A shameful episode in American history

During the 1950s and the Red Scare period in the States, the country began to turn in on itself and looked for conspiracies where none existed, fearing the rise of a Fifth Column it sought the Enemy Within. Into this dreadful paranoia rode the "Red Baiting" self-appointed saviour Senator Joe McCarthy and the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC).

A film that beautifully portrays an aspect of that era, namely the blacklisting of writers, actors, and artists, is The Front, starring Woody Allen and Zero Mostel whose birthday it would have been today.
Zero Mostel was a fantastic actor who was in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Waiting for Godot, and of course The Producers.

The Front explores the important issue of what is best for the country versus individual freedom, which is pertinent given the recent case of Binyam Mohamed. The film has classic quotes like, "To be a spy on the side of freedom is an honour" and implies that true patriots are willing to spy on their friends.

It does have a "happy ending" though, and shows that even an amoral character can see through the vileness of groups like HUAC.

What it reminds us however, is that the awful noise of ignorance can sometimes be deafening.

The BNP the long slide to oblivion

In his early stand-up routines Woody Allen had a skit which went something along the lines of, "We were married by a Reform rabbi in Long Island. A VERY Reform rabbi. A Nazi".

Which brings me to the BNP and their constitution on which they are voting today. Apparently it is to vote to lift the ban on membership on "non-indigenous Caucasians".

They have lined up a sadly-deluded Sikh "Uncle Tom" by the name of Rajinder Singh "the honour of becoming the first ethnic minority member".

Of course, there is the entryist option as practiced by the Militant tendency and the Labour party in the 1970s and early 1980s, namely that thousands of people from various ethnic minorities apply to join en masse and then take over the BNP from within.

Better yet, for that same thousands to apply for jobs with the BNP here and especially in Brussels and when refused to take them to employment and industrial tribunals.

A bit of mischief-making in politics can only help show how odious and ultimately ridiculous the British Nazi Party is.