My little idea of selling this to white lower-middle class single women as a good place to go to be outnumbered by brave white men skilled in some trade, of their own race to marry (as the middle classes used to do with the Young Conservatives) was dismissed by a member, who said:
Single women never join the BNP to meet men because they see them
as boring, skinhead and poverty-stricken.
Tsk, tsk. Racist and poverty-stricken. That is indeed an image problem and a half!
Talking about the lower-middle class brings to mind Gilbert & Sullivan's HMS Pinafore. It is probably a little too fanciful to imagine them singing, before their meetings, instead of Jerusalem,
Never Mind the Why and Wherefore, which goes:
Captain.
Never mind the why and wherefore,
Love can level ranks, and therefore,
Though his lordship's station's mighty,
Though stupendous be his brain,
Though her tastes are mean and flighty
And her fortune poor and plain,
Captain & Sir Joseph.
Ring the merry bells on board-ship,
Rend the air with warbling wild,For the union of his/my lordship
With a humble captain's child!
Captain.
For a humble captain's daughter —
Josephine.
For a gallant captain's daughter —
Sir Joseph.
And a lord who rules the water —
Josephine. (aside)
And a tar who ploughs the water!
All.
Let the air with joy be laden,
Rend with songs the air above,
For the union of a maiden
With the man who owns her love!
Sir Joseph.
Never mind the why and wherefore,
Love can level ranks, and therefore,
Though your nautical relation (alluding to Capt.)
In my set could scarcely pass,Though you occupy a station
In the lower middle class —
Captain & Sir Joseph.
Ring the merry bells on board-ship,
Rend the air with warbling wild,
For the union of his/my lordship
With a humble captain's child!
Captain.
For a humble captain's daughter
—
Josephine.
For a gallant captain's daughter —
Sir Joseph.
And a lord who rules the water —
Josephine. (aside)
And a tar who ploughs the water!
All.
Let the air with joy be laden,
Rend with songs the air above,
For the union of a maiden
With the man who owns her love!
Josephine.
Never mind the why and wherefore,
Love can level ranks, and therefore
I admit the jurisdiction;
Ably have you played your part;
You have carried firm conviction
To my hesitating heart.
Captain & Sir Joseph.
Ring the merry bells on board-ship,
Rend the air with warbling wild,
For the union of his/my lordship
With a humble captain's child!
Captain.
For a humble captain's daughter —
Josephine.
For a gallant captain's daughter —
Sir Joseph.
And a lord who rules the water —
Josephine. (aside)
And a tar who ploughs the water!
Josephine. (aloud)
Let the air with joy be laden.
Captain & Sir Joseph.
Ring the merry bells on board-ship,
Josephine.
For the union of a maiden —
Captain & Sir Joseph.
For her union with his lordship.
All.
Rend with songs the air above,
For the man who owns her love!
Rend with songs the air above,
For the man who owns her love!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RIiQpQgka1A&feature=related
(You may wish to fast forward to 2:17 where the song actually begins.)I don't suppose the lower middle classes these days would get the joke. Most of them, I imagine, will not even have heard of Gilbert & Sullivan.
2 comments:
I've just read Andrew Gilligan in the Evening Standard confidently asserting the same.
Out of about 12,000 members, he writes, 'there are only five acknowledged civil servants and 15 teachers on it' *
I would guess this is because - by and large - the BNP membership list online does not include people's occupations.
The list does mention skills to some extent – skills which can be of use to the party,
An occupation can in a few cases be inferred.
I happen to be on the list but it doesn't mention my occupation.
I personally know of engineers and architects who are the list - but their profession is not mentioned.
The social 'analysis' of the list I've seen so far is not even worth bothering with.
True, it has established there are many more men than women.
So be it.
Not many birds in the masons either.
There are other reasons for joining things.
Jeff
(*http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/
standard/article-23589864-details/
Now+we+know+what+little+threat+
the+BNP+poses/article.do)
Iolanthe chorus of peers gives a clearer view of G & S's idea. They sing that the middle classes are lower than them. The same thing that the First Lord sings to Captain in Pinafore. No hint that G & S believed in any distinction between upper & lower within the middle class. That was an idea invented by the communists in the Twenties & Thirties to explain away their failure to mobilise salary earners. "Class" is a Marxist idea based on Julius Caesar's tripartite division of Gaulish society. Ethnicity & nationality & education are more important.
As 4 the bnp's support, they have people from all walks of life. The membership list gives an incomplete picture, because people in more responsible positions are afraid 2 join openly, in case of reprisals.
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