1) Asking people doesn't seem that complex
2) To engage in your discussion - what are those who are concerned doing to 'offer an answer to some of the very real concerns highlighted by some of those who voted for them?' I only see silencing mechanisms operating - which suit the government perfectly.
LK
________________________________
From: A forum for critical and radical geographers on behalf of Alison Stenning
Sent: Wed 6/10/2009 12:26 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: petition: hope not hate
I revile Nick Griffin. I strongly oppose the policies of the BNP and do not believe that they do offer an answer to some of the very real concerns highlighted by some of those who voted for them. Some BNP supporters and activists though are racist thugs who have little, or no, grounds for arguing that they have been marginalised by recent processes of political and economic change. I condemn them.
But I do not dismiss the concerns raised and I do not revile the majority of those who vote for BNP. As Eric Hobsbawm suggested in The Guardian yesterday, the real issue here is the decline of the left and its inability to speak to the concerns of a transformed working class.
Without a doubt, more work needs to be done to map out those concerns and seek alternative strategies for alleviating the economic and social pressures which may result in a vote for the BNP. But the very fact that, actually, very few voted for the BNP, even in areas where they returned MEPs, suggests that voting BNP is not a common or widely accepted response to the concerns of such communities.
The politics of doing this kind of research is, indeed, complex, but no one could research such an issues without 'bias'.
Best,
Alison
________________________________
From: [log in to unmask] [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: 10 June 2009 12:07
To: Alison Stenning; [log in to unmask]
Subject: RE: petition: hope not hate
An honest question: Do you revile the people that voted for them?
I also remark that one point made in this email does seem to undermine the possibility of unbiased research in regard to the other part.
LK
________________________________
From: A forum for critical and radical geographers on behalf of Alison Stenning
Sent: Wed 6/10/2009 11:59 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: petition: hope not hate
Dear all,
It would seem that both responses - a public statement of our reviling of the BNP and an attempt to understand where this support (whether or not it has grown) comes from - are important. The latter takes time and expertise and, hopefully, some of us - and others - are thinking about ways to seek answers; the former is an important and urgent gesture which makes it clear that we reject the racism of the BNP (and its attempts to conceal its racism).
Alison
>-----Original Message-----
>From: A forum for critical and radical geographers
>[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Linda Kaucher
>Sent: 10 June 2009 11:50
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: Re: [CRIT-GEOG-FORUM] petition: hope not hate
>
>Thanks for taking the trouble to make that point Alan.
>However, I am surprised that on this issue overall, that
>academic researchers of all people are not more concerned to
>know the way things really are rather than hazarding guesses etc.
>
>LK
>________________________________
>
>From: WATSON Allan [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
>Sent: Wed 6/10/2009 11:48 AM
>To: Kaucher,LL (pgt); [log in to unmask]
>Subject: RE: petition: hope not hate
>
>
>
>I agree with Linda that there is a need to more carefully
>examine the reasons behind these votes.
>
>Personally, I hope that these votes are more of a protest at
>the current state of affairs than a genuine rise in 'white
>extremism' in the UK - and numbers will fall away as
>conditions improve. My suspicion is that many of the votes
>come from the ill-informed idea that 'immigrants' are
>'stealing' jobs in a time when unemployment is rising -
>propagated by the BNP and others.
>
>I have just returned from the Normandy D-Day celebrations with
>my grandfather - and while it is a giant leap from here to a
>repeat of the experience of Germany, there are some very
>important historical lessons which should not be forgotten.
>
>
>Best,
>
>Allan
>
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: A forum for critical and radical geographers
>[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Linda Kaucher
>Sent: 10 June 2009 11:12
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: Re: petition: hope not hate
>
>Those MEPs did not get there by magic, people voted for them.
>The very obvious question is why people voted that way.
>
>But strangely, in the endless talk, and all the 'disgust',
>that very obvious question is not being asked.
>Instead there is an attack on the democratic process -
>dangerous action of itself.
>
>Such a reaction most certainly does not answer that key question.
>Such a reaction most certainly does nothing about people's
>tendency to vote in that direction.
>And it is strongly promoted by New Labour and other parties
>who have sent military forces overseas to kill, in wars no one wanted.
>
>LK
>
>________________________________
>
>From: A forum for critical and radical geographers on behalf
>of Jo Norcup
>Sent: Wed 6/10/2009 9:24 AM
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: petition: hope not hate
>
>
>
>People may be aware that the right wing fascist British
>National Party gained
>two seats representing Britain in the recent European
>elections. If you are
>disgusted as I am, you might want to sign the hope not hate
>petition to be
>presented to the European Parliament. The link is below:
>
>http://action.hopenothate.org.uk/page/s/notinmyname
>
>All best wishes
>
>Jo
>
>
>
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Please access the attached hyperlink for an important electronic communications disclaimer: http://www.lse.ac.uk/collections/secretariat/legal/disclaimer.htm
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