BNP gains 'damaging UK's reputation'
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British National Party leader Nick Griffin celebrates his election as one of eight MEPs for the North West of England
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The UK's international reputation has suffered "real damage" as a result of the British National Party gaining their first seats in the European Parliament, politicians, unions and race relations groups said today.
Labour MEP for London Claude Moraes said that a threshold had been crossed after the far-right party won two seats yesterday.
Speaking at a Unite Against Fascism press conference in Westminster, Mr Moraes also acknowledged that the BNP had "jumped upon" Gordon Brown's slogan "British jobs for British workers" during the election.
BNP leader Nick Griffin picked up the seat in the North West of England region and Andrew Brons won a seat in the Yorkshire and Humber region.
Mr Moraes said: "There is real damage here to Britain because we have never elected fascists in a national election.
"Fascists in the European Parliament where I sit have long wanted members from Britain to join this transnational group so for those reasons there is deep concern that we have now crossed that threshold.
"There was a long period in which we could have said neo fascists would not be elected in Britain to represent us in an international parliament."
He said that many people would today be viewing Britain as a "nastier" place than they had prior to yesterday's election.
Mr Moraes said Labour had suffered as a consequence of the expenses scandal but acknowledged the BNP had manipulated Gordon Brown's British jobs slogan.
He explained: "That phrase was jumped upon by the BNP, they are trying increasingly to look at what mainstream politicians say to embarrass the politicians as a way of getting support."
The BNP wins came as the party appeared to attract significant numbers of disaffected Labour voters.
Frances O'Grady, TUC deputy general secretary, told the press conference the election results had to be viewed as a breakthrough for the BNP.
But she argued that in many parts of the UK the far-right party had been beaten.
She said: "It seems we are living in very strange times, we are commemorating the D-Day landings on Saturday and electing fascists on Sunday."
She added: "The BNP are not a normal democratic party, they are a fascist party with no place in British democratic life."
Mr Griffin said that his party winning two seats would herald a "huge change in British politics".
Speaking yesterday, he said: "The most demonised and lied about party in British politics has made a massive breakthrough. The public have had their say in a democratic election and we should respect that."
But Lee Jasper, from the National Assembly Against Racism, said the election posed a huge threat to the black community.
He explained: "It's a critical moment. We are suffering a national crisis in confidence in race relations."
Urging mainstream political parties to come together to fight the BNP, he said: "We must ensure this is not used as a platform or springboard for the next General Election.
"The election of the BNP is a massive threat to the black community nationwide."
Sabby Dhalu, from Unite Against Fascism, warns that whenever the BNP were voted in racist attacks increased in those areas.
She added: "The BNP stands for virtually every form of hatred you can think of."
Peter Hain, the newly-appointed Welsh Secretary, released a statement via United Against Fascism which read: "It's a shameful stain on Britain that we now have racists and fascists representing our country.
"It is vital that everyone now isolates and confronts the BNP and works with United Against Fascism to defeat them."
Former London mayor Ken Livingstone released a statement which read: "The economic crisis and abuse of MPs' expenses have provided fertile ground for the extreme right.
"It is no surprise in these circumstances to see an electoral breakthrough for the BNP, a fascist party in Britain.
"The BNP claims to be a normal political party. In fact, they are 21st century Nazis. As in the 1930s, they exploit people's anxieties in an economic crisis to scapegoat minorities and ultimately threaten all our democratic freedoms."
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Comments
I'm not a BNP voter but I almost wish I had. The sheer arrogance and the patronising way
with which these Labour patricians tell the voters that they have done it wrong, is simply
breathtaking.
Perhaps they should take a good look in the mirror and ask: what have you done wrong?
The BNP can now start dusting the version of the BNP Shariah Law.
Long Live "Mullah Nick Griffin" !!
http://bnp.org.uk/2009/06/bnp-wins-seco
i) UNHEALTHY because they have no health service to speak of in their home countries and therefore present a massive burden on public health services. Immigrants are IMMEDIATELY allowed the same level of medical treatment as UK citizens - without having paid a penny in taxes. In New Zealand Canada and Australia prospective immigrants have to take a very stringent medical which includes a HIV test. Any member of the family that does not pass this medical is refused residence. The philosophy here is they would pose too high a burden on medical services. And also why would you have an unhealthy immigrant when you could have a healthy one! The UK does not ask for ANY (yes, ANY!) medical exam - it does not even require an HIV test. It is also interesting to note that immigration activists have successfully demanded that all HIV-positive immigrants be given the same standard of medical treatment as UK citizens.
ii) UNSKILLED and require support by social services. Again, New Zealand Canada and Australia only allow immigrants who are skilled and who fit within certain skills categories. Most immigrants have to have a degree.
iii) VERY POOR and require social housing - in the past immigrants who had been in the country months were places at the top of the housing queue, ahead of UK citizens who had been waiting for YEARS. This fact is often (brazenly) denies by trendy-lefties.
iv) HABOURING RELIGIOUS BELIEFS WHICH ARE STRAIGHT OUR OF THE MIDDLE AGES - including immigration due to so-called 'arranged marriages'.
Labour's irresponsible (some would say treacherous) immigration policy has changed the very character of the UK - you only have to walk down any street to see evidence of that. Labour has become so politically correct that it does not even deport FAILED asylum-seekers. How contemptible of the British people is THAT!
