While BNP fuhrer Griffin failed to get elected in Oldham (Ha!), a Socialist Alliance councillor was elected in Preston. Michael Lavalette won in Preston Town Centre ward with 546 votes, trouncing the Labour candidate by 106 votes.

We have also at this early stage in the evening had some other outstanding results with Gordon Rowntree in Middlesbrough getting 21% of the vote and coming just 100 votes behind the winning Labour candidates, Sue Wild in Barnsley in 17.7% and coming second, Urfan Akhtar in Telford with 14% again coming second and Andy Newman with 13% in Swindon.

The Socialist Alliance stood 161 candidates in the local elections in England. We had 50% more candidates standing this year compared with last and so far our percentage looks well up on last year's vote.

The SA sister party in Scotland, the Scottish Socialist Party, expects at least 8 victories to the Scottish assembly.

Bollocks to the BNP!