In the video below, Daily Star journalist Richard Peppitt reveals to the Leveson Enquiry that earlier this year the paper’s brief flirtation with the EDL was driven by pure commercial interest. This in itself is interesting, for if the messages given out by the EDL lacked public resonance, then the decision to produce articles broadly supportive of the movement would not have been taken.
How did the Daily Star ascertain the level of support amongst its readers? Quite simply, it opened a telephone poll asking for a “yes” or “no” response to the question “Do you agree with the EDL’s policies?” Of course, the EDL was not and is not a political party and thus had no ‘policies’ in a formal sense, but they were looking at tapping into what their readership thought of the movement’s general stance. Whereas Daily Star polls often elicited less than ten calls from readers, this one attracted 2,000 callers, 99% of whom expressed support for the EDL. This would seem to illustrate a considerable base of support amongst Daily Star readers for the EDL, but the paper chose not to highlight this fact. What, if any, implications could this have for the appeal of the British Freedom Party and its electoral strategy?
Very interesting. 200 times increase over the average.
ReplyDeleteDurotrigan
ReplyDeleteI hear no more news of the BFP since its founding.
A new party has to start making news.
Yes, it's a pretty good response rate compared to the normal Gary. However, that shouldn’t be mistaken for widespread public support for the EDL’s stance, and should instead be seen as indicative of the degree of motivation exhibited by its supporters and activists. Indigenous inhabitants of areas affected by Islamisation or abutting onto large Muslim populations certainly see Islamisation as a significant issue, but the British public in other areas is largely shielded from the ill effects of this phenomenon, and thus does not see it as a major issue. This has implications for the BFP’s policy and strategy, and whilst it is important that it does include anti-Islamisation as part of its policy platform, it will undoubtedly fail if it makes it its central policy plank and overly fixates on the issue.
ReplyDeleteDP111, with respect to the British Freedom Party I agree. However, I think that following the arrival of the new Chairman and the announcement of the EDL's endorsement of the party, its existing members have been preoccupied with coping with the influx of new membership applications. Moreover, Weston has ordered a review of policy and has called for anyone sympathetic to the party to submit comments and suggestions re its reformulation this week. I hope that this doesn't mean that it is going to jettison some key elements of the nationalist platform, such as its current opposition to predatory globalist capitalism.
ReplyDeleteIt is therefore most likely that the fledgling BFP is taking stock and consolidating itself before moving into an active campaigning phase. Currently, it is simply too small and in too great a state of flux to be able to generate headlines. I had been led to understand that Weston was to be interviewed by the BBC this week, but as yet I’ve heard nothing more about it.
The party needs to grow quickly and to generate positive rather than negative headlines, neither of which will be easily achieved given the steadfast opposition of the trades union movement, the media, mainstream politicians and rival nationalist parties.
Watch this space though. If I get wind of developments, I shall post about them here. There is certainly something positive planned that will grab the headlines within the next three to four months.
The trouble with this kind of poll is, that the results never transfer to the ballot box.
ReplyDeleteMy own party here, Pro Deutschland, (With similar views and policys to EDL), get 70 to 80% support on "street corner polls", but when it comes to putting the "X" in the box.....
I am not surprised by what you say Furor Tuetonicus. Although I suspect that a significant proportion of voters in both Germany and England dislike the increasing presence and influence of Islam, any political party seeking to tackle the problem of Islamisation needs to remember that the core concern of voters will always be "How can I earn a living? Is my job secure? Will the future be better for me and my family?"
ReplyDeleteAny party that ignores these central concerns - essentially economic ones - will not win elections if there are other parties that do concentrate on these issues and are more trusted. Germany is in far better shape than the UK, as you have wisely chosen to follow the path of a structurally balanced economy with high-quality engineering and manufacturing forming a pivotal component. If the British Freedom Party chooses to place the issue of Islamisation before that of the economy and other key sectors of policy, I am afraid that it will doom itself to insignificance, and Islamisation will thereby proceed apace.
That, and the fact that the media here brand ANYTHING further "right wing" than Mother Theresa, as "Neo-nazi" these days. Given that at the very most, we have only had a "democcracy" since 1949, and in the East since 1991, or so, the Germ,an public are still averse to being openly political in any form, and still act as if the Prussian political police/Gestapo/Stassi are peering over their shoulder.
ReplyDeleteTHAT will take generations to remove.
That's true. I've seen the Nazi smears that have been levelled against your party. Do you have a German equivalent of the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) which has a special code on 'race' reporting that systematically distorts the portrayal of any individual or organisation that objects to Islamisation or mass immigration? At the same time, it always seeks to portray Muslims and non-indigenous ethnic groups (providing that they're not white) as 'virtuous' and being beyond reproach.
ReplyDeleteAnything negative about the host population and society tends to be attributed to the ‘innate’ characteristics of our people and their allegedly negative and ‘bigoted’ culture, whereas the negative characteristics of non-indigenous groups are predominantly attributed to some form of socio-economic or political marginalisation, the blame for which is laid on indigenous Britons. The culture of non-indigenes is on most occasions exonerated of blame, even though most of their problems grow directly out of their imported cultures, especially Islam.
