by Denepher Smith

Created on: June 07, 2008

Dealing with the BNP.

I live in a part of the UK where the indigenous population, in a recent local elections, have chosen to elect three more members of the British National Party(BNP) making a current total of nine to represent them. This may in some ways have been expected if the area had a high ethnic presence, however in this midland city, this is not the case. Of a population of 250,000; 95% class themselves as white with only 5% described as of 'ethnic origin'. Most of that 5%, many of whom have lived here for most of their lives, or in the case of my siblings, were born here, never really saw it coming.

Of course race hate/ fear of the foreigner, has always been here but displaying itself in isolated cases. I've dealt with it over the years and perhaps been aware of the potential, from face on insults by children in the play ground, to teachers in higher education, to even more personal experiences. However incidences like these can be experienced all over England so why in this area; what has caused such a visible political manifestation of such extreme xenophobic feelings in this community?

In reality it has been about a number of things, the selling of what is now considered a prized piece of land to the Muslim community at a price considered less than market value,
( as I walked past it today, I recall this land has been derelict for many, many years ),an increase in the number of Eastern Europeans looking for work; closure of many of the pottery industries for which the area is famous and relocation of some manufacturing abroad; a disillusionment with the ability of the labour party to solve local and national problems; the perceived threat of terrorism which is seen to be synonymous with foreigners and especially Muslims.

Many of these are issues common to other areas in the UK but in this community they have been used by certain political fractions to heighten a sense of a community under threat besieged; a Fenland in which Wake men and women ( Saxon, Hereward the Wake, famed for resisting Norman invasion in 1066) defy invasion, fighting for the perceived waning rights of the indigenous, homogeneous, Caucasian English man and woman, but exactly what rights have been lost to 95% of this population? The answer is none! Major decisions taken are made by the indigenous population, for the indigenous population. It is a long standing joke of people, black and white coming into this city to "spot the black person working" because there are relatively few.

Despite

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