How can this be allowed? BNP quote a fake vicar in their Mayoral campaign

[Blu]

Every London household has had a booklet with a page each for the mayoral candidate. The official manifesto blurb. The BNP page shows a picture of a man in an ordinary dog collar, called Reverend Robert West, who says he supports the BNP because "they support our traditional Christian faith. We need strong leadership to protect our national identity from the threat of Islam".

A quick google reveals that this man is certainly not a CoE vicar, and no-one knows on what authority he is called 'Reverend'.

How can this be allowed in a Mayoral campaign? Misleading voters like that?

And like UKIP they claim that they will do a load of stuff over which the Mayor has no legal power or influence whatsoever!

Politicians? Lie? Surely not!

Mind you, the BNP are particularly crap at it. Possibly what with being a lot bit thick and all.

Ha ha ha! They are such incompetent, greasy tossers, aren't they?! You should report them, not sure who to, though!

I saw that . Was (finally) reading that booklet (tuning out DD2, who keeps saying firmly Vote For Ken*) and was horrified at the vicar.

*She is also lecturing me on solar panels and fair trade. DD1 prefers Environmental Issues, and was last seen trying to get the cat interested in the DVD of The Inconvenient Truth. I feel like a lefty version of Dr Frankenstein.

I was just flicking through it, and wondered exactly the same thing! That's disgraceful, it Shouldn't Be Allowed.

at motherinferior's right-on children.

Awww, BNP and the treat of Islam! The source of eternal joy.
Nick Griffin implies that TCR man is Muslim terrorist while actually he was a BNP parliamentary candidate.

Forget the pretend rev. Have you seen the actual BNP candidate? He's as Italian as Neopitan ice cream. Every time he appears on telly to talk about Britain and immigrants I laugh myself silly at the hypocrisy because in 1989 he was an immigrant.

I'm considering the independent candidate. No doubt a "wasted vote" but the others make me feel either a bit grubby or they are just ridiculous.

Katie, that's hilarious. The guy obviously never heard the words Arandora Star. He is like a Jew campaigning for racial purity of Germany.

Church of England Vicars are not allowed to be part of the BNP

www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2009/feb/10/general-synod-bnp-vote

Anyone can call themselves a Reverend. There's an american website where you just punch your name in and you're automatically a reverend. If you pay them enough you can become a Bishop.

They are using this guy on communications outside London too. Obviously can't be bothered to come up with another fake vicar. It's particularly stupid because all faith leaders of any worth are anti-racism. People I am close to who are churchgoers have been told before that their vote is their business with the the exception that they should not vote for NF / BNP.

Would the Electoral Commisson be interested in that kind of thing?

Having learned that anyone can call themselves these things I am now more interested oin having myself entitled 'Bishop Blu'.

Atheist that I am I would be more of a credit to the CoE than this nasty character!

yes, the Italian BNP candidate cites that being 'the most cosmopolitan' of all the candidates is one of his strengths as he advoicates for rights for 'long standing British people'.

I am amazed that the CoE have not made a big fuss about this.

I don't think the candidate is Italian. He was interviewed by Andrew Neil on the Daily Politics show, and I think he said he was Uruguayan.

'I am amazed that the CoE have not made a big fuss about this'

I googled the "vicar" and he is on youtube, appearing as a guest on a BBC TV show presented by Nicky Campbell. He is asked what denomination he belongs to etc. Someone asks something like how many people are in his church and he doesn't give the number.

ah, yes, his election statement says he is of 'Italian descent' but makes no ref to Uraguay. Wikipaedia says he is from Uraguay.

So, a fake Italian, supported by a fake vicar?

Is he perchance claiming he's a Roman or suchlike? Or are BNP members all supposed to be Manly Saxons?

He seems to be allied to this load of swivel eyed zealots and loons. here

Shall I tell them all about my mother's family of eminent Indian Christians, including - get this - the mother superior of an order of nuns in the early 19th century?

They will LOVE that!

They do know Jesus was forrin, don't they? Jewish, yet?

swivel eyed zealots and loons'

Where do you start with the content of that website? Are we sure it isn't a parody? Surely someone that thick shouldn't be allowed to use something like a computer, they'd only injure themselves by mashing away at the keys with their webbed fingers and drooling into the circuits... crayons, maybe.

Seems odd that 'vicar' isn't a protected title such as 'doctor'. You can be prosecuted for pretending to be a (medical) doctor when you aren't one, or a registered nurse. Why can't you be prosecuted for pretending to be a vicar? A vicar isn't just any old priest, it's specifically a priest - and a particular type of priest - in the CofE. The new Archbish should definitely look into it.

Even more odd people are allowed to mislead voters in electoral literature. Obviously politicians don't always tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth in election leaflets, but they shouldn't be able to get away with downright lies about who they are and what job they have. (Mind you, Galloway had a very suspicious election leaflet in Bradford, implying he was a Muslim without saying so exactly, and has been shilly shallying around whether he has converted or not ever since.)

at Jesus was a forriner.

Edam - they didn't actually say he was a vicar - there is a picture of him wearing a dog collar (which I associate very much with vicars), and he is quoted as being 'Reverend Robert West'. I assumed from this that he was a vicar, and so was horrified at the quote - which led me to google him.

But I think thye intend people to think as I did - that he is a legitimate sort of Rev.

Lol at the Reverend Legitimate

'Are we sure it isn't a parody?'

Even Monty Python couldn't have made the Reverend and the Mayoral candidate up.