Why do you think that the BNP got votes and do you find it worrying? Who are you going to vote for and why? Please no Americans

1: Because 75% of there voters don't have a clue about what they actually stand for and are either to dumb, ignorant or arrogant as to look up what they stand for.

2: No they didn't win by much and with Nicks performance on question time showing me how stupid there leader is I can't see them being a threat.

3: The conservatives this year I think.. I liked there view on immigration. To put a cap on it but not to stop it all together.

4: Americans have just as much right to form an opinion on this as you do.

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"IrishMorn"
If Adon and Sagat step in....ah, what the hell, I'll get drunk and join in on that one.

Like sovvolf said, a lot of the people who voted don't have a bloody clue and just hear some guy saying that there's a reason that their lives are such failures and so crappy.

Basically it just gives people an excuse for why everything's wrong in the world. I blame Gordon Brown personally.

However this does remind me of a funny video of Nick on question time:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_QAvkFS_cgk

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I was joking with the no americans please hence the wink, I don't understand why you blame Gordon Brown. Perhaps if you saw what he has actually done for the country instead of listneing to the media but then again I'm doing a degree in Economics and your probably not. The Conservatives are complete arrogant jerks, the truth is I have no idea who to vote for due to the fact I hate the Conservatives and the BNP, Labour has lost my vote due to the Open Door policy.

When I said I blamed Gordon Brown, I meant it in the same way that the people who vote BNP blame foreigners for them not getting jobs.

But seriously, I don't particularly like the labor governments image and policies and if I was going to vote for anyone it would more likely be conservatives, or the monster raving loony party.
Or more likely just turn up too vote but draw a penis on my ballot paper. I believe the image at the moment is that people don't care about voting, so by going along and spoiling the ballot paper, it shows you want a say but you just don't like the system.

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Mongo1:

I was joking with the no americans please hence the wink, I don't understand why you blame Gordon Brown. Perhaps if you saw what he has actually done for the country instead of listneing to the media but then again I'm doing a degree in Economics and your probably not. The Conservatives are complete arrogant jerks, the truth is I have no idea who to vote for due to the fact I hate the Conservatives and the BNP, Labour has lost my vote due to the Open Door policy.

Sorry I didn't see the joke... adding a wink doesn't always show that your joking... it could have been interpreted as arrogance, seeing as I don't really know you I don't know if your being sarcastic, arrogant or just plain joking.

The conservatives are arrogant... so are the Labour party along with the rest however they seem the best choice at the moment. They seem to have a idea on fixing the immigration problem without insulting every country and race out there. I think every one of our votes are important. See were not taking it seriously but the BNP supporters are and they are voting... if we all stopped voting then the only people left voting would be the BNP.

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"IrishMorn"
If Adon and Sagat step in....ah, what the hell, I'll get drunk and join in on that one.

Wow that was weird my internet dropped just as I was finishing off the post. Also sim656 if you recall what you said earlier, about giving people something to blame. Is that not what a certain Austrian man did plunging the world into World War 2?

Mongo1:

Wow that was weird my internet dropped just as I was finishing off the post. Also sim656 if you recall what you said earlier, about giving people something to blame. Is that not what a certain Austrian man did plunging the world into World War 2?

Yeah and if the BNP have there way with it then it will be a certain Brit that plunges us into World War 3. I do think you missed Sim point on why he's blaming Gordon brown.

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"IrishMorn"
If Adon and Sagat step in....ah, what the hell, I'll get drunk and join in on that one.

Actually, the BNP have a couple of pretty policies that although they solve some problems, don't address wider issues. The reason they got votes isn't because everybody is racist, or that people don't know what they're talking about, the reason they got votes is because the entire country at the moment isn't doing very well, and every political party in our entire parliament is filled with gutless conservatives who want nothing better than to keep it the way it is, with their greedy hands pilfering the only pennies we have left.

That being said, I didn't vote for the BNP in the European elections. Infact, I didn't vote at all, I disagree with democracy completely and think that our dear Queen should retake her position as this county's leader.

Infact, I might start my own political party. "Bloody Revolution in the Streets Party"

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I only wrote this because I hate you.

They're nothing to worry about. They have roughly 0.7% of the votes in the general elections and have no seats in the house of commons.

I think most of the people who vote for them are either a) Genuinely racist and fearful of Muslims and immigrants and gays or b) think they're their last resort.
Regarding B there are definitely people, generally the unemployed, who feel that their jobs are being taken by immigrants and those who want the overpopulation issue dealt with. Remember Jack Straw on Question Time, fumbling through the question on immigration he was posed? Labour can't admit to the mistakes they made. I can see why people would want to turn to someone who is actually wanting to deal with the issues that matter to them.

