BNP Samizdat (or... why should the 'fascists' have all the best tunes ? )

[ships-cat]

Forgive me if this is the wrong thread for this topic… perhaps the Guild of Moddies could move it appropriately ? And similarly, my apologies for the rather dramatic 'title'.. but....

Whilst perambulating through the UK Debate forum, I was made aware of another feature that had been added to the BNP website. Now, before you jump on me, NO… this is not a back-channel promotion of that party, but – if you’re in the business of opposing them, or promoting your own beliefs - then it MIGHT be of interest to you.

The BNP seem to have been very good at jumping on the internet bandwagon, and their website is surprisingly sophisticated. (It’s also by far and away the most visited party political website in the UK. )

For some time now, they’ve had this “BNPTv” section, featuring video clips that they’ve produced themselves. This is usually clips from meetings, or interviews with party leadership types, and so on and so forth. The new feature (called something like “BNPTv live”, or somesuch) is – currently – a sort of rolling ‘juke box’ of these clips, but it promises to run ‘live’ stuff in the future. (presumably “Nick Griffin, the movie”, or whatever).

So what ?

Well, does the “left”, or the UAF etc, have anything like this ? And if not, why not ?

We’ve all seen Youtube… but what the BNP are producing is FAR and away more sophisticated than that. They are using the techniques and methodologies of professional broadcast production, but adapted to “home” equipment. And some of this equipment – used carefully – can give ‘broadcast quality’ results. I’m an ex-BBC engineer, and I’m stunned at what can be done in 2008 with a £400 camera, a tripod, a GOOD microphone, and a home PC running £800’s worth of Adobe Premier. (or even – if you have the patience – the free video-editing package that comes with Windows XP. )

Most of the trick is the production techniques; not so much lighting or sound (but the latter is the biggest downfall in most ‘amateur’ productions), but the scripting, and the choice of camera angles, camera technique, and subtle editing. All of which can be gleaned from the pages of the Amateur Home Video type magazines in W. H. Smiths.

At the risk of repeating myself; I can see the BNP doing this. But are UAF ? Or the SWP, or ANYONE on the left ?

Labour isn’t. If it wants to make a video, it hires in £20,000 of “conventional” facility-house equipment and expertise. It gets a fancy video, but has to pay the entire £20,000 again the next time. How many of us can afford to do that ? (actually.. at the moment, neither can the Labour Party, but that's another story).

At a time when professional video production… all the way down to mastering on DVD and actually broadcasting… BROADCASTING for crying out loud… is in the grasp of 'amateur' groups or even private individuals … why aren’t the Left taking advantage of the new Samizdat ?

Why are you leaving the BNP to have all the good tunes, to mis-quote the old saying ?

I know I’m rambling. But if anyone is interested in the practicalities of the above, then post here and I’ll throw in some more information on DIY video.

Or perhaps this is already happening, and I just haven’t come across it yet ?

In which case… file this in the Trashcan.



Meow Purr :)

[Pirate turtle the 11th]

Do we look wealthy enough to do this?

Prehaps if we all pool together then perhaps.

But we dont really have professional revolutionaries who have loads of time on there hands. But i think its something to keep at the back of our minds.

[Pogue]

Our left in the UK is divided, this means a lack of funds and support, meaning we're limited to what we can do as individual groups, whereas most of the racists and fascists in the UK are in the BNP, with only a few other groups, meaning the BNP has more support than each individual left party, with the exception of the Green Party that is. This is why the BNP gains votes and gets power to do things like have "BNPtv". The left of the UK needs to unite to fight the BNP Nazi's, before its too late, because otherwise their power and influence will just grow and grow.

[Pirate turtle the 11th]

Our left in the UK is divided, this means a lack of funds and support, meaning we're limited to what we can do as individual groups, whereas most of the racists and fascists in the UK are in the BNP, with only a few other groups, meaning the BNP has more support than each individual left party, with the exception of the Green Party that is. This is why the BNP gains votes and gets power to do things like have "BNPtv". The left of the UK needs to unite to fight the BNP Nazi's, before its too late, because otherwise their power and influence will just grow and grow.

Yeah it would be split mania. The bnp has some bloke at the top calling all the shots. Half the left would object to every program.

[ships-cat]

HLVS... Comrade Joe... I can see what you're saying, but I'm not sure it's the entire picture.

The impression I got from the early days of BNPTv (ummm.... gosh... 2006 ??? ) was that it was VERY amateurish.. one person and a camera. How many members does the BNP have ? They refuse to publish the numbers, but I've heard anywhere between 8000 and 30,000. (and I suspect it is closer to the former than the latter). That hardly seems like an overwhelming cardre of activists. Did they have "time on their hands" ? Well.. .dunno.... but the UAF seem to have time to travel around in their 'hope not hate' bus, and to organise benefit gigs. But not to video them ?

As for money, the UAF is awash with it. Now, I have a friend who bought his first video camera when he was on the dole. He sacrificed a LOT to be able to afford the down-payment, and the monthly credit terms.. but he met them. That was on the 1987 equivelant of £56.00 per week. And THAT camera cost the equivelant of £800 in 2008 money. So don't tell me it can't be done.

The fact that you are posting in this forum means that you have a computer... which can become a video-editing machine.

I mean.. come on.. really ? Are all the left just going to sit on their hands and hand the BNP a propaganda victory here ? If so, do you REALLY have the moral authority to lobby against them on the streets ?


Meow Purr.

[union6]

i combat the BNP-TV with not one, not two but THREE Leftwing online TV stations :w00t: lol
i found these while browsing various forums:
www.mogulus.com/sovietv
www.mogulus.com/ussrtv
www.mogulus.com/redstartv

it seems Moguls is a handy little site

[Holden Caulfield]

in regards to the title, the BNP do not have the best tunes, the Irish republicans do by far!