Never taken much interest in Unions, or journalist. But they are "unionised". Not sure which.
ReplyDeleteThere are one or two newspapers here that are O.K. "Preußische Allgemeine Zeitung", or "Junge Freiheit" for example. But they are exceptions, and except for direct subscriptions, virtually impossible to obtain.
XX a special code on 'race' reporting that systematically distorts the portrayal of any individual or organisation that objects to Islamisation or mass immigration? At the same time, it always seeks to portray Muslims and non-indigenous ethnic groups (providing that they're not white) as 'virtuous' and being beyond reproach.XX
There would appear to be such a "code" but due to the fact that all the journalists are "68ers"*, then it is something they just do. A kind of unwritten and self policing "code".
For example the recent report by the Dutch Government, that money spent on "muslim integration" was a wasted cause, was never reported here. Neither are the amount or rapes committed by muslims in Sweden and Norway. (The web site "Gates ov Vienna", or "Deutschelobby's weblog", do sterling work though)
What DID upset the apple cart here in Berlin about two years ago, was when a muslim group for prison chaplains, or whatever they call themselves, complained that they did not have enough trained/accredited prison chaplains, because over 80% of the prison population are muslim.
To say the newspapers did not know which way to turn would be the understatement of the century. :-))
* Those brought up with the "class 1968", who see the "Frankfurt school" as a duty. Politicians, teachers, judges, journalists, etc.
Thanks for the background Furor. The generation of 68 ought to be coming up to retirement age by now, but I suppose that the cultural and ideological impact of that year has of course cast a long shadow over Germany, which means that its discourse and habitual mode of thinking will have attained hegemonic status amongst succeeding generations of journalists and aspirant politicians.
ReplyDeleteAs for your comment regarding the German mainstream media not reporting the failure of "Muslim integration" in the Netherlands, the same applies to the UK, for it certainly wasn't publicised here. The only time when politics in the Netherlands is mentioned is in alarmist tones connected to the "rise of the far-right", i.e. Wilders and the PVV.
It's interesting to read the statistics you mention with respect to the percentage of Muslim prisoners in Berlin (or was it Germany as a whole?). Do you have a link to this story that I could take a look at?
I'd be curious to know more about what's going on in Germany too. A recent report from France said something like 70% of their prison population consists of arselifters.
ReplyDeleteXX A recent report from France said something like 70% of their prison population consists of arselifters. XX
ReplyDeleteFrench or German prisoners?
Durotrigan I am sure I have the link. But my filing system owes more to "contempary burglary style" than it does to minamalist.
I will see what I can root out.
Thank you Furor. I look forward to seeing what you find.
ReplyDeleteFor other readers interested in the question of Muslim prison populations in the UK and other European countries, see this earlier article: http://durotrigan.blogspot.com/2010/09/muslim-prison-populations-in-europe.html
These links are in German. I will do a quick translation of the quoted pieces here, but for the whole articles.....
ReplyDeleteXX
http://www.pi-news.net/2010/07/berlin-90-prozent-der-haeftlinge-sind-moslems/
XX
http://www.trendings.de/trending-topics/berliner-haftanstalten-90-prozent-moslems-422
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Dies führe dazu, dass 65% der französischen Gefängnisinsassen (80% der Häftlinge im Großraum Paris) aus dem muslimischen Kulturraum stammten.
This leads to (the conclussion) that 65% of French prison inmates and 80% in greater Paris area, are muslim
And;
Auch die Berliner Gefängnisse werden von 90% Moslems bereichert
Diese Meldung ist politisch völlig inkorrekt, aber wir dürfen sie ohne Diskriminierungsverdacht zitieren, da sie von Moslems selber kommt. Denn die Islamische Religionsgemeinschaft Berlin hat dies bereits im Februar in einer Pressemitteilung erwähnt: „Rund 90 Prozent der Häftlinge, die zur Zeit in Berliner Haftanstalten einsitzen, sind Muslime.“
Berlin Prisons are also enriched by a 90% muslim "population".
This report is fully politically incorrect, but we can quote it without being accused of discrmination, because the figures come from muslim sources.
die Islamische Religionsgemeinschaft Berlin (Islamic religious community) Berlin mentioned this in a press release in February; "Around 90% of the prisoners that are at present sitting in prison are muslim".
http://sosheimat.wordpress.com/2011/04/07/moslems-bereichern-die-gefangnisse-europas/
XX
Unfortunately, the link to the muslim community site, or indeed the site it's self, is now dead.
But I seem to remember that the "B.Z", "Berliner Morgenpost", and one or two others also carried the story. Before they realised what a cock up someone had made by releasing the figures. :-)))
Thanks very much for posting this information and accompanying links. The figures are staggering. This should spur me to increase the amount of time that I am devoting to learning German.
ReplyDeleteI have the figures for the percentages of immigrants claiming dole here, as well.
ReplyDeleteBut that is a PNG/JPEG, and I believe it will not load here.