That evil BNP leader

I refuse to give him credit by naming him, however, I believe the BBC had a duty to invite the BNP leader onto Question Time last week. It is unfortunate that sufficient people in this country have given the BNP enough support to mean that they are now a political party of significance. The editors were, therefore, right to invite the party’s leader onto the show in the interests of inviting political debate. I, however, deliberately chose, as I have the freedom to do, not to watch. I have seen and read enough to know that there is nothing that man could possibly say to justify the party’s ridiculous stance to me. So I cannot comment on the programme, but of course have views on the party and situation as a whole.

The party trades mainly on its argument that immigration in Britain is out of control, and that ‘non-white’ immigrants are taking jobs and benefits away from ‘indigenous white Britons’. It gets me heated up just to repeat these ridiculous nonsense phrases; however, there is some strength in the immigration argument. Britain has long given the impression to immigrants that they can come here and live and eat for free as long as they wish. One way to tackle over immigration is not to stop those in need from seeking asylum here, but as I have commented before, by tightening up the welfare system. By removing the incentive to migrate to Britain from countries without such a generous welfare system, less people would be inclined to take the risk of being jobless and homeless.


There should not be the right for immigrants to arrive in Britain and automatically receive access to the healthcare and welfare system that British citizens work hard to pay for, without the expectation that any immigrant will make a significant contribution to the state. I would not consider it right to go to China, the Philippines or anywhere else and live off their welfare system (if they had one). I would expect to have to work for a living and, if offered free education, repay the country with the skills I had been provided with. I consider myself fortunate to have received a (reasonable) quality education from the British state and believe I have a duty to repay my debt to society.

The argument that jobs are taken from British citizens has little credibility. British workers aren’t willing to lower themselves to picking fruit or colleting cockles because they know they can just spend an hour at the job centre picking up their welfare cheque, then stopping off to buy cigarettes and alcohol on their way home to watch Trisha. The jobs market should always be a free market and if immigrants are prepared to work hard at both the lower and higher end of the jobs market where others wouldn’t or couldn’t, that is not a bad thing.



For the BNP to claim that they are not a racist party is simple not true. The party has rules that do not permit certain people from becoming members; this is arguably illegal never mind racist. A quick search of the party leader’s political history will reveal that he is an extremely rightwing, fascist, racist. It is frightening that those who have not sought or not been given accurate information on the party’s fundamental roots have been duped into voting for the BNP. Labour, the Conservatives, Lib dems, even the Greens must up their game to win back the support of voters and stop a BNP vote by default.



I am also disgusted at the BNP’s hijacking of certain symbols and phrases. You will notice the poppy on my picture today in support of the hundreds of thousands of brave servicemen and women that have fought to protect our country. This includes men and women of all races and creeds, remembering also our Ghurkha friends who have leant their support to Britain for many decades. The BNP party’s misuse of the British flag and questionably motivated support of British forces creates a misleading image of what it means to be British. I consider myself a British National and proud (if a little embarrassed sometimes due to weak government efforts). But it makes me very angry that this phrase also has other implications. I have worked and paid tax and NI in this country for over a decade and intend to do so for the rest of my working life, in addition to making a significant contribution to public services. So I am of course, a model example of a second generation immigrant! And proof that it is not immigration in itself that is the problem, but the invitation of a welfare system open to abuse.