on May 5th, 2008BNP Local Election Gains
It seems that just posing a question about BNP advances in the local elections is enough to brand someone a racist supporter of a hateful group of violent criminals.
Actually the venom expressed by the main parties and in the media against the BNP is perhaps a pointer to the reason why the BNP are making small but important steps forwards, but this is happening below the radar of the nation’s media.
Because the BNP are denied coverage in the media they are forced to resort to the old ways of building support, instead of having their policies aired and debated in the media they have to get out onto the streets and speak to people face to face, unfortunately in that person to person arena there is no alternative argument on the table. This could be an indication that the dismissive attitude shown by the main parties and in the media is working for the BNP.
All people know about them from the main parties and the media is that they are nasty criminals, however when people meet them on the doorstep and find they are reasonable folks, who are willing to talk about many things others from the main parties do not want to acknowledge, voters will then start to question the veracity of the picture painted by the main parties. Thus the BNP are slowly building a strong support base in local communities building from the ground up, this they call the quiet revolution, and it is happening despite the anti-BNP rhetoric. To allow an understandable hatred of the organisation to cloud the real issues will not in the end achieve a lessening of their support, as it will only make the haters appear out of step with reality.
When we are told the BNP do not have any policies except nasty racism, but we are then confronted on our doorsteps with a well presented person, who not only does not appear racist, but has a whole raft of new and interesting ideas about the way things should be run. And not only that but can explain reasonable clearly and quietly on a one to one basis exactly what their position is on immigration, this is giving a lie to the anti BNP rhetoric.
Instead of debating their policies on education, policing, defence, pensions, transport the environment, the NHS, agriculture or even immigration, the other parties just dismiss them as racist bigots, who have no policies, thus leaving themselves no space to dispute the BNP policies in other areas.
Of course another problem is the other parties do not really have individual policies in many areas of government, for instance transport, environment and agriculture are all competences of the EU, and hence the other parties will be presenting exactly the same policies in these areas, or perhaps not even mentioning them at all in their literature. This will have the opposite effect, than the one desire of sidelining the BNP, the BNP described as having no policies other than racism, appear in fact have more individual policies that any of the main parties put together.
Just read what they have to say about democracy and you will see a fresh and invigoration slant that will appeal too many.
DEMOCRACY - letting the people decide!
Power should be devolved to the lowest level possible so that local communities can make decisions which affect them. We will remove legal curbs on freedom of speech imposed by successive Governments over the last 40 years. We will implement a Bill of Rights guaranteeing fundamental freedoms to the British people. We will ensure that ordinary British people have real democratic power over their own lives and that Government, local and national, is truly accountable to the people who elect it.
I would vote for that, as perhaps would many others, but I won’t vote for the BNP because they are racist, but they are racist in their definitions rather than in their overt actions. It becomes clear that they are racist when you understand that by British people they mean white Anglo Saxons and that is a relatively fine point of distinction.
A fine point but nevertheless, one that is excruciatingly important, because it defines everything else about the BNP, but if you miss it the BNP do not on the surface appear racist. It is only when you envisage their polices applied only to white Anglo Saxons that the full horror of their ideal becomes evident.
The BNP are also misrepresented in regard to their appeal, exemplified by the comment that they are a far right party and that other racists vote Conservative. This characterization not only misrepresents the BNP position, but smears the conservative party with the racist jibes, this might be thought to be sound tactics by the labour party but to deny the reality of the BNP`s appeal to labour party voters is to miss an opportunity to combat their advances.
The BNP are not advancing in Conservatives areas but in mainly Labour areas, I do not think the evident knee jerk reaction to the BNP with untenable denials of their gains and chants of racist bigot, is having the desired effect. Instead of sidelining the BNP it is the other parties which are being left out in the cold, as they increasingly indicate a desire not to engage with the real questions voters are asking. In reality is is only a kind of despair which is allowing some advances to be made by the BNP but then it is only a kind of despair which is allowing advances by the Conservatives, in the first instance a despair with politically choices the main parties allow us, in the second a despair at the antics of this particular administration.
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BNP, Local Elections, Democracy, BNP policies