[ships-cat]

in regards to the title, the BNP do not have the best tunes, the Irish republicans do by far!

Hee hee.. and if I was to say that I was merely using that as a metaphor for the BNP's seeming superiority in the vi..

(loses the will to continue)

Meow Purr. :)

[BashTheFash]

in regards to the title, the BNP do not have the best tunes, the Irish republicans do by far!

Spot on :cool: I have a listen to them myself when I am bored.

Also the Antifa Hooligan song is pretty cool

[Holden Caulfield]

c'mon c'mon. c'mon c'mon, c'mon c'mon, ANTIFA HOOLIGANS!,

you mean that ^^ one?

[Pirate turtle the 11th]

yeah thats the shizz (has anyone seen the new antifa video on youtube it has british antifas in) (i think the guy getting beaten up is from the BPP)

[ships-cat]

well.. I'm shocked and dismayed.

It appears that the "left". as represented by the above comments ... have no interest in presenting their position to the british public.

Now... that just CAN'T be right.. .can it ?

Meow Purr ? :(

[Pirate turtle the 11th]

well.. I'm shocked and dismayed.

It appears that the "left". as represented by the above comments ... have no interest in presenting their position to the british public.

Now... that just CAN'T be right.. .can it ?

Meow Purr ? :(

We cant afford to neither do we have the time.

[Pogue]

And we can't because we're divided into small groups, making our abilities incredibly limited. As I said, unite and win.

[contemptpunk]

I agree with ship's cat in much of what he's saying. It's not impossible, not unaffordable, and won't take all of us the rest of our lives to achieve, will it? Seems to me that he's almost offering to help a bit and get involved, or am I reading too far between the lines? Anyway, there may be many reasons (excuses?) why we can't do it, but no reason why we can't explore the idea a bit more and see if we can, is there? I like the idea anyway, and while I can't see us having our own channel by a week Thursday or anything, do think we could be a bit more progressively thinking here. Propaganda is their biggest weapon if they're going to get the public to swallow their bullshit, which they are being successful with to some small degree, no harm in trying to up the ante ourselves.

[Pogue]

We need a strong and united anti-fascist left wing party to begin taking steps like this. As I said, when we're divided, any such efforts of us to publicise our anti-fascist message will be limited to the small areas of influence each individual group has.

[Dr Mindbender]

we should set up a revleft channel on that mogulus site and have a direct link from the forum.I think it would provide the broadest perspective of revolutionary politics.

[Dr Mindbender]

still no takers for this idea ^

damn!

I hope someone is up for this, i've got a great idea for a logo/jingle as well.

[Jazzratt]

We cant afford to neither do we have the time.

This is bollocks. It may be that the left is too fractured or that certain leftists/organisations are too lazy but it's unfair to say that leftwing groups cannot afford this - as ship's cat pointed out the BNP do this on 'home' equipment (whatever that means from a BBC engineer :P) so it really won't cost much more than the papers that seems obligatory to most leftist groups. As for having the time that's simply an excuse - again a lot of gorups are legitimately busy with other campaigns but it's high time we moved out of the sphere of "leftist-as-print-journalist" and turned our hands to "leftist-as-video-journalist".

[Dr Mindbender]

This is bollocks. It may be that the left is too fractured or that certain leftists/organisations are too lazy but it's unfair to say that leftwing groups cannot afford this - as ship's cat pointed out the BNP do this on 'home' equipment (whatever that means from a BBC engineer :P) so it really won't cost much more than the papers that seems obligatory to most leftist groups. As for having the time that's simply an excuse - again a lot of gorups are legitimately busy with other campaigns but it's high time we moved out of the sphere of "leftist-as-print-journalist" and turned our hands to "leftist-as-video-journalist".

lets stop talking about it and make it so.

http://www.mudvillegazette.com/milblogs/picard.gif

[Holden Caulfield]

yeah thats the shizz (has anyone seen the new antifa video on youtube it has british antifas in) (i think the guy getting beaten up is from the BPP)

hahaha the fat bald guy?!? i think i seen this vid a while ago, ill check it out

[union6]

we should set up a revleft channel on that mogulus site and have a direct link from the forum.I think it would provide the broadest perspective of revolutionary politics.

yea im up for that, maybe have all the videos that are listed on one of the sticky in the film section, pm me and il give you my msn and we can talk more about it if you want

[Dr Mindbender]

yea im up for that, maybe have all the videos that are listed on one of the sticky in the film section, pm me and il give you my msn and we can talk more about it if you want


great so revleft tv is born.

Lets not let this one fall by the wayside like the leftist youtube, okay boys and girls?
;)

[Jazzratt]

great so revleft tv is born.

Lets not let this one fall by the wayside like the leftist youtube, okay boys and girls?
;)

I think the youtube project fell by the wayside because we had nothing of note to upload. This would probably need a bit more planning and discussion (perhaps making a group?).

[Kami]

perhaps making a group
Sounds like a good idea, count me in.

On a side note, perhaps some sort of revleft portal is in order if this happens? Somewhere you see latest posts, latest news and latest videos, for example. I've seen a few forums do something along those lines, only they've never had anything to put on there :P

[Dr Mindbender]

I think the youtube project fell by the wayside because we had nothing of note to upload. This would probably need a bit more planning and discussion (perhaps making a group?).

probably also because none of us had a clue about advanced flash and html. Also none of us have to dosh to rent any discernable server space since a youtube clone would take up a shitload of bandwidth.

:rolleyes: