Are the BNP a threat?

Issue 884

Daniella Graham takes a look at the BNP as Hazel Blears speaks up and calls for a re-engagement with the working class

The recent leaking of the British National Party membership list has brought up some surprising facts about the average member. Far from perpetuating the stereotype of being the party of tattooed white skinheads, the list has shown members include amongst others teachers, academics and even ministers of religion. So why are so many different people becoming attracted to the far-right politics of the BNP?

Last week the Secretary of State for Communities, Hazel Blears, spoke out, claiming that white working class voters turn to the BNP because they feel ignored by mainstream political parties.

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A wolf in sheep's clothing

Issue 884

Can the government really dig us out of recession or are their latest plans purely for show, asks Damian Fantato

The Chancellor of the Exchequer Alistair Darling delivered his Pre-Budget Report last Monday in which he outlined the direction in which he will be taking the economy over the next year and beyond.

The Pre-Budget Report is only ever intended as an outline of the government’s plans as economic policy can only be officially changed in the annual Budget each March. The reason this otherwise inconsequential government document garnered so much attention was down to the increasingly beleaguered state of the global economy. With the British economy predicted to enter recession in 2009 and an increasing number of companies shedding jobs in a desperate bid to save money, this downturn is starting to take a more human toll.

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