Rise Of Fascism

[singh_comradz]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/4915096.stm

More 'considering voting for BNP'

The British National Party is led by Nick Griffin

Anger with the main parties has led more people to consider voting for the British National Party, a report for a social policy research group says.

The Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust said up to 25% of voters said they "might vote" for the far-right party.

The BNP said the report reflected voter "tension" about multi-cultural Britain.

But Home Office minister Andy Burnham said he believed support for the BNP was very localised - and in many cases represented a "protest vote".

The report echoes fears by Employment Minister Margaret Hodge that voters may be tempted by the BNP in May's local elections in England.

Underlying support

The authors asked focus groups about their voting views and looked at a series of opinion polls that asked people which party they might consider voting for.

They feel their voices have not been heard

Professor Peter John

Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust report author

It revealed "underlying support" for the BNP rather than voting intentions, said one of the authors, Professor Peter John of Manchester University.

"This is a very hypothetical question," he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

"It is not what party you will vote for, but who you might vote for."

Mrs Hodge said many white working-class voters in her east London constituency of Barking said they would consider voting for the party.

Prof John also said the far-right party tended to have more support in predominantly white, working class areas.

East London voters interviewed for the study said they felt "let down" by the main parties.

"They feel their voices have not been heard," he said.

Labour MP Margaret Hodge is worried at BNP gains

However, Home Office minister Andy Burnham dismissed the likelihood of the BNP becoming a stronger electoral force.

"I think the report that has been published ... reflects a growing tendency towards protest voting, particularly at local elections," he said

"But I think things have got to be kept in proportion. There's no way the BNP will get anything close to 25%."

In the 2005 general election, the party raised its total number of votes by 0.5% to gain 0.7% - or 192,850 votes.

It gained support in the 2004 European Parliament elections, increasing its votes by 3.9% to gain 4.9% of the vote, but failed to win a seat.

The BNP has courted controversy over its policies, which include a total ban on immigration, and the forced deportation of illegal immigrants from the UK.

BNP spokesman Phil Edwards said the Rowntree report reflected unease among voters about Britain's shift towards a multicultural society.

He said Britain had moved from a "racially homogeneous society ... into one where the cultures are quite alien."

"That does add quite a lot of tensions and stresses," Mr Edwards said.

"What we are trying to do is preserve the traditional culture and identity of Britain," he added.

'More seats'

The BNP has said it is putting up more candidates than ever before - 356 - for May's local elections.

BNP COUNCIL SEATS

First council seat gained in Millwall, south-east London, in 1993

Won three seats in Burnley, Lancashire, in 2002

By 2004 had 17 seats

Currently has 15 seats, including six in Burnley

Profile: BNP

It currently has 15 councillors across England, and said at its campaign launch on Good Friday that it aimed to add "another 15 or 20" seats.

The Conservative social justice policy spokesman, Iain Duncan Smith, said people were considering voting for the BNP because they mistakenly believed that the party would improve housing and reduce crime.

"I've been horrified and worried by the degree to which people in difficult communities no longer consider Westminster politics to be anything to do with the solutions that they need to have."

'Simplistic solutions'

He said that was why "they start turning to others who have what maybe simplistic solutions".

Liberal Democrat President Simon Hughes said the main parties had only themselves to blame if people were turning away from them.

He said successive Tory and Labour governments had failed to provide enough affordable housing where families wished to live.

Operation Black Vote, a group which campaigns to make politics more multi-racial, agreed that voters in run-down areas felt the government had let them down.

"In these areas, deprivation and poverty exist," Simon Woolley, national co-ordinator for Operation Black Vote, told BBC Radio Five Live.

"Now that's a genuine debate to be had. ... It's nothing to do with black people."

The report, prepared by the Democratic Audit and funded by the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust, is due to be published next week.

What if they ever came to power :lol:

[kurtas]

I can see the BNP doing well in the local elections coming up.

I think people in general are fed up with the Labour government and although this has little to do with local government it will be a major factor in the way people vote.

Blair has to get his finger out and put a stop to the rot that has set into the Labour party. He could start by sacking the Home Secretary and then fatty Prescott. The current state of the party is similar to what happened towards the end of the Conservative reign. Too many no-marks were allowed to keep their jobs and the general public got peed off with the party.

I think, I better make an effort to vote this week as we have a BNP candidate standing. We cannot have idiots like that winning. Athough if the past is anything to go by they get in once and then people who vote for them see how thick and useless they are, with the result being they never get on to the local council again.

[London Singh]

According to the Economist, Afro Carribeans are voting BNP as they are jealous of their "Asian" neighbours being more successful. Also anti -Muslim sentiments causing people to vote BNP. Sad state of affairs.

