BNP challenge must be met by main parties, says Howard
Former Conservative leader Michael Howard has accused all the mainstream parties of failing to do enough to challenge the British National Party.
Mr Howard said it was important for politicians to confront the BNP in the run-up to the general election.
But this was not being done to the extent necessary, he told the BBC.
Mr Howard said there was no room for complacency because there were a number of constituencies where the BNP could be a “potent threat” at the polls.
‘Potent threat’
Mr Howard told BBC Radio 4’s The World This Weekend: “I think I am still the only party leader who went to Burnley and devoted an entire speech to confronting the BNP and saying that we’ve really got to take them on and we’ve got to take their arguments on.
“I don’t think we can afford to be complacent. There are one or two constituencies where they are said to be a potent threat.
“I think you have to take them on, you have to confront them and you have to expose the appalling evil of their arguments.”
BNP leader Nick Griffin announced last month he would stand for Westminster in the east London constituency of Barking at the next general election.
‘Honest’ party
Mr Griffin said that his party was not racist, but won votes because it “spoke openly about the problem of immigration”.
He told a news conference: “It’s all phoney with the other parties.
“Sometimes we can be a little blunt, a little politically incorrect, but we’re always honest and people know that now.”
The BNP won its first two seats in the European Parliament in June – Mr Griffin in the North West and Andrew Brons in Yorkshire and the Humber where it got 10% of the vote.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8431749.stm
I read this article with interest., not least of all as it was involving Mr . Howard someone I have a lot of respect for.
The BNP are indeed a threat to the establishment, and I feel even now they haven’t been tackled properly by the major parties. And because of this I feel their will be a BNP voice in parliament this time next year, probably a certain Mr. Griffin but their are a few other possible candidates.
Now I have no love for the BNP, they revolt me, I do not believe for a second they have changed. However I can see why many would be tempted to vote BNP. From the outside they seem well run, they seem (at least publically) to be united behind their leader. They have a very effective media department (that I for one look upon and feel very jealous) their online following is very shall we say dedicated. They also have a very simple and clear set of ideals.
I feel the BNP will at least in the short term make an impact on British politics and I shall admit part of me is glad of this, I may not support what they stand for but I think it is about time their was a major shock to the Westminster system. However I feel if the “big” parties do tackle the BNP a lot of their more mild support would fall away. This needs to be addressed in a well thought out politcal campaign not by protests and anti facist groups (on Question Time I felt sorry for the BNP) we need to let them have a platform to get their views out and then show the people in a fair and reasoned way that this is not the right approach (much like supporting Labour).
Also on this topic, whilst I admit their is a place in British politics for the BNP; I know a small minority in UKIP and some of the BNP would be in favour of the two working together or lord help us joining, if UKIP ever even considered this I would leave the party the second I heard of it.
PS. One of the main reasons I feel long term they will fail to make a large impact is a lack of true policy (perhaps a bit rich from a member of UKIP? ) here’s just one example from their website “In the long run, we wish to end the conflict in Ireland by welcoming Eire as well as Ulster as equal partners in a federation of the nations of the British Isles” this one makes me chuckle, the thought of the people of the Republic having anything to do with the UK politically, what planet are the BNP on (Eire and Ulster its Northern Ireland and the ROI for a start- honestly this is official policy!)
5 Responses to “BNP challenge must be met by main parties, says Howard”
How can Mr. Griffin say the British National Party are not racist, it’s a whites only party they are obviously a race based party. But if you take the definition below, I copied it out of my dictionary. (Racism is the belief that a particular race is superior or inferior to another, that a person’s social and moral traits are predetermined by his or her inborn biological characteristics. Racial separatism is the belief, most of the time based on racism, that different races should remain segregated and apart from one another. )
Continued.. He can argue that he doesn’t believe that one race is overall better or worse than another, which makes him not a racist. But just as there is a Black police federation which is racist, then the British National Party is racist. They would say if Black police among many other groups, can be racist why can`t they. Now I say a racist is one who dislikes or hate someone without knowing them just because they’re a different race and that is the meaning I don`t like, but you can`t legislate it away unfortunately. And there are people like it in all races. You’re a history student, I do hope you don`t want to be a career politician. Wasn`t Michael Howard in The Heath cabinet, the liar’s that said we was only joining a trading group, the EEC, they were Bloody liar’s alright.
Michael Howard only became a Member of Parliament in 1983, so certainly wasn't in the Heath cabinet.
I stand corrected, you are quite right, & I was wrong.
The BNP are growing in populartiy. This is because there is a serious problem in Britain.
The problem of unrestricted immigration from the EU into Britain, is a problem that was created by the three big parties.
The big three parties all have this crazy open borders policy, towards the 500 million EU citizens who all have the legal right to come to Britain to live and work.
The BNP will not go away, until this problem of unrestricted EU immigration into Britain is dealt with.
But the big three parties will not act on this problem, although there is plently of talk about points systems, and copying Australia.
They all know that the points system does not even apply to EU citizens.
It is all just a smoke-screen to blind the public to the truth about what is really going on.
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