It's funny how little posts I do, which I think no-one will be interested in, suddenly take on a life of their own once Google gets its hands on them.Admitting the virtually subterranean level of traffic volumes to this site, one of the most popular postings I have done, strangely enough, was a Tribute to Paul Walters, Terry Wogan's late producer. There was no end of people putting his name into Google and I seemed to come up in hits 1-10.
Ditto Simone Clarke. One's humble site has been set on fire (bearing in mind this compares to a slight spark from a damp Vesta match on Iain Dale or Stephen Tall's sites) by people shoving "Simone Clarke" or "Simone Clarke BNP" into Google. I have had comments from Norway, Denmark and Holland about it, including a couple of hostile ones.
It seems that Ms Clarke may be a bit of a winner for the BNP, although it pains me to say that. But democracy wins if news of her membership leads to a good discussion of the BNP's ludicrous policies. In fact, my view is, and always has been, that the BNP is, above all, ridiculous. I find it difficult to picture Nick Griffin without a clown's red nose on his face. Yes, they have their undertones, but I think laughter is the best approach, where they are concerned.
Just take their immigration policy. If Simone Clark is, as a Dutch commenter put it, "worried about what's happening in her country" (which also happens to be the country of legal immigrants, who have a right to be here) then I am extremely surprised that she wants to spend good taxpayers money, which could be spent on schools, hospitals and more bobbies on the beat, on the economically futile, totally stupid and logically questionable practice of paying money to "immigrants" to return to their "land of ethnic origin", a policy that is probably highly unlikely to achieve what it sets out to achieve, anyway. It is "pie in the sky" politics.
I didn't expect such a runner when I wrote that original blog posting on Clarke.
Simone Clarke has every right to be a member of the BNP. But everyone has a right to discuss her membership of that party. If you join a political party, whichever one it is, I think it is naive to expect that membership to remain private information if you are in the public eye, as Ms Clarke is. Blabbing to the Mail on Sunday makes her fair game. I didn't comment until she did that interview.
Pictured above - the official BNP "pie in the sky"
I agree with you. If you do an interview with a national newspaper, expect the flak !
ReplyDeleteBy the way, I'm not sure of your new photo. It reminds me of the picture on Iain Dale's website that I always think makes him look too smug !
Oh dear on the photo - back to the drawing board. My daughter took it - or rather them - we tried about a dozen attempts before she was happy. I thought daughters had inbuilt smug alerts....back to the drawing board!...don't want to be compared with ID and all that....!
ReplyDeleteThis story has been bubbling away for a while but this has made me think about what is really going on here. I don't vote for the BNP , you probably don't either and some, or more like all, of their ideas are on just the wrong side of completely bonkers, but they're politicians after all so that's no surprise, and politicians unlikely to get into government and do anything reckless like invade other countries or take way all our civil rights or erm ok maybe I'm not helping the argument here.
ReplyDeleteA group of people called Unite Against Faschism, which sounds like a faschist slogan if ever I heard one, is planning to hold a rally outside a ballet performance in London to protest about the membership of the BNP of Simone Clarke, one of the dancers. Perhaps they could explain what is un-faschist about blockading an arts venue to force the sacking of a dancer because of the political party she supports. It is admirable though that their equal opportunites policy means it's possible to rise to the very top of this organisation despite suffering the very real handicap of posessing no discernible sense of irony.
The BNP is a legal party with 50 local councillors across the country, compared to Unite Against Faschism's none. They probably don't like my views either so are they going to stop me singing in the bath or going to work?
As an occasional concertgoer I've often wondered how the classic FM demographic that comprises the bulk of classical music audiences would cope if living next door to some of the very respectable composers they rustle their sweet wrappers to, with their late nights, noisy practising, chaotic personal lives, radical politics, exotic substance consumption and disreputable associates. Perhaps when we go to a concert or exhibition we wish not so much to look into someone else's thoughts as to look into a mirror which says you are the fairest of them all because you go to the ballet.
