Free Pugs?

Less than 24 hours after the photo on the last post was taken, there were people walking in the vicinity whom you would not wish to hug. Messrs. Griffin, Darby and Doofus Molloy were basking in the Pyrrhic victory of having charges dropped by Merseyside Police. Molloy even brought his medals with him but no spiderman suit this time. Shame.

I'm a little troubled by the decision not to pursue a prosecution of the BNP over their leaflet. I was not totally convinced that a successful prosecution would be possible, thus affording the BNP the maximum publicity if they were acquitted at a trial. However, it really does depend on how one interprets the law coupled with the CPS attitude. I understand that the local TUC will be seeking legal opinion on the merits of a private prosecution.

I'm not sure exactly what the police were hoping to charge them with as newspaper reports merely refer to racism. I've a feeling that they may have been hoping to use Section 19 Public Order Act 1986. This states:

• 19.—( 1) A person who publishes or distributes written material which is threatening, abusive or insulting is guilty of an offence if-
  

• (a) he intends thereby to stir up racial hatred, or
  
• (b) having regard to all the circumstances racial hatred is
  

• likely to be stirred up thereby.

(2) In proceedings for an offence under this section it is a
defence for an accused who is not shown to have intended to stir
up racial hatred to prove that he was not aware of the content of
the material and did not suspect, and had no reason to suspect,
that it was threatening, abusive or insulting.
(3) References in this Part to the publication or distribution of
written material are to its publication or distribution to the public
or a section of the public.

I think the pertinent part is 19(1)(b). Whereas we can guess that the BNP does intend these actions to stir up racial hatred, it is submitted that the standard of proof is quite high. However, the subsection (b) seems less difficult to establish. I'll try to find out more regarding the interpretation later.

Obviously, a lot of the leaflet involves the twisting of figures and downright lies - the use of s0-called incidents that are nothing of the sort - which would mean The Daily Mail would be banged to rights every week, but the most controversial element concerns the use of the assertion that the Islamic community somehow condones the systematic 'grooming' of 12 year old girls. It doesn't just highlight isolated incidents and present them as the norm - as the rest of the leaflet does - it clearly links Islam with paedophilia.

The Pdf on their site provides this claim (I assume it was on the actual leaflet given out) and i make no apologies for repeating it:

• All ethnic groups contain paedophiles.... but in most communities these sickos operate alone ashamed of what they do. One community is different. Wherever there are large number of young Muslim men, groups team up to lure girls often as young as 12/13 into nightmare world of sex abuse, rape, beatings, drugs and prostitution. Some of these perverts are recently arrived asylum seekers others come from settled immigrant communities and were born in Britain.

There is also the cumulative effect of the material as a whole. I need to consider whether this could be admissable from an evidential standpoint.

At an All-Party Inquiry on anti-Semitism, the CPS gave a number of examples of cases dealt with ranging from prosecutions for soliciting murder (Danish cartoons protester) to a BNP leaflet on housing and immigration (action not deemed appropriate). In the latter case, it was felt that whilst some of the material was offensive, it was considered that free speech in a political setting was a factor.

It does appear fishy that the police were able to hand deliver the notices informing the arrested men of the no action decision, hours before their organised demo. Maybe the CPS was stung with the criticism it received when prosecuting the Liverpool leprechaun case.

Answers On A Postcard..............

...........................I spotted these two offering 'Free Hugs'. As it was the lad's turn, I wasn't able to take up the offer. I think it was for charity or maybe a student project. Anyway, the lad's sign was coming loose so his attractive young companion adjusted it with sellotape. I think.

Oh, and he's on youtube too.

Oh Part 2 - the pic is on this week's BBC Liverpool 08 site!

Greens Are Not Always Good For You

I'm sure I mentioned it once before that there seems to be lots of people named Green that have a less than perfect existence. Leaving aside Hughie Green's indiscretions resulting in Paula Yates, we have Philip Green (of the Tesco behemoth), Stephen Green of Christian Voice, Andrew Green of Migrationwatch, and Tory Shadow Immigration Minister, Damian Green.

Now I don't wish to discriminate or be prejudiced against any colour, and obviously, everyone has the right to a fair trial but..............just for information purposes.........

• Immigration spokesman Damian Green, the MP for Ashford, was arrested earlier today at his home in Kent, and taken for questioning at a central London police station, where he remained this evening. He has not been charged with any offence.

  It is understood the arrest came in connection with allegedly leaked information relating to stories which have appeared recently in the media about immigration.

  Mr Cameron was said to be supportive of his MP and angry at the way in which the case has been handled. Mr Green denies any wrongdoing and remains in his post, a party spokesman confirmed.

  A Conservative party statement read: "As shadow immigration minister, Mr Green has, on a number of occasions, legitimately revealed information which the Home Office chose not to make public.

  "Disclosure of this information was manifestly in the public interest. Mr Green denies any wrongdoing and stands by his actions." (Guardian)
  

Free the Ashford 1.

The Dreaded 'C' Word in November Shock!'

Looking at all the Xmas markets appearing in the area (and watching the Krakow webcam to remember where I was last year) and reading Edmund Standing's latest on the BNP's White History Month lies, I was reminded of Roy Wood. Yes, Roy.....Wood.

I never like to name drop, but in the 80s I was strolling along Hagley Road wondering why the Number 7 bus seemed to stop on every street in Birmingham, when I saw a man in a long beard walking towards me. He looked like Roy Wood! It was Roy Wood. I immediately used all my successful social skills and uttered those fatal words, 'You're Roy Wood,'. 'Yes, I know,' countered the hirsuted Wizzard.

Anyway, as Roy's Xmas record is one of only a handful I can countenance listening to without slashing my wrists to (and even Macca's Wonderful Christmastime is hard going by mid-December), I'd thought I'd see what he was up to. He's playing in Birmingham on 17th December. Buy tickets here, and wish it could be Christmas every day.

I'm half way through my travelogue of Bremen so this should appear by the weekend.

