The BNP

[luxemburg89]

This appeared in the Leftist Newspaper 'The Morning Star' today.

"ANTI-FASCIST campaigners said that they were ''outraged'' yesterday at the possibility that the far-right British National Party could be awarded over £670,000 for its Scottish parliamentary campaign.
The rules require that any political party must stand, in the election fields, at least four candidates in each of the Scottish Parliaments eight regions.
If the BNP succeeds in fielding 32 candidates, it will receive funding for its campaign, an election broadcast and free publicity.
Scottish TUC general secretary Grahame Smith said: "the STUC is outraged that the BNP are to be given tax-payers money and public airtime to spread their message of lies, hatred and misinformation.
"Racist organisations like the BNP must be challenged at every level and should never be given a public platform."
Unite Against Fascism joint secretary Weyman Bennett pointed out that the BNP has a history of encouraging racism and discrimination in Scotland.
"The BNP is attempting to stir up racism in Scotland. It remains a fascist organisation who should not have access to public funds," he said.'
Morning Star, Friday 9th February 2007

Please give your advice on what we can do, comrades, to stem the rise of the BNP. It seems that their numbers are increasing, or rather the amount of attention they're getting, any attention for them gives them a platform to raise their issues. We, meaning everyone on this site as Nationalism (whilst limited to one country) and racism should strike a chord with us all. The left is internationalist and therefore, in my opinion, it affects us all. Is there any way we can stem the rise of the BNP without drawing any attention to them? we NEED to stop them. With the rediculous anti-muslim climate Britain has at the moment, im worried that their numbers will swell. What can we do?

[The Grey Blur]

Well first off you have to establish why working-class people are voting for the BNP - a party which will not actually improve their material conditions and peddles a racist and fascist line. I and most on the left would see it a failure of the traditional working class party - Labour - to effectively represent their working-class voters.

This then raises another question - what is the long-term counter to the rise of the BNP? It is clearly the reestablishment of a genuine Socialist alternative. Whether this be through a new mass worker's party or the reclamation of the labour party.

In the short term you could join a group like Unite Against Fascism or whatever SWP front is on the go at the moment, but mainly just talking to people, debating BNP sympathisers and perhaps handing out leaflets is the best way to go about combatting fascism in your area. If you are unafraid of the possible legal consequences you could become an active Antifa fighter, but this is not always the best route.

[luxemburg89]

I've just had to write extensively on the Labour party and it's formation for part of my history coursework. They were traitors from the start. Lenin once said about Arthur Henderson, who was one of the major figures in the party (and later leader in 1930s) : 'The British Communist Party should support Henderson...like the rope supports the hanged' - How many would love to replace Henderson with Blair and Brown. The Labour party are weak - perhaps it would be best not to USE them but to ABUSE them for our own means, if you know what i mean. They have always refused affiliation with left wing groups - they are not a working class party - they act in the national interest (i.e. what the middle class investors tell them to do).

Thank you very much for your post. i agree with you about antifa maybe not being the right route - at the moment. we cannot give them the stage to act out their lies. Antifa, if afraid - but am not sure - may draw attention - i'm gonna look into Unite Against Facism.

[luxemburg89]

sorry - i'm afraid not 'if afraid' - too much to drink

[The Grey Blur]

Well I'm not too hot on my Labour history (something which irritates me) but there has always been a revolutionary socialist current within the British Labour Party, tolerated or not. Historically speaking groups which left the LP declined in membership and activity (SLP or RCP) while entryist groups had more success. I certainly agree though - the debate is on the table.

[luxemburg89]

Thanks for the reply

I just went on the Unite Against Fascism website (type it in google) and theres a form you can download - im certainly joining...we need to destroy these fascists now before they get too big.
They ask for a small monthly payment (as low as two quid) which im happy to donate to the cause.

[sailing to byzantium]

This then raises another question - what is the long-term counter to the rise of the BNP?
undermining the union.

[luxemburg89]

sorry i dont quite understand what you mean mate.

[socialistpunk]

sorry but im from edinburgh and i say we stop them from ever getting support in scotland. :angry:

[WP_Joel]

Originally posted by [email protected] 09, 2007 11:42 pm
Thanks for the reply

I just went on the Unite Against Fascism website (type it in google) and theres a form you can download - im certainly joining...we need to destroy these fascists now before they get too big.
They ask for a small monthly payment (as low as two quid) which im happy to donate to the cause.
I recommend supporting them, however joining them is not the best idea. They are not successful in countering fascism at all.

For example, they do not ask for people to not vote BNP, instead they ask for people to vote for one of the main parties instead. Totally ignoring the fact that it is these parties who through immigration laws, the war in Iraq etc. are in fact the cause of the rise of the BNP.

