Shetlink.com
Bryan Peterson notes the surprising level of support from the BNP amongst Shetlink contributors
The British National Party. I hesitate before I go on as this particular manifestation of political ideology is not one that I, as a bleeding-hearted liberal, subscribe to in any way (and BNP seems an incongruous use of the word “party” – one with such exultant connotations). But the BNP has been the source of impassioned embroilment of late on the Shetlink forums.
The recent spat opened with someone posting the comment “Does anyone else feel that the only hope for the UK is the BNP?” A curious query I thought, as “hope” is a propitious expectation; not something I associate with far right British politics. The unsurprising flurry of discordant responses to the question ensued, punctuated with occasional congruent postulation from a minority of people, often containing inauspicious opening idioms such as “I’m not racist, but . . .”
I’m generally of the opinion that far right politics are the domain of the hebetudinous or disenfranchised, but I was surprised to see Shetlinkers who I consider to be erudite and easy-going come out in support the BNP.
A core jist of these BNP sympathiser’s is that apparently the BNP are only saying what we’re all thinking; that foreigners are coming over here, scamming the dole and/or taking our rightful jobs, and that’s the cause of many, if not all, of our country’s problems. A simplistic view to say the least, and an ineffective subterfuge that many right-wingers use in their attempts to divert attention from the underlying xenophobia bubbling below the surface of the BNP.
As part of the extensive research I unfailingly undertake each month for this column (!), I had a poke around the BNP website. I noted the official face of the BNP has had a full makeover during the past decade as they try to re-brand themselves as a serious political party and distance themselves from their repugnant racist past.
However, if you scratch the surface of this semi-respectable veneer the objectionable underbelly is soon exposed. I spent an unpleasant yet compelling couple of hours reading “unofficial” BNP websites and anonymous discussion forums and was genuinely shocked at the levels of vitriol and ignorance I witnessed.
Maybe that explains the recent furore expounded by the BNP when thousands of their supporters, including stalwarts of society such as police officers and school teachers, were “outed” when a disgruntled ex-BNP employee published a list of members on the internet. I fully respect people’s right to keep their political affiliations private, but if these members were at least candid about their beliefs it may go some way towards making the BNP a transparent organisation rather than the mendacious militant faction many believe them to be.
Evelyn Beatrice Hall once said (often wrongly attributed to Voltaire) “I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.” Whilst I disagree wholeheartedly with the BNP, they have every right to their opinions in a democratic society, but I would stop short of defending them to the death.
As ever, you can comment on Shetland Life on the Shetlink website – www.shetlink.com/shetlandlife
Bryan Peterson
