British National Party Canvass Our House

Last night when I came home my jaw dropped when I saw an electioneering pamphlet from the British National Party on the table in the hall where our post sits. This, to my knowledge, is the first time they have stood for election in the ward where I live (we are having a by-election on April 23).

The headline for the flyer was a quote by a mum to a local newspaper: “My daughter seems to know a lot about Eid and Diwali, but if I ask her about Jesus, she looks at me like I am mad.”

The inference is that Christianity is exclusively western, that Jesus was Caucasian and Britain has a monopoly on him.

Jesus was Jewish, which is probably news to the BNP. He also taught people to love their neighbour as themselves.

The problem with refuting the illogical arguments of the BNP is whether it is giving them the publicity they so crave. I think that it is a judgement call to make depending on the circumstance. Holocaust denier David Irving debating at Oxford University in 2007 is a case in point. I agreed with the Union’s decision to allow him to debate because it would enable his arguments to be knocked down one after another in the chamber and the protests outside the Union would illustrate the strength of feeling against him. But he is not the kind of speaker who should be invited to debate on a privileged platform on a regular basis.

Using the vote to fight against extremism is certainly one reason to get down to the polling booth on Election Day.