An open letter to Nick Griffin, Chairman of the BNP and MEP for
North West England
09 June 2009
Dear Mr Griffin,
We couldn't help but notice that there was egg on your face (and on your suit jacket) on the day after you were elected MEP for North West England.
Please don't leave egg on ours.
You wore a Poppy lapel badge during your news conference to celebrate your election victory. This was in direct contravention of our polite request that you refrain from politicising one of the nation's most treasured and beloved symbols.
The Poppy is the symbol of sacrifices made by British Armed Forces in conflicts both past and present and it has been paid for with blood and valour. True valour deserves respect regardless of a person's ethnic origin, and everyone who serves or has served their country deserves nothing less.
The Poppy pin, the Poppy logo, and the paper Poppy worn during Remembrance are the property, trademark and emblem of The Royal British Legion.
For nearly 90 years, The Royal British Legion has pursued a policy of being scrupulously above the party political fray. It is vital that everyone - the media, the public and our beneficiaries - know that we will not allow our independence to be undermined or our reputation impaired by being closely associated with any one political party. This is more important now than ever.
On May 27th, 2009, the National Chairman of The Royal British Legion wrote to you privately requesting that you desist from wearing the Poppy or any other emblem that might be associated with the Legion at any of your public appearances during the European Parliamentary election campaign.
He appealed to your sense of honour. But you have responded by continuing to wear the poppy. So now we're no longer asking you privately.
Stop it, Mr Griffin. Just stop it.
Regards,
The Royal British Legion
The Royal British Legion is the nation's leading Armed Forces charity providing care and support to all members of the British Armed Forces past and present and their families. It is also the national Custodian of Remembrance and safeguards the Military Covenant between the nation and its Armed Forces. It is best known for the annual Poppy Appeal and its emblem, the red poppy.
Posts
17 comments:
Just a disgusting man with no honour or courage. Even that other man of "courage" is so much of a better man than Griffin and his assorted thugs and louts.
Hopefully he will get the message soon that him and his likes are not wanted here
A man of courage would have stood his ground and dodged the eggs but Griffin just fled like a terrified little boy running for his mammy.
wv : ommess
I wonder if Griffin will claim his poppy on expenses. Brown's attitude to immigration is a good deal more extreme than Griffin's - kill them where they live before they even think of coming here.
On expenses, btw, interesting quote from PoliticalBetting:
For everything in the expenses story goes back to July 3 last year when 172 MPs, 146 of them Labour ones, voted to block reforms.
Let's get that on a leaflet in Glasgow North.
SR,
Sad that the RBL has to send a second letter. Hopefully they'll sue him next time.
I'm not against the BNP or for them, it is a sad indictment of today's society when the current Government have failed to listen to the public and this party is voted in due to peoples' genuine concerns being railroaded by NuLiebore.
Hopwever, it's being eroded in Scotland thank's to the SNP and a genuine desire to Govern in Scotland's interests.
I hope that some of the blood shed is no longer from our laddies and lassies being used as Unionist cannon fodder due to few opportunities in rural and island communities for employment and a genuine hope for a career path.
And once we have Independence there is no need to be going to distant lands telling them "our" (Westmidden's) way of life is superior. Again a former Colonial power having it's dead hand wrenched from the last Bastion of the former British Empire.
We'll have our own interests placed first and foremost and I warn about jumping into bed with the EU - that is just changing the Dictat to another foreign power.
Saor Alba
Crazy D
SR,
Terrific post.
Well done Royal British Legion.
Take it off Griffin.
I for one never noticed and as a member of the RBL I am disgusted. Not only in you for wearing it but in me for not noticing.
Anyway great post again.
Maybe other followers of your blog would perhaps take your post, give you a tip of the hat and post it on their blogs to spread the word, if you agree that is. (too illiterate to have my own)
Sooner we stop Griffin and his thugs the better.
Politics is on its arse right now and the rise of this repellant little turd needs stopped.
Take it of Griffin.
Griffin needs topped, shit sticky keyboard
On a slightly different topic, I am sure SubR in her "birthday" break will forgive me please follow the link below to a blast from Lord Butler who chaired the 2004 enquiry into the Iraq war.
He gets into Brown's secret investigation, in a very professional civil service sort of way.
I think he regrets his involvement in that original enquiry.
http://www.politics.co.uk/news/butler-blasts-political-brown-$1305014.htm
No comment needed on top of that letter.
It says it all.
Well done to the Royal British Legion.
I have no time for the party lead by Nick Griffin for which 950,000 people voted for recently resulting in 2 MEPs.
What is equally worrying is the insidious rise of some ultra 'right-wing' political movements across Europe, not leaving out the neo-cons of the USA. Let's also not forget the mutli-nationals and other super-capitalist groupings who really run the global show. Just look where war and real poverty continues to exist.
Sadly, although I fully appreciate the RBL in being morally entitled to comment on the poppy lapel badge worn by the BNP, I don't think it breaks any law to do so - and nor should it.
What is really needed is for other legally constituted democratic parties to get their own houses in order and galvanise themselves to provide the robust representation, leadership and example demanded from a variety of political perspectives that clearly deliniate good choices and decisions for the electorate.
The BNP have devilishly profitted from the politically idle hands of indifference, whimsical political correctness, spin, lies, self-serving corruption and incompetence of too many shysters in Westminster and Brussels (Holyrood is apparently not as bad) - and we think the BNP are worse? Let's see what happens to their 'integrity' and affect in Brussels - although I'd rather see them defend their politics in Westminster where they ought to be called to account - but Westminster is currently incapable of placing two peas in a straight row.
Let's seriously hope that the majority electorate and our political parties do not end up with egg on our faces if the BNP continue to cajole support away from Westminster's unionist muppets.
Fitaloon, I've never heard of the RBL ever sending someone an open letter.
I thought they were rather polite and I agree with your courage definition.
Aye exactly Lorenzo. If he had the honour of his convictions he would have held his ground.
Definitely Vronksy, that's the type of quote we should be using on election material and not just how good we're governing.
I shall stick that on my evernote and repeat it nearer the time.
Auch SR, what more can I say. I apologise for not responding more quickly but I'm a few miles distant from my own Mac and using someone else's just isn't easy.
Back to normal tomorrow though :)
LotF, I'll repeat myself even to the point of boring others. You'd be a good blogger and this business about being illiterate - is that becoming an excuse? lol
Yes I do hope others pick up on it, the more who read it the more who will become aware of the basic character of the man.
Evening Billy, I'll read that link when I can get back to me own wee machine. Will comment tomorrow.
Clarinda, if you don't mind I'll respond to your comment tomorrow.
The US neo-cons were the first ultra r-wingers I was aware of Clarinda and the more I've looked into this New Global Order or New World Order business the more I've been aware of the number of these people around and in places of influence.
You're right, Griffin hasn't broken any law, anymore that if he was wearing a badge promoting the SSPCA.
Again you're right in your assessment of many of the recent BNP voters. The main parties are so lacking in any firm policies regarding the main cultures of the UK that the BNP were able to hoover up the votes of the disillusioned.
I reiterate my thoughts that the BNP should be heavily encouraged to join in the debates within our politics today then they will hang themselves.
If they are shunned in the manner many seem to be suggesting, then they become a party which many will think is feared by the unionists.
Post a Comment