So the BNP manifesto

[geni]

You can read it here if you care to:

First impressions. They've got more skilled than last time around. Fewer WTF moments and they've really got their codes down pat.

Still their opening defence policy has some whiplash moments

The BNP will end the involvement of British troops in the Afghanistan war
The BNP will not allow British forces to become involved in a war against Iran
The BNP will withdraw our troops from Germany
The BNP will renegotiate our presence in NATO
The BNP will raise Defence spending by one percent over the rate of inflation
for the next five years

Standard isolationist stuff. Then randomly:


The BNP will institute a Community Award Scheme for young people

Okey what the heck does that last one have to do with defence?


On page 6 we have a lovely contrast


The BNP will repeal all laws aimed at restricting freedom of speech, including those relating to race relations and religion.

.....

The BNP will enact legislation which will hold journalists and their media outletscriminally liable for knowingly publishing falsehoods.

Pro fredom of speach but want to bring in criminal lible?

But we still have some plane old crazy

The BNP will establish a penal station for extremely dangerous/violent repeat criminals (including rapists) on the British island of south Georgia.

Ummm I feel there are cheaper options.

Of course it's no longer enough to be just to be british


The BNP will introduce a “local connection test” for any applicant seeking social housing in terms of which they would need to demonstrate a positive and historical link to the area.

Presumably being able to prove that your ancestors held Wessex citizenship will be at a premium.

Geography is no object. After talking about building up the royal navy we have:

The Falklands campaign was an obvious example where Britain needed to act, but more recently there were clear grounds to rescue people of British descent from the murderous regime in Zimbabwe.

I'm not sure how the navy would help there.

Random falsehoods


Britain is already the most densely populated nation in Europe

Actualy holland and places like luxembourg win that one.

I don't get this proposal at all:


The BNP will enact legislation forbidding interference in the electoral process by third parties not partaking in an election.


Anyone know what they are getting at?

hmm aparently they want to reintroduce legislation already on the books:

Reintroduce treason legislation to prosecute those who undermine the British constitution.


.....
We shall re-introduce assemblies based on traditional Christian values and worship as a benchmark for a decent and stable society.




I remeber when a new head tried that one at my school. Didn't work out too well.

[Rolfe]

The BNP will enact legislation forbidding interference in the electoral process by third parties not partaking in an election.


Possibly foreign-owned media outlets?

Rolfe.

[geni]

Possibly foreign-owned media outlets?

Rolfe.

Reading further down I think it's aimed at the anti nazi league and the like.

[dudalb]

The BNP are a bunch of loons. Big surprise there.
They are trying to sound "Reasonable" and "Respetable", but the bigotry breaks through.
I think we have the UK answer to the more extreme elements of the Tea Baggers, folks.

[Rolfe]

They don't seem to be getting the public perception of support the teabaggers appear to be getting though.

Rolfe.

[Worm]

They try to hide the hate - but it leaks through in the end.

[Rat]

The BNP are a bunch of loons. Big surprise there.
They are trying to sound "Reasonable" and "Respetable", but the bigotry breaks through.
I think we have the UK answer to the more extreme elements of the Tea Baggers, folks.
The answer to? We've had the BNP for the better part of three decades, and the NF for some time before that.

[Architect]

The BNP will introduce a “local connection test” for any applicant seeking social housing in terms of which they would need to demonstrate a positive and historical link to the area.


I'm biting back some comments about incomers to the Highlands here.........

....however I'm guessing that "local connection" in fact means "white".

These people are moonbat crazy.

[Architect]

Hey, whoopee doo, they've finally stopped getting upset about indegenous minorities like mine:


The employment of native languages on the part of ethnic minorities in their own homes, schools and institutions will be encouraged.


So I can speak it at home, in school, and our own "institution" - whatever that might be. But no mention of media support, the workplace, or the legal system. I'm guessing this means we can all bugger of back to Gaidhealtachd, and damned well stay there.

[DC]

The BNP will institute a Community Award Scheme for young people

StaSi spy of the month award? :D

[funk de fino]

Possibly foreign-owned media outlets?

Rolfe.

The Sunday Post?

[dudalb]

They don't seem to be getting the public perception of support the teabaggers appear to be getting though.

Rolfe.

And the results of primaries yesterday (May 4th) in which in several states the "Establishment" GOP candidates defeated the Tea Bag challengers indicate that the Tea Baggers might be better at getting media attention then they are about getting votes.

[dudalb]

I'm biting back some comments about incomers to the Highlands here.........

....however I'm guessing that "local connection" in fact means "white".

These people are moonbat crazy.

Come on, where would the Highlands be without Weatlhy American Tourists renting houses for the Summer to bask in the "romance of the Highlands"?

