Presumably Stephen you decided that I offer “tacit support” for violent acts against BNP members on the basis of… my explicit and repeatedly stated opposition to violent acts against BNP members? I refer you once again to my initial post:

“I would not endorse or encourage acts of physical violence against anyone on the BNP members’ list.”

Put more simply, I’m firmly against violent acts being perpetrated against BNP members because of their political views. I fail to see how much more plainly I could put it. I am though in favour of the political demise of the BNP. They contribute nothing to the liberal democracy that you profess to love, and indeed in my view are an actual bar to both liberalism and democracy in whatever form I, at least, would understand them. That and, I have a thing where I’m more concerned for the victims of racism than for its perpetrators. I’m quirky like that.

Ace, as good as that statement makes you feel by saying it, is as bad as the effect it has on what you are trying to achieve. I believe that people join the BNP because they are scared of losing their country, their culture and their genes (if you like) to a host of international immigrants through time. They unite to strengthen their ideology and to fight for a culture they believe is being eradicated. Its not a matter of racism but of survival. Sorry I’m not familiar with the immigrant/nationalist argument but if you try and tell BNP members that they have been fed lies and nothing is changing – they will laugh you off the pulpit. There are concrete facts to support both the positive and negative aspects of immigration.

It might be ok for you for the face on Britain to change but there are obviously people who are quite proud and happy with what it used to be. Unless you can really understand their feeling and make them feel secure in their place in Britain, they will only get more fearful and therefore more dangerous.

Yes, you are. Your tacit support for violence against BNP members is truly shocking and you should be ashamed of yourself. This is a liberal democracy in case you had forgotten. That means we are governed by the rule of law, which also extends to fascists. The irony is that there are people on the extreme right who care as little as you for the rights of their political opponents.

Beyond that, what Alexis, the Charge Nurse et al have been saying.

*clicks the manage subscriptions links to unsub*

Are there different degrees of fascist, or is this a political version of the one-drop rule?

Can we not simply call a spade a spade ?

In this case it would simply entail drawing up a list of those political or religious groups that WE find undesireable – surely it would be easy enough (for us) to decide who amongst them has trangressed the unwritten law ?

Hey presto, we can then publicise any data we like while invoking the scumbag line of defence if any of the extremists complain.

What is there not to like about such a righteous scheme ?

The aftermath of the list debacle will not alter (to any great extent) the reasons why a certain percentage are drawn to political extremism – same goes for religious fundamentalists, of course.

It seems one or two commentators here think that PRINCIPLES can simply be treated as a matter of convenience (to be abandoned whenever it suits).

By all means have one set of rules for one group and another set for others but the cost I’m afraid is that you make yourself a laughing stock, exemplified by risible claims that the data should be made available in “the public interest” – presumably, once the embarrasing “public interest” argument is found wanting, then another fig leaf will have to invented, won’t it.

Of course there are many other unpleasant elements in our society but the law is there for a reason – a law moulded by the dominant political affiliation of the day (either left or right) would be an umitigated disaster in my opinion.

Those that attach such great importance to the list remind me of catholic parents who think their kids won’t be shagging if they avoid talking about sex, or switch of racey films on channel 4.

I am struggling to see why we should extend democratic courtesies to a thug like you Alan.

Yes Stephen, I’m clearly a thug and a dangerous man because of my unwillingness to speak up loudly and passionately for fascists’ rights…

Is sarcasm.

Yes Stephen, I’m clearly a thug and a dangerous man because of my unwillingness to speak up loudly and passionately for fascists’ rights…

Will their membership increase? I think maybe not after the list outing. Its not like the listed have been saying en masse ’so what, I’m not bothered’.

I had a chap I know tell me a few months back that the BNP aren’t against black people anymore just ‘those muslims’ which he believed, and he used to be NF back in the day. Now he’s saying he’s glad he didn’t join as he wouldn’t have wanted to be on the list as he’s not racist?! Will he vote BNP – maybe. Will he become a member and pay his subscription – no. Less members means less income and that alone has to be a good thing.

I just find it hard that we are expected to have a dialogue with people who were literally chasing me down the street

You’re not. Directly. There are undoubtedly always going to be a few thuggish morons about, just as there are still SWPers and similar—extremism has an appeal to the young and stupid.

The important thing is to ensure they never get (or keep) electoral power. To do that you have to rebut their claims and dispute their policies, openly, to the electorate that are tempted to vote for them (frequently sucked into believing their lies that they’re not racists, etc).

That idiots go out and campaign for the crap is bad, but that they gain votes from people that believe their lies is worse. Make sure that people in the area they’re campaigning know the truth, and highlight their incompetence when they do get elected, and you can stop them getting anywhere—which frequently means they go away and lose impetus, monentum and members in the areas they’ve been strong.

They’ve managed to get Cllrs elected in a number of wards around here in the past. To my knowledge, not a single one has been re-elected. The one they did have they managed to expel as he went against party policy.

I’m just wondering why noone here is talking about why people join the BNP? Pretending it doesn’t exist will not make it go away.

I am struggling to see why we should extend democratic courtesies to a thug like you Alan.