They are also a popular front (despite "unite" being in the name). They cannot see beyond the idea of greater number = greater success, which is not always the case. As a result they have to appeal to the liberal and conservative members of their organisation who are much less willing to truly do what it takes to resist fascism. An example of this is that David Cameron is a member.

There are also cases of them being highly undemoratic. For example of the Leeds University branch of UAF. After winning a vote to Build for the people's assembly against Islamaphobia, Revolution (an organisation im a member of) were expelled from that branch and threatened with legal action for using the UAF logo.

It is however a very good organisation for winning people over in the arguement further left as fascism is clearly a capitalism phenomenon and therefore the arguement can be used that the only way to annihilate fascism is to overthrown fascism.

[luxemburg89]

he's a fucking member!!!!
that's it im not going near them! He's such a slimy twat (my apologies to slimy twats) he just lies about everything - im not signing myself up to lies.

[sailing to byzantium]

Originally posted by [email protected] 12, 2007 12:03 am
sorry i dont quite understand what you mean mate.
If theres no Britain, how can there be a British nationalist party? ''Britishness'' is cultural tyranny, Britain isnt one nation its a number of them, all under the imperialist iron fist of a capital obsessed state. First step to overcoming this is returning power to communities and stop undermining real cultures with destructive nonsense like ''britishness''.

[Whitten]

Originally posted by sailing to byzantium+February 22, 2007 03:31 pm--> (sailing to byzantium @ February 22, 2007 03:31 pm)
[email protected] 12, 2007 12:03 am
sorry i dont quite understand what you mean mate.
If theres no Britain, how can there be a British nationalist party? ''Britishness'' is cultural tyranny, Britain isnt one nation its a number of them, all under the imperialist iron fist of a capital obsessed state. First step to overcoming this is returning power to communities and stop undermining real cultures with destructive nonsense like ''britishness''. [/b]
How are those cultures any more destructive than a british identity? All that accomplishes is playing into the hand of the Bourgeois who seek the divide the working class by exasserbating petty differences.

[sailing to byzantium]

Originally posted by Whitten+February 22, 2007 03:36 pm--> (Whitten @ February 22, 2007 03:36 pm)
Originally posted by sailing to [email protected] 22, 2007 03:31 pm

[email protected] 12, 2007 12:03 am
sorry i dont quite understand what you mean mate.
If theres no Britain, how can there be a British nationalist party? ''Britishness'' is cultural tyranny, Britain isnt one nation its a number of them, all under the imperialist iron fist of a capital obsessed state. First step to overcoming this is returning power to communities and stop undermining real cultures with destructive nonsense like ''britishness''.
How are those cultures any more destructive than a british identity? All that accomplishes is playing into the hand of the Bourgeois who seek the divide the working class by exasserbating petty differences. [/b]
It has nothing to do the bourgeois trying to divide the working class. its about transcending the us and them mentallity of industrialist politics and upholding something more meaningful and more natural to people than the consumerist/capitalist society that British imperialism has established.

[Sir Aunty Christ]

Originally posted by sailing to byzantium+February 22, 2007 04:31 pm--> (sailing to byzantium @ February 22, 2007 04:31 pm)
[email protected] 12, 2007 12:03 am
sorry i dont quite understand what you mean mate.
If theres no Britain, how can there be a British nationalist party? ''Britishness'' is cultural tyranny, Britain isnt one nation its a number of them, all under the imperialist iron fist of a capital obsessed state. First step to overcoming this is returning power to communities and stop undermining real cultures with destructive nonsense like ''britishness''. [/b]
They'd just reorganise themselves into the English National Party or something and Scottish BNPers would set up a Scottish equivalent

[apathy maybe]

Find out who the candidates are and beat the shit out of them.

Rinse and repeat.


More seriously (though the above suggestion is serious), put out anti-fascist literature, explaining why the BNP isn't good for anyone except the BNP. The working class would get screwed, immigrants, women and so on under a BNP government.

Even if you don't want a BNP government, they can still adversely affect these groups by promoting racist and other crap.

[CommonSense]

It seems to me that Nationalism and Capitalism are diametrically opposed. Traditional Capitalism thrives on the division of each individual so that the organized few can take over. Soviet totalitariansim works in a similar manner by creating, not a united whole, but a mass of non-identities that are taken over by the few who have retained it. As it is...apathy is the best tool for you guys. But whose got their hand up your ass having you play puppet for them? Has a leftist revolution ever stayed that way? The harder you work for one end of the spectrum the closer you get to the other, because it is a circle, breakable only by inactivity. That is the basic philosophy behind the general strike. Starve out the leeches, refuse to feed them. The more hate you bring for fascists the more fascists you create. It was the "great communist revolutions" of Russia that were financed by New York Capitalists. Get that straight.

[Fawkes]

Um, that seemed like somewhat of a rant, would you care to refine your points into something more legible?