Billy Bragg clashes with British National Party's Richard Barnbrook
Singer and activist engages in finger-pointing row with the BNP's London assembly member in east London
Billy Bragg was engaged in a finger-pointing row with a senior member of the British National party during a day of action in London, telling him his "racist fascist" politics offered no help to voters.
Bragg was leafleting in Barking and Dagenham, one of the BNP's top target areas in next month's elections, when he bumped into the BNP's London assembly member, Richard Barnbrook, who has attacked the singer on his blog.
Bragg, who was born and raised in Barking, told Barnbrook: "You do not represent the people of Barking and Dagenham," as the pair became embroiled in a heated argument. "You are exploiting the genuine concerns of people here and you are making the problems worse."
Barnbrook, who was elected to the London assembly in 2008, accused Bragg of "mouthing away" and said the "ballot box will determine what happens".
The exchange came during a day of action against the BNP which saw 541 volunteers deliver 91,000 Hope Not Hate newspapers.
The BNP is due to launch its manifesto this week and has claimed it is on the verge of causing a "political earthquake". It claims it has a chance of taking control of Barking and Dagenham council and of gaining two MPs – in Stoke Central and Barking.
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Comment:
As an American, I am an unlikely supporter of BNP, though that may be too strong a word. The BNP are the only party with a stance against British (junior) imperialism including opposition to the invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan and the de facto invasion of Pakistan, and they oppose aid to Israel and US and British bases abroad; they oppose the the Third World debt regime, NATO and a host of other positions I (morally if not actively) support.
Having said that, many of their positions are based on the idea that British imperialism and imperialism in general causes peoples of the Third World to come to Britain.
Much of the progressive and reformist domestic policies they espouse come with the caveat that they support ethnic (white) British and are not extended to immigrants and tacitly I suspect they want to exclude people of color in the UK regardless of status.
What comes to mind is Charles De Gaulle's comment that he did not oppose ethnic minorities in France as long as they remained minorities and France remained (under the control and predominant culture of the) French. De Gaulle of course sought to end French colonialism, replaced it with relationships of mutual respect and advantage and made legitimate asylum, refugee and educational opportunities for those from the former colonies. The BNP should learn that while confrontational politics attract attention, a principled and responsible platform and bridge building can win votes.
I support people having a right to dictate what happens in ones homeland (or it would make my arguments against colonialism and imperialism hollow and one way) but I also think the BNP is full of shit if it thinks that it is alright, after hundreds of years of the most vicious imperialism and destruction say, "games up, everyone go home, we're not responsible for what we have wrought and we owe nothing." And that is what it amounts to since they seem to agitate primarily on the strength of ethno-nationalism, not anti-imperialism.
For a nation actively engaged in imperialism that is costing the lives of young Britons one wonders just how committed the BNP is to either their nation's well being and role as a just actor. Recent repudiation of pro-Palestinian and anti-Zionist positions by certain party leaders calls the party's commitment to nationalism further into question. On the domestic front, the BNP has chosen confrontation when there are many even in ethnic immigrant communities who stand against immigration and for repatriation particularly of refugees and immigrants of war torn countries.
Bragg, well IMHO he's an opportunistic hypocrite who tries to remain musically relevant by riding corporate candidates' coattails while claiming he "radical", whatever that means. His support of New Labor, pro Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan war candidates and campaigning against George Galloway only showed his actual where his sympathies lie.
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