Labour has brazenly refused to set any targets for immigration - even when the economic situation demands it. Look at the the response of Australia to the current financial crisis. It has cut its immigration intake by a significant amount because it places the rights of its people - its citizens above any PROSPECTIVE immigrant - that is just a fair and common-sense approach. Remember, Australia does not accept ANY unskilled migrants so one can appreciate the massive extra burden imposed by continuing unfettered immigration in the UK by people I have listed above.
For too long trendy lefties, in their houses in Hampstead and Islington, have stiffled all debate about immigration by labeling people as "racists" who dare to question it. This might have worked very effectively 10 or 20 years ago but people have become aware of this disgraceful strategy and it will no longer work. Trendy lefties are partly responsible for the failure of entire immigrant communities (more noticeably the Muslim community) to integrate into our society. Trendy lefties, for example, led Hate campaigns against any person who dared to criticize the wasteful practices of councils in printing information leaflets in all known languages under the sun. Now we are paying the price for this. Just look at the treatment of British soldiers returning from battle in Afghanistan by SOME Muslims - they were abused and screamed at when they paraded down the street in what should have been a celebration of their contribution.
ENOUGH IS ENOUGH. The reason why the BNP have gained such inroads is because of these things. We MUST have a sensible immigration policy where only those who can contribute can have residency.
Precisely! The BNP has always taken the lion's share of its votes from people who would otherwise have voted Labour. The best cure is a Tory government! With a Tory government they can blame the Tories for their ills and vote Labour. With a Labour government, they have to vote for something even more extreme on the left wing of economic policy.
Whilst these figures are mildly embarrasing they hardly constitute the March on Rome!
Given the calibre of those elected, it won't be too long before they make fools of themselves - see the pitiful antics of Barnbrook in London for a striking example.
Anyone like to bet on how many MPs they will get come the General Election?
Thought not!
We should indeed learn from history - what caused the war then?
My guess is this is where the BNP votes lay.
What kind of unfair and monstrous Britain have Labour created where they have used the tolerance of a people against them so that they feel totally discriminated against? Lloyd I feel ashamed of you and your nasty party.
On the other hand: racist ideologues (of all hues) who actually secretly prefer `multicultural' policies to policies that promote integration because the former* help to maintain `racial purity' (`race' being for such people pretty much interchangeable with culture). There are plenty in the BNP (and in their - just as malignant and extremist - black, etc, racially separate counterparts) who fear integration over everything and actually thrive on `multiculturalism' as it is their oxygen. Labour has played straight into those people's hands.
*In the inner world of their ideology, not in the real world where mixed relationships are more common than ever.
Two BNP MEPs are two warning shots from Real Labour heartland across the bows of all self-serving anti-social Blatcherist vermin still being shaken out of the tree
http://bnp.org.uk/2009/06/bnp-wins-seco
It seems to me that all the lies are coming from the mainstream parties and the political commentators - they all resolutely turn their backs on the issue of immigration. They seem all seem to afraid of the howls of 'racism' whenever immigration is mentioned.
We are geographically a small country and we are already overpopulated. In other words we are FULL, to quote the Netherlands politician vis a vis his own country. Healthcare, education, housing are all clearly overstretched....if anyone denies that this is not directly linked to mass immigration then they are simply lying - ah, the lingua franca of our politicians.
We have a tradition of not holding referenda. This is not a true tradition - it is a political straitjacket which denies the population any say in many policy areas.
I really hope the two new BNP members can shake some sense into the self serving clique in Brussels. Good luck to them.
I feel sad that we are labelling them racists when all they are doing is what everyone does, protect their own, defend their rights. The middle class just move out and tut tut at those left to cope, their towns and communities changed beyond recognition and feeling excluded and without a reasonable voice, not heard. It is desperately unfair.
I don't have an answer - but to talk as Nick Clegg did this morning that the BNP increase was about immigration from east europeans and thoroughly understanding of that (thereby avoiding race) is just mealy mouthed. No one wants to pick up this one. Except the BNP of course who have found a gap so wide it is a stroll in the park. It will remain the elephant in the room. In the meantime there is more alienation by the demonisation of the white working class indigenous residents as racists. It is very sad and cowardly.
These Cabinet appointments to plug the resignation holes in the sinking ship are not a change is policy or style. They are merely Bunker survival tactics.
Why was Khan appointed Transport Secretary?
Khans only qualifications seem to be that his father was a bus driver? Ordered to repay 500 pound for putting the New Labour red rose on public leaflets in Tooting. Khan the most senior Muslim MP for Tooting is opposed to US policy on Pakistan and blames US policy for causing problems in Britain? Brown supports US policy. Could it not be that Khan is appointed to maintain the ethnic minority vote who are now the last remaining New Labour core voters. New Labour know that the immigrant vote goes to them.
Alan Johnson the new Home Secretary? He is not likely to protect our boarders from lorries arriving at Dover. It is a political game for Alan.
The traditional working class vote have abandoned New Labour. Take Wales. The Tories beat New labour in Wales. One would have thought this impossible? The SNP are wiping New Labour off the Scottish map. Brown will lose his very own Scottish seat if he calls an election.
New Labour are history.
wHATS THE POINT of having the latest gadgets, when your factory has been closed
down and housing has become way out of reach.
Labour is paying the price of putting the money lender ahead of everyone.
Labour is paying theprice for putting the public spending ahead of everyone.
Labour is paying the price of no financial regulation.
We've become a very lope-sided society.