Actually, it’s not. It’s the BNP coming under scrutiny from the Equality and Human Rights Commission.



http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8114619.stm

The BNP, in having its moment of “credibility” suddenly finds itself needing to adhere to rules which it abhors.

Put a smile on my face

For a great rant about political correctness and other such topics, watch Michael McIntyre's comedy road show in Birmingham (iPlayer clicky), see the third guy (looks like a hobo). I think it was lost on the audience, but I thought he was brilliant...


Edit: His name is Steve Hughes, and comes onstage at 16:50

From what I can gather of the BNP's dismissal of the charges, they are trying to state that indigenous Caucasians are a minority group…

To be fair, in certain areas of Britain, they are.

To be fair in most areas they aren't
Dorset 98.1% white, essex 96%, lancashire 90%, greater manchester 88%,

luton 67%, 75% kensington and chelsea, 66% southwark, 67% brimingham, 77% manchester, 94% salford.

cant find a minority borough

Newham 39.4%
Tower hamlets 42.9%

Though it can depend on how you define the areas. The bigger the area the less the claim the "idigenous Caucasians" are in the minority appears to be right. Put it into city council wards and the "percieved" beneifit one group is getting compared to another and there you have the breeding ground for extremist view points.

Simply because in London, for instance, it's 40.3%, that doesn't mean that there's some other single racial classification filling the other 59.7%.
Besides, there have been people of other races living in the UK for hundreds of years. All a bit silly IMHO.

No but it is how parties like the BNP can garner support by using the them and us. By putting everyone that isnt "uk born white" into one category helps bolster there arguement, no matter how false that arguement is.
It may be silly but that is how an extremist party can gain respectablity by people ignoring some of the issues that give them support and then more and more get voted in. Before long people then see that group not as "a bunch of nutters" but a bona fidi political partythat "anyone" can vote for.
Simple root cause analysis can help scupper any extremist party by addressing the problem before it becomes too large... oh hang on that would mean common sense prevailing and the proper use of money. So no chance there then.

There was an interesting item on "Today" this morning (Wednesday) about the Australian Neo-Nazi (can't remember her name) who got into Parliament, was a complete waste of space, and got booted.
They pointed-out that although she has similar racist views and policies to BNP\National Front the difference is that the BNP also has a complete (if nasty) policy agenda, outside simply hating non-whites. The point being that their appeal will take longer to diminish than one based simply on "immigration".

I WAS amused to hear that item about the NF's (sorry BNP's) practices. It will be funny (but depressing too I'm sure) to hear them talk themselves out of it! Of course this will play well with their "little guy against the establishment" pose.

On the more general issue I lived in Hackney for over 20 years, Brixton for a few. What was interesting was the variety of incomers. I used to set-off for work at around 6.am (IT...) and so my journey coiincided with that of many doing the crap-work that 1st generation immigrants tend to do.
At stages it was Sudanese, then there was an influx of Zimbabweans, Congolese, people fleeing the Balkans wars, Romanians, Poles etc etc... In Tower Hamlets, next door there is a very large, and quite stable Bangladeshi 'minority'.

In many cases as a "White Male" I was in a minority, but never felt threatened by this. Indeed I often feel proud to think that we British have shared our country our culture and wealth with so many from abroad, and also benefited from what many immigrants have brought here.

I did notice something watching the 20-20 this last month. Cricket is perhaps more than any other sport, an embodiment of Britain.

This World Cup effort featured a vast array of nations from around the globe, all of whom were thoroughly well supported by members of their respective nations. The thing is, most cricket fans don't travel (certainly not to the same degree as football / rugby), so I am left concluding that they were primarily from this country. The other thing was that having fantastic support did seem to contribute to it being a fantastic tournament. I doubt any other country can boast the level of multiculturalism to make that possible.

So there you have it, a quintisentially British activity made better by the presence of other nations. I rather like that.