Evidence from Betfair, as if it were needed, that Griffin’s campaign in Barking has hit the buffers.
Posts Tagged ‘Nick Griffin’
Hodge’s implausible 11th hour conversion – Teather’s intemperate response – which one’s worse?
Thursday, February 4th, 2010
Margaret Hodge is accused of playing dog-whistle politics
Which is worse? It’s difficult to choose between them.
Candidate 1. Margaret Hodge MP Once again, the embattled Labour MP for Barking has reached for the pre-election dog-whistle today to dig herself out of a hole with the voters. Her comments appear perfectly reasonable.
“We need to look at drawing up a point system based on length of residence, citizenship or national insurance contributions which ensures economic migrants can only access social housing and key benefits when they have paid into the system … This isn’t about race, it’s about having a system which is fair.”
Only … the minister for culture and tourism has spent so little of her time fighting for her constituency or engaged in issues that matter to her constituents you’ve got to wonder about her motives. One also remembers her equally-clumsy comments about the BNP shortly before the May 2006 local elections (BNP won 11 seats and the GMB called for her resignation). And her 2007 remarks on housing policy which grabbed headlines but failed to deliver any impact.
Candidate 2. Sarah Teather MP The Lib-Dem MP quickly smeared Mrs Hodge for talking up the race issue, instantly playing into the hands of BNP types who claim the mainstream are too scared to talk about these issues.
“You need to take the BNP on and demolish their arguments not copy what they are saying.”
The opinion polls make it crystal clear that there is a list of issues prioritised by millions of voters that the politicians are too frightened to talk about. Immigration, Europe, cultural identity, fear of Islamist violence and who should get the best public services (especially welfare and housing, but also education and health).
Hodge’s panicky comments today lack plausibility.
Teather’s knee-jerk accusations poison the debate.
You choose which is worse.
Platform: BNP are no friends of Israel
Wednesday, February 3rd, 2010
Griffin is no friend of Israel
During his cringey appearance on BBC Question Time, Nick Griffin told the audience:
“I am the most loathed man in Britain in the eyes of Nazis. There are Nazis in Britain and they loathe men because I have brought the British National party from the frankly an anti-semitic and racist organisation, into the only party which in the clashes between Israel and Gaza supported Israel’s right to deal with Hamas terrorists.”
For those who monitor the BNP it is perfectly obvious that Griffin, a Holocaust denier and tolerator of anti-Semites, is no friend of Israel.
Today the BNP have nailed their true alliegances to the mast by drawing an equivalence between Israel, a liberal democratic country, to Iran, a violent theocratic dictatorship.
In an online article that attacks the Conservatives as “war mongers” for their concerns over Iran’s nuclear programme, the BNP uses the Islamist and far-left argument that the West adopts a too pro-Israel Middle Eastern foreign policy i.e. not balanced and thus incites Muslims to hate the West. BNP news explains:
“… Israel’s delivery mechanisms include Jericho intercontinental ballistic missiles which have a range of over 7,000 miles. Israel also has an offshore nuclear second-strike capacity, using submarine launched nuclear-capable cruise missiles.
There has however never been any suggestion that America or Britain will bomb Israel because of the existence of these weapons, even though none of Israel’s neighbours have such weapons and are likely to be able to make them in the foreseeable future.
It is precisely this type of double standards in foreign policy which have helped to incite the Muslim world against the West.”
Iran/Israel and nuclear weapons in the Middle East is another issue for another day. But it’s important we expose the BNP’s phony attempt to cosy up to Israel and, more importantly, the UK’s Jewish electorate. The BNP believes, despite saying Israel should exist, that the democratically elected Israeli government has no right to defend itself from agressive axis of Iran and Syria.
Griffin’s recent adoption of friendlier tones towards Israel is for two reasons.
1. While ”supporting” Israel in itself doesn’t make you a Judaeophile, Griffin and the BNP (and the EDL) have started to realise it does allow them to argue they are not antisemitic or racist and provides some cover for other vile views such as conspiracy theories on Zionism.
EDL yobs using the Israeli flag as a fig leaf
2. It creates, to those who are concerned about Islamism and the Establishments failure to effectively deal with, a “tough on terror” facade and a subliminal anti-Muslim image to their supporters.
Those who are true friends of Israelis and Jews must do more to prevent extremists and opportunists like the BNP from hijacking their heritage and struggle against terrorism and violence. By saying and doing nothing there is a danger this cause becomes tarnished with racism and fascism – in much the same way the Union Jack and British patriotism was during the 1970’s and 80’s – and gifts those who are enemies of the West who wish to paint friends of Israel as true fascists themselves.
Maurice Cousins
For more on the BNP’s foreign and defence policy please see our briefing note “Flying the white flag: how the BNP’s defence policy would make Britain less safe.” here.
