Simone Clarke and the BNP

[lionheart]

Anyone been following this here ?

there was this brilliant educational programme on channel 4 recently speedymama, about the Birmingham Royal Ballet recruiting some inner city kids who had been in trouble at school, etc, to take part in their Romeo and Juliet. A lot of these kids were black. Of course all of them scorned it at the beginning, but the ballet dancers and director were so interested in them, and incorporated their input and dancing style into the ballet, it was brilliant, and the kids started turning up every day, on time, and working their guts out. There was this young black guy, about 16, totally untrained, who they eventually chose to play Tybalt. He was absolutely sensational. He had to learn all these incredibly complicated fight sequences and took direction like a professional. Everyone was amazed. they were all brilliant. I wish there was more publicity about this kind of project instead of some intellectually challenged ballet dancer's views.

Marina - apparently he encouraged her to join. Which also seems unbelievable.

really LittleSarah? Do they not think the BNP's "manifesto" applies to their family then? Ugh.
And agree that this can do nothing to broaden ballet's audience

She is definitely confused but the BNP got a seat in Barking and Dagenham through spouting warnings about immigration overload and many of those who voted aren't racist in their own eyes - they would say to their black colleague or asian neighbour "I don't mean you John or you Sahib". They are worried about new immigration so they feel it's more a economic problem than race problem. They are in a borough that used to provide council housing with no shortages and now this doesn't happen. They blame the immigrants not the fact most of it has been bought and not replaced. They view all immigrants as The Sun portrays them. I personally felt angry and uneasy that the BNP felt free to post their shite through my door - my parents are irish immigrants and though I am white I don't want that crap on my mat.

i should say that the channel 4 programme had a mix of black and white kids in it - it wasn't just 'black kids in trouble' if you know what i mean.

Ruty, I did not see that programme but it sounds unlifting. More of that type of thing is needed to open up ballet to a wider audience. It is unfortunate that for the time being, in the thoughts of many, ballet will be linked with the BNP.

speedymama. Maybe some other ballet dancers should speak out to redress the balace.

Oooh, Batters, i would love to hear more of your insider knowlegdge!

I am the manager of an arts venue. I couldn't possibly countenance sacking someone for their political beliefs, but if any member of the company ever used their position to get publicity for their fascist views, I would sack them for gross misconduct, bringing the co into disrepute etc.

I think Lee Jasper is being aggravating and disingenous in calling for her sacking - he knows full well you can't sack people for membership of a political party.

I do think it is very very unfortunate for any work the ENB may have achieved in trying to address diversity - but will further alienate this eejit from the rest of the company.

She is clearly a complete idiot on many levels, having joined the BNP in the first place, and the poistion she is now in, which could well wreck her career. But as she is clearly so idiotic, hopefully the inflamed pubilicity over the whole thing will work to show how dim the BNP manifesto is.

If they ever were renowned for intellectual and philosophical brilliance, that is.

I can't believe that anyone would join a political party whose policies they don't fully understand. There may well be aspects of any political party that you might not agree with 100% when joining, but surely if you chose to join anyway, you do so from a position of knowledge NOT ignorance.

I'm gobsmacked. TBH, her views would taint a performance for me. With the performing arts, you are actually watching the person - you are in their presence and whilst I could look at a painting or listen to music by someone whose political views i disagree with, I would find it hard to applaud the person in the flesh. IYSWIM.

Calling for her to be sacked for being a BNP member is just as idiotic as her membership of the BNP. What people like Lee Jasper should focus on is the consequences of her action and the sublimimal messages that it sends out. Somebody of her standing will become a role model to wannabe Hitler Youths out there who will be emboldened by her views. That is what we should be concerned about.

If she uses her position to promote the BNP, she should be sacked then.

What if the BNP use her to promote their agenda?

I'm with you Emmylou. If I ever decide to attend a ballet performance and she was dancing, I would not go.

If the BNP used her to promote their agenda , imo, the ENB would have to ask her to resign because her membeship is bringing the organisation into disrepute and damaging their reputation.

She really is one stupid numpty!

It is all the more unbelievable given her choice of partner - foreign and a different race, and her mixed-race daughter. It's mad.

It's a really interesting conundrum because of course she shouldn't be sacked because of her membership of a legal political party, but in a sense, just being a member of that party gives her employer all sorts of legitimate reasons to sack her. Because the repute of the BNP is so low, that you cannot be a member of it, without bringing your company into disrepute. The ENB is in a really difficult position here, it can't win, I feel really sorry for the HR and PR people. They must be so pissed off with this idiotic woman. If it gets to a stage where audiences are boycotting her, what are her employers' rights then? She would obviously be a complete liability.

And if she is sacked, the BNP will be delighted. They will be able to use it as propaganda proving that there is no freedom of speech and a lot of people who haven't been paying attention will believe them.

LOL at ballet dancers being crazed by lack of food. Maybe she needs several good meals inside her and she'll regain the use of her brain.

From the Guardian

"Mr Barnbrook, returning to the subject of Clarke, said she had his full backing and that he did not object to her relationship with Cuban-Chinese dancer Yat-Sen Chang. "She's not racist - she's going out with someone who is not of her own race," he said. But he said, he hoped the couple would not have children."

So the councillor who turned up to support her against the protestors doesn't seem to think that She and her boyfriend have a daughter together yet.

Simone in the mail: "In the end nobody really said anything at work,' she says. "I think it's because there are a lot of foreign dancers who have probably never even heard of the BNP." So its OK if immigrants are graceful ballet dancers and her friends - its just the other ones that she has never met that are causing all the problems.

The thing that strikes me about this is that somebody can be very gifted in one way, but so utterly stupid in others.

As Simone says, you don't have to agree with everything a party stands for, but I think that their distaste for the existence of my child would be a pretty big sticking point for me! As others have said on the thread, everything that comes out of her mouth just highlights how stupid the BNP are.

"Mr Barnbrook, returning to the subject of Clarke, said she had his full backing and that he did not object to her relationship with Cuban-Chinese dancer Yat-Sen Chang. "She's not racist - she's going out with someone who is not of her own race," he said. But he said, he hoped the couple would not have children."

So what is the BNP's policy on mixed race children? Extermination by gas chambers?

one would really like to know speedymama. And does that include my mixed race child, or is it ok because he is white? Really dangerously bonkers.

I'm black, My DG is white and DTS are mixed race. The BNP are evil.

My DH not DG

Hmmm - wondering what DG could stand for...

Richard Barnbrook, the BNP councillor for Barking and Dagenham, said: ?I don?t normally go to the ballet but I?m supporting her freedom of expression.?

He claimed that he had no objection to Clarke?s relationship with her Cuban-Chinese partner, Yat-Sen Chang, but he was less comfortable discussing their daughter. ?I?m not opposed to mixed marriages, but their children are washing out the identity of this country?s indigenous people,? he said, quickly adding: ?That?s my view, it?s not the party?s view.?

Lovely eh?