New Statesman on White History

Today's New Statesman picks up on the White History Month of the BNP, which I covered in The Real BNP Volume 2487. and in The List Goes On.

NEW STATESMAN

In the wake of publication of the BNP's membership list, Tim Lezard reports on the anger over the far right party's bid to promote 'white history month'

Teaching unions have attacked BNP plans to promote White History Month in schools, colleges and universities across England.

As the party reels from the leaking of its membership list, its youth and student wings have launched an alternative to Black History Month, saying: “This is our month, where we can be proud to be white and express it openly.”

The campaign aims to counter 'white guilt trips in the national curriculum' by teaching children the 'truth' about slavery, colonialism and imperialism.

Matthew Collins from anti-fascist organisation Searchlight, said: “This odious campaign reveals the BNP’s true colours. Their views on history have always been selective – [BNP leader] Nick Griffin has denied the Holocaust ever happened.

“They also conveniently neglect to mention their own history, which is ridden with racism, fascism and violence.”

The BNP claims to have sent out thousands of leaflets to teaching establishments and to have emailed headteachers, university deans, student groups, campus groups, scouts and guide groups.

“The world would be a very different place if it wasn’t for the British Empire,” according to the literature.

“The only way the government can get British people to allow themselves to be dispossessed in their own homeland is to make them ashamed of themselves and their history.

“Never be embarrassed of the Empire or ashamed of it, no matter what your teachers say. Be proud of it. It was a time of great improvement and advancement in the world and it was all thanks to the British.”

As part of the month, the BNP is promoting 'The March of the Titans - a history of the white race', a tome that glorifies the Ku Klux Klan and praises Adolf Hitler for backing an anti-smoking drive, discouraging alcohol abuse and outlawing vivisection, whilst admitting "he will always be associated with an outburst of anti-Jewish sentiment".

The book then attempts to justify the Holocaust by saying: "No-one would question that the Jews, like everyone else in the Second World War, suffered great misfortune and were in particular subjected to unprecedented persecution and harassment on racial grounds.

“International Jewry had however publicly and openly declared war on Nazi Germany and the Nazis therefore regarded Jews as a hostile combatant group of special significance."

The campaign was condemned by University and College Union (UCU) General Secretary Sally Hunt, who said: "The BNP has no interest in the freedoms that UCU or the majority of people in this country believe in.

“The academic community is one that is built on diversity and tolerance. The BNP has no interest in sharing those values and preaches only hate and fear.”

The NUT’s Acting General Secretary Christine Blower, said: “The BNP's latest publication, like all of its literature, has no place in the school curriculum. A key purpose of education is to promote respect and equal opportunities. These values are in direct contradiction to BNP policies.”

The Guiding Association of Great Britain also condemned the initiative. A spokeswoman said: “One of the core values of Girlguiding UK is promoting equality and diversity and throughout our membership we build a respect and understanding of a range of cultures."

UPDATE

Cllr Chris has a comment on BNP matters here

Eric The Fish Part 1

As many people google, inter alia, ''Monty Python'' when arriving here, maybe it's time to paste up a copy of the initial inspiration behind the epithet with a promise of a secondary addition later.




Licence = English
License = Bill Gates English

Happy Birthday Pete

Pete Best is 68 today.

Dirty Baker's Dozen

Apparently the 12 have become 13. Perhaps they are breeding in custody. Anyway, sane and rational Fathers For Justice and BNP blogger Peter Molloy has roused the troops with this soliloquy:

• The Government have come to the wrong city and picked on the wrong people if they think we are going to just roll over and walk away. Churchill sent the Royal Navy to the mouth of the Mersey estuary with their guns trained on the people of Liverpool, Thatcher tried to squash the people of Liverpool and failed. This New Labour Government is no better and we will not be defeated.”

This would be the WE that mustered 872 votes in the 2005 General Election on Merseyside. I can't be arsed adding up the total votes of the rest but it's bound to be a few more!

This would be a different Churchill than the one so admired by followers of the clan.

Help The BNP Liverpool 12

The BNP need your help. We know that many of its members are in need of medical attention, but this appeal goes out on behalf of the so-called Liverpool 12 who were arrested (but not charged) in the city centre for just giving out leaflets. What could be wrong with that?

Well, after downloading the pdf of the leaflet from the BNP site. Why did it take so long to download? Hard to copy and paste too. Is it hosted on Simon Darby's mobile phone?

Anyway, I thought I'd look through to see if I can help the BNP see why they may have been arrested. As with a previous leaflet in the Preston area, the booklet does not appear to be obviously racist - I'm sure their lawyers have allowed it to make the point without being bang to rights. There are lies. The question is whether they are sufficient to amount to a public order offences.

So this is a work in progress. Other people may be able to decode better. First up from the leaflet is this:

• Many of the great injustices inflicted on the majority community under the multi-cult are in no way the fault of immigrants themselves. The problem is the attitude of the political ruling elite. One of the worst examples is housing policy.
• If a British family (including members of earlier immigrant groups) lose their home because they cannot afford to pay the mortgage or rent, they are regarded as 'intentionally homeless' and therefore not entitled to council accommodation.

This is patent nonsense. Note how the insertion of settled immigrants is used to allay fears of mere racism. Whilst a person can be deemed to be intentionally homeless through actions that have made eviction or repossession inevitable but avoidable, the wording used by the BNP is misleading in the extreme.

Here's what homeless charity Shelter advise:

• It is up to the council to prove that you are intentionally homeless, not for you to prove that you aren't. The council has make enquiries into the reasons you became homeless and must be satisfied that all four of the following points apply:

• you deliberately did (or didn't do) something that caused you to leave accommodation which you could otherwise have stayed in, and
• it would have been reasonable for you to stay there.

So what does this mean? Well, it's similar to the difference between can't pay and won't pay. In Poll Tax non-payments, it had to be shown that the debtor did not pay through wilful refusal or culpable neglect. So, similarly but not completely mirrored, the advice is this:

• The council should look at the whole of your circumstances in deciding whether you deliberately did or didn't do something. It may decide that you deliberately did or didn't do something that caused you to become homeless if:

• you didn't pay the rent or mortgage when you could have afforded to
• you were evicted for antisocial behaviour
• you left accommodation that you could have stayed in.

