British National Party

[AndICried]

Since the Labour Party stopped being the "working class" party, the BNP (British National Party) have received an increase in both support and hatred.

In the last few weeks they have started to air party broadcasts, and we have received numerous leaflets from them in the post. As well as their tv appearances, they also created some flagrantly racist flash movies, this one being the most offensive/ridiculous. It's frightening that the already considerable support for such a terrible party is on the rise.

I was going to ask; how much support is there in USA for the extreme right parties?

 

[xfer]

virtually none--the two-party system has its flaws, but i guess one of the dubious benefits is that it keeps the fringe parties from ever gaining power.

however, the existing parties want the fringe voters, so they incorporate extremist views into their platforms to placate them (actually, the Democrats don't anymore...it's a Republican tactic nowadays)! i think it's a lot better than having genuine extremist parties with growing support, but it's still disturbing.

 

[xfer]

man, i just watched the movie. you know what they say: sometimes no one can hate quite like the british.

 

[Baliset]

wow

 

[xfer]

i also am really glad sometimes that we don't have a coalition-government system forcing the government to suck up to these fringe groups so it doesn't collapse and force new elections, like in Israel and parts of Europe.

 

[lizard]

exactly. beware the Republicans; there is a move afoot in Congress at the behest of the Bushies to relax rules that restrict religious tax-exempt organizations in their political activities. Bush, who believes he is divinely appointed and inspired, is gunning for the religious fundamentalist muscle and is trying to mobilize churches on his own behalf.

 

[Josh Seipp]

whoah

 

[xfer]

i have to say, though, that i think the Republican party is moving away from the religious right, and Bush does not represent the party's future, even if he has four more years to Jesus things up. the religious right is becoming increasingly dissatisfied with the GOP as the GOP gains more Log Cabin types who are fiscally conservative, but generally socially liberal or at least libertarian. i think the GOP is trying to create new bases among the Latin and (to a degree) African-American communities, and trying to not be beholden to the God squad for votes and money to the insane degree it was ten years ago (and still mostly is).

 

[lizard]

yes, but Bush knows regular churchgoers tend to be right voting, and he desperately needs to mobilize someone, anyone, because this election looks like it might go screamingly close....
lets face it, the anti gay vote thing was aimed at the fundamentalists, even just as a gesture because its next to impossible to amend the constitution.

Bush tried to do some bill to satiate the rabidly right wing florida cubans but it has backfired a bit because it put restrictions on how much money the expats can send to the land of Fidel and they don't like that.

 

[xfer]

no, Bush is not just trying to rapidly mobilize voters--he's a Religious Right loony who is fighting the GOP's move away from the RR tooth and nail. because of the GOP's move away, they're constantly being forced to prove that they're still kinda RR-ey to keep the votes until they can replace them, hence the anti-gay thing.

but he also is periodically forced to throw bones to the non-RR-ey GOPers who will someday make up most of the party. i seem to recall that his stem cell position was not intransigently RR.

 

[lizard]

and he's got to be really pissed because he's trying to posture himself as the New Reagan but Nancy just came out with a pro stem cell research commentary the other day.

 

[xfer]

i think even before that he was ready to give the non-RR the stem cell issue.