Friday 15 May 2009

Why I'm British - and the BNP isn't

Congratulations to Tim Montgomerie, who edits ConservativeHome on a new campaign There's Nothing British About the BNP.

The launch video is one of the most effective pieces of political communication I have seen for some time.

Do share it.

Montgomerie highlights the chilling quote from Nick Griffin, touted as the respectable face of the BNP.


“I want to see Britain become the 99 per cent genetically white country she was just eleven years before I was born, and I want to die knowing that I have helped to set her on a course whereby her future genetic makeup will one day not even resemble that of January 1948, but that of July 1914. Nothing will ever turn me from working towards that final vision.”


Many of proud Brits, born and bred here, who don't fit the 99% mould might also want to find out exactly what this means.

There is nowhere to send me "back" to I am afraid, Mr Griffin.

Since you demonstrate such a chilling lack of awareness of why so many British people remain proud of what this country helped to achieve in the second world war, then I think its clear I've got a much better idea of what it means to be British - and am much more proud to be British today - than you could ever be.

Tim writes in The Telegraph about why he thinks there is a need for the mainstream right to focus on the BNP threat in these elections.

Like many across the mainstream parties, I have always felt there is a careful line between the need to challenge the BNP through important campaigns like Hope Not Hate, and the risk of talking up the BNP (who are well behind Ukip in the latest European polls). Catherine Fieschi wrote a good Fabian paper on the resistible rise of the BNP ahead of the 2004 European elections, about which Nick Cohen wrote at the time, why far right breakthroughs had been exaggerated in Britain, and why its shambolic approach if ever elected presented stronger inoculation for democracy than many realise).

3 comments:

Robert said...

I think I'll sit at home on election day because I'm bloody angry at the moment, this idea that politicians can just repay money and thats it, oh it was only a £2000 TV for god sake. MY TV is ten years old because I cannot afford to buy a new one I'd love a new TV a new carpet a new settee. but I live on £86 incapacity benefits.

But the rise in Germany of the far right was a lot worse then it is in this country now, yes it's bad but in Germany it would horrendous.

Anonymous said...

Am I alone, then, in continuing to believe that most MPs are more-or-less honourable people who genuinely desire to influence change for the better and don't like filling in expenses claims any more than the rest of us? I rather imagine them giving a carrier bag full of receipts to their acccountant and let the accountant draw up the claim. No doubt the accountant has advised them to submit everything on the basis that the worst that can happen is for a clain to be rejected.

Nicolas Redfern said...

I know that Labour MEPs have at least had all their claims independently verified since 2000,, despite there being no requirement for it.