The BNP's Nick Griffin on Question Time, what are your thoughts?

[overmydeadbody]

link here

NG also mentioned that immigrants should adhere to the legislation of the country in which they inhabit

uh, well, I think every other party takes that as read don't they? The only reason for saying this is to imply that immigrants are particularly prone to breaking the law. Which AFAIK they aren't.

I don't think idiotic protestors increased the interest in people joining his party. Yes, they were idiots but I think we have to realise that the people who do support him, support his policies, his racist ideals and his attitudes towards other minority groups. People like him, people respect him and his ideas. The majority of people who support him, I'd guess, are like him - peas in a pod. If someone is racist, it wasn't last nights demonstrators that made them racist, they were racist already.

NG himself is a minority group because there will never in this country be majority (or anywhere near) support for him. If having been on Question Time allows these people to feel able to join his party of whatever, let them. Not my business.

He might boast of support increasing or whatever, that means nothing. It means nothing because his numbers will never be enough to make a difference that matters.

Last night was always going to be about NG and the BNP. People wanted to pin him down, ridicule him and quite frankly it is what he deserved. He can play victim all he likes, it will make not a jot of a difference to people who do not support him. He can complain all he likes because he will never be able to implement his policies in our country and that fact is the trump card.

"services such as christmas hymns in schools and the commemorative poppy (for eg) are being slowly obliterated from some school curriculums"

Can you support this with actual examples? Schools have a statutory obligation to provide "broadly Christian" assemblies, and as far as I am aware, there is no move to stop selling Rememberance Day poppies.

going back to the original issue of Question Time. I thought the whole debate was hugely disappointing, as it was always going to be after such a build up.

Most of the panel were trying to score points with their very obviously pre-rehearsed soundbites and the audience was very 'rent-a-student' and hardly representative of the population.

Everybody was so eager to gang up on NG that the rest of the panel were being allowed to get away with murder. Sayeeda Warsi was able to nicely skirt the issue of Islam and it's attitude towards homosexuality while Jack Straw waffled for Britain.

A lot of the indigenous population would like to do away with 'christian worship' in non-faith school assemblies (me for one, and the vast majority of MNers who expressed their view on a recent thread). Practice your faith by all means, but no need to do it in school time. That 71.8% isn't practising Christians, its box ticking. Not the same thing at all.

But not the traditions - I don't personally know of any primary schools that don't do carol service and/or nativity play, and the school office sells poppies ahead of rememberance day (with, in this case, appropriate assembly subject). If you're an expat, don't believe everything you read on this sort of issue. It doesn't match reality.

PS - the children of muslim, hindu (and atheist) parents happily participate in the christmas festivities at school. I have no reason to suppose DDs school is exceptional in this regard.

At our school (not a faith school) we always sell poppies (which are about remembering service men rather than being Christian but whatever) and we have a carol service.. It is a mostly white wc school but we do have about 15 other languages spoken by various pupils..

I really haven't seen ANY evidence for what you are saying Harpy

Completely agree Nancy re. Warsi's response on civil partnerships - weasel words or wot

This is funny though.

v funny

Fantastic

love it!

monkey - thanks for that - brilliant. I love cassette boy - the Alan Sugar one is an all time classic!

Monkey you made my day! 100000 s

Monkey, that is beautiful. Thank you so much!

I loved Bonnie Greer, can we have her on MN soon?
That said I do not believe that DP will vote BNP in spite of all she says. Neither will she join them. I think it is a wind up on her part.

pooexplosions Fri 23-Oct-09 00:43:07

'er, no. You miss a vital point. Its only a racist attack if the motivation for the attack is based on race. If a white person beats up a black person because they are black, thats a racist attack. If they did it because, I don't know, they didn't like the music they were listening to, it's not. And the same works for all races'

Pooexplosions, I was using the statement as an example of a racially motivated attack on anyone of any colour. Not just an attack per se

My daughter is mixed race and she got attacked. It wasn't racial.

FFS

I actually seen my dad protesting, when it was on the news, he shouting at the camera! why exactly i hid my face with my hand god only knows he couldnt see me obviously.

TheShriekingHarpy Fri 23-Oct-09 15:13:19 Add message | Report | Contact poster

"Christianity is, for example, the most prevalent religion in the UK (at 71.8 %). Yet despite this, services such as christmas hymns in schools and the commemorative poppy (for eg) are being slowly obliterated from some school curriculums and some work places or organisations. I respect and stand by the right of a parent to withdraw their child from such services if this is in direct opposition to their faith but would question the logic in denying others (or the majority) the right to practice their faith."

a) like seeker I would like to see some actual examples of this- I suspect these schools, if they exist at all are a very small minority

b) are you actually suggesting that the poppy is a Christian symbol? traditional, yes- but nothing to do with Christianity

A dailya ct of worship is a legal requirement in state schools and something enforced by OFSTED if found to be lacking.

Using the poppy as a Christian symbol is offensive to all non-Christians who fought for the allied forces in the War, of which there were many. It is a symbol of remembrance.

The vast majority of christians who answered they were of the faith take part in no actual worship or organbised faith at all; it is something debated often whether many people who term themself as Christians actually know anything much about the faith at all.

I have yet to come across a state school that dosn't sellect Christianity as a subject for RE, they may exist but certainly the MA RE students who sat in on my theology modules were all teaching Christianity, and if omitting it were widespread making it a compulsory compenent of that MA would be bizarre at best.

I am the only practising Christian in my circle of friends- a few acquaintances are Christians (including a MPreahcer). if 71% of them defined themselves as Christian they would be referring very much to culture rather than actual belief