BNP Christmas Message

There's been a bit of a hiatus recently on this space but hopefully this will change in the New Year. I've had a few technological problems but they now seem solved.

I also aim to move host next year and I've a few ideas about what the blog should be.

No football today as our match at Oldham has been postponed. I'll have to settle for watching one of the lesser known Mersey teams. Liverpool or Everton?

The blog does sometimes get bogged down with the moronic happenings in the BNP and other far right nutjobs but I think that it is important to document them; their level of support may not deserve this but I don't think they should be ignored.

The BNP still maintains it is not a nasty bunch of Neanderthals and racist thugs. Their online outpourings throw cold water over this.

Even their 'intellectual' deputy leader, eyebrow gardener Simon Darby shows his true colours with his Christmas Message:

"As you can see my early morning shopping expedition to M&S, in order to obtain all my Christmas food and drink, was a total success. Even the sight of an asylum beggar/Big Issue sales person scrounging outside the store at 7am didn't distract me from my mission."

For readers not familiar with the Big Issue concept here are a few facts which bigoted Darby seeks to ignore:

1. It is a charitable foundation with support across the political spectrum.

2. Sellers buy copies of the magazine for 75p and sell it for £1.50. Therefore, they are just as legitimate as a newsagent.

3. Sellers do not have to be homeless at the time they are selling the mag. They will have encountered problems with housing and homelessness but could be in the transition from living on the streets to obtaining accommodation.

4. The magazine is professionally produced with exclusive content. By way of example Paul McCartney is featured in the latest issue.

5. Sellers are vetted by the organization and can have selling privileges withdrawn. They will have badges accreditation. Just remember that when a BNP-ite rattles a tin when collecting on behalf of 'our boys'.

The fact that Darby lumps Asylum Seekers (who cannot earn money under Home Office rules) with Big Issue Sellers shows why this party will never change.

The use of the word 'scrounger' is symptomatic of what the BNP think about underprivileged people. For all they talk about supporting soldiers and veterans this is clearly just a way of jumping on a bandwagon.

Research shows that many ex-forces personnel encounter problems back on civvy street and can end up on the street.

Same old Fascists.

All Front, No Back

I suppose you finally know you've hit a nerve when the White Supremacist and BNP loved site Stormfront starts linking to you. I posted about the EDL and its campaign to stop an application for a building to be used as a mosque in Weston-Super-Mare.

The application was actually turned down for what appear to be legitimate planning concerns. What is interesting is that the Weston Mercury reports that 97% of the objections had to be discarded due to them having an apparent racist element. Now, who would have thought that? When the EDL - which claims to be anti-extremism rather than anti-Islam - openly stoked the flames and asked followers (most of whom who had no connection with the town) to protest against this proposal, they knew full well what people would say.

The Weston Mercury reports, "North Somerset Council this week revealed it had to discard 97 per cent of 157 letters of objection to a proposed Muslim Centre in Orchard Street because of their racist nature.

It's indicative of the nature of the beast that one of the lobotomised souls frequenting Dante's new division has the charming quote "Give a negro a fish, and he will eat for a day.
Give a negro a fishing rod, and he will snap it and use it for firewood."

The Stormfront bod who linked to me is also a man of intellect and incredibly, seems to have attracted a mate:

• Me and my gf spent the afternoon at Southend today - half the population of africa was there and that is no exageration. Seems like they prefer Southend to Notting Hill now.

The EDL still wishes us to believe it is non-racist and speaks for the nation. The EDL seeks to distance itself from the BNP and other far-right thugs. This will not wash. There are clear links as a cursory search of Facebook groupings will prove. Even regular blog reader and ego-Googler Liam Pinkham turns up at these protests. (There, Liam another mention to tell your skin mates about).

Let me make this clear to the EDL and BNP: you do not speak for me. Both organisations are racist. Fact.

Multimedia message

I tend to know Xmas is approaching when either of 2 things happen - the PC madness banning Xmas myths appear and my electrical goods start to pack up just in time for the sales. In the past week I had problems with my laptop and my camera. Fortunately both are still protected that wonderful John Lewis warranty.

This precludes the need to have the usual conversation I used to have at Dixons type box sellers.
'Sorry, but you should have signed up for a 3 year warranty'

'Well actually you were only trying to flog an extra 2 years warranty as I was already covered for 1.'

Pause while gears begin to whir. The realisation comes slower than the movement of the Arctic tundra.

'yeh but it's not covered no more as it expired in February. Now is April.

'So you're aware of my rights under the Sale of Goods Act?'

Pause. 'Not sure if this applies to us. I'll check. '

After a 10 minute wait which feels like I'm the office junior being sent to the DIY store for a long stand, he returns and confirms that Sue has told him to tell me that I was correct.

This is going to be painful.
'Right now we've established that English law has not been circumvented by you, what can you do about the said item?'
I'd be happy with a repair but Namebadgeman trumps me. We'll just replace it. Easier paperwork. Perhaps he spotted my court file. Perhaps Sue knew a nark when she heard about one.

You see what consumers (and assistants) sometimes forget is that the 12 months guarantee is just a handy starting point. The concept of reasonableness is one that troubles every law student at some point.

What is firmly established is that we have a reasonable expectation that our goods should last some time. This is the case notwithstanding our increasingly built-in obsolescence society and the eagerness of poorly paid assistants to flog commission-gaining warranties for half the price of replacement.

In some respects this obsolescence is a natural progression of technology. Having begun life as a Luddite I quickly discovered gadget addiction. Whilst I'm not an early adopter freak I've lost count of the mobile phones I've had; my first one was bought by employers and people used to stare when it rang on the train. Now my mother has last year's model and I'm writing this from my iPhone.

I bought a microwave oven with my first student grant cheque and I'm reliably informed that this is still working and on its fourth owner - some 20+ years on. Similarly, most of my hi-fi I had as a teenager forms part of my sound system.

So don't be fobbed off this Winterval, make sure you know your rights. Try to dress like a Solicitor and look menacing. Tell them Eric The Fish sent you.

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