Yes the BNP did make progress in Burnley, there was a specific reason for that, I watched it unfold over several years with a sort of ringside view, and the reason they found support was the lack of interest the mainstream parties had in the problems and concerns of the indigenous population. The BNP saw the opening and stepped in, it was opportunistic and short-lived, once the main parties realised their mistakes and began to address the concerns of the majority the support for the BNP faded away. There was no upsurge of Far Right extremism in Burnley, simply a large number of struggling people who felt they were being ignored, and simply voted for the only party prepared to listen to them and act on their behalf.