[Rolfe]

And the results of primaries yesterday (May 4th) in which in several states the "Establishment" GOP candidates defeated the Tea Bag challengers indicate that the Tea Baggers might be better at getting media attention then they are about getting votes.


That was why I used the rather clumsy wording about "public perception of support". I don't for a minute imagine they have substantial real support. Yanks can't be that crazy.

Rolfe.

[Architect]

Come on, where would the Highlands be without Weatlhy American Tourists renting houses for the Summer to bask in the "romance of the Highlands"?

Very few Yanks in my experience. Refugees from the deep south, yes, but not of America.

[Red3]

Well, the local connection in regards social housing is already in place. Brilliant work BNP! :rolleyes: Just about every housing association or council will ask what connection you have to the area you're applying for. Irrespective of their despicable views, they're not fit to run a country. They are a bunch of knuckle dragging dimwits.

[Rolfe]

Very few Yanks in my experience. Refugees from the deep south, yes, but not of America.


It's not just the Highlands. We've got it here too, in spades.

That's what makes me realise how much of this is about volume. Nobody could possibly object to English people moving to Scotland. They're our closest cousins, they're very similar to us, what's not to like? But when almost every other voice you hear in the village shop is English, you start feeling a bit hunted.

I lived in England for almost 25 years. How would it have been if my English neighbours had resented me? I wouldn't have been very pleased about it. It wouldn't have happened, though, because there were very few Scots in that village. But I think about that, and try to be accepting of my English neighbours here. And besides, most of them have lived in this particular village longer than I have - the only difference is, I was born 30 miles away, not 300.

It is about volume, though. Where my mother lived before, there were very very few English people, and it would never have crossed her mind to resent anyone English. But here, she makes remarks about it, and hopes aloud that the buyer of the house across the road will be Scots and not English. (I even have to remind her forcibly that our next-door neighbours, who are lovely by the way, are Welsh, and the family across the road is actually of Irish extraction.)

She's not bigoted as such, but she feels threatened, and outnumbered. I think that's probably much of what's behind the so-called bigotry against foreign immigration. It's natural, but we have to keep resisting it and putting it into perspective. This is a mobile world, and when you really get down to it, it makes everywhere so much more interesting.

Rolfe.

[geni]

It's not just the Highlands. We've got it here too, in spades.

That's what makes me realise how much of this is about volume.

I doubt it. The traditional english working class hasn't had a very good time of things of late and there is a need for someone to blame.

[Rolfe]

I guess. Round here, they used to blame the Catholics (i.e. the Irish). Probably some still do. The rest just march down the road with orange sashes and flutes because they don't know any better.

Rolfe.

[Frank327]

Actualy holland and places like luxembourg win that one.Looked it up on wikipedia (what else :p), and found out to my surprise that luxembourg is less densely populated than Britain. Apparantly they've got enough rural land around the city for that. In europe (barring dependency states and city states), the Netherlands is #1, Belgium is #2 and Britain is #3.

[Rolfe]

How does it change is you look at England alone? Scotland in particular has a lot of land with very few people on it (see: Highland Clearances).

Rolfe.

[geni]

I guess. Round here, they used to blame the Catholics (i.e. the Irish). Probably some still do. The rest just march down the road with orange sashes and flutes because they don't know any better.

Rolfe.

The BNP likes to use the term "christendom" so it's a bit hard for them to object to poles being somewhat christian.

[geni]

Looked it up on wikipedia (what else :p), and found out to my surprise that luxembourg is less densely populated than Britain. Apparantly they've got enough rural land around the city for that. In europe (barring dependency states and city states), the Netherlands is #1, Belgium is #2 and Britain is #3.

We've been beaten by Belgium? That humiliating.

[geni]

How does it change is you look at England alone? Scotland in particular has a lot of land with very few people on it (see: Highland Clearances).

Rolfe.

The Netherlands still edge out england but at least Belgium falls behind. Scotland just beats out Côte d'Ivoire but has a lower population density than Honduras. Slightly above the Republic of Ireland though.

[Frank327]

According to this (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/2967374/England-is-most-crowded-country-in-Europe.html) article, England is by now more densely populated than the Netherlands, and the only more densely populated country is malta which doesn't count because it's so small :D. Still doesn't make the BNP manifesto correct of course.

Minor nitpick about the article: they said Holland, but Holland is only two provinces (north and south) which contain the most densely populated area of the Netherlands, so when they said Holland was now less densely populated, they were wrong.

[MaGZ]

The answer to? We've had the BNP for the better part of three decades, and the NF for some time before that.