If you got into rent arrears or mortgage arrears because of genuine financial difficulties that were beyond your control, the council should not consider you to be intentionally homeless. This is especially true if you can show you did everything you could in order to save your home.

Now I'm not suggesting that there aren't instances where there are cases of injustices; as with the benefits system there are bad decisions but there is a right of appeal.

More info on Shelter here.

They continue their rant on housing:

• But asylum seekers who have come through a dozen safe countries to get to soft touch Britain don't have any problems. [UPDATE: See excellent BBC article on Kindertransport here]*
  

• Whether they've left behind a mudhut or warlords palace they are all entitled to top quality housing at British taxpayers' expense.

• The full list of what every Asylum Seeker gets is ......

• heating, lighting, water, phone bills, brand new kitchen equipment, full furnishings in every room, repairs carried out in 7 days, double glazing cleaned every 12 weeks....colour tv licence......

As I've said above, this is total poppycock, which reminds me of something for later!
(*thanks to Anton for tip.)

2] Invisible victims you're not supposed to know about.....

The BNP likes to emphasise that certain cases of racist attacks on whites do not get media attention unlike say Stephen Lawrence. They have a number of cause celebres:

CHRIS YATES

Such a killing would (if Asian victim) have received massive publicity......but as is invariably case when victims white.........went virtually unreported.

Of course a quick google brings up evidence to the contrary........

BBC Report

Daily Mirror

The Times

Independent Newspaper

Interestingly, the Indy article makes mention of a number of race killings of different racial groupings. One that will strike a chord here is the case of Johnny Delaney in Ellesmere Port. He was a 15 year old traveller beaten to death. His father felt there was a racial element, the judge did not agree.

Why no mention of this on the leaflet? He was white. Surely his killing is of more relevance to this area? Ellesmere Port is a short train ride away from where the BNP were arrested and many residents of that area shop in Liverpool. Could this give a hint:

This from Liverpool BNP's website re: Alder Hey visitors.

• I would have them all lined up against a wall mate, but there again I'm not in charge. Problem solved a a stroke.

• "Visitors" is politically correct speak for gypsies or otherwise known as travellers. Where they go pandemonium, vandalism, theft, criminal damage follows. There are of course other ethnic groups that think the world (but mostly Britain) owes them something and the, ahem, visitors are one of these groups. They contribute nothing to the community and offer nothing but upset and headaches in return.
  

KRISS DONALD

Horrific murder and kidnap

The leaflet states,

• "Why should your life be worth less than that of someone from an ethnic minority"

BBC Report

So what can the BNP do about this perceived injustice? Back to their leaflet.

• You're Not alone - fighting justice

• Ethnic Minorities living in Britain have literally thousands of organisations all too often financed with majority taxpayers' money standing up for them . This is part of reason that they get treated so much better than the indigenous people like us - it's the squeaky hinge that gets the oil!

• Every nation on the planet has right to rule itself and preserve its own culture and Identity that includes the native peoples of Britain.
  

What do they mean by this? Well, from the Official BNP site:

• Do you accept or deny that blacks/Asians born in Britain are totally British?
  People are partly the product of their environment, but mainly of their genes. Spike Milligan and Joanna Lumley were born in India – do you think they are Indians? It was the Duke of Wellington who said that just because someone is born in a stable that doesn’t make him a horse.

GROOMING

The BNP likes to put fear in the minds of the white population with smears. This one is particularly abhorrent and has seen them catch the attention of the police before. The leaflet refers to so-called examples.

Case study of Julie's mum

"She fell in with a Muslim.........she was raped. I see other girls in back of Asian cars no more than 12/13. Social Services are useless....schools are useless. The police frightened at being called racist. At end of day it's Asians doing it."

The case study contains graphic details as to what allegedly happened to the daughter without any hope of checking the veracity. The BNP then comment:

• All ethnic groups contain paedophiles.... but in most communities these sickos operate alone ashamed of what they do. One community is different. Wherever there are large number of young Muslim men, groups team up to lure girls often as young as 12/13 into nightmare world of sex abuse, rape, beatings, drugs and prostitution. Some of these perverts are recently arrived asylum seekers others come from settled immigrant communities and were born in Britain.
  

• But what all Muslim gangs have in common is that they never target girls from own community.

• This, together with refusal of Muslim leaders to condemn ..show that (this abuse) is racist.

Firstly, why is there a need for Muslim leaders to condemn? Did the Church of England apologise for the Moors Murderers, Peter Sutcliffe et al? Of course not. In any event, from this year,

• Last night Mohammed Shafiq, director of the Ramadhan Foundation, said the police were differentiating between criminals on the basis of race.

• Shafiq said: "I think the police are overcautious on dealing with this issue openly because they fear being branded racist and I think that is wrong."

• "These are criminals they should be treated as criminals. They are not Asian criminals, they are not Muslim criminals, they are not white criminals. They are criminals and they should be treated as criminals."

This neatly brings us to how the BNP hijacks issues for its own needs. Exhibit A, the case study of Angela Sinfield, strangely not mentioned on the leaflet.

Angela Sinfield went undercover to help a Channel 4 documentary after her daughter was subjected to this grooming. She says,

• "The thing about grooming was that it was about the exploitation of young women, it was about these girls being exploited for whatever reason, but it was never about race," said Ms Sinfield

• "But the BNP used it for their own ends without ever doing anything concrete about it and for me that is unforgivable."

Her story was covered by the Guardian with whom she spoke,

• The BNP portrayed her daughter's case as an issue of race and religion - Asian men preying on "local" white girls -

• Her daughter was 13 when she was targeted by a group of local men, some white, some Asian, who were grooming girls as young as 11 for sex.

She was so incensed that she stood against the sitting BNP councillor and won in 2006 at Keighley West, Nick Griffin's old ward.

