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demonrail666 · 05.26.2009, 05:06 AM

That's the fear. It's regrettable though that a section of the population are putting issues of immigration and, to a lesser degree, Europe quite high on their list of political priorities. Many of these are already quite long term unemployed and live in public housing, often within quite impoverished multi-ethnic areas, so the current economic crisis has less significance for them (in their eyes) than the colour/religion of their neighbours. Certain members of my own family who live in just such circumstances and were once hard-line labour voters have told me that they're strongly considering voting for the BNP and that they know a lot of friends that are too. (It was, after all, primarily the traditionally left-leaning unions who came out in support of the tory mp Enoch Powell in the 1960s.) Furthermore, anyone who underestimates the BNPs election threat should remember its council by-election victory in 1993. People had written them off just prior to that too.

Obviously, the potential vote for the BNP could never pose a threat to the actual mainstream in terms of competing for government. However it does suggest growing ripples of discontent amongst certain sections of the working class that any mainstream party would be seen as being particularly arrogant if they were to ignore it completely.

So that's the problem. Does the mainstream disregard this group altogether, in which case parties like the BNP really could grow into something far more threatening than they are now, or do they address some of their issues, fully aware that to steal some of the BNPs thunder they'd have to adopt some pretty odious policies?

The problem will continue for as long as the issue of immigration is treated as a non-issue by the mainstream. Moreover, while those who tend to make the most of the immigration issue tend not to focus on the economy, they're ultimately the ones most affected by it, and as jobs and public funds become even more scarce, this is sure to only increase tensions within that community as they search for a scapegoat to blame for their plight.

05.26.2009, 05:06 AM	#30
demonrail666 invito al cielo Join Date: Feb 2007 Posts: 18,510	That's the fear. It's regrettable though that a section of the population are putting issues of immigration and, to a lesser degree, Europe quite high on their list of political priorities. Many of these are already quite long term unemployed and live in public housing, often within quite impoverished multi-ethnic areas, so the current economic crisis has less significance for them (in their eyes) than the colour/religion of their neighbours. Certain members of my own family who live in just such circumstances and were once hard-line labour voters have told me that they're strongly considering voting for the BNP and that they know a lot of friends that are too. (It was, after all, primarily the traditionally left-leaning unions who came out in support of the tory mp Enoch Powell in the 1960s.) Furthermore, anyone who underestimates the BNPs election threat should remember its council by-election victory in 1993. People had written them off just prior to that too. Obviously, the potential vote for the BNP could never pose a threat to the actual mainstream in terms of competing for government. However it does suggest growing ripples of discontent amongst certain sections of the working class that any mainstream party would be seen as being particularly arrogant if they were to ignore it completely. So that's the problem. Does the mainstream disregard this group altogether, in which case parties like the BNP really could grow into something far more threatening than they are now, or do they address some of their issues, fully aware that to steal some of the BNPs thunder they'd have to adopt some pretty odious policies? The problem will continue for as long as the issue of immigration is treated as a non-issue by the mainstream. Moreover, while those who tend to make the most of the immigration issue tend not to focus on the economy, they're ultimately the ones most affected by it, and as jobs and public funds become even more scarce, this is sure to only increase tensions within that community as they search for a scapegoat to blame for their plight.
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