The BNP may have been elected to Europe but on football they founder

The BNP does not accept black members even if they are wearing
an England shirt like Ashley Cole, right, seen here with David Beckham

Although it is too late to drive the British National Party out of politics, or to turn the clock back to a time when a pair of posturing fascists had not been elected to the European Parliament, we may, however, kick some sense into the debate using football.

Your starter for ten: what do Glenn Johnson, Joleon Lescott, Ashley Cole, Theo Walcott, Jermain Defoe and Ashley Young have in common? Correct, they were all part of the England team who beat Andorra 6-0 on Wednesday night; but what else? Give up? None of them can be members of the British National Party. Nor could Rio Ferdinand, David James and Emile Heskey, who all would have played had they not been injured, or Shaun Wright-Phillips and Carlton Cole, who were in the squad but not selected.

Indeed, it could work out that when the England squad depart for the World Cup in South Africa next summer, half the plane will be filled with Englishmen who would not be welcome within the ranks of a political party that claims to speak for us all.

The BNP does not accept black members, even if they were born in England, even if they are wearing an England shirt and scoring the winning goal in a World Cup final.

Nick Griffin, the BNP leader, is enraged by the presence of a black Friar Tuck in the BBC TV series Robin Hood, because he claims this is not historically accurate. Yet what could be more quintessentially English than a black international footballer, of which there have been 58, or a black Olympian, or black Englishmen in the cricket team? Without them, there would be no Ravi Bopara, Dimitri Mascarenhas or Adil Rashid in our cricket team, nor Christine Ohuruogu winning Olympic gold.

These people can play for England, run for Britain, bring distinction and glory to our country; but cannot gain entry into the BNP. The same goes for Shirley Bassey and most of Diversity, the dance troupe that won Britain's Got Talent.

I'm not saying that any of these people would want BNP membership; more that there are better and more civilised ways to dismantle the logic of these preposterous racists than hurling eggs and turning Griffin's jacket into an omelette preparation each time he stands to speak.

One of the most patriotic sportsmen I have met is Ian Wright (whose adopted son is Shaun Wright-Phillips), who scored nine goals in 33 games for England. In retirement, as a television analyst, he was worthless because he could not separate his professional persona from his fan-like desire to see England win. If the team played badly, while others in the studio would dispassionately rip the performance to shreds on tactical and technical issues, Wright would sit there with the raving hump, sulking his way through the broadcast like a miffed supporter resenting the price of his ticket.

And the BNP would wish to play patriot games with this guy? Or with a young man like Walcott, who is risking the wrath of his club employers at Arsenal because he is determined to represent his country at senior level and at an Under-21 competition this summer, rather than taking time off?

The squad members from England's World Cup victory in 1966 received belated medals on the pitch at Wembley on Wednesday night, and there was not a black face among them. Yet there were seven black players in the squad Sven Goran Eriksson took to the World Cup in 2006. Are they somehow less English?

All that needs to be known about the values of the BNP is that they do not permit blacks, but raise money through their website with the sale of gollywog souvenirs. It is a warped view of England and Englishness that permeates their culture and finds no room for the way the country has evolved.

If you intend putting a flag out for the football team next year, or are keeping your fingers crossed for an Ashes win this summer, or a British and Irish Lions victory in South Africa, you are casting a vote for a country more inclusive than Griffin's little band of inbreeds.

Daily Mail

BNP councillor attends England World Cup bid launch

Barking London Assembly member Richard Barnbrook invited as a representative of Greater London Authority

A member of the far-right British National Party was among the guests at the launch of England’s bid to host the World Cup.

The BNP said that Richard Barnbrook, an elected member of the Greater London Authority, was officially invited to the launch of the campaign to hold the competition in this country in 2018 or 2022. The event was also attended by Prime Minister Gordon Brown and England star David Beckham. Brown and Lord Triesman spoke at the event, putting an emphasis on diversity.

One eyewitness said: "I found it shocking and it undermined the tone of the launch and ran counter to it. They were making all the right sounds during the presentation, phrases like making England a home from home, and here was someone sitting there from the BNP. Why would you invite him?"

A spokesman for the BNP said people must "get used" to party members attending official events. He said: "He was officially invited as a member of the London Assembly. He was there, he wasn't doing anything wrong. It would have been rude not to go. People had better get used to BNP politicians being elected because we are going to see more and more of this."

The spokesman said Barnbrook, the GLA member for Barking, has also been invited to a garden party at Buckingham Palace.

But an England 2018 spokesman said the politician will not be asked to any future events. He said: "All elected members of the GLA were invited to today's launch. We recognise that the presence of one elected member, who is playing no part in the England 2018 bid, has caused offence and we apologise. He should not have been present at today's event and will not be at any in the future."

Gerry Gable, publisher of anti-fascist magazine Searchlight, said: "We think it's disgraceful that Richard Barnbrook, who represents a party that didn't support the English football team because it had black players and doesn't believe that any black English-born footballer can ever be British, should want to muscle his way in on an event like this. It's shameful."

The London Paper