It is also said that the BNP named her which is ironic given the recent developments.

This hijacking of respectable campaigns is the stock-in-trade of the BNP and other extremist groups of left and right.

The hijacking of campaigns

London Mothers Against Knives

Richard Barnbrook of the London Assembly was warned by the original founder in Middlesbrough.

Preston Pals and RBL Poppy Day

The British Legion objected to the abuse of the name.

Rachel Whittear

This concerned the national campaign already up and running.Each of the leaflets by the BNP features a harrowing photo of Rachel Whittear, 21, who was found dead at her flat in Exmouth, Devon, in May 2000, holding a syringe.

The photo of Rachel made national headlines after her parents agreed for it to be released to warn other youngsters of the dangers of drugs.

Rachel’s mother, Pauline Holcroft, 58, of Ledbury, Herefordshire, later said the leaflets were “insulting and offensive”.

The leaflet says people should “heap condemnation” on Muslims and that it is time for them to “apologise” as it claims they are responsible for 95% of the world’s heroin trade.

This leaflet is now subject to police action.

Finally, the icing on the cake of hate is the use of images in the leaflet.

• Picture of Stephen Lawrence purportedly doing a black Power salute
  Pics of ranting Muslim clerics;
  Pics of murdered whites with blanks for your sister, friend, your brother, you?
  Picture of prostitute lifted from the Daily Mail

There is then an advert for Great White Records

Including a CD penned by Griffin!
And this from Colin Auty about an area in Dewsbury

Savile Town, Where's it gone?
(Words by Colin Auty)

Ali’s shops on the corner,
And there’s Mosques all over town.
24 hours a day kebab house,
Asian taxis run by Crown.
This little piece of England,
Green and often pleasant land, why the hell am I complaining,
And why don’t I understand –

Chorus:
And I say….
Where is the chapel, where my grandma used to pray?
Where is the alehouse, where my father drank each day?
Where is the butchers shop, our mam would buy her pork?
Where have all the white folks gone, who used to stop and talk?

The bookies halfway down our street,
As (sic) long since gone as well.
And Dr Watson’s been replaced,
By a man they call Patel.
It’s curried rice and foreign dips,
No British fish & chips.
And the languages that we hear all day,
Come from foreign lips.

Repeat Chorus.

The bowling green and veterans’ club,
Are now a ghostly past.
It’s mainly used for cricket now,
Bangladesh were batting last.
If it’s drugs you lack, you’ll find your smack,
And the dealer promises more,
If next time you’ll pass, you’ll bring a lass,
Of 12 and not much more.

Repeat Chorus.

Chief Inspector Jon Carter said: “Savile Town is typical of anywhere else in West Yorkshire when it comes to drugs. We do have concerns over the sexual grooming of children in any area however we know this not to be an issue in Savile Town.”

Lovely! Taken with my piece about White History Month yesterday, we see the Real BNP.

To twiddle with an old Tranmere Rovers ditty,

• Don't be mistaken,
• Don't be misled
• The BNP's racist
• Just look at with whom
• They get into bed.

OK, hardly Roger McGough but a serious point.

UPDATE 24/11

Further irony

2 men jailed for sex offences

TWO men jailed for sexual activity with 14-year-old girls had been thrown out of the British National Party when their offences came to light, it has been revealed.

Ian Richard Hindle, 32, of Church Walk, Blackburn, and Andrew Paul Wells, 49, were jailed on Thursday for a total of five years and three months.

Preston Crown Court heard the pair had plied the girls with alcohol at Wells’ flat on Infirmary Street in Blackburn.

AND

Teacher Mark Walker

From the BBC

BNP spokesman Dr Phil Edwards said: "The reason he's had this action against him was because he allegedly looked at the BNP website on the school's computer.

"It is disgraceful that anyone should be suspended for looking at the website of a perfectly legal political party.

"We are certain this action would not have been taken against someone who had looked at the websites of the Commission for Racial Equality or the Green Party."

Yet,

Sue Byrne, the school's head teacher, said the claims of political persecution were untrue.

"We are happy to state categorically that Mr Walker has not been suspended because of any political affiliations he may hold. Any suggestion that this is the case is wholly false.

The Northern Echo provides a further insight.

• (A) report, produced by children’s welfare charity the NSPCC, says: “Mr Walker was suspended… following allegations that he and a colleague had accessed adult pornography during the school day, using school equipment.”

  The report, carried out for the Durham Children and Young People Services, makes it clear that no illegal content was found on Mr Walker’s school laptop or desktop computers.

• UPDATE 25/11/08: Via Lancaster Unity, the Bradford Telegraph and Argos cover a complaint by the widower of murdered Bradford police officer Sharon Beshenivsky, who was killed during a robbery at a travel agents. There had been a spate of robberies at such premises including one owned by a Muslim family prior to this.
  

• Paul Beshenivsky said: “Sharon’s murder was not a racist attack and it should not be used in that way.

  “These people are totally distorting the facts and just making it up. I was told about this by the Police Federation and both they and we are not at all happy about it.

  “At the end of the day the call Sharon went to could have been responded to by anyone. It would not have mattered whether it had been an English, Asian or Polish officer who attended, this gang would have shot them.”

  Tom McGhie, chairman of the West Yorkshire Police Federation, said: “It is appalling that the BNP would use the tragedy of Sharon Beshenivsky’s murder to try to further its own political agenda.

  “I can’t imagine what the Beshenivsky family and Sharon’s colleagues would feel about her death being used in this manner.

  “To relate the murder of Sharon to a racist attack is simply wrong. It was a crime carried out by violent criminals and this fact was highlighted at the court case. These were dangerous criminals prepared to use ultimate force.”

  Bradford South Divisional Commander Chief Superintendent Alison Rose said: “Sharon Beshenivsky died doing her duty trying to stop a robbery, there was not a racial motive to her death. It is unfortunate that the BNP have used her image to inaccurately portray a racist crime when in reality she died doing her job trying to stop crime.”

