Fascist Futility?

For

8 votes so far

Let’s set the scene. It’s 2002. We are in France. It’s the presidential elections.  The voters have been claiming that they are bored and disillusioned by the country’s two main political parties.  Tensions between immigrants and poor and desperate sections of society have been on the rise. Suddenly, like a thunderbolt out of the blue, Jean-Marie Le Pen, leader of Le Front National, the man who claimed that the holocaust was a “mere detail” of the Second World War and preaches “France for the French”, storms on to the political scene.  With Chirac on 19.67% of the vote, Le Pen is only just behind him on 17.02% of the vote, and it suddenly seems a real possibility that the far-right could actually come to power in a modern, stable European country.

Sound familiar? It should do. The similarities between Britain now and France then are uncanny.  The British National Party’s leader, Nick Griffin’s record of horrific rhetoric and monstrous proposals are very similar to the Front National’s. Amongst others. Griffin has claimed that homosexuals are “repulsive creatures”, that the Holocaust was the “holohoax”, and believes that “mono-ethnic countries are more stable.” Oh, and if you hadn’t guessed, Griffin’s main inspiration is Le Pen, who turned “a bunch of crazies into a serious political force”. The growth of the BNP has also reached alarming proportions, even forcing Labour MPs to admit  that a serious problem exists; Harriet Harman, Leader of the Commons, admitted back in April, “Certainly they [the BNP] are a bigger threat than they have been before.” Since then, the BNP’s power has only risen. In June, Nick Griffin was elected to the European Parliament as the party won its first two seats; Nick Griffin for the North-West region, and Andrew Brons picked up another BNP seat in Yorkshire and Humber, winning 10% of the vote. The BNP can also boast to be the fastest growing party in the UK, and if you thought last week’s Question Time succeeded in making a complete fool of Griffin and limiting his support, you were sadly mistaken. In a poll for the Telegraph, 22% said they would seriously consider voting for the BNP  after watching QT, with over half saying they thought Griffin had a point on speaking up for the interests of “indigenous, white British people.” That figure is over three times the 6.2% figure the party secured to gain seats in the European Parliament in June. The BNP claims 3,000 people registered to join the party during and after the broadcast and more than 240 complaints to the BBC felt the show was biased against the BNP.

Most people probably think that this is all a bit far-fetched. If you’ve got half a brain on you, you will see Griffin for the racist he is, right? Complacency and naivety like this is what led to Le Front National’s near victory in France. By denying the quite blatant support that exists we are in danger of letting it rise and rise until it is too late. We must also bear in mind that the face of the BNP has changed. The membership no longer consists of This Is England-style  skinhead youths in Doc Martens. When Martin Fletcher from The Times visited a BNP rally, he was surprised: “They are male and female, young and old, working class and middle class, ex-Labour and ex-Tory. They are mostly Yorkshire folk who have watched immigrants transform areas in which they grew up and believe, rightly or wrongly, that their way of life is threatened. They are bewildered more than hate-filled. They are fearful more than fear-inspiring, and feel gagged by political correctness. They do not come from sink estates.”

As the volume of support for the BNP indicates, there are many who feel alienated from society, as one youth disillusioned by Labour attests: “I don’t like everything he says, but he has some good points and he’s right when he talks about  an ‘indigenous population’ under threat.” Many also believe that people only vote for the BNP as a form of anti-politics, not because they support the BNP but because they are so fed up and angry with Labour they want to make a point. Whatever the reason for the growing support, unless Labour get to grips with their policies on housing, poverty and immigration, and fulfil promises that they are ignoring, the BNP will unfortunately only go from strength to strength.

Against

10 votes so far

Nick Griffin had called his appearance on last Thursday’s Question Time ‘Christmas come early’ for the British Nstional Party. Well, from what I saw, I think he’ll be in for a pretty rubbish Christmas now.

Following public outcry before the show, the leader of the BNP faced a huge amount of public protest outside the show, and ridicule within it. When the  audience emerged from Television Centre, they said Griffin had well and truly “shot himself in the foot.

Up and down the country, everyone had an opinion to voice about the controversial guest, and for the majority it was an unwelcoming one.  Hysteria mounted about the consequences of giving such a ‘fascist and racist’ party airtime on the BBC, with concerns that Griffin’s appearance would see the popularity of the party increase. Indeed, the BNP claimed that a record 3,000 people had registered to join after the broadcast. Of an audience of 8 million, that makes the BNP’s ‘breakthrough moment’ a win of less than 1 in 2000 voters who were exposed to him.

There will always be extremists across the political spectrum, but fortunately most of us don’t see this flabby whinger as a genuine politician. More likely just as a bit of an idiot.  Essentially, Griffin was humiliated, not just by the screaming protesters or the audience, but by his own incoherent and ridiculous answers to scrutiny. Describing parts of the Ku Klux Klan as ‘non-violent’ after presenter David Dimbleby brought up a picture showing him with KKK member David Duke, Griffin drew gasps of disbelief and laughter. Later, he floundered magnificently explaining why ‘he couldn’t explain’ how he had ‘changed his mind’ on some issues. When asked about his Holocaust denial and other repulsive views, he squirmed weakly and unconvincingly out of the questions.

Many protesters expressed their fears that in broadcasting the show, the BBC and the rest of the country would be showing too much tolerance to the BNP, showcasing Griffin alongside members from respected, moderate political parties. However, such is the reality of living in a democratic society that allows its citizens freedom of speech, and despite their gaining a few votes most of the population finally got the chance to see Nick Griffin exposed for what he truly stands for. His performance can’t be described as anything less than farcical, and no doubt has seriously damaged the BNP’s credibility.
In a typical case of ‘us and them’, rather than sweep the BNP and their uncomfortable views under the carpet, the BBC gave us a unique chance to take the BNP on and scrutinise its views for the first time. Several well-worded attacks were launched on Griffin from the audience, provoking loud cheers. The loudest cheer was raised for Khush Klare, a second-generation British-Indian man, who suggested that Griffin should be sent to the South Pole, a sterile, ‘colourless landscape’ he would no doubt enjoy, providing the highlight for audience members and headline writers alike.

Despite being an extremist lot, banning the BNP from appearing is against our democratic ethos and in the end, counterproductive. Better have them out in the open than incubating in the shadows like reptiles.

The more of the poisonous BNP we see, the worse for the party. Nick Griffin has been exposed as a big, blubbery coward, playing on the public’s weaknesses to draw votes away from other parties actively dealing with Britain’s financial crisis and social issues. The morning after the filming, Griffin was already moaning to the press that he had been treated unfairly, and had been set upon by a ‘lynch mob’. Surely, Nick, you would know the real definition of a lynch mob? It’s what your friends in the KKK used to specialise in.

The official BNP e-newsletter encourages members to sign up so as not be ‘left in the dark.’ But looking through their policies- why, this lot would be better off in the Feudal ages.  I’m confident we can have faith in the power of British democracy to sort out this block-headed fool of a man and the motley crew who follow him.