LethargicMotivator:

That being said, I didn't vote for the BNP in the European elections. Infact, I didn't vote at all, I disagree with democracy completely and think that our dear Queen should retake her position as this county's leader.

Some of the Monster Raving Loony Party's policies might appeal to you. They oppose the Euro but invite the rest of Europe to join the pound.

And I agree, the Queen would probably do a better job running the country.

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The only thing worse than beating a dead horse is betting on one.

deliriousstudios:

They're nothing to worry about. They have roughly 0.7% of the votes in the general elections and have no seats in the house of commons.
I think most of the people who vote for them are either a) Genuinely racist and fearful of Muslims and immigrants and gays.

Yes but these people don't worry me... there clearly a dying breed.

deliriousstudios:

b) think they're their last resort.
Regarding B there are definitely people, generally the unemployed, who feel that their jobs are being taken by immigrants and those who want the overpopulation issue dealt with.

I can imagine there are a few unemployed who really feel it's the fault of immigrants (in some cases it's true, the whole 100 Italians fiasco we had last year) however this isn't always the case.
See what makes me laugh about most the people who vote for them... these people are on Job seekers with no intentions of ever getting a job, they just want to laze about at home getting drunk and getting high on tax payers money and then complain about immigrants taking all of there jobs... the jobs they'll never ever want to do. These people don't realise there part of Britain's problem.

deliriousstudios:

Remember Jack Straw on Question Time, fumbling through the question on immigration he was posed? Labour can't admit to the mistakes they made.

Yeah and to think I voted for them last year... wont make that mistake again.

deliriousstudios:

I can see why people would want to turn to someone who is actually wanting to deal with the issues that matter to them.

Yes I can see that but sadly the BNP are pretty narrow minded when they come to this.

LethargicMotivator:

Infact, I might start my own political party. "Bloody Revolution in the Streets Party"

Can I join and can we wear Guy Fawkes masks while blowing *** up?.

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"IrishMorn"
If Adon and Sagat step in....ah, what the hell, I'll get drunk and join in on that one.

Theres a few reasons...

Of course there are the genuinely racists who will indeed vote for the BNP, little explanation is needed.

There are the protest votes by 'stupid' people.   I covered stupid because no, these are not typically stupid people, but their logic is flawed, in a protest you hope to get large numbers, so protest voting for a group like the BNP is a 'stupid' idea.  If the protest works you will have just voted the BNP in.

There are those who see them as our last choice... labour blatently lie to the public, Lisbon treaty anyone... conservative change their mind every two seconds, and the other parties are generally too quiet to know what they stand for, or too nervous to carry out their policies.     We have reached the point where people are fed up on issues like immigration, but no party wants to appear racist or un-pc so does nothing; except the BNP.

These people don't like them, but see it as our last chance, as a necesary .

And there are those who watched question time, and saw the blatently obvious hand-picked audience to be anti-BNP.  Never before has question time had so many Jewish and ethnic people.    Never mind the fact that other people on the panel were able to avoid questions on homosexuality whiulst Nick Griffen was pushed on his answer, and then had his words utterly twisted by the BBC news directly afterwards.    These peole didn't like the BNP, but also hated the bullying used against him.

If he is so racist and wrong, that we would never vote him in, what have we to lose from giving him a fair chance on tv?   Problem is that simply isn't the case.


P.S  ALL the parties suck, hence why I intend to start my own upon turning 18...aye 18 and I'm fed up with these people in government already.

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Me and Mortalitis...and some other guy?


Anony: Strip and all your problems will go away

umbr44:

And there are those who watched question time, and saw the blatently obvious hand-picked audience to be anti-BNP.  Never before has question time had so many Jewish and ethnic people.

I think most people out there are anti-BNP or at least have some thing against them, you bring some one like that on question time then every one's going to take a bite at him. Though despite the large grin on my face I did feel as if they were bullying him however it was for the "greater " he makes so many statements without any proof or evidence and often refuses to answer when he's questioned about them, finally they get him some were that he has to answer.

umbr44:

Never mind the fact that other people on the panel were able to avoid questions on homosexuality whilst Nick Griffen was pushed on his answer, and then had his words utterly twisted by the BBC news directly afterwards.

 
Twisted? how?, all Nick said when ever he was confronted by some thing controversial he had said previously was that he was misquoted. Apparently he was misquoted on a youtube video. 

umbr44:

These peolpe didn't like the BNP, but also hated the bullying used against him.If he is so racist and wrong, that we would never vote him in, what have we to lose from giving him a fair chance on tv?   Problem is that simply isn't the case.

