This post is little more than linkwhoring to this excellent post over at Coffeehouse by Fraser Nelson.
It explains a lot of the reasons why the mainstream parties are experiencing such difficulties dealing with Griffin and his party and the best ways to take them on. Certainly I think the left have been the biggest cause of the problem, shouting them down and screaming 'racist, racist!' has not been a successful tactic and has only led to their own natural supporters becoming disillusioned and switching to BNP. He also points out that for all the press coverage and handwringing by mainstream politicians they haven't been very succesful because deep down, Britain's the most comfortable multi-cultural country there is.
The issues that are causing people to vote for the BNP now isn't racism but immigration (and before anyone bitches it isn't the same thing). But anytime a politician mentions immigration they are automatically accused of playing the race card (unless it's a labour politician, there's nowt like double standards!). Michael Heseltine was shouted down on Question Time for suggesting that the people waiting to cross Calais to get here were 'economic migrants'. It's plainly obvious that the vast majority of them are. If they were purely seeking asylum then they could have done it in France or one of the multitude of other EU countries on the way. No, they try to come here because we are a soft touch, with free housing and handouts more genorous than they will get anywhere else. To suggest otherwise is complete bollocks. And this is what is the grist to the BNP's mill.
Fraser also queried who would be a good person to take Griffin to task on Question Time. I'd suggest the tory invite goes to John Redwood. He's a very straight talking politician who would deal with the immigration issue without trying to fudge it...and he would completely destroy the feasibility of any of the BNP's other so-called policies which are further to the left than Dennis Skinner (Expect maybe the EU, it's probably the only thing he'd agree with them on...though I'm sure his argument would be far more coherent.).
Brilliant post, UB. Totally agree with you.
ReplyDeleteIt's so true, for instance, that the only people that can hope successfully to unmask the BNP's socialist/nationalist agenda by scrubbing away their slick veneer of advertising exec., besuited respectability (please forgive the mixed metaphors) are coruscating Conservative deep thinkers like John Redwood. But they have to choose the ground, not the BNP goons. Labour, to whom the BNP are far more closely related, just don't 'get' any of that.
Whatever happens, I'm seriously impressed with your post here, UB (just so you know ;)
The way I see it, if the mainstream parties actually had an honest grownup debate on immigration then the BNP would shrink into the weeds. Yes, their racist core would remain but they would be a gelding unable to spread their seed amongst the electorate.
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