Tuesday 27 October 2009

As Secret Bases Go, It’s Not Very ‘Tracy Island’, Is It?

‘BNP has secret base!’ screams the headline in the ‘Lancashire Telegraph’, conjuring visions of palm trees slowly folding to the ground and a runway appearing amongst the fast food shops, to launch Nick Griffin skyward at the next election.

Sadly, the truth is a little less exciting than that.
The British National Party has been quietly running an office in Burnley town centre for up to nine years, the Lancashire Telegraph can reveal.

The low-key office, just metres from Burnley town hall, is not mentioned in the far-right party’s literature or on its website - and most residents and even seasoned local politicians were unaware it existed.
Unaware? Or uninterested?
But Lib Dem council leader Gordon Birtwistle said only “very, very few” people were aware of it.

He added: “Outside their membership I would not have thought anyone knew. If they had been open about it, they would not have used a pseudonym and it would be on their leaflets.

“If they want to be taken seriously they should be open so people know if they want to visit them they can do.”
What sort of people, Gordon?

These sort of people?

Yeah, can see why they aren’t happy to advertise…
Elaine Heywood, 37, of East Road, said: “It makes you wonder what they have got to hide. They are supposed to be a major political party now, but they are not being open and transparent. You can’t have your cake and eat it.”
Why not, Elaine?

All the other major political parties are more than happy to have their cake and eat it, particularly when it’s been paid for by the taxpayer.

And when it comes to being ‘open and transparent’, well, take a look at what we learned over the weekend.

Still think they need to be more like the other parties, Elaine?

5 comments:

Unknown said...

All this excitement(and publicity) makes me wonder if there's a secret BNP base squirreled away here in that northern hotbed of racisim, Middlesbrough. Where do I sign?

Nah, can't be arsed, after all the Boro is a NuLabour stronghold(it used to be an Old Labour stronghold, my oh my how times change, NOT.)

Wagner would be so proud of both parties.

(God I need to lay down in a darkened room somewhere...a monastic retreat is also becoming more alluring, day by day, minute by bloody minute!)

JuliaM said...

I know what you mean.

Angry Exile said...

I thought Nick Griffin had an underground lair in an extinct volcano where he'd sit in a big chair stroking a long haired cat. A white cat, natch. :-)

Anonymous said...

I'm amazed that Neather article hasn't launched any memes.

Neather-gate?
Neather-world?
Neather say Neather again?

Sheesh. Surely this is the biggest story in British politics since Profumo? To betray the country so that the opposition is vulnerable to a prepared talking point?

There needs to be a recognisable label for the club used to beat the rhetorical shit out of Labour traitors for the next 25 years.

Kieran
(Who is generally pro-immigration, but can't hack the perfidy of the current junta.)

Edwin Greenwood said...

If the BNP had put up a "British National Party" facia over the window and plastered the windows with pictures of One-Eyed Nick and Spitfires, the Lancashire Telegraph would have been telling us it was an "affront" to the vibrantly diverse people of Burnley, a provocation and an incitement which should be closed down.

If the BNP are discreet about what appears to be a support and administrative premises with no public-facing function, then they are being secretive; they have something shameful to hide and should be closed down.

The Government's instructions for a daily flow of shock-horror stories about the BNP is clearly taxing the imaginations of our journalists.

The only impact of this non-story will be to encourage Ketlan and Denise and their posse of Unwashed Unemployables to pop across from Lancaster for a spot of Righteous Intimidation.