Red White & Blue 2009

Predictably enough, the success of this year's event has resulted in an unsurprisingly low level of media coverage - (bar a couple of ugly mugs from the UAF managing to get their faces shown (hopefully for the last time) in the press).

In the absence of anything much else to write about, it seems the Guardian and the Independent have been left desperately scraping the barrel in search of something to say.

So, what we have today (or rather, yesterday) in the Guardian's editorial is the somewhat sweeping/provocative statement that 'the near million who voted for the British National Party in June's Euro-elections are certainly angry and no doubt racist [in some varying degree]..'.

Actually, no. Having a sense of pride in the traditions and culture of this country and accordingly wishing to ensure these are protected from the creeping erosion of multi-culturalism and political correctness does not make me a racist. The Guardian's editorial is just another example of lazily written, politically motivated drivel somehow finding its way into print.

According to Rachel Shields in the Independent, Red White and Blue 2009 'both fascinated and appalled in its apparent normality'. Uhm, 'apparent' normality..? Putting conceptual difficulties re normality to one side, something is either 'normal', or it isn't - what Rachel perhaps meant to say is that she was disappointed the event wasn't less normal.. - or put another way, that she didn't find a bunch of skin-headed blokes teaching others the art of regimented goose-stepping. That, after all, would have made a far better story.

I think it's time that people woke up a little and realised that it is hugely misleading to suggest that all BNP supporters/members are racist/fascist thugs - we are not.

Yet again, all Unite Against Facism and the others have managed to demonstrate this weekend is that they are incapable of conducting themselves in public and that they find it impossible to tolerate views other than their own.

Sooner or later, though, they will find that it is their views that come to be considered unpalatable/incongruous with the mainstream. Sooner or later the lunatic-left (or some religously motivated fanatic, perhaps?) will go too far - and the tide of public opinion will turn.

Fingers crossed this will be sooner than the UAF and other smug, self-righteous, 'self appointed guardians of left wing bollocks' believe.