I suppose we like to think our ballet dancers have the same thoughts on all matters as the audience; wealthy, metropolitan, liberal. Champagne must be served cold, the arts must be served left wing. It's no different, I suppose, to not wanting to hear the dancers' footsteps on the stage, it spoils the illusion.
I'm going to shut up now lest I get labelled an extreme rightwing fruitcake instead of just a regular fruitcake but you have to wonder what artist, performer, or writer will be deemed ideologically unsound next and who else will feature in Unite Against Faschism's own degenerate art exhibition.
Thank you for that extremely thoughtful response, anonymous. I agree with your gist. You will see on my profile that Evelyn Waugh's "Handful of Dust" is one of my favourite books. Evelyn Waugh was a raving right wing fruitcake. I agree that the Unite against Fascism march is silly and, indeed, likely to play right into the BNP's hands. I recommend to you an article from Jasper Gerrard in last week's Observer which is linked in my further posting below - with which I thoroughly agree. I think that the BNP are not harmless but the best way to fight them is by open and cordial argument. I doubt whether Simone Clarke has properly thought through the implications of her membership of teh BNP - as Jasper Gerard mentions visa vis her partner.
ReplyDeletehttp://paulwalter.blogspot.com/search?q=jasper
Again, thanks for your excellent comment.
She has a freedom of speech and vote but she doesnt have to broadcast it to the nation as its generally considered as a private thing, everyone has their own agender but she obviously wants too help the cause of her party by getting their ideological views across and then smoke screen her comments by saying what people vote for is a private thing? and shouldnt concern anyone? Your turning this into rocket science my dear.
ReplyDeleteI thought that was what I was trying to say, London Turk, but many thanks for putting it so clearly!
ReplyDeleteWell gentlemen, times are changing as indeed are the BNP.
ReplyDeleteSimone didn't broadcast her views to the nation, The Guardian did in another of their sting operations against the BNP.
However, Simone was probably well aware of the consequences of BNP membership. She is not the first employee of "The Arts" to be hounded in this way, not by a long chalk.
Today, it is the BNP who act with dignity, respect and passion - the liberals act (and look) like the thugs and morons.
Times have changed. I'm proud to be a member of the BNP.
Thank you for your comment, King Arthur. You are correct that the Guardian published the fact that Simon Clarke is a member of the BNP. She could have kept a dignified silence after that, but she was the one who chose to give a full scale interview to the Mail on Sunday, talking about her political opinions.
ReplyDeleteI assume you don't bunch me in with the "liberals" (about 25 protesters at the ENB) who have acted like "thugs and morons"? I have made it clear that I disapprove of that protest and that Simone Clarke has "every right to be a member of the BNP".
I do wonder if Simone Clarke is having second thoughts about being a BNP member now that their senior elected politician, Richard Barnbrook, has said 'he hoped that (she and her partner) would not have children.'
If "King Arthur" is so "proud to be a member of the BNP", why is he so shy about his profile, which comes up: "Profile Not Available...The Blogger Profile you requested cannot be displayed. Many Blogger users have not yet elected to publicly share their Profile."
ReplyDeleteThank you for your remarks Paul and Richard.
ReplyDeleteRichard - "why is he so shy about his profile, which comes up: "Profile Not Available..."
The answer is in this very blogg!
Membership of the BNP is oppressed by the state and by corporations acting on behalf of the state (talk about freedom of speech and association!!)
Try working for the police, local government, central government, the fire service, the BBC, the Arts, most financial institutions, etc, etc.
Is Simone being hounded because she said she thought there is too much "mass immigration"? No.
She is being hounded simply because she is a member of the BNP.
And Paul - "I assume you don't bunch me in with the "liberals" (about 25 protesters at the ENB) who have acted like "thugs and morons"
Well, yes I do! Its a bit like the IRA and Sinn Fein. Both are supported and funded by the same people. Just like lib/lab and the UAF etc. You can't support these groups on the one hand and try to distance yourself from them on the other.
