Well, the build up to Nick Griffin's forthcoming appearance on Question Time is properly under way now. I was, as you can imagine, especially please to see Blurton (in Stoke-on-Trent, for those not of a local disposition!) featured as a great example of the 'white working class' who are being drawn to vote for the BNP.
Actually, unpleasant as it was, the main piece was pretty accurate, although the figures presented clearly show that 'working class' is not really the correct phrase. It painted a picture of a community excluded from traditional employment opportunities, living on a disastrously low average income and quite understandably resentful about the situation in which they find themselves.
And, helpfully, Barbara Follet (Labour MP and Minister for Culture, Creative Industry and Tourism) was on hand to discuss the issue in detail. And, helpfully, she continues to almost entirely miss the point, an approach not entirely unusual to the main parties.
This is not a discussion about race. People who are comfortably off and happy with their lot rarely get overly concerned about what the brown people down the road are up to. There may well be some low-level residual racism in their conversation, (and as a dyed-in-the-wool wishy-washy liberal I abhor this as much as the next person), but offensive as this is, it certainly never rises to voting for neo-Nazis.
All the major parties have entirely failed to tackle the massive clusters of unemployment and deprivation that blight many of our previously industrial cities. Although decline had been in the system for many years, the marvellous contribution of Margaret Thatcher's policies put the nail in the coffin of the sort of skilled yet somewhat unpleasant industries that made Stoke and many other cities economically viable. The subsequent failure of both Tory and Labour governments (and local authorities) to develop and deliver a clear vision and strategy for meaningful economic redevelopment that focusses on exactly the individuals no longer employed in engineering/manufacturing etc. has left large proportions of the population in these areas with literally no hope.
These people look around and see anyone different from them as being favoured and are understandable resentful. Their analysis of the situation is incorrect, but the mistakes are understandable given their viewpoint.
Which brings us to Question Time. Many principled politicians (see Peter Haine) believe that the BNP should not be given a flagship public platform.
Absolute nonsense, I think. It's about time that these thugs and idiots were properly challenged on their policies by the public and serious politicians. Exposure to proper debate is the way that the stupidity and blatant racism of their argument will be placed on view for all to see, and I for one am happy that Jack Straw (of whom I'm no great fan) has had the guts to go on and fight the good fight. I very much hope that the audience and the panellists give the delightful Mr Griffin hell.
But more than this, politicians have got to understand that minor tinkering in shattered communities is not nearly enough. We need intervention on a massive scale if we are to make the sort of change to individual peoples' lives that we need to restore some sense to the political process. The entirely reasonable concerns of these forgotten communities need to be addressed, and relying on a Sure Start Centre and occasional employment programmes is simply not going to do it.