The hijackers of the seas may be Somalian pirates, and with the extradition of one suspect from Africa may lend a Somalian connection, but the hijackers on land are plainly the disgusting filth of the BNP.

To paraphrase their leaflet, who will they USE AND EXPLOIT NEXT? Your brother, your sister, your friend, you?

Bloody Vikings and Other Spam

After the Annual Banning of Christmas Stories have arrived in the manner of Beaujolais Nouveaux and early daffodils, I noticed these little bits and pieces from the Liverpool Echo that fit nicely.

1] NORWEGIAN language classes and folk concerts are among the events planned for a Nordic Winter Festival in Liverpool.

The event, which also coincides with the NICE08 festival, is being organised by members of the Liverpool International Nordic Community (LiNC).

A series of celebrations for Capital of Culture year will take place at the Scandinavian Seamen’s church, Gustav Adolf Kirka, organised to mark 2008 and celebrate 125 years of the Scandinavian church in Liverpool.

Stan Royden, chairman of the church council, said: “On November 23, we will mark the 125th anniversary of the laying of the foundation stone for the church. We also wanted to contribute towards Capital of Culture. We are part of the faith in one city.”

The programme, runs from November 24 to December 14.

An open day and exhibitions will be held at the Park Lane church on November 24, 26, 28 and 29.

Films from Sweden, Norway, Iceland, Denmark, and Finland’s The Christmas Story will be shown and there will also be dance workshops and a Finnish Independence Day celebration on Saturday December 6.

The festival culminates with the traditional St Lucia service at Liverpool Cathedral on December 13, featuring a choir from Gothenburg in Sweden.

OH NO! No Xmas here then? Whither Daily Mail

Oh wait...........By Jove, missus.

2] STILT walkers, snowmen, musicians and a Liverpool legend all lent a hand to light up Christmas.

Comedian Ken Dodd kicked off the festive season in style, offering city centre shoppers a unique “plumptious” celebration.

Church Street’s Christmas tree was lit up with a huge red button for the Squire of Knotty Ash to push, accompanied by a brass band.

Despite a false start, the tree was illuminated at the second time of asking, and the shoppers were amazed by a dancing robot - which found itself in a tickling stick face-off with Doddy.

Doddy told the ECHO: “It is great to see all the people watching the entertainers. Liverpool people know how to enjoy themselves and hundreds have turned out for a good time.”

Next week, children from Liverpool schools will complete the second part of the Christmas lights switch-on, when St George’s Hall and the cultural quarter will be lit up.

3] The Potting Shed cabaret, which takes place on board Walk the Plank's
theatre ship in Canning Dock, offers a Beaujolais Nouveau special on Friday
21st November, with music from deadbelgian... Liverpool's hottest cabaret
band offering a unique twist on the music of Jacques Brel.

4] IS this Liverpool’s first daffodil – three months too early?

The bright yellow bloom burst into flower much earlier than usual this year at Greenbank Park, in Mossley Hill.

5] The best alarm-clock for your male friend that will wake him up easily.

All the strength of Viagra and Cialis, in half the time, and afraction of the cost!

Stop spending hundreds of dollars on a few pills, save time try Erectifix to see how well it can improve your sex life, on so many levels!

Just one small strip 10 minutes before the fun starts, and the magic begins!

Visit our website now to see price discount specials in effect, ending soon!

And The List Goes On

Over the last couple of days I've noticed that the subject of the BNP has become quite popular. What is apparent - both from the disparate professions of the membership and from people's responses - is that the BNP has definitely managed to implant the notion of respectability.

I'm aware of three people in this locality whose names appear on the roll of shame; only one comes as a surprise. Again, I make no judgment as to whether they are members or not. Given that, through my professional career, I am aware of the approximate locations of some sex offenders in this area, I take the same stance: I'll be damned if I'll publish.

There are exceptions and I'll come to them later.

This is why those - like myself - delighting in the embarrassment of the leak, should urge caution. We would not be happy if a UK version of Megan's Law came in (notwithstanding the watered down version proposed) as mistakes can be made as shown by the News Of The World debacle and attacks on paediatricians.

Such vigilante action must be condemned whoever the victims are. For this reason, I have no problem with referring to barmy Vigilante Guy, Albert Hurwood as the matter is in the public domain and Hugh Muir has mentioned it twice in recent Guardian Diary pieces. So sure of having nothing to hide, his web forum requires membership before entering (thus increasing figures).

The NOTW may be running a story at the weekend about the BNP as, according to a spokesman, Arthur Kemp was doorstepped. Kemp? Rings a bell! Ah yes, as I said here, he's the author of that Christmas stocking filler, March of the Titans, a history of the white race, as detailed by Lancaster Unity here. Note the brown jacket like the one favoured by Richard Barnbrook. In that article - written in September - Kemp denies it is recommended reading. So as I said before, funny how it is highlighted as White History Month Book on the White Pride site linked to by the main BNP site below. Note the not-loaded question under it!

It contains some other gems that these bastards want children to be taught:

• The attack on the World Trade Center, New York, 11 September 2001. The attack, by Muslims, was caused directly in retaliation to the support given to Israel by the USA, which in turn is driven by the Jewish domination of the American mass media and government. Such attacks are set to increase as long as the White West allows its politics and mass media to be dominated by Jewish groups.

Link

• here are four ways through which a nation's population can vanish:

  1. Through obliteration in war;

  2. Through their lands being swamped by labor-driven immigration;

  3. Through physical mixing with newcomers; and

  4. The second and third factors above combined with a decreasing birth rate amongst the original population.

• The prospects for the future of Western civilization are therefore, bleak. Whites will be increasingly squeezed out of their great cities, increasingly replaced by Third World non-Whites and mixed-race populations.

  And so society will change its outer manifestations to reflect the new populations, and the last White-created civilization will vanish along with the declining White population.

  The ancient end of the world in Norse mythology was the Ragnarok, the fiery fall of the Gods in Valhalla: this fate seems destined to come true after all - unless there is a conscious and determined shift in the political, demographic and social trends prevalent in the West today.

