"And did those feet in ancient times / Walk upon England's mountain green?"

[chaletian]

(No. No, they didn't.)

So, I'm not going to have a giant thing over Nick Griffin's appearance on PMQT (except to say I think the debate over whether BBC should have invited him is a bit stupid, as I posted before. It's not the BBC giving him validity, it's the British electorate - if you want a democratic country, you've got to accept that you're not always going to like what people decide), but I'd just like to say:

WTF is with the concept of "indigenous" as relating to Britain? That word displays such a breathtaking ignorance of this island's history that it's almost flabbergasting.

Firstly, of course, current research tends to favour the idea of human life having originated in Africa and then emigrating outwards to populate the rest of the world. Which means that Britain and, in fact, the rest of the world, doesn't have an indigenous population.

Secondly, get a fucking clue. Almost every country in northern Europe has invaded Britain, settled there, and influenced its genetic stock. The fucking Romans invaded Britain. And after the military invasions finished, there has still been wave after wave of immigration into this country, and I'm not just talking about the West Indies in the 50s, for example, but, say, Huguenots in the C17th.

Talking about "indigenous" Britons is bullshit. And Nick Griffin is an educated man, so I suspect he knows it's bullshit, which makes him a fucking demagogue, and a racist one to boot. But it's not like any of this is news.


ETA: Yes, in the course of this post I have used a fairly narrow definition of "indigenous".

Comments

[bookwormsarah.livejournal.com]

Bonnie Greer was an inspired bit of...I want to say casting, but you know what I mean.

[thornyrose42.livejournal.com]

Word. We are having the same debate at uni at the moment; about whether we should let the BNP come to speak here. Though honestly, since students tend to be the most radical left wing Brits I don't know why they would want to com here seeing as the students that don't care won't come and thus their audience will be made up of people that have come to rip them to shreds or those that have come to watch them being ripped to shreds.

[chaletian.livejournal.com]

I honestly believe that open debate is one of the most important elements of a democratic society, and trying to shut out the BNP only results in people having a propagandised view of what they stand for. Let them speak in open debate. Let people challenge their beliefs. Let people expose their bollocks.

[rosie-rah.livejournal.com]

Aye. Except that very last bit, because I do not need to see that.

[mymatedave.livejournal.com]

I've not watched the show because even readomg the news and blogging articles ablout that piece of excrement makes me angry and shout at the computer, I can't imagine what would happen if I watched him on TV. Great post.