Another Word On The BNP

I've posted on the EU election here, noting the fact that the BNP won two seats and my thoughts on that outcome. Brits At Their Best has a post on the election that also includes a discussion of the reasons for the BNP's growing popularity. They quote Andrew Stuttaford from the The Corner, who writes:

The relative success (it won two seats) of the. . .British National Party. . .in the U.K. slice of the EU elections is best seen primarily as the product of five factors: (a) the largely accurate perception that the Blair-Brown governments were enablers of mass immigration; (b) not-unconnected fears over the rise of militant Islam within the U.K.; (c) dislike of the EU; (d) the economic crisis; (e) globalization (on economics & trade policy the party is quite some way to the left) and; (f) the widespread perception, flowing in no small part from points a-e, that no parliamentary party is prepared to stick up for the interests of the white working class, a perception that explains the BNP's recent success in finding support amongst former Labour voters. Throw in the the way that the expenses scandal now roiling parliament has discredited much of the existing political class, and there you have it . . .

I would add that the new "Equality" legislation being considered by Parliament in effect would institutionalize reverse racism against white male workers in the UK. As the Daily Times describes it, "[e]mployers will be given legal powers to discriminate in favour of women and black job candidates under a controversial equality shake-up." Its not surprising that there is finally a back lash being felt to all of this. It's long overdue.

I can't see the BNP winning an electoral majority in the UK in the foreseeable future. But I can see their growing popularity marking a real change to the terms of the debate. And in the UK, where for example even minor criticism of such things as immigration has been enough to get one labled a racist and ridden out of politics on a rail, that is a good thing indeed.