Today Tory Stories has been made aware of further cause for concern at the attitudes harboured in today’s Conservative Party. Dervish, who is also listed as working for the Conservative MP for Romford, Andrew Rosindell, appears to be a member of several highly questionable groups on the social networking site Facebook.

These include ‘Restore Rhodesia’ and the ‘Augusto Pinochet Fan Club’. The latter describes itself as “dedicated to the support of Augusto Pinochet and the continuation of his memorable acts of justice against Communist forces in Chile during the later half of the 20th Century”. It states “We currently support General Pinochet’s innocence in his trial for crimes against humanity that he did not commit”, lists its email address as “pinochetkicksass@benevolentdictatorship.com” and its location as “Caravan of Death Avenue”. Furthermore, Dervish also set up the ‘Ian Smith Appreciation Society’ group, which praises Smith for “fourteen years of maintaining white rule” in Rhodesia.

This comes after a recent investigation by the Guardian into the extreme views of the Young Britons’ Foundation, an organisation described by its founder as “a Conservative madrasa” that radicalises young Tories, and whose past speakers have included Andrew Rosindell MP.

With its extremist allies in Europe, its close involvement in a radical right-wing ‘madrasa’, ongoing questions about the degree of complicity of one of its own MPs in the dissemination of virulently anti-immigrant electoral material, and now indications of extremism amongst its own candidates, does the Conservative Party’s ‘progressive’ and ‘compassionate’ rhetoric really stand up to scrutiny?

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Andrew Rosindell, Conservative MP for Romford, has denied writing or approving a vitriolic and alarmist anti-immigrant leaflet recently distributed by the party in his constituency. When Left Foot Forward contacted Rosindell’s office to ask about Conservative council candidate Osman Dervish, who is believed to have produced the leaflet, it was told that “Osman Dervish is not a paid member of Andrew Rosindell M.P.’s staff in either Parliament or the constituency.” Today, however, extensive evidence has emerged indicating that Dervish does in fact work for Rosindell.

Dervish has a Parliamentary email address (dervisho@parliament.uk) and is listed in the latest edition of the Register of Interests (last revised on 17th February 2010) as working for the “Office of Andrew Rosindell MP”. He lists nothing under “other relevant gainful occupation or benefit”. In the past, Rosindell has even referred to Dervish in Parliament, thanking him for his work on a local issue as “campaign co-ordinator”.

On Rosindell’s 2008 expenses, published under the Conservatives’ right-to-know initiative, Dervish is named as a member of his staff:

On his Facebook profile, Dervish lists his “Employer” as “UK Parliament” and “House of Commons” and his “Position” as “Political Officer and Head of M.P.’s Action Team to Andrew Rosindell M.P.”:

Rosindell has admitted that he was in the area when the leaflet was delivered but has denied having seen members of his team pushing it through letterboxes. The leaflets featured two pictures of Rosindell, assured voters that “Andrew Rosindell believe[s] that it’s time to say enough is enough” and carried the statement “promoted by Andrew Rosindell MP”. Furthermore, as James Maker notes, “on the very week that this leaflet was making its way into homes across the consistency, during PMQs on February 10th 2010, Rosindell rose to ask the Prime Minister “will the government consider introducing a cap on immigration?”” Rosindell has a track record of outspoken views on asylum and immigration.

Two key questions remain unanswered: was this inflammatory leaflet produced by a member of Rosindell’s office? At what point did Rosindell become aware of the leaflet?

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Meanwhile, in nearby Thurrock, former Conservative councillor Terry Hipsey has still received no reply from CCHQ to his allegation that local Tories discussed a loose electoral pact with the BNP.

“Tory home affairs spokesman and local MP Andrew Rosindell admitted to me he was in the area when it was distributed. The right-winger said he was canvassing but didn’t see the alarmist flyer pushed through letter boxes by members of his team. That’s a shame because it includes two photos of him, including one picture with David Cameron.”

Maguire concludes that: ”it was a disappointment that I needed 10 minutes to coax the statement “I would not have used the words ‘opened the floodgates’” from the MP. Cameron described immigration as a sensitive issue, to be dealt with carefully. Yet in Romford, his party wears hobnailed boots. Apeing the BNP to defeat the BNP is to become the BNP.”

The leaflet bears the statement “promoted by Andrew Rosindell MP”, along with various inflammatory slogans, including: “David Cameron recently announced that immigration would be cut by as much as 75% under a Conservative government”, “Conservatives will scrap Labour’s human rights act” and “our prisons are at breaking point”. Amongst the phrases “opened the floodgates”, “population explosion”, and “mass immigration” it also states that: “Andrew Rosindell believe[s] that it’s time to say enough is enough”.

The full image of the leaflet can be seen on Monday’s Tory Stories report. Rosindell’s website bears the slogan: “Looking after Romford, Fighting for England, Putting Britain First”, whilst he has also tabled “no fewer than 102 questions on asylum and immigration” in the House of Commons and in the past “was a member of an organisation which advocated the voluntary repatriation of ethnic minorities”. In contrast, on the issues of unemployment and jobs he has tabled just 22 questions. Just this Monday he chose to ask “how many foreign nationals given leave to remain in the UK since 1997 have been convicted of a serious crime?”

Meanwhile, Conservative Chairman Eric Pickles remains silent on the allegations leveled by Thurrock’s Cllr Hipsey that CCHQ had been informed of local Conservatives’ discussion of a loose electoral pact with the BNP. Left Foot Forward contacted CCHQ who stonewalled over the allegations, giving ”no specific responses to our questions, just a broad denunciation of the idea of cooperating with the BNP”. If the allegations are untrue, why does Pickles not say so?

The questions continue to mount.

In a speech David Cameron gave on Feb 15th he claimed “We are not the same old Conservative Party. We have changed.”

Actions speak louder than words, and this leaflet seems to suggest it’s business as usual for the Tories in Romford.

The leaflet (described in the Observer as ‘dog whistle’ politics) can be seen below:

Update 01/03/10:

Left Foot Forward and Labour List question whether Rosindell was really unaware of the leaflet.

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