Link

Finally, the BNP site is claiming that a number of BNP members have been detained by police in Liverpool. The group included Peter quiggins of Breach of Liverpool 08 copyright fame and peter Molloy of Fathers 4 Justice superhero status.

I've been meaning to do a piece on the nutters from F4J for some time so I must remember to write something on this sinister band.

Happy 40th Birthday

Woza Albert!

My favourite Father Ted episode involves him fighting malicious allegations of racism. Youtube no longer has it available but it reminded me of the problems the people on the infamous Griffin's List are having. I've held back on commenting on it and others have done it better and I was in Germany when the story broke. I've also had a sneaky look at some of the names in a latter day Fiendsreunited (sic) sort of way.

The BNP leadership is a bit confused as to who is responsible. On one hand Griffin said,

• I deeply regret the leak of that year-old list by a disgruntled former employee, because everyone is entitled to privacy

Then, Simon Darby talked of a plot by left-wing blah blah blah. Which is it guys?

With apologies to Neil Kinnock, it does provide the grotesque irony of a Nationalist Party, A NATIONALIST PARTY hiring lawyers to issue legal notices to its own members. And this from a bunch of bigots who would repeal the very legislation they seek to hide behind; a merry band that is anti-EU but wants Griffin elected as an MEP.

As Chicken Yoghurt notes,

• The crowning jewel of the story is that the BNP, who only this month called the Human Rights Act 'surely one of the most pernicious pieces of legislation ever passed by the mother of parliaments,' and reiterated its promise to repeal it when the party - don't laugh - becomes a 'British Nationalist government', have now asked to police to investigate breaches of the Human Rights Act.

The party also placates its irate members by saying The Equality Act can be used to prevent them being sacked. In addition, it advises using their Solidarity union led by Patrick Harrington ex of the National Front.

Today, my traffic indicator er.........indicated that someone from Northampton googled "Albert Hurwood" BNP Corby. This took the person to a previous blog post on his barmy vigilante organisation here.

According to Poons, the celebrated Mr H is on the dreaded list despite his vehement denials about not being in the Party of Darkness.

I don't wish to link to the sites showing the information as they are readily available.

The Poons piece is here at Navigor, and as can be seen, Mr H is courting publicity in much the same way as the BNP. Funny that!

The jury's still out on whether this a boom or bust for the BNP. Griffin proudly boasts that - apart from his soldiers getting abusive phone calls and going red at work outings to the slavery museum - he views this as good publicity. Indeed the official hate site says that it has had a record number of visits. A million flies hovering around the shit can't be wrong!

Bremen Part 2

Day 1

We arrived late into Bremen and due to the fact that we were staying at the rear of the airport, it made sense to get a taxi rather than a tram into ton and then back. The cost was reasonable at about 7€.
Managed to get water through customs and back again. So much for water based bombs and airport security.

The hotel greeted us with bizarre reminders of home. Not only is the local telephone number (0151) the same for Liverpool, but there were three football pennants in reception, Liverpool, Everton and amazingly, Tranmere Rovers.

A more cynical person than me would think that they had a supply of every team in Europe and they replace them when you leave the room - rather like the Liverpool supporting Greek owner of a bar in Crete who would don his LFC shirt to drum up business for his bar showing Live matches involving Liverpool and replace it with an Arsenal top when they played!

Although the local bars/restaurants were advertising closing times after midnight, none seemed to be open so a quick Becks was obtained from the kebab shop. Despite a few scoops in Manchester earlier in the day, the alcoholic effect was not sufficient to make a kebab seem tasty.

The room was down in the basement next to the vibrating washing machine and upon waking I realised we hadn't drawn the curtains so anyone passing at street level could get a good laugh if they wanted.

Day 2

The walk into town was not too exhausting and consists of merely following along a main road. Due to the inclement weather it was decided that a tram ride back would be best. A day ticket costs only about 7€ for 2 adults and can be used with a number of children too. Ensure that the ticket is stamped on the tram each time it is used.

So, half an hour later, passing the Red Cross Hospital, crossing 2 bridges over the River Weser, and after the Bansky-esque graffiti, the city centre is found.

One thing to note that this city seems to have more cyclists than Amsterdam and it is easy to forget that the red lanes on the pavement are for two wheels rather than two feet.

One of Bremen's most famous features is the statue commemorating The Town Musicians (Die Die Bremer Stadtmusikanten) of Grimms Fairy Tales. The donkey, dog, cat and cockerel came together for the finals of X Factor and can be seen outside the entrance to the Ratskeller.

Whilst we were looking at this, there were TV cameras recording human versions of the animals for some unknown purpose. Yet again our acting abilities were ignored.

Roland is a gigantic statue in the town square. Roland is a popular legendary figure in Germany and other European cities. Bremen is proud of the size of theirs! Aren't we all?

One thing that we found strange was that notwithstanding the intermittent rain, there was a dearth of customers in the department shops of the town centre. Perhaps the economic factors are biting in Germany as much as elsewhere.

There were not many tourists in the town and one person we spoke to at length thought we were students - a bit of a bonus at our age!

Moving away from the town square with the Cathedral, parliament and statues, we visited the nearby quaint area called Schnoor. This is similar to the shambles in York and every nook and cranny contains a different experience from cafe bars and restaurants to craft shops and Christmas emporia.

Eric was thirsty by this time and after having sampled a Thueringen bratwurst in the square, the necessary lining was on the stomach for a goodly beer or two.

Purely by chance we stumbled upon the Comturei restaurant,[Ostertorstraße 30/32,
28195 Bremen.] which is in a 13th century crypt and was on my list compiled from the European Pub Guide. Here we settled on two glasses (0.5l) of Stortebeker Schwartzbier, a tasty dark lager.

The Stortebeker pub itself is full of ship memorabilia. Strangely the stotebeker beer we had previously did not seem to be on so I settled on a Czech Staropramen dunkel for €3.70 which I’d not had before. They served food here with Italian a specialty.

