The election of Nick Griffin and Andrew Brons of the British National Party to the European Parliament has caused an uproar in the UK and beyond, with many lining up to express their disgust and revulsion. Others are looking into how this happened and what effect this will have on the nations reputation and the workings of the new parliament. It is no wonder that they are demonised as the party has a strong smell of fascism and a reputation for a thuggish element.
For the first time, the UK elected two far right MEP's
Griffin and Brons seem to follow the political ideals of John Tyndall, who founded the party in 1982. Tyndall has been quoted as saying “Mein Kampf is my bible”, a book that Griffin read at 13. Brons had similar origins, joining the National Socialist Party in his youth. There are many quotes on record from both that would repel anyone with an understanding of history. So, how did these people get into the parliament?
For those not acquainted with the areas where the BNP have their greatest support, and few are, the levels of deprivation in the towns of Bolton, Burnley, Oldham, Preston and so on would be shocking. These places are characterised by high long term unemployment, low investment, poor schools, ill health, high crime and of course, low house prices. In some towns 50 euros would buy you a whole street of boarded up and abandoned homes. These places are among the most deprived in Europe, having been in recession since the demise of the cotton industry.
The Conservative government, elected in 1979 under Margret Thatcher brought in high, long term unemployment, often over 25%, the selling off of council homes for the poor and something more insidious; a contempt for the poor. Thatcher notoriously blamed unemployment on the unemployed, her Minister for Employment, Norman Tebbit was even more vociferous in this. For people living in these areas the economic boom of the 80’s was just something they saw on television.
These areas had been solid Labour seats, both locally and nationally for many decades. Part of the reason the Conservatives could simply abandon them was that there was no electoral consequence. After 18 long years, the wheel turned and Labour became the government in a landslide. At last, people would be rewarded for their support through the dark decades, at last there was a government loudly committed to putting an end to poverty.
An example is Gordon Brown’s pledge to end child poverty by 2020 and halve it by 2010. However, Tony Blair had a plan to keep the party in power ad infinitum. He would concentrate on the floating voters of ‘Middle England’, those who were previously worried about Labour’s socialist tradition and had been assiduously won over by Blair to win the election.
The plan was simple. Labour had its core vote, but needed another 20% to guarantee victory. If the aspirant middle classes could provide this, then Labour had an unbeatable lead in any election. The next elections showed this was true, but eventually there would be a price to pay and on the 7th June 2009 the first invoice landed.
By abandoning its core support, focusing on the relatively affluent and failing to address poverty, the Labour Party is now feeling the consequences. In many places party membership is at rock bottom and the activists are no longer active. In previously solid Labour areas the party doesn’t have any members motivated to go out and canvas support and for some, it’s been many years since a Labour pamphlet came through their doors.
So, how do they vote? The Conservatives abandoned them in 79, Labour in 97, the Liberal Democrats are seen as an irrelevance, or worse as Liverpudlians voted them into the local council – seen as a shock invasion of a solid Labour bastion, and then seen the new administration rule with an incompetence few thought possible.
Where does a white working class voter turn? A voter who thinks he’s been abandoned, who thinks the major parties are not indifferent, but against him? A voter who sees little hope for the future, who feels angry and excluded? The BNP. Why not? All other parties have abandoned and ignored them.
Many Labour MP’s are alarmed and disgusted about the rise of the BNP, and do acknowledge that Labour is responsible, that this is a case of Labour voters fleeing to the far-right. With an election within a year, we’ll get another test of the BNP’s influence, especially in the northern constituencies and some Labour MP’s are worried that enough of their vote will defect to the BNP and could let the Liberal Democrats or the Conservatives, the traditional runners up, win their seats.
So, when wondering who is responsible for the BNP entering Brussels, point your finger towards Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, whose strategies and policies brought this about. And then consider if Tony Blair should be a post-Lisbon President of the European Union.
