It is odd that the evolution of communist parties into Eurocommunist parties was recognised, but these rightwing parties are seen as mysteriously static and rooted in the 1930s.
I find this argument patently stupid. Of course they evolve, but what matters is the direction of that evolution.... and contrary to the authoers, I think that direction is just to other forms of being threatening. Basically: switching which minorities to incite hatred against; and which positive and then currently popular rhetoric to adopt superficially.
Unlike fascism of the 20s and 30s, the BNP are not really proposing any new social order, they just play on fear. They can't legally campaign for an authoritarian regime to replace democracy.
Well, yes: they won't until they don't have the numbers. And well, no: stuff these parties propose for hated minorities DOES constitute the actions of an authoritarian regime, be it mass deportations, rounding immigrants up, or segrergation of minorities. Some of them also advocate extreme police state measures (and love the death penalty). *Lunatic*, n. One whose delusions are out of fashion.
What makes them dangerous is that they're actually quite media savvy, in a lumpen way, and that they've toned down the public rhetoric and the confrontational militancy to make themselves appear respectable and indistinguishable from any of the other serious parties.
The old NF were much more obviously about starting fights and kicking doors in. Although they had occasional bursts of sporadic political success, they were always obvious extremists.
Over 30 years or so, the overall trend is static - the insane right remains present, winning the odd seat or two, losing it in the next round or two, and being persistently fringey and unpopular.
As I've said before, I don't think the BNP stand any chance unless they can find a media sponsor like Murdoch, or one of middle brow craploids, to sponsor them.
The UKIP have already filled the respectable racist niche, so I don't think the BNP are going anywhere.
Not quite the same as sponsorship since the rhetoric supports all centre right and right wing parties but I'd say the BNP do benefit from it and are able to manipulate that to an extent. Ad astra per aspera
BNP Euro election candidate filled his Facebook page with race-hate remarks | Mail Online
A British National Party European elections candidate who set his Facebook status to, 'W**s go home Gurkhas very welcome', has denied being a racist.Eddy O'Sullivan, who is standing for the Brussels parliament with BNP party leader Nick Griffin, posted a series of offensive comments on the website and even joined a group called F** Islam.But he left his Facebook profile public instead of setting it to private.Mr O'Sullivan, 49, Salford organiser for the party, admitted posting the comments but denied they were racist.
A British National Party European elections candidate who set his Facebook status to, 'W**s go home Gurkhas very welcome', has denied being a racist.Eddy O'Sullivan, who is standing for the Brussels parliament with BNP party leader Nick Griffin, posted a series of offensive comments on the website and even joined a group called F** Islam.
Eddy O'Sullivan, who is standing for the Brussels parliament with BNP party leader Nick Griffin, posted a series of offensive comments on the website and even joined a group called F
But he left his Facebook profile public instead of setting it to private.
Mr O'Sullivan, 49, Salford organiser for the party, admitted posting the comments but denied they were racist.
The everso respectable UKIP are the Mail's creatures, and I don't think they're too keen on competition from the oiks.
I don't think they're as equivalent as you paint them. The brainless should not be in banking. — Willem Buiter
BNP leader Nick Griffin has been pelted with eggs and forced to abandon a press conference outside Parliament.... Mr Griffin was elected for the North West region - a result condemned by parties across the political spectrum. Mr Griffin and Andrew Brons, who was elected in the Yorkshire and Humber region, staged a press conference on College Green, opposite the Houses of Parliament. The BNP leader began the event by holding up copies of national newspapers and talking about what he said were media lies about him and his party. ScuffleHe denied he had past links with Oswald Mosley, as the former fascist leader "was very hostile to the National Front from which I am from". He had been speaking for about two minutes when about 50 to 100 protesters marched towards him chanting slogans and throwing eggs. There was a brief scuffle as Mr Griffin was jostled by protesters - and a scrum of cameramen - before the BNP leader was bundled into the back seat of a waiting car by his security men... 'Sad day'Members of Unite Against Fascism, which was behind the demo with trade union members, said they wanted to "defend democracy" against what they regard as the "fascist" and "racist" policies of the BNP. One told the crowd his message for Mr Griffin was: "Wherever you go in this country we will make sure you are welcomed by demonstrations."
BNP leader Nick Griffin has been pelted with eggs and forced to abandon a press conference outside Parliament.
... Mr Griffin was elected for the North West region - a result condemned by parties across the political spectrum.
Mr Griffin and Andrew Brons, who was elected in the Yorkshire and Humber region, staged a press conference on College Green, opposite the Houses of Parliament.
The BNP leader began the event by holding up copies of national newspapers and talking about what he said were media lies about him and his party.
Scuffle
He denied he had past links with Oswald Mosley, as the former fascist leader "was very hostile to the National Front from which I am from".
He had been speaking for about two minutes when about 50 to 100 protesters marched towards him chanting slogans and throwing eggs.
There was a brief scuffle as Mr Griffin was jostled by protesters - and a scrum of cameramen - before the BNP leader was bundled into the back seat of a waiting car by his security men...
