Labour Double Standards on BNP Leaflets and Website

Labour List has this comparison of the shameless rip off of the Barack Obama website. See below.

But let’s not forget that Labour has been ripping of BNP leaflets in some local elections see here

Double standards I think?

Question Time, The BNP and Respect

There is plenty of reaction in the papers and on the blogs on the appearance of Nick Griffin leader of the BNP and MEP on Question Time. I don't feel I need to cover this in-depth.

However I'm not going to say nothing here. It clearly went badly for Nick Griffin and I think the audience is only as bias as the general public after all most people know who the BNP really are. But I thought the questions were sometimes chaotic and unhelpful. It often seemed to be spiralling into arguments about who said what or what Nick Griffin had said which is more an interview format only with everybody asking the questions.

Most people argue for free speech something I hold dear, but the problem is some want it on their terms i.e. 'I want freedom to air my views but don’t want you to air your views if I find them offensive'. You either have freedom of speech or you don’t.

Also watching lots of angry people attacking someone like Nick Griffin (deserved it as he does) will not generate the right response and will actually create feelings of defensiveness from borderline supporters of the BNP. Question Time is supposed to be a political programme and I was hoping to hear views on policies and the Royal Mail strike , Afghan elections, UK population reports etc. The only other subject covered was the Daily Mail, Stephen Gately, Jan Moir affair. I guess this would of broken the BNP in so next time some actually policy questions can be asked.

But a few things need to be added to this debate and that is why do people vote BNP.

There is a big problem that never gets tackled. There is no one party standing up for the white working class and the BNP have identified this. They have lost their community and are hitting out, because Muslim do have a community as do other immigrant groups. People believe rightly or wrongly that they received more benefits etc. That's not true of course its just perception, Muslim will put there money together to build a mosque for example.

White working class or even unemployed working class have lost their respect and that is actually a very important thing. People need their respect. We need to help them get it back.

The middle class will say, 'There is no room in Britain for any more immigrants' where as the working class will say their taking our jobs, what about us! and why should they get any benefits from the state when we only get this benefit.

I think that's what really needs to be tackled as people need respect back they need jobs and they need to feel part of our society.

I think a well educated middle class person is more likely to vote UKIP then BNP which is not about race but about immigration. So if you want to reduce the BNP vote you need to look at the working class education systems. School exclusions, sink estates and poverty all need real change and real work put in. No more ignoring the people on these estates.

Something that would help is mobility of the workers. The EU workers coming to the Britain have shown us how to do it. Why is our working class not as mobile as say the United States working class. US citizens are more willing to move to different parts of the country to find work and yet our country is as big as some US states and yet we don't tend to move within our boarders only possibly aboard, why is this?

Have the Lib Dems address this in Burnley were Labour lost many council seat to the BNP and then the Liberal Democrats have taken many of these seat and control of the council from Labour I personally don't know but I hope they did this by address these social problems. http://www.burnleyexpress.net/burnleynews/Lib-Dems-take-total-control.4046170.jp

One thing we should also not forget is that some people are actually racist. Maybe because of upbringing or because of local culture, This need to die out as racism is just plain stupid and in the end holds yourself back through blame and hatred.

Links

Question time can be watched again on BBC Iplayer here. I was involved in MarkReckons Chat which can be viewed here by clicking replay on the Cover it live chat box.

Constantly Furious Give his own take on the Question Time Transcript here

Norfolk Blogger has a go at the left wing campaigners here

Mark Reckons gives his verdict here as does Iain Dale here and Jennie Rigg here

The local Blogger Oranjepan has a round up of Race and spitfires here. And a great video on how to tell people they sound racist

Also Bracknell blog reviewed a local BNP leaflet way back in May here

Live chat on Question Time Join Me

Normally I don't promote Mark Reckons Question Time live chat apart from last week when I was guest hosting as Mark was away.

However this one is the big one, the hyped one and the one with the leader of the BNP Nick Griffin. This story has been all over the news the for a while now thanks to Peter Hain's claim that BBC could face legal action if it lets Nick Griffin appears on Question Time. For what its worth I think the leader of the BNP should be on Question Time as he is democratically elected.

I expect a lot of booing and hissing and will the BBC beable to keep out the Unite Against Fascism protestors. Its going to be interesting, so please do join me at Mark Reckons Live chat tonight from 10.30pm http://markreckons.blogspot.com/2009/10/bbc-question-time-live-chat-22nd.html

BBC debate http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8319596.stm

Are the BNP making headway in Bracknell?

Over the last few months the BNP have been manning a stall in the Bracknell Town centre on a regular basis. The BNP believe they are getting a good response (See the BNP site here.)

This is a worrying sign for those that believe in an inclusive society. The BNP have been putting work into Bracknell and have been making headway. During the European elections the BNP gained 5.5 percent of the votes (1490).

Part of this increase in the BNP vote is due to Andy McBride the South East organiser who is very high up in the BNP party ranks, this has had an effect on the BNP campaign in Bracknell. He was on the South East list of BNP prospective MEPs and has stood in his local council ward of Priestwood Bracknell gaining 6% of the vote in 2007.

Of course the other great effects on the vote were the Andrew Mackay MP 2nd homes scandal which gave some extra fuel to the BNP locally and the lack of campaigning in the town centre by the main parties.

I’m often in Bracknell town and so far I have only seen the Lib Dems handing out leaflets when the BNP Stool is in town. There is not often a presence from the main parties and I would like to see them challenge the BNP more and get other views across.

Bracknell is not a high immigration town even thought I guess some people would believe it is. So I think the other reason why the BNP are doing well here is the BNP point that Bracknell town “has been effectively abandoned to us”.

Bracknell town centre does feel neglected if you stand in the Middle and examine the town centre (which is still awaiting its renewal). If only more renewal work was done to bring Bracknell back to life, like the new Bracknell and Wokingham College building which I believe should breathe some new life into the town centre.

I hope more is done to challenge the BNP in Bracknell otherwise I believe the BNP could win a seat on Bracknell’s council which would be very uncomfortable for all and will dent Bracknell’s imagine.

More BNP comments can be read here

Bracknell Standard report on the BNP here