Regarding Richard Barnbrook, he is obviously a proud man who believes that culture, heritage and nation are more important than prolonged economic growth at any cost.
That's his opinion and he has a right to express it. He didn't organise a demonstration outside Simone's place of work because she has a mixed race child. He hasn't called for her to be sacked from her job because she has a mixed race child.
Lets have referendums on immigration, membership of the EU and crime. Then let us see whose manifesto best matches the peoples' wishes.
Arthur
ReplyDeleteI can only repeat that I wrote:
"Simone Clarke has every right to be a member of the BNP". I have not called for her to be sacked. The most outrageous statement I have made on this subject is that I think she is "naive". I have made far worse statements about members of the Conservative party.
Arthur, your comparison of my complete lack of any connection whatsoever with "Unite against Fascism" with the IRA and Sinn Fein is just utterly comical. Gerry Adams and Martin MacGuiness used to be members of the IRA. I had never even heard of "Unite against Fascism" until I read about it in the Guardian last week.
You will notice that I never said Richard Barnbrook had no right to state his opinion. I simply said that his view is "intriguing", "fascinating" and "a bit late".
I am all in favour of referenda on immigration and membership of the EU. I am not quite sure what the nature of the question on crime would be in a referendum, but if it was a substantial question I would agree with a referendum on that also. I am all for referenda.
As for seeing which manifesto best matches the peoples' wishes - isn't that what happens in an election?
Any chance of meeting up for a pint sometime?
Paul
ReplyDeleteYour skills as a politician are very evident, try not to upset anybody and keeping to the middle road!
I thought mentioning the letters IRA would provoke some sort of reaction.
The point was more organisational than personal: doesn't the Liberal Party agree with the UAF? Don't some of the financial backers and supporters of the Liberal Party support the UAF?
And just to test your commitment to free speech and expression, do you agree with the "no platform" media blackout of the BNP?
Always happy to have a pint - I used to live in Newbury before they built the by-pass!
Bless you, Arthur. I am not a member of the Liberal Party. I am a member of the Liberal Democrats. The Liberal Party is a separate entity which has far,far fewer members and elected representatives. I was unable to find any link whatsoever between the Liberal Democrats and "Unite against Fascism" on Google. I am not aware of any links between the two entities. Perhaps you could enlighten me? Unfortunately, I don't have access to the bank accounts of individual members and backers of the Liberal Democrats, so I have no idea what other organisations other individuals support.
ReplyDeleteAs I have long complained that the media hardly ever cover the Liberal Democrats, I would certainly be supportive if this is happening to any other party too.
Paul
ReplyDeleteWhy thank you, I've not been blessed for a long time!
I did mean the Lib/Dem Party, I was forgetting the Liberal Party was still in existance. Mind you, they have fewer councillors than the BNP!
You're also right about the UAF outfit and the Lib/Dems, I too could not find any link between the two on the internet (I didn't check the list of MPs on the UAF site to see if any were Lib/Dem MPs - life's too short for that).
just the usual suspects: TUC, various trade unions, pop singers, Ken Livingstone, raft of Labour MPs, etc. Sad to see a teaching union listed as well.
Fortunately I have a databank of the LibDem MPs in my head. There are two on the list - the MP for Orkney and Shetland, and the MP for Portsmouth South. They also have "Paul Tyler MP" down on the list but he retired at the last election. There are three Conservative MPs on the list that I can see. Another interesting inclusion is "Rev Martyn Smyth MP" who was an Ulster Unionist MP until the last election.
ReplyDeleteThe UAF behave more like facist they protest about. For they have closed down any debate on immigration. So that this can not be disgust by anyone without fear of being branded a racist.
ReplyDeleteFor if you do not agree with there opinions they attack you most viciously. With people like that is it any wonder that people are turning to the BNP.
It certainly hasn't closed down the debate here! I haven't accused anyone of racism. I have allowed all comments posted and responded to them in the most gentle and thoughtful way possible.
ReplyDelete