The BNP list

I've seen the BNP list. God bless America. Whilst the UK media remain cryptic about where it is available, US newspapers openly provided links.


What value to the debate can I add with this posting? Well, it seems that Suffolk has plenty of BNP supporters and by that list its numbers are concentrated in Ipswich, Lowestoft, Haverhill and none are recorded in Southwold and Aldeburgh but there are two in the Halesworth area. In my opinion, that apparently follows the economic advantage within these communities too.

I once interviewed Nick Griffin and had to go through a very tiresome interview with his spokesman to do so. I asked him about growing up in his former home of Halesworth and given his ties to the area, I'm not surprised that a BNP 'activist' is reputedly still living here.

I know there are also plenty of ultra-green and ultra-left political activists around these same towns and this need not concern our guardians of the peace. I doubt anyone will be torching cars in Suffolk because of politics.

Like Voltaire (supposedly), I don't agree with their politics myself but I must defend their freedom to engage in politics without fear of anything more than heckling.

Some bloggers suggested that the leak was orchestrated by the BNP to gain sympathy for the party to show it's not a bunch of skinheads. It appears now it was by disgruntled ex-members but Nick Griffin acknowledged there were some benefits to the party's reputation from it happening.

It's an invasion of privacy and as much as I support free speech, I can't support anyone having the right to steal such lists and put them on the internet but I think it's also well deserved poetic justice.

For years some people in the far right have maintained their own lists of 'enemies' on the internet. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/3544095.stm The host domain of 'Redwatch' was registered to the National Front and you get into a quagmire of political history whether the NF is the same as the BNP.

I know people who are willing to document the activities of right-wing political parties are on them and have had to take security precautions ever since as a consequence of threats from that quarter.

I guess, in time, the results of any investigation will be buried under attention another story and the matter will blow over. Or not.