As Kurtas says, we have to use our votes to prevent scum getting in. If you can vote, use it. If not persuade your family to vote (obvioulsly not for BNP).

[kurtas]

I saw the Labour party political broadcast today and it was seriously flawed. It was all about Labour and mentioned international issues. Very little mention was made of issues relevant to local government.

I remember a few years ago chatting with our local Labour coucillour and telling her that they would not be getting any votes from our house due to the murder of half a million Iraqi children as a result of UN Sanctions (which were enforced by the UK and US) and because of the lies Blair told to sell us the Iraq war. She is a very nice lady and tried to explain how she understood our frustration but these were not local issues. I explained to her then that the Labour party election broadcasts were making an issue of international issues for local government election and as such I felt entitled to vent by protest by not voting for her.

Looks like Blair and co are going to get a bloody nose, but I will vote just to try and keep the BNP out.

[singh_comradz]

Have you heard about that Black man in london who's firebombing Asian shops, think he's killed one at least.

As for Iraq they went to war out of self interest and are now paying the price.

The BNP are just part of the rise in far right fascism in Europe. You'd think that people would be against the policies of the righties, especially after Hitler and the war. But it's just a cycle repeating itself, I maybe overreacting but I think it is a serious threat which is continuing to grow. All the BNP need now for a boost in votes are more scandals, economic depression or mad mullahs and kids blowing themselves up.

[singhfromuk]

The problem with the main parties is that they have no backbone when it comes to handling extremist Muslims. Look at Labour, 52 innocent people get blown up and Blair starts sprouting his 'Islam is peace' BS. He sets up committees and focus groups packed with Muslims who come up with all sorts of ways that Muslims can get more and more influence in the UK. The ordinary people of the UK aren't stupid. they can see through the hype.

The Tories and Lib Dems are no better so the only party that people fed up with the main parties can vote for is extremists like BNP. There is no other alternative.

I'm not bothered about Iraq, if they Iraqis want to be free then all they need do is vote in large numbers for the people that they want to rule them. Blowing up soldiers who went to free them isn't the best way to ensure that your country becomes a modern democracy.

[singh_comradz]

The problem with the main parties is that they have no backbone when it comes to handling extremist Muslims. Look at Labour, 52 innocent people get blown up and Blair starts sprouting his 'Islam is peace' BS. He sets up committees and focus groups packed with Muslims who come up with all sorts of ways that Muslims can get more and more influence in the UK. The ordinary people of the UK aren't stupid. they can see through the hype.

The Tories and Lib Dems are no better so the only party that people fed up with the main parties can vote for is extremists like BNP. There is no other alternative.

I'm not bothered about Iraq, if they Iraqis want to be free then all they need do is vote in large numbers for the people that they want to rule them. Blowing up soldiers who went to free them isn't the best way to ensure that your country becomes a modern democracy.

I think Labour done a decent job in handling the situation. It is better to strike at the source of the problem rather than isolate a religion and create potential hatred.

As for the common people who vote the BNP, are stupid. The BNP just spew out fascist crap and want all non-whites out the country. I the problem is extremist Muslims, then there are ways to deal with hit, voting for an equally hating party isn't the right way to go about things.

As for Iraqi's they did vote in large numbers, however the split between Shia's and Sunni's have caused major problems. As for the UK and US, well they have thier own ulterior motives.

[singhfromuk]

If this was a decent job I'd hate to see the results of Labour doing a bad job of 7/7! Labour brought it on themselves , they were warned by other countries that UK was being soft on Muslim terrorists and they didn't listen so they got 52 dead bodies as proof of their idiotic policies. Hatred has already been created and it is coming mainly from the Muslim side. Did the Muslims used to face more racism than Sikhs, Hindus or others? No they did not but then they started to bring get too big for their boots with the Rushdie affair. Now they get most of the racism and then they start crying about it.

So what would your advice be on Iraq, pull out the troops and watch from the sidelines as the Shias, Sunni and Kurds start to kill each other? Funny how everytime the US or UK does anything positive they get slammed but then the same people start shouting for intervention in Darfur and other places.

[London Singh]

BNP have a candidate in each of Brum's wards! they are desparate for votes. Apparently there's a ward (Kings...?) which wasn't actively campaigned by Tories or Labour and the only reason BNP didn't win was coz the votes were split between BNP and the NF!

Yep heard about the black man burning down shops ... don't know what the Black Vs. Asian thing is all about at the moment. Btw, the photofit thing of him looks kinda weird :lol: @

[singhfromuk]

Apparently there was a poll recently on Sky asking whether the BNP has a role in British politics, about 70% voted yes out of 110,000 votes. If there is a rise of fascism it is solely Blairs and the other gutless parties fault.