only have five candidates standing in May’s Scottish Parliamentary elections, describes itself as a “white nationalist organisation”.

Party activists have been out leafleting in West Lothian towns already, homing in on Whitburn, Armadale, Bathgate and Linlithgow.

Formed during the 1960s, the party’s policies include halting immigration of all non-whites coming into Britain, deportation of all non-whites who commit crimes after they have served their sentence, and they also back the reintroduction of the death penalties for crimes including paedophilia, terrorist offences and murder.

They would also seek to abolish laws permitting homosexuality as they “do not regard homosexual or lesbian relationships as valid alternatives to normal heterosexual marriage”.

The National Front has never had a candidate stand in the Scottish elections.

Mike Coyle, a married father-of-four from Boghall, Bathgate, will stand as a candidate for Linlithgow.

He said: “I am standing for the National Front because I am sick at seeing the direction in which my country is going and I am also sick of the continual lies from the main political parties.

“Due to the destructive policies of these parties the country our children and grandchildren are going to inherit will be a very bleak one indeed.

“One of my priorities if elected will be to ensure suitable accommodation for all British families as this is a basic human right.

“I also believe residents with local connections should always be placed at the top of the waiting lists, no longer should young parents sit in homeless accommodation while non British Nationals receive priority treatment.

“British housing for British people every time.

“Britain for the British.”

Neil McIvor, from Whitburn, is the party’s candidate for Almond Valley, and describes himself as a 100 per cent British man.

He claims he would campaign for an end to immigration.

Mr McIvor, a father-of-two, said: “I believe that mass immigration has had an adverse affect on the indigenous white population and we are only just beginning to see the problems this insane policy has caused, which are only going to escalate.

“To stop the rot I am campaigning for an end to immigration, British jobs from British workers, British houses for British people and to look after our pensioners before immigrants.

“I have nothing personal against immigrants and blame our government for the mess this country is in and, besides, I would expect these immigrants in their respective countries.”

Foysol Choudhury, chairman of the Edinburgh and Lothians Racial Equality Council, said: “ We are disappointed that there are two candidates being put forward by the National Front Party in West Lothian at the forthcoming Scottish election.
“However we are confident in Scottish voters to keep them out of Scottish Politics.”

Gary Christie, head of policy and communications at Scottish Refugee Council, said there was no room in Scotland for the party’s policies.

He said: “We were concerned, as many others were, to hear that the Scottish National Front are fielding candidates in the forthcoming elections.

“We are confident they won’t make any headway because we know that Scotland is a welcoming and friendly place to people from all sorts of backgrounds.

“Many families and individuals who come to Scotland seeking refuge tell us how warm a welcome they’ve received here.

“As we approach the Scottish Parliament elections we would like to see continued political leadership on issues of race and equality.”

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