Lineage of British Nationalist organizations and individuals

http://en.metapedia.org/wiki/Lineage_of_British_Nationalist_organizations_and_i ndividuals

[Architect]

According to this (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/2967374/England-is-most-crowded-country-in-Europe.html) article, England is by now more densely populated thaMinor nitpick about the article: they said Holland, but Holland is only two provinces (north and south) which contain the most densely populated area of the Netherlands, so when they said Holland was now less densely populated, they were wrong.

Yes, when Dutch people complain about this common mistake I love reminding them that they frequently call the whole of the UK "England" and they're enjoying a "pot meet kettle" moment.

[dudalb]

Lineage of British Nationalist organizations and individuals

http://en.metapedia.org/wiki/Lineage_of_British_Nationalist_organizations_and_i ndividuals

Oh..the Usual Gang of Idiots.
The BNP is the Klan without the Halloween costumes and with a British accent. End of story.

[Undesired Walrus]

Yes, but certainly not the urban British accent. I doubt Griffin will be asking if 'you get me blad?' anytime soon.

[Duffy Moon]

We iz well racist, innit?

[wollery]

Iz it because I iz racist?

[geni]

Yes, but certainly not the urban British accent. I doubt Griffin will be asking if 'you get me blad?' anytime soon.

Well he lives in rural wales so unsurprising.

[richardm]

That's what makes me realise how much of this is about volume. Nobody could possibly object to English people moving to Scotland. They're our closest cousins, they're very similar to us, what's not to like? But when almost every other voice you hear in the village shop is English, you start feeling a bit hunted.

Trouble is that this is very much the sort of sentiment you hear from BNP supporters. "I don't mind Asians, Kumar is very similar to us, what's not to like? It's just that there's so many of them, you never hear an English accent any more; I feel like a stranger in my own country".

Why is it wrong for them to hold those views when the people they're complaining about are brown, but acceptable for Scots to hold those views when the people they're complaining about are English?

[Rolfe]

I don't think it's right or even acceptable any which way you slice it. I was saying I understood how these feelings can arise.

Rolfe.

[richardm]

I don't think it's right or even acceptable any which way you slice it. I was saying I understood how these feelings can arise.

Well, fair enough and your last paragraph indicated that as well.

[geni]

I don't think it's right or even acceptable any which way you slice it. I was saying I understood how these feelings can arise.

Rolfe.

Thing is though that the BNP pick up support in areas with milidy less cultural diversity than the falkland islands.

[peteweaver]

They've been trying to make themselves more electable since the days of Tyndall. Didn't help him that photographs of him in a full nazi uniform leaked into the public domain.

They're as racist as they ever were, but don't publicise it because they'd lose votes. Thankfully they were hammered in last weeks election.

[Rockingham, AH Deist]

Thing is though that the BNP pick up support in areas with milidy less cultural diversity than the falkland islands.

This isn't entirely true. Information Is Beautiful has a nice graphic analysing BNP support vs Minority population

I can't post links, so search "Drugs and the BNP" into the Guardian's website.

[Rolfe]

Mmm, I suppose what I was trying to say in my clumsy sort of way, that resentment towards incomers doesn't necessarily always equate to bigotry. If you define bigotry as ill-will towards a different group simply because they are different.

I'd differentiate between people who would welcome any foreigner as a neigbour, but only start getting twitchy when half the people in the neighbourhood were foreigners, and people who would spit on a single immigrant simply because he was foreign.

Rolfe.

[MarkCorrigan]

I'd differentiate between people who would welcome any foreigner as a neigbour, but only start getting twitchy when half the people in the neighbourhood were foreigners, and people who would spit on a single immigrant simply because he was foreign.

Rolfe.

I would too, but they're both bigots.

[Rolfe]

Well, that's just semantics. Nobody can entirely control their feelings, and feeling pressurised when your own neighbourhood becomes largely populated by foreigners is not an unnatural emotion.

You'd call anyone who feels that emotion a bigot, even if their every waking moment is spent being as pleasant and welcoming to these people as they can possibly be.

Rolfe.

[MarkCorrigan]

Well, that's just semantics. Nobody can entirely control their feelings, and feeling pressurised when your own neighbourhood becomes largely populated by foreigners is not an unnatural emotion.

You'd call anyone who feels that emotion a bigot, even if their every waking moment is spent being as pleasant and welcoming to these people as they can possibly be.

Rolfe.


If you consider people to be so different from you just because they're from another part of the world and no other reason that their mere proximity makes you uncomfortable, you're a bigot.

[Rolfe]

I wonder what percentage of the human race that would cover, then. Talk about committing adultery by looking at a woman and desiring her in your heart...?

Rolfe.