A SPECIAL motion put to Herefordshire Council tomorrow (Friday) should see all parties commit themselves to standing against extremist politics in the county.

The motion, submitted by the leaders of each of the council’s political groups, reads: “It will be a terrible prospect if those pursuing politics based on racial and ethnic hatred were to gain any foothold in the region.”

Expected to pass easily at tomorrow’s meeting of the full council, the motion will then underpin a proposed council policy of actively promoting the No Prejudice in Herefordshire campaign.

The motion, initiated by the council’s Labour group with the European elections in mind, is the first time councillors have been asked to object as an authority to a specific political ideology.

Labour group leader Councillor Chris Chappell said the motion had been drawn up in response to “tensions and specific campaigning within some sections of the community”.

Meanwhile, the Bishop of Hereford, the Right Rev Anthony Priddis, joined with 10 other Anglican bishops across the West Midlands to urge voters not to support any party promoting “prejudices based on nationality, race or religion”.

Bishop Anthony said that apathy toward the upcoming election, and the political process overall, had reached a point that “allowed the unacceptable to creep under the wire”.

■ The Hereford Times today (Thursday) runs a campaign advertisement for the British National Party.

Simon Westrop, legal advisor to Newsquest, the paper’s parent company said: “Provided it is lawful, newspaper publishers, perhaps more than anyone, must uphold the principles of free speech, however objectionable the message might be on occasion.

“We cannot selectively discriminate against legally constituted political parties standing in a public election.

“Indeed, we would say that, in doing so, we might be playing into the hands of those very same intolerant and authoritarian forces that are the subject of concern. It is for the electorate to cast judgement, not us.”

Hereford Times editor Liz Griffin said: “A democracy has to be strong enough to allow open expression of all shades of opinion within the law so that the decision- makers – the public through the ballot-box – can give their verdict. That’s why using our vote is essential.”