Since gaining seats in the European Parliament, there has been much speculation and debate surrounding the BNP and its leader Nick Griffin, with the words 'racist' and 'hatred' making frequent appearances, to the point where it appears that all other British political parties seem less concerned with their own agendas and increasingly infatuated with the advances their far-right counterpart has made.
History has shown that Europe, on occasion has a tendency to embrace the far-right and even in it's current state, parties with so-called 'extreme' views are steadily clawing their way up the polls. But isn't this democracy in action, allowing the electorate to choose a party they believe best represents their values, one that will lead their nation to prosperity?
The illusion of a multi-party political system has been demystified and in the eyes of the press and public opinion, Labour, Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats, are the only parties worth a mention. So much so, that there has been much time coverage expended in debating whether Nick Griffin, MEP, should even be allowed to appear on the nations' favourite political Punch and Judy show, Question Time. There are talks of audience members protesting, of camera crews refusing to capture Mr Griffin on screen but these all seem like futile attempts. Surely, if we are so against the values of a party, then having the leader of said party, in the presence of his peers, subject to questioning and open debate, would be a much more interesting idea, one that would allow the electorate to become informed and make choices accordingly, and the party to be exposed as nothing more than thugs masquerading as politicians in badly made suits - if that be the case.
I am no supporter of the BNP and their values, but if you are a registered party and have had siginificant support and success, then no matter how absurd your views, you have earned the right to express them, one of the main staples in a democratic theory that this nation so eloquently preaches and tries to enforce the world over, but if we are prepared to abandon this principle, simply becuase we disagree with another's viewpoint, then maybe we have sleepwalked into some Orwellian landscape filled with censorship, blind allegiance.
This is on point. Perhaps most people don't really know what democracy means but instead associate it with a set of principles that can't be reconciled with the views of the BNP.
ReplyDeleteNo doubt, though. You have the right of it.
Thank you kind Sir.
ReplyDelete