'Sad day'
Members of Unite Against Fascism, which was behind the demo with trade union members, said they wanted to "defend democracy" against what they regard as the "fascist" and "racist" policies of the BNP.
One told the crowd his message for Mr Griffin was: "Wherever you go in this country we will make sure you are welcomed by demonstrations."
Video in link. *Lunatic*, n. One whose delusions are out of fashion.
Michael Burleigh - Wikipedia
Recently his books have become controversial and accused of showing a marked dislike for all things Islamic. In his Guardian review of Sacred Causes, on 28 October 2006, John Gray wrote: "Burleigh is at his most unbalanced when discussing Islam. Much of his analysis is presented in a graffiti-like style that makes the tabloids look effete and precious. A photograph of the World Trade Center in flames is captioned with the statement 'This act of mass murder announced the onset of unlimited Islamist aggression against western civilisation', and there is much demotic rant against multiculturalism and what Burleigh describes as 'the grim prospect of "Eurabia"'. In this atmosphere of feverish emotion, facts tend to get lost and longer historical perspectives forgotten. [...]"[1] Michael Burleigh serves on the advisory board of the new conservative magazine Standpoint and is a regular contributor.
Recently his books have become controversial and accused of showing a marked dislike for all things Islamic. In his Guardian review of Sacred Causes, on 28 October 2006, John Gray wrote: "Burleigh is at his most unbalanced when discussing Islam. Much of his analysis is presented in a graffiti-like style that makes the tabloids look effete and precious. A photograph of the World Trade Center in flames is captioned with the statement 'This act of mass murder announced the onset of unlimited Islamist aggression against western civilisation', and there is much demotic rant against multiculturalism and what Burleigh describes as 'the grim prospect of "Eurabia"'. In this atmosphere of feverish emotion, facts tend to get lost and longer historical perspectives forgotten. [...]"[1]
Michael Burleigh serves on the advisory board of the new conservative magazine Standpoint and is a regular contributor.
It's been a great campaign because we have finally combed out a few knots, we have exposed various lies that Berlusconi has been telling us. The Noemi scandal showed up his lies and confirmed what his wife has been telling us, namely that he is not well in the head, he is completely off-balance, and he goes about with under-age girls. The matter of the State flights gave a lot of electors, from among the survivors of a right-wing that believes in the rule of law, pause for thought - people who had been indignant when Rutelli and Mastella used state flights to go to the Grand Prix [at Monza]. But even more became indignant seeing dwarves, dancing girls, minstrels and leeches being put on state flights by the dozen to the private residence of, and for the amusement of, the prime minister. The lies about the earthquake are coming out, and will probably explode in some kind of demonstration at the up-coming G8 meeting. The lies about rubbish in Naples have led to a new inquiry about deception involving that dangerous bit of nonsense, the incinerator at Acerra. Then there's the explosion of rubbish at Palermo, which Berlusconi has blamed on the previous centre-left governments under Orlando, which have not held power since 2001 - it must be fossilised rubbish by now. Milan has been described by Berlusconi as the new Africa, when Milan is governed by the centre-right practically since 1992 when Formentini came in, followed by Albertini, Moratti, Formigoni who since 1995 has always been the regional governor. Without mentioning that AC Milan seems much more like Africa than the city of Milan, as the team is mainly coloured. One of the few who wasn't, Kaka, has just been sold to Real Madrid, but they will announce it today because up till yesterday it was necessary to con the football fans into voting without letting them know what everyone knew, namely that Kaka had already signed up to Real Madrid. There were even the lies contradicting the Governor of the Bank, Draghi, who had said something true, namely that there are 1,600,000 Italians who risk finding themselves completely up the creek if they lose their job, because there is no social safety net to soften the blow. Probably the number is even more than 1,600,000, but the fact that the Governor said this was already an interesting fact. Berlusconi, who was evidently asleep during Draghi's speech, as often happens, afterwards said: Draghi made an excellent Berlusconian speech. Later he found out that Draghi had said that there were 1,600,000 people who stood to lose everything while the government was doing nothing, and at that point Berlusconi says: the data are not true. Actually the data are true, and may even be underestimates. Finally there are the lies about law and order. Two days before the election, two women were victims of rape attempts. One was actually raped and the other was saved by the providential arrival of a passer-by. The Questura covered up the fact for 40 hours, and was only forced to confirm it after a journalist, who came to know about it indirectly, had publicised it on You-Tube. The Questura were probably waiting to announce it after the elections. If they had announced it before, maybe even the Romans would have understood that it was not the case that the rapes were the fault of the previous City Council under Veltroni, and that all rapes had ceased once Alemanno had become mayor. Probably the problem of unpunished crimes is a rather complicated one, involving an impunity that has spread out like an oil stain by this infamous and illegal political class, which, of course in order to save itself, has completely ruined the justice system, and in this way authorised many others to commit crimes, in the near-certainty that they will never be punished. I dare say there would be fewer crimes if, instead of a justice system that is being completely destroyed by the politicians, we had one that was better financed and cared for. But they can't let that happen. Information has played a decisive role in this election. Information via internet, but also through some newspapers. Why did the newspapers talk so much about the Noemi scandal, about the State flights, about the under-age girls and above all about the Mills case? Because the European press has its eyes on Italy in the run-up to the G8, and when the European press looks at Italy it asks the right questions. Even the Italian papers are obliged, if only by translating articles from the foreign press, to take account of what others think of us - even though we could say it ourselves, given that we ourselves are the protagonists in this drama going on under our noses. Thank heavens that we have El Pais, the Economist, the Financial Times, the German press, even the Wall Street Journal, an ultra-free-market paper of the right, to tell us what we have learned not to notice. When information works properly, blood flows through the veins of democracy, and the results, as we can see, are that we have had a lucky escape! Berlusconi was expecting a plebiscite that would give the last blow to the declining democratic forces in Italy, and he only got to 35%. That is still a massive number, but not one that will allow him to have his wicked way unpunished.
