“The Mainstream Media” (MSM) are united in their hatred of the BNP, but it is heart-warming to know that there are still commentators with a semblance of common sense left.
‘Spiked’, an online publication, vehemently opposed to the BNP published an article in which it attacks government for forcing us to change our Constitution.
Brendan O’Neill makes a good point when he argues that:
‘In one breath they say democracy is the only tool with which to challenge backward ideas; in the next they support an utterly undemocratic state intervention into the freedom of association and freedom of thought of a political party. This schizophrenic, changeable attitude to democracy captures how today’s anti-BNP sloganeering and policymaking are graver threats to democracy than the racist party itself. Because if we are really serious about defending an open and free democratic society, then we must not only say ‘yes, the BNP should be free to appear on Question Time’, but also – however much it sticks in our throats – ‘it must be free to exclude non-whites, too’.
But he also has strong words for the antifascists:
Like every censorious figure throughout history, from Torquemada to Tony Blair, the anti-fascist left sees certain words not only as wrong, and thus challengeable, but as dangerous and diseased. So the BNP’s words are like a ‘cancer’ that will spread through Britain. In the idea that there will be a ‘drip, drip, drip effect’ if the BNP is allowed on to Question Time – allowing fascist thinking to become ‘normalised’ – we can glimpse the core conviction of every censor: that people are fickle and easily led and thus might be switched on to fascism at the sight of Nick Griffin’s ugly mug on TV. We must therefore be protected from our own worst instincts by caring, gracious, morally superior individuals with the power to censor.
And he continues to underline what is wrong with the EHRC’ move:
The only criticism of the ‘equality case’ against the BNP is that it is pointless – after all, how many blacks and Asians are queuing up to join a party that considers them to be second-class citizens? Yet this case is far more problematic than that, and provides a taster of the kind of state intervention into the life of private clubs, groups and political parties that we can expect under New Labour’s Equality Bill. The case has set the scene for further attacks on freedom of association and independent organisation by a state acting under the auspices of ‘equality’.
The fact is that, unlike public bodies, private bodies must be free to discriminate. Freedom of association and the right to organise politically – two key rights in any democratic society worth its name – inevitably involve choosing who to associate and organise with, and therefore excluding those who, for whatever reason, do not live up to the standards, political beliefs or membership criteria of your organisation. For Ramblers’ Associations, whose business is walking, that might mean excluding wheelchair-users; for a gay men’s discussion group, whose business is homosexuality, it might mean excluding heterosexuals; and for the BNP, whose rotten business is racism, it means excluding blacks and Asians. Forcing all manner of private and political groups to open their doors to everybody and anybody would represent a stinging attack on freedom of association, and on the choice, independence and freedom of thought that are bound up in the forming of private associations and political groups.
Of course a distinction should be drawn between public bodies and private or political bodies. Discrimination in the public realm is intolerable because it denies an individual his full humanity. It hampers his ability to live a full and free life and transforms him into a second-class citizen. Equality is essential in public life in order to guarantee opportunity for all and to preserve civilisation itself. For example, if a publicly-funded, NHS hospital were to deny treatment to an individual on the basis that he is black, that would be a disgrace, something really worth protesting about, because it would send the powerful message that, in the public view in Britain, black people are worth less than white people. However, if a gay man’s clinic were to deny an appointment to a straight man, that would be in order, because it is a private organisation that has chosen to assist and associate with only one section of society. If a state-funded adoption agency were to deny a couple the right to adopt on the basis that they are poor, that would be deeply problematic; it would send a signal to the public that poor people are worse parents and have fewer rights than wealthy people. However, if a Catholic adoption agency refuses to allow gay couples to adopt its children, that is in order, since it is a non-public organisation that has freely devised its own rules of association and belief system. A state that denies an individual access to health or adoption services is severely limiting that individual’s choices and standard of living; a private organisation that denies individuals access to such things is not.
And then he concludes:
Of course the BNP’s constitution is foul, and people are free to denounce it and expose it. But in the name of combating the BNP, the authorities are seriously damaging democracy. First there was the clamour for BNP members to be excluded from jobs in the public sector, which really was a demand for an unacceptable form of public discrimination against individuals on the basis of their political views. Now a legal case against the BNP is rewriting the nature of the right to organise in contemporary society. This case, and the forthcoming Equality Bill, will effectively deny people the freedom to set up racist organisations. Yet in a democracy, a true democracy, people should be free even to be racist – and the rest of us should be free to argue and shout and organise against them.
As I said before ‘Spiked’ is strongly opposed to the BNP but it still wrote an article warning about the violation of individual freedom and the threat to freedom of association.
Maybe this has less to do with ideology and more to do with self interest as many ‘Spiked’ columnists are Jewish.
They rightly fear that the new equality law will force Jewish-only organizations to accept non-Jewish, including Muslims and other anti-Semites.
Nonetheless it’s good to see some liberals that still believe in freedom and are ready to make a case for it.
GIUSEPPE DE SANTIS
