Seems a disgruntled Labour councillor wasnt to happy that the council were giving the BNP and the English Democrats a platform. So he went to the event organisers to complain, he then returned to the event room and told the two candidates that they were no longer welcome. The BNP candidate refused to move explaining that it was his right to be there. So the police were called. The police consulted with the event organisers, they then escorted Derek Adams out like a criminal.Now, I don't know a lot about the English Democrats except that I once heard one of their spokesman on the BBC one morning, and that they'd like to see an English parliament. I also know that Boaty & D have their reservations, but even they, I suspect, would agree with me that their being denied a voice during campaigns for a (cough) democratic election is quite wrong.
The English Democrats are registered with the Electoral Commission as a valid political party and fielded 107 candidates in the last election. That's more than the SNP and Plaid Cymru combined.
The BNP, of course, are more well-known, but they are also a registered party and put up 22 more candidates than the Greens. Some may find the BNP objectionable, I do myself. But, then again, the Greens turn my stomach too.
And that's the thing with 'democracy', it's a very subjective concept. Whilst I'd live life a lot happier without the likes of Caroline Lucas around, she and her collection of melon-headed loons should be allowed to have their say in a democratic system. They might be mad as a skipful of grapes, but while they are accepted for the ballot paper and there are people who wish to exercise their right to give them a vote, their only silencing should come via reasoned debate.
It's hardly surprising that it was a Labour politician who decided that these two parties are not to be heard, those with left leanings have always enjoyed a good ban/censor/massacre of those who don't share their views, after all. But the guy is hideously wrong, as are the council if they are behind the ejections as the quiet one believes.
Between them, the BNP and EDP polled just under 1.2 million votes in the 2009 Euro elections, and 629,157 in the 2010 General Election. That's a lot of democracy going on right there, whether one likes it or not.
So, where are we on this? Well, we have three parties who are all as piss poor as each other. If you want to start your own, they have already put up huge barriers to stop you doing so. If you get past those hurdles, they laugh at your support. If you endure that and gain support, they get tetchy and throw you out of political meetings in case you gain any more.
I don't recognise anything free or democratic about that, quite honestly.
We are now living in a state which pretends to be democratic, until some wish to disagree with ensconced parties who have decided there are things which are not open to disagreement ... like voting for anyone except them, for example.