It's been a great campaign because we have finally combed out a few knots, we have exposed various lies that Berlusconi has been telling us. The Noemi scandal showed up his lies and confirmed what his wife has been telling us, namely that he is not well in the head, he is completely off-balance, and he goes about with under-age girls. The matter of the State flights gave a lot of electors, from among the survivors of a right-wing that believes in the rule of law, pause for thought - people who had been indignant when Rutelli and Mastella used state flights to go to the Grand Prix [at Monza]. But even more became indignant seeing dwarves, dancing girls, minstrels and leeches being put on state flights by the dozen to the private residence of, and for the amusement of, the prime minister. The lies about the earthquake are coming out, and will probably explode in some kind of demonstration at the up-coming G8 meeting. The lies about rubbish in Naples have led to a new inquiry about deception involving that dangerous bit of nonsense, the incinerator at Acerra. Then there's the explosion of rubbish at Palermo, which Berlusconi has blamed on the previous centre-left governments under Orlando, which have not held power since 2001 - it must be fossilised rubbish by now. Milan has been described by Berlusconi as the new Africa, when Milan is governed by the centre-right practically since 1992 when Formentini came in, followed by Albertini, Moratti, Formigoni who since 1995 has always been the regional governor. Without mentioning that AC Milan seems much more like Africa than the city of Milan, as the team is mainly coloured. One of the few who wasn't, Kaka, has just been sold to Real Madrid, but they will announce it today because up till yesterday it was necessary to con the football fans into voting without letting them know what everyone knew, namely that Kaka had already signed up to Real Madrid.
There were even the lies contradicting the Governor of the Bank, Draghi, who had said something true, namely that there are 1,600,000 Italians who risk finding themselves completely up the creek if they lose their job, because there is no social safety net to soften the blow. Probably the number is even more than 1,600,000, but the fact that the Governor said this was already an interesting fact. Berlusconi, who was evidently asleep during Draghi's speech, as often happens, afterwards said: Draghi made an excellent Berlusconian speech. Later he found out that Draghi had said that there were 1,600,000 people who stood to lose everything while the government was doing nothing, and at that point Berlusconi says: the data are not true. Actually the data are true, and may even be underestimates.
Finally there are the lies about law and order. Two days before the election, two women were victims of rape attempts. One was actually raped and the other was saved by the providential arrival of a passer-by. The Questura covered up the fact for 40 hours, and was only forced to confirm it after a journalist, who came to know about it indirectly, had publicised it on You-Tube. The Questura were probably waiting to announce it after the elections. If they had announced it before, maybe even the Romans would have understood that it was not the case that the rapes were the fault of the previous City Council under Veltroni, and that all rapes had ceased once Alemanno had become mayor. Probably the problem of unpunished crimes is a rather complicated one, involving an impunity that has spread out like an oil stain by this infamous and illegal political class, which, of course in order to save itself, has completely ruined the justice system, and in this way authorised many others to commit crimes, in the near-certainty that they will never be punished. I dare say there would be fewer crimes if, instead of a justice system that is being completely destroyed by the politicians, we had one that was better financed and cared for. But they can't let that happen.
Information has played a decisive role in this election. Information via internet, but also through some newspapers. Why did the newspapers talk so much about the Noemi scandal, about the State flights, about the under-age girls and above all about the Mills case? Because the European press has its eyes on Italy in the run-up to the G8, and when the European press looks at Italy it asks the right questions. Even the Italian papers are obliged, if only by translating articles from the foreign press, to take account of what others think of us - even though we could say it ourselves, given that we ourselves are the protagonists in this drama going on under our noses.
Thank heavens that we have El Pais, the Economist, the Financial Times, the German press, even the Wall Street Journal, an ultra-free-market paper of the right, to tell us what we have learned not to notice. When information works properly, blood flows through the veins of democracy, and the results, as we can see, are that we have had a lucky escape!
Berlusconi was expecting a plebiscite that would give the last blow to the declining democratic forces in Italy, and he only got to 35%. That is still a massive number, but not one that will allow him to have his wicked way unpunished.
go read the rest, please, it's really good. ~"When an inner situation is not made conscious, it appears outside as fate." Karl Jung~