Things said aside I thought that he was bullied on there but well he'll get over it, Nick is a liar and a snake they used his time on question time to confront him on what he has stated. To weed out his lies and to show the people he as lied to exactly what he and his party stand for... it was wrong but I'd say it was a necessary . What I didn't like was the Anti-fascists outside... as much as I hate the *** we still have freedom of speech in this country, taking that away from him would be fascism (kinda ironic for an anti-fascist party.. although I've always said it... you can't be anti-fascist without being fascist). I hope they invite him on question time again, although this time now that every one had there bite of him and he's had to answer for what he's said, then maybe he can be allowed to have is opinion on the current issues... you know like what question time was meant for.

I do think (despite thinking it was a "necessary ") that the flogging should have been reserved for Hard Talk... some thing that I hope to see Nick on some time soon.

umbr44:

P.S  ALL the parties suck, hence why I intend to start my own upon turning 18...aye 18 and I'm fed up with these people in government already.

Well what policies do intend on having?.. I would like to know? I could be a future voter... I would love to have a better option then what I have now.

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"IrishMorn"
If Adon and Sagat step in....ah, what the hell, I'll get drunk and join in on that one.

Mongo1:

I don't understand why you blame Gordon Brown. Perhaps if you saw what he has actually done for the country instead of listneing to the media but then again I'm doing a degree in Economics and your probably not. The Conservatives are complete arrogant jerks.

Yes, I can definitely see why one would need a degree in economics in order to be able to form such a cutting and undeniable rebuttal of Conservative policy as that.

It would be my supposition that motives that lead to a vote for the BNP's vote can be divided thusly: racism, concern over immigration (often linked to the previous), concern over Islamic extremism (which I would differ from racism) and protest. Racism is a rather endemic thing that occasionally has the odd surge. I think its prevalence can be underestimated sometimes, as whilst there is only a minority of people who are racist in a vitriolic sense, there are a great many more people who at a personal level would never let a person's colour prejudice their opinion of them but at a general level are still inclined toward prejudiced opinions.

Immigration is obviously a somewhat significant issue these days, no doubt exacerbated by the recession, which tends to lead to resentment among the unemployed. "The British jobs for British workers" mentality.

Concern over Islamic extremist is certainly a more modern thing. The attacks and those bloody wars certainly created a climate of restlessness. Interestingly enough though Islamic extremism can offend liberal sensibilities and ironically drive liberals into the arms of fascists. I know one chap, whose proclivities in love are the same as those of Achilles, who voted for the BNP because he thought them less likely to kill him than the "Muslims". No doubt extremist Christians would kill him as well, but then in Europe you're not even guranteed to find a sufficiently extremist Christian in Rome, which why perhaps they are less oft-mentioned. The BNP has certainly monopolised this concern for its own benefit.

As vehicle of protest the BNP is certainly very effective, nothing attracts such comment and puts the boot into mainstream politicians quite as much as a vote for the party. In many ways they are to every election what UKIP is to European Elections and in many ways they have the same effect: everyone talks about it and the reasons for it and then makes up lots of excuses, usually via statistics or inflating the effect of some recent scandal and calling it a "protest vote", so they don't actually have to address anything. Then, of course, they find themselves having to explain even better successes at the next election.

The BNP probably does owe some of its vote to a protest vote, but it is both disingenuous and dangerous to overstate the significance of this. The net effect of disillusionment with the mainstream parties has led people to abstain from voting not to vote for extremists. This does raise the relative share of the vote of the extremist parties, and this effect probably does attribute for their recent electoral successes. However, they also are, in absolute terms, recieving a number of votes not far off the amount to your friendly neighbourhood Green Party candidates. Doing something about global warming would, therefore, seem to be about as popular as racism.

Edit: And having just scrolled up I have happened upon an early posting by Del and I see that he has anticipated everything I've said here and done it far more succintly. You win this battle, Delirious.  

 

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The Original Crazy Reactionary

Sovvolf:

I think most people out there are anti-BNP or at least have some thing against them, you bring some one like that on question time then every one's going to take a bite at him. Though despite the large grin on my face I did feel as if they were bullying him however it was for the "greater " he makes so many statements without any proof or evidence and often refuses to answer when he's questioned about them, finally they get him some were that he has to answer.

Not to claim anything bad about you...but 'the greater ' is a terrible phrase.  Used for the Nazis alot, the final solution was 'for the greater '.   Whose greater ?  Why does someone else decide what is for me by trying to bellittle someone with bullying when they could have easily done so other ways?


