The BNP Goes to Brussels

Once again, the anti-immigrant British National Party (BNP) has scored a political victory. In spite of a massive advertising campaign set against them, they have gained two seats in the European Parliament, giving BNP head Nick Griffin a place at the 785-member body. Which means that the man who claimed, as late as 2007, that the only reason he doesn't deny the Holocaust anymore is because European law "requires" him to acknowledge its existence may have a chance Â- however slim Â- to see that law changed. Of course, Nick Griffin was ecstatic. Inside the town hall, the BNP leader said: "It will be a huge change in British politics. The most demonised and lied about party in British politics has made a massive breakthrough. "Lied about"? As I have pointed out before, little more than a year ago, the BNP is clearly a White Separatist organization. It hides its true, racist nature behind the bland rhetoric of color-blind concerns over unchecked immigration, and its deleterious effects on England's society, economy and social safety nets. But the fact that they won't allow non-Whites to join, even if they happened to agree with them, is a dead give-away that there's something more to their chief concern than just how to best spend the Pounds. Indeed, not long after the historic win, both newly-elected MEPs were out and about trying to defend their controversial policy. Andrew Brons shoved his foot clear into his mouth by complaining that there were "rather too many mosques" in England. Meanwhile, Griffin revealed his litmus test for telling whether someone was a Briton or not: "You just look and you just know." As for changing the policy, Griffin said: "when the political elite stop persecuting our members for political reasons [and] stop doing them down, turning them into second-class citizens, then we'll review our membership policy. Until then we're here to look after our people because nobody else is." As you might well guess, by now, "look after our people" is code-speak for maintaining a much more White England. While the modern UK has become a very cosmopolitan society, with many peoples from all over the world immigrating and calling it their home, thus becoming its "people" as well, Mr. Griffin and his ilk don't see them as fellow citizens, but rather as a growing nuisance. To that end, the BNP continues its stated policy of stopping all immigration to the UK, and making it harder for people to seek asylum there. Immigrants who were already residing within the UK would be offered "resettlement packages" (money) to go back where they came from, and, just to sour the milk a little more, native (that is, White) Britons would be given preference over others in jobs. On a more ironic note, the BNP would also withdraw the UK from NATO, close all foreign military bases on its soil, and actually leave the European Union. That alone should make for some interesting discussions between Griffin and his fellow MEPs Â- not unlike George W. Bush appointing UN critic John Bolton to be our ambassador to that very same body! But one has to realize that the BNP is not making a case made wholly from unfounded fears and pixie dust. While it can't be denied that many BNP supporters are themselves racist, the desire to put curbs on the UK's rapid immigration is not in itself a racist desire. And the party has struck a chord with a great number of people who see its high economic, administrative and social costs,. The BNP has also been able to capitalize on the growing number of Muslims within the UK. In the wake of radical Islamic terrorist actions within the country Â- and outside of it Â- they have gained the votes of those who feel that neither Labour nor the Tories are taking national security all that seriously. And when coupled with recent economic woes and Labour's seeming indigence in coming up with a solution, it's not hard to see how this election result could have happened. However, while the BNP like to claim that they're on the rise, it could be debated that this victory was a case of key voters staying home. It has been noted that their vote in the areas where they won has actually gone down since 2004. But what can't be debated is that this victory gives an undeniable cachet to a group that succeeds by pandering to the worst impulses in people Â- specifically an irrational fear of having the "indigenous peoples" of England being completely wiped out by immigrants. While they may beard their true intentions behind a legitimate issue or two, the hideous core yet remains. And it remains to be seen whether this new influx of undeserved power will temper how they express it, or allow it to fully flow once more. However, as Ed West points out at the Telegraph, so long as the primary parties in England fail to address the question of increased immigration, then the BNP will continue to gain support it does not deserve, and take votes away from more legitimate political outlets. To quote Mr. West: Health secretary Andy Burnham said last last night that this was a "sad day", and I'll agree with him 100 per cent on that - but it was one of Labour's making. Unless the mainstream parties show some courage and address the issue of immigration, there will be more sad days to come.