One thing that both irritates and humours me is people labelling the BNP as “far right”.
On more than one occasion I’ve opined that this is one of the most successful propaganda coups by the left who have associated the left wing BNP with the right.
The BNP are a left wing party. They are into nationalisation, curtailing freedom of the press and other far-left loveliness. They are not a right wing party but it suits the left if the electorate believes they are because that means they will associate the BNP with the Tories and not Liebour or the Lib Dums.
It’s good to see that I’m not the only one saying this though. A left wing Plaid Cymru AM has objected to the Chairman of Conswervative Future labelling the BNP as left wing. Iain Dale agrees that the BNP is left wing, as does AID. It is absolutely vital that those of us on the political right challenge the accepted wisdom that the BNP is right wing. The BNP is not right wing and the left cannot be allowed to continue to get away with peddling the myth that they are.
Technorati Tags: BNP, Left Wing, Plaid Cymru, Tories
They’ve always had a problem with national socialism.
What is Charleys view on this?
Maybe left/right wing is no longer an appliable designator, could it be changed to control freakery?
Maybe the con is, not that the BNP are right wing but the existence of wings themselves?
‘Control Freakery Wings’, can i get them in KFC?
One can be considered ‘right-wing’ (and thus a Fascist) if one’s views are in any way different from those of the particular leftie with whom one is engaged in ‘discussion’.
William, so…..all commies are actually nazis apart from your lot?
What are nazis then? Anti Social Democrats?
I don’t care for left/right distinctions.
My concern is: are you with working people, or the super-rich? For extending democracy or for keeping big business domination? By telling workers that their enemy is other workers and by attacking workers from ethnic minorities and of different religions, the BNP help the capitalists keep us divided and conquered.
I support the construction workers brave defiance of the anti-union laws – they are asserting their rights to democratically protest their right to work.
Note that members of the BNP have been asked to leave picket lines by workers – they know the issue isn’t about race but class and used Brown’s slogan to attack him, not people from other countries. The opposition isn’t to Italian or Portuguese workers but to the employers trying break the union and undercut the going rate.
In the construction industry the tradition built up by agreements with unions and employers has been 75% local, 25% outside. Rather than directly employing people and advertising the jobs locally, Total have tried to get the job done cheaper by subcontracting it. I don’t imagine those Italian and Portuguese guys sleeping and living on a boat are being paid the going rate – how would the US and Italian companies make a profit?
Axel, I agree that left/right probably isn’t the best way of categorising politics any more – you have to include libertarian/authoritarian in there as well. The BNP are left wing authoritarian. Also, William was taking the piss!
Charlie, you know where I stand – on the middle line. The thing is, you can’t justify incorrectly labelling the BNP as right wing to associate them with the Tories and UKIP when they’re actually left wing and closer to Liebour and the Lib Dums just to keep socialist workers united. An Total have to pay the minimum wage under the EU Posted Workers Directive but they can charge what they want for living expenses.
I think it’s just a backlash from the far left movement because many of them get chucked in the same label as the BNP, unfairly so I should add.
The reason why they’re often labelled far-right is that people don’t really know what the terms mean. To bring up Godwin’s Law; Hitler was left wing. People often think that right is further towards totalitarianism and the left is more liberal. I suppose we should use both when describing parties, as it would solve confusion like this occurring.
@wonkotsane; calling Labour left wing at the moment is just hilarious
Nathan, I think you’re suffering fromt he same confusion you said other people are! Liebour are a bunch of control freaks but ideologically they’re to the left. They’re left wing authoritarian, somewhere near the Soviets and Fascists on the political compass I would say.
Since Left wing \right wing is a french contsruct, could we use our europhobic credentials to demand the establishment of another set of terms?
Charlie
anti union laws– I assumed they had all thought about it and worked out a way to picket yet not break the law?
Sort of like the fox hunters and all their jiggery pokery?
charlie
I’ve worked out my distrust of the “workers” and “left winger”, I’m not a worker but neither am i super rich, so i guess i distrust and hate them both, does that make me middle class? I’ve always seen myself as a Little Boss and when my domains have got to big for me, i have sold sections off or given them away.
charlie 75% / 25 %
I would disagree with this, building and construction has always been a nomadic life, once it is built, there is no work, so you have to go on the road to the next site and over the years your gang gains people from where ever they have been and every so often you are working in your home town again
Charlie
I’m not a worker or a boss, I’m Sid James from Carry On At Your convenience
Hwar hwar hwar
Does anyone in their right mind want to be associated with the BNP?
I imagine that associations in the press between ukip and the bnp have been damaging to ukip – you only have to google and there are loads of sites discussing links. There seem to be a lot of people in the world who don’t know the difference between a love of your country and hatred for everyone elses.
And whatever way you categorise what is left or right wing, I would argue that racism is something that can cross class and party boundaries. Sun readers for example : )
I was interested in what the bnp thought about themselves so I took a look at their website.
Most of the people who commented referred to themselves as right wing. What I found more worrying was all the open invitations to ukip members to join them, for example
“UKIP candidates and officials in Scotland would be warmly welcomed in the BNP where their skills, experience and energy would be better employed in a party that is moving forward rather than backward”
I also saw ukip described as a “Labour backed safety valve party”…. Not sure what planet that guy came from
I’m not surprised you don’t want the bnp to be associated with the right wing, in much the same way that I don’t want them associated with the left wing. They are a blight, pure and simple
“One can be considered ‘right-wing’ (and thus a Fascist) if one’s views are in any way different from those of the particular leftie with whom one is engaged in ‘discussion’”
Oddly enough, from where I stand I find that one can be considered ‘a leftie’ (and thus a Commie) if one’s views are in any way different from those of the particular right-winger with whom one is engaged in ‘discussion’.