Ten lessons for the left from Europe
Denis MacShane writes on the Guardian Comment is Free web site with some observations about the European parliament elections made while campaigning both in his South Yorkshire constituency and in other parts of Europe. Amongst them are:
3. Racism and xenophobia are now part and parcel of European elections. Nicolas Sarkozy and Angela Merkel made their views against the accession of Turkey, a majority Muslim nation, the archstone of their campaign. The manifesto of the centre-right EPP federation explicitly referred to Europe as a Judeo-Christian concept. No room for Muslims then.
The Federation of Poles of Great Britain recently published a dossier of 80 headlines from the Daily Mail which in their judgment amounted to anti-Polish xenophobia. This helps create the swamp the BNP grows in. The more Poles, Slovaks and other foreigners are presented by the right as a problem, the more the BNP and Ukip vote grows.
4. The BNP needs to be exposed. The Yorkshire Post reported on the racial abuse conviction of Andrew Brons, the new Yorkshire BNP MEP. But there was no national publicity. Searchlight continually briefed that the BNP had no real support and Labour’s campaign excluded any direct attacks on the BNP. Even this morning the Today programme failed to mention the BNP’s antisemitism. Brons is a Strasserite – obsessed with Nazi ideology. Griffin’s record of Jew-hatred and racism makes clear his fascism. We need a cordon sanitaire around these people who now have access to the European parliament’s funds which Nigel Farage reckons has given him £2m plus as an MEP. Equally, Labour must now speed up a social housing programme, support workers in the steel and other industries on a par with help given to banks, and bring in ID cards so we know who has a right to be in Britain and who has not.
June 9th, 2009 at 08:48
Hilarious to see how Mr McShane’s attack on the BNP includes a coded appeal to xenophobia, with ID cards being presented as a way to “know who has a right to be in Britain and who has not.”
What’s more, this justification of Home Office ID cards is wholly misleading. Under current legislation, the Home Office scheme would do no such thing. No-one legally in the country for less than six months would have one, and nor would any citizen of an EU country with a right to work here (including our friends from France, Germany, Poland, Italy, and so on). Large numbers of both legal and illegal residents would be completely outside the ID card system.
June 9th, 2009 at 13:31
At times I wonder if the whole idea of the ID card is to make the long term inhabitants of this island feel uncomfortable, and to encourage them to flee elsewhere. Then the land will be available to all those who wish to come here.
June 9th, 2009 at 19:44
He also blamed the BNP’s election on PR on the night (on BBC News24).
Kneejerking, thought-free robot.
June 9th, 2009 at 19:46
…and he’s comparing the SNP in Scotland to the BNP.
Hey Denis: it takes more than sharing 2 letters in your name to make you equivalent.
June 9th, 2009 at 20:42
Given that ID Cards are a racist’s wet dream, we can conclude from this that McShane himself would be happier in the BNP.