Another interesting pub is the Spitzen Gebel. This is in a small area near the Schuttinger brewery, referred to as the Bottcherstrasse, the entrance of which has a golden frieze from 1936 paying tribute to a certain Austrian water colour specialist.

The pub came as a bit of a surprise when entering as a plume of smoke escaped from the small saloon bar as the door was opened. There is a sign on the door announcing that this is one of the last vestiges of the smoker. Germany has not brought in complete bans on smoking and there are different rules in different states.

As this is a small kneipe (local) pub, it is allowed to have cancer stick users. The great problem is its small size and the fact that obviously most people coming here are smokers. However, eventually the atmosphere became clearer as glasses of Haak Becks Pils were imbibed. We also had an interesting conversation (partly in German) with a local guy, who was married to a woman from South America.

Although the beer was standard fare, this was one of the highlights of the trip due to the atmosphere and friendliness. We did find some people's demeanour a bit serious and sometimes frosty, but this was exemplary.

Whilst here, we found out that there was an exhibition of Helmut Newton's nudes (as I had seen a few years ago in Berlin) but we did not have time for this. Still, the brochure's very interesting!

We stumbled across a beer hall that looked like ones we had seen in Cologne. Lo and behold it was the Staendige Vertretung selling Sion Koelsch beer, and Erdinger Weissbier. The only problem with the Koelsch is that it comes in 0.2l glasses. The decor of the hall is amazing as most of the vast walls are covered in memorabilia from political history of the GDR and FDR. It was like being in Willy Brandt's study. The toilets were immaculate - hotel class - strangely I did not see anyone collecting as in other German cities.

The best pub by far was at the Schuettinger Brewery. This has been brewing since 1990 and the beer both Dunkles and Hellen was fresh and the best of the trip. The beer appeared to be dispensed straight from two mighty wooden barrels but given the position of the taps, this was probably for show. One guy opened a narrow opening beneath the copper mash tuns and was able to crawl underneath.

On our first visit we could not get in as there was a private party taking up the whole place, which is on 2 levels so it shows the popularity of this place. This looks like an ideal place to hold an early Xmas party. We also spotted a businessman cuddling a woman who may not have been his wife!

Well, it certainly looks like you went to quite a few pubs, a reader asks. Well. Our excuse was that the weather was a bit nippy and we had to seek shelter somewhere.

On a stroll along the riverside we noticed that the Christmas markets were being readied for December. We chance upon the Paulaner pub in this direction but did not venture in. The Becks brewery could be seen on the other side of the river but the hops could be smelt long before we noticed it in the night sky.

There is a tall ship moored on the quayside area Schlachte, which is the medieval harbour, called the Lord Nelson which is now used as a restaurant.

Day 3

On the third day we decided to take a tram ride to the Weserstadion, home of Euro Champions League qualifiers, Werder Bremen. Unfortunately, due to mistakenly believing that the number 6 tram terminated there we missed the stop by miles and had a long stroll alongside the autobahn parallel to the river.

Not many people were around and the ground did not look particularly impressive from the exterior view. Indeed, we were unable to circumnavigate the stadium due to a fence around the side. The club Fan shop is stsandard and I managed to pick up a Werder mobile dongle which lights up when someone calls. Such fun! We had hoped to catch a Bundesliga game but unfortunately none was scheduled during our stay.
Coupled with our failure to spot Bremen icon, James Last this provided a bit of a disappointment.

Some bizarre things in Bremen:

1. Jewellery shop called Christ. Blessed are the watchmakers.
   
2. Christmas shop selling nothing but nativity items. Must be packed in July.
   
3. Toilet football in the urinals (see pic).
4. Condom/cigarettes machines on most street corners.

Bremen 2008

Some photos from the 3 day trip to Bremen in Germany.

Part 1

(see Part 2)
Manchester/Salford

Due to the lateness of the flight we did not arrive until 11 O'clock and could not find a pub open in the district we were staying in near to the airport. So, a bottle of Beck's from the local kebab outlet had to suffice.

We spent a number of hours in Salford prior to our trip to Manchester Airport. It is worth knowing that the journey can be staggered at no extra charge on National Express (about £6.50) so we got off in rainy Salford. Our first destination was the Union Tavern on Liverpool Road but when we arrived there they were using the bar as a location for filming an episode of Coronation Street. It will be interesting to see what the storyline involves in a few weeks. My guess is that it involves Liam's death and the shady hit-and-run driver's payments. Quite disappointing that our obvious acting skills were not utilised.

We walked a bit further to the excellent Marble Arch pub in Manchester which brews its own beer. I settled on a Porter.

Next port of call was the old Beer House pub which is now called The Angel (it's on angel Street). We had a light beer from Dunham Massey brewery in Cheshire but this and its replacement was not in good condition. The pub appears to be favouring the gastro side of its customer base. It was disappointing that there does not seem to be any Belgian Kriek on draught as was the case with the old pub.

By now we were getting nicely lubricated and we plumped for another pub with a Coronation Street connection. This Holts pub had toilets officially opened by three former stars - Stan Ogden, Billy Walker and Alan Howard.

Prior to leaving for the airport we settled on the Circus Tavern. Another good Holts pub with a cosy snug room with hundreds of pictures of the famous including visitors to the pub like George Best.

Christmas Banning Time Is Here Again

I came back from Germany yesterday and noticed that the Christmas banned by Oxford story was being debated on local radio here. 5CC covered the story in depth back on 3rd November. I drafted an email on 4th November on the basis that it was bound to come up some time.

A guy came on from Oxford and was a bit confused as to the story as he was talking about the lack of lights in the city. He seemed to suggest that this was due to economic factors. Indeed, our own local council is considering cutting back due to the investment losses in Icelandic banks.

It seems that the BNP were on the day before - possibly talking about the leaking of membership lists, and in particular, the alleged membership of a Merseyside Police officer. It sounds like the BNP were using this myth to further their claim that multi-cultural Britain is sweeping away tradition.