 

Sovvolf:

  Twisted? how?, all Nick said when ever he was confronted by some thing controversial he had said previously was that he was misquoted. Apparently he was misquoted on a youtube video. 

In the show Nick said something along the lines of, "Many people would find two gay men kissing on the street incredibly creepy."   Whilst the BBC news then claimed Nick had said "Gays are incredibly creepy."   These are two VERY different statements.

I wont deny he has lied about ebing misquoted, but why not use this truth to berate him, instead of making up utter lies.

Personally, I wouldn't find it creepy, but the truth is many indeed would.


 

Sovvolf:

Things said aside I thought that he was bullied on there but well he'll get over it, Nick is a liar and a snake they used his time on question time to confront him on what he has stated. To weed out his lies and to show the people he as lied to exactly what he and his party stand for... it was wrong but I'd say it was a necessary . What I didn't like was the Anti-fascists outside... as much as I hate the *** we still have freedom of speech in this country, taking that away from him would be fascism (kinda ironic for an anti-fascist party.. although I've always said it... you can't be anti-fascist without being fascist). I hope they invite him on question time again, although this time now that every one had there bite of him and he's had to answer for what he's said, then maybe he can be allowed to have is opinion on the current issues... you know like what question time was meant for. I do think (despite thinking it was a "necessary ") that the flogging should have been reserved for Hard Talk... some thing that I hope to see Nick on some time soon.

Can't disagree there, and episode where he isn't bullied would be much appreciated, I personally think it wont happen though.  Although he is racist and should never be able to get power, he has alot of views which people agree with, and people are unfortunatly happy to be selfish and if it can help them.  (Broad statement I know, doesn't apply to all.)

Sovvolf:

Well what policies do intend on having?.. I would like to know? I could be a future voter... I would love to have a better option then what I have now.

Well to put it very briefly, I don't care what people think of me...of course that makes no sense when running for PM   But I am confident I owuld be able to show the actions that would get me called a racist, are in-fact not at all racist.    Heck, my mother is South African by birth, I'm unlikely to be racist to my own background am I

We have the right wing parties and the left wing parties, and only very few parties who sit in the middle, but they are all afraid to speak up, I'd be the one who isn't afraid....mostly because I'm young and full on adrenaline

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Me and Mortalitis...and some other guy?


Anony: Strip and all your problems will go away

I'd say the BNP is mainly getting votes because in the current state of the country, only the BNP particularly thrust the blame upon anyone (albeit the wrong people). They're pretty much saying "We'll throw out the immigrants, and then the country will be right as rain again". Many deluded, scared, or just plain misinformed voters are backing the BNP, since they make it sound like it's as simple as just removing a few people (If you can class everyone who isn't white, straight, or a member of the aryan race as 'a few people').

 Also, virtually anyone over 18 can be on the electoral roll, right? And (it might just be me, but see if this applies to you, too) For every 1 person I know, I know at least 5 others who don't possess a working brain cell between them (It may just be because of of the area I live in though - Chav central). So, logically this would mean that a large majority of people ellegible to vote have an IQ lower than that of a particularly uninteligent wallnut. And this percentage is most likely the main cause of the BNP getting votes. Especially since their policies are straight forward, and printed in big red bold letters (Or at least, on the advertisement I got in the post, they were). We got a conservative advertisement in the post, and it waffled on about the policies in a rather boring way. The BNP one, on the other hand, pretty much just said "You vote for us, we start the ethinc cleansing... *Ahem* I mean, 'secure the British economy'...  and we'll have this mess cleaned up in a jiffy", like some kinda twisted right-wing Jim'll Fix it.

(Exept I'm pretty sure Jimmy Saville wouldn't accept the request "Jim, can you fix it for me so that all the blacks, poles, and jews will bugger off home". Though I'd love to have seen someone try xD)

Hmm... I think I may have started talking out of my *** again. Eh, whatever. There's no chance the BNP will actually come into power, so there's not that much need to worry.

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"When words are scarce they are seldom spent in vain"

Whoever said sarcasm was the lowest form of wit had obviously never heard of puns. Or Lolcats. Or Jim Davidson...

You need to be 21.

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I only wrote this because I hate you.

Right you are, they hid that well on the electoral comission website, nothing within the application help mentions an age, I only found that by performing a search after seeing your post.  

Bleh, gives me time to study harder at university first then.

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Me and Mortalitis...and some other guy?


Anony: Strip and all your problems will go away

It took me a while to find it too, but I found it in an old leaflet I got from school telling you when certain things are legal.

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I only wrote this because I hate you.