I saw the BNP (British National Party) Election broadcast on the television a couple of nights ago. It immediately made me think of Bob Roberts the american political film by the very excellent Tim Robbins. The BNP’s use of a custom written folk song soundtrack coupled with leader Nick Griffen’s assertion that his prosecution on grounds of incitement to racial hatred was simply a result of his “telling the truth” was very reminiscent of the film.

The folk song accompanied pictures of a homeless ex-servicemen and included lyrics like “they find homes for the Afghans and Iraqis but not for me.” This is absolutely classic BNP territory, the Falklands veteran treated badly whilst Johnny Foreigner comes in and takes all the houses. This is emotive rhetoric but is of course Cloud Cuckoo Land. It is not mentioned that the Falklands war was a war by a rich ex-colonial nation against a considerably poorer Latin American country over some islands thousands of miles from Britain and on Britain’s back doorstep. (Funny that Britain didn’t go to war to protect Hong Kong.) Of course the war in Afghanistan and Iraq were quite different circumstances, after all very little infrastructure was left in the country and the West had made such a thing about the threats of the respective incumbent regimes so it would have been somewhat churlish to refuse those seeking asylum from that persecution. Then again the UK has done it before, if we look at Zimbabwe a regime consistently castigated by the British when it suits them and yet traded with as and when necessary and asylum seekers and refugees are regularly sent back.

[For those not au fait with the British political climate the BNP are the ‘reformed’ Nazis, by which I mean they now wear suits and ties and seek to come across as serious politicians but the policies are still the same and in their closed door meetings the rhetoric is startlingly familiar. For some time the BNP has been canvassing particularly in impoverished working class areas and picking up the disaffected Labour voter who feels disenfranchised by Labour’s move to the business and middle class sector. There are around 15 BNP councillors in Britain and perhaps that rise has only been halted by the British electoral system which favours the large parties over the smaller ones.]

The BNP have sought to change tack in the same way as their European counterparts have and in public leave behind their fascist bully boy image. It should be asserted with vigour that no matter what clothes you are wearing or how you seek to dress it up fascism is fascism and the BNP are fascists. The waters have been muddied somewhat by the refusal of the major political parties to adopt a firm stance against this, in fact Labour and Conservatives are positively competing on the BNP’s territory on the issue of asylum and immigration.

The trouble with extreme right-wing politics is that it gives people an easy option, the option of blaming someone else for anything going wrong. Why aren’t things going well in this country at the moment, because there are too many illegal immigrants and failed asylum seekers here. Furthermore this is now being used as the justification for the repressive anti-terrorist legislation after it emerged that a failed asylum seeker killed a policeman during a raid some weeks ago. Said asylum seeker was an algerian and allegedly an Al Qu’eda operative. This plays directly into both the idea that it is the evil foreigner to blame for all the ills, it also helps the socially repressive in their attempt to continue the positively draconian measures in legislation that stems from their undertaking to convince us that we should be living in fear, terrorists, muggers, rapists, murderers, anti-social youth, burglars etc. etc. lock your doors, bolt your windows, quake in your boots.

I heard Frederick Forsyth yesterday attempt to claim that he could not be a racist because he had travelled to other countries. It is alarming that someone who writes books could have such an appalling grasp of language. Racism does not mean implicitly that you hate other people in their own countries, after all the BNP have no particular beef with Africans in their own countries, it generally means you do not want them in yours, but it stems from a belief in your own national or racial superiority and this does no preclude travel to other countries at all. I would like to say at this juncture that Frederick Forsyth is, in my humble opinion, a twat.

Song Of The Day ~ That Petrol Emotion – Lettuce

Original Comments:


protagonist made this comment,
Ah, british politics. so much i don’t understand. but i do understand calling someone a twat – and i appreciate the sentiment. forsyth sounds like a tool – i hate him. mandrake
[Redbaron responds – You want to know anything about British politics from my subjective standpoint mate you only have to ask! As for the solidarity comments on that tosser Forsyth, your support is both appreciated and made me chuckle always a bonus!]

comment added :: 25th April 2005, 21:35 GMT+01
Lynne made this comment,
RG, having spent the af’noon listening to Political Twats try and smarm votes from my regs -all whilst schmoozin’ the press o’course…

(Bah.)

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comment added :: 26th April 2005, 18:52 GMT+01
Bob Red made this comment,
Sad fact of the matter is that due to the current state of the country, a lot of people are prepared to swing from one extreme to another. The amount of times ive heard “this time im voting BNP… thatll get the bastards out” is more common than a satellite dish on a council estate! One of the wards near me is already under BNP control and is now a crime hotspot. Its amazing how they dress their true intentions up and play on what is angering most of society.. but i agree they are nothing but nazis in suits and if they ever get in, they wont get out very easily. Maybe its worth everyone taking a minute to stop and think about what biggest single issue that needs tackling in this country is. Personally i think crime and personal safety should come top of the bill. but then thats just my opinion
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comment added :: 29th April 2005, 17:38 GMT+01