Therefore, although the story is a couple of weeks old, the use of it by the party of hate means that it needs highlighting. This is another example of how the Mail-type scare stories are the favourite weapon of our vile enemies.

The email in full:

• It must be November as the 'Christmas is Banned' stories are appearing in the tabloids in another attempt to poison the minds of the people. What is surprising this year is that the first national paper to deal with the story was The Observer rather than the usual suspects of the Mail and the Murdoch Comic.
  Oxford City Council has issued a statement on its own site which totally debunks this myth.

  • Councillor Bob Price, Leader Oxford City Council says: "Oxford City Council has not 'banned Christmas' and has not banned the use of the word 'Christmas'. The Council has not even considered doing either of these.

    "Oxford City Council will celebrate Christmas 2008 in the same way as it has celebrated all previous Christmases: we will have Christmas trees in the Town Hall and in Broad Street, the Lord Mayor will host a Christmas reception for community workers and will hold the annual Christmas Carols event, and we will be sending out Christmas cards.

  The story conveniently uses the fact that there is a joint event with 'Oxford Inspires' which uses the phrase 'Winter Lights' and this is on the same night as the switching on of the Christmas lights. Note that the Council also uses the word 'Christmas' too, so the story falls flat.

  Unfortunately, like a similar situation in Birmingham many years ago, a simple use of Winterval was seen as abolishing Xmas to appease ethnic groups. Moreover, when organisations representing such groups are asked, there is no onjection to the celebration of Christmas notwithstanding their own festivities. This can be seen in the current story because both the Jewish and Muslim communities have issued statements to that effect.

  It should be noted that Liverpool is also conducting Pool of Light tours which will not detract from the Xmas celebrations.

  No doubt these stories will continue every year as urban myth becomes fact.

• The chap from Oxford needs enlightening as to how to conduct a conversation. Let people get a word in and stop babbling on about how many foreign mates you've got.

  Further reading:

  Oxford city Council

  Debunking Myth @ 5CC

• Radio Merseyside Listen Again (for 7 days)
  

The Real BNP:Volume 2487

I am indebted to the post by Birmingham Blogger Edmund Standing (of I Kid You Not) for this important expose of the BNP's White History Month. I did have a little look at this when their website was set up but didn't think too much about it.

Like those morons that clamour almost child-like for White Police Associations because they have one, the BNP kidders are wetting their Pampers in expectation of this annual display of white pride.

As I've said before, the fact that they are able to muster support at the moment as all good extremists do at times of recession is concerning. They still try to put on a cloak of respectability whilst all the time being rotten to the core underneath.

We know Griffin denied the Holocaust, has convictions for racially aggravated offences; that as they hold their jolly conference in Blackpool their real views are being suppressed to gain votes.

As the review of March of the Titans, A History of the White Race by Arthur Kemp
shows, this cloak is wearing thin.

As Edmund points out,

• In 'The "Final Solution": Nazi Policy towards Jews', Kemp reproduces a 1944 'prisoner's release note' from the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp, using it to argue that 'imprisonment at the camps was not necessarily permanent' and that the release note was written 'supposedly at the height of that camp's gas chamber operations'. Kemp continues: 'The belief that imprisonment at Auschwitz meant gassing is belied by the release of prisoners from this camp and by the fact that many thousands of inmates did in fact survive'.

This is clearly an attempt at revisionism. That Kemp is so contemptuous as to use a single example as being a fact speaks volumes.

His chapter on the Third Reich offers no condemnation of Nazi actions only explanations we are invited to use to excuse Hitler.

• a large amount of what has been written about Hitler and Nazi Germany has been particularly subject to the pressure of political correctness........

Here's his take on Kristallnacht:

• The assassination of German diplomat Ernst vom Rath sparked a week long anti-Jewish pogrom in Germany resulting the famous "Crystal Night" where the window fronts of Jewish shops across Germany were smashed.

No mention of the start of the deportation of Jews to concentration camps.

Another example of his kindergareten approach to argument is this:

• NAZIS SUPPRESS DEMOCRACY

  A trademark characteristic of Hitler and the Nazi Party - they never made any secret of it - was their abhorrence of democracy. Firmly believing in the leadership principle, where one leader took the responsibility for the major decisions, as soon as the Nazis came to power, they started with a program of entrenching themselves in power to the exclusion of other parties and opposition movements.

  This anti-democratic movement extended past the political front: freedom of the press and eventually freedom of speech was also suspended. Although these were reversals of the democratic process, Germany was not alone in this: indeed, even at the end of the 20th century, still only one country on earth - the United States of America - guarantees its citizens total freedom of speech: every single other country on earth has one or another form of restriction on free speech, most notably in the area of race relations, where all European countries have made it a criminal offense to discuss racially related topics which are openly debated in America.

He then waxes lyrically at the successes of Nazi Germany - ant-smoking measures, promotion of mineral water, anti-vivisection (no mention of humans here) and disturbingly,

• Nazi Germany also forbid the use of the pesticide DDT on the grounds that it was a health hazard (it would be decades before this policy was adopted by other countries) and instead used a German produced version known as Cyclone-B.

This sounds like a smug revisionist in-joke. The real reason Zyklon B was found at Auschwitz perhaps? Sinister!

Kemp, chillingly ends the chapter thus:

• All things said, to have been a Jew in Nazi Germany could not have been a pleasant experience: but, as the over 4.3 million claims against the post war German state from Jews who suffered as a result of this persecution, (by 1998 the German state had paid out over $50 billion in reparations), certainly far fewer died than what is most often claimed. Increasingly, all the evidence urges a complete revision of this aspect of the history of World War Two.

This is what the BNP want your children to learn. Debate is one thing; lies another. The picture above is from Darby's blog on their conference. Note the Aryan girl up front, Barnbrook the Brown Jacket to the left and amazingly, a chap with a dog collar to the right.

There we have it. The image they want you to see:a scene from the latest Parish magazine in a quaint village full of indigenous, bicycle-clipped worthies, whilst all the time peddling filth like Kemp's book.