The Numbers Game.

The talkboards and chatrooms have been busy over the last couple of days with talk of numbers., Specifically, the numbers of those attending meetings held by the rival camps in the BNP.

“70!” Shout Eddy Butler's camp of Monday's meeting in Yorkshire. “40! No – 35!” Yell the Griffin camp - “And we get more than that!”

It's like watching tramps fighting in a puddle over pennies.

The Griffin camp are increasingly cagey these days about claimed numbers for their meetings. Tired of being laughed out of the (chat) room with claims of “a packed hall last night listened with rapt attention to the words of wisdom of our Dear Leader. A collection raised in excess of a quarter of a million pounds.”, they often prefer now to leave the figures out of it and deal in euphemisms: “a lively audience” or “one of the most successful meetings for a long time”.

To hear them brandish their figures you'd think we were talking about Glastonbury-sized events at the very least. But 70 people? From the whole of Yorkshire? 80 to 100 people (at a meeting graced with the presence of their Leader) in London? In Derby, a friend runs a pub that hosts a monthly meeting of a long-established model railway club. He never has less than 90 turn out for it.

Of course, both camps will illustrate their meeting reports with photographs. The Griffin side's pictures now have a familiar mise en scene - a medium close-up of the Speaker with just a handful of the audience visible. A cynic might almost suggest that the framing's kept tight to disguise the acres of empty seats, the tumbleweed blowing through the room and the three people at the back who thought it was quiz night and got the day wrong.

The BFP (both Parties) haggle over whether their Membership is a few dozen or an even fewer dozen. There are “Nationalist” groups out there whose numbers of breeding pairs have fallen so low that the United Nations have them on the special protection register.

As ever, of course, these are the very people who try and present themselves as “The Saviours Of The Nation”. Given the numbers involved, and assuming they're probably not gifted with super powers (in which event 4 would probably do it), we can assume the Nation is quite okay as it is, thanks.

And in the background is the suspicion that they're all desperate to latch onto the sort of numbers the EDL are currently boasting. The BNP for one, despite their public “proscription” of the EDL and all its works early on in their life, continue to cuddle up to them on any number of “Patriot” websites and blogs and, occasionally, in public (most recently in Barnsley). BNP Members are spotted in the crowd whenever the EDL hold one of their drunken rampages (sorry-that should read “demonstrations”), and yet they still remain in Griffin's fold.

My own theory about the EDL is that they aren't so much a “political” force as an unpleasant fad. A bunch of sheep who enjoy being part of a big gang and causing a rumpus. Obviously, they're currently a lovely little earner for the iffy likes of “Tommy Robinson” and his chums (and, in a way, it's a shame they're not a “Party” because their accounts would make as interesting a read as the BNP's), but most of them are about as “political” as toddlers, and as with all trends they'll move on and one day be as hard to find as Kajagoogoo fans.

But everyone - BNP, BFP, NF, BFP, EDP – would love to capture just a fraction of their numbers. And their money, obviously.

One thing about the Anti-Fascists, be they UAF, CARF, or any number of smaller organisations (and surprisingly few Anti's – like myself - are actually paid-up members of any formal group): We're remarkably consistent in the numbers who will turn out for the Cause. Last year, 8000 people turned out on in filthy weather in Barnsley for the Love Music Hate Racism Carnival. 8000 people?

The BNP could only boast a fraction of that for their last “Festival”.

“Folk Against Fascism” - formed as a reaction to Griffin's attempts to co-opt folk music as being somehow “theirs” - has grown in a couple of years to a large, lively and professional outfit. Just seeing the amount of people wearing the badge at the recent BBC Folk Awards should send a message to him that he was barking up the wrong tree. Again.

But the bottom line – the only numbers that really matter – are the amount of people who will actually vote for the Far-Right: And those are figures that speak for themselves.

Very few. And even fewer every year.

But now I'm falling into the trap of boasting about numbers; shouting about how we've got more Supporters than they have. Honestly - it's pathetic...

(But we have.)

'We all have to defend the culture we love'

No-one involved with the Scottish folk scene in recent years, or the broader Celtic music scene, can fail to have been struck by the international melting-pot of influences cross-breeding with traditional tunes and rhythms, spawning their vigorous hybrid offspring.

More latterly – and likewise largely in the hands of younger musicians – the same has been true of English folk music, a progression that reached a new apotheosis last year when the singer Jim Moray featured the British-Ghanaian grime rapper Bubbz on his version of the classic incest/murder ballad Lucy Wan. No less significantly, that track's parent album Low Culture, Moray's third, topped the hotly contested annual critics' poll in UK scene bible fRoots, indicating that approval of such experimentation had penetrated the folk establishment further than ever before.

Regardless of the beautiful rainbow nation or global village seemingly embodied in the music itself, however, the ethnic profile of British folk musicians and audiences remains overwhelmingly white. Well, of course it does, comes the readiest common response. By definition, surely, traditional music has its roots and core in how things used to be, two or three centuries past or more, when the British Isles' population was similarly uniform; the history, subject-matter and culture it enshrines are the specific product of this people, in this place, and thus continue to resonate strongest with those whose own roots here are of longer duration.

Unfortunately, that's very much the kind of argument now being deployed by the British National Party, in pursuit of its constitutional commitment to "restoring … the overwhelmingly white make-up of the British population that existed in Britain prior to 1948". BNP leader Nick Griffin has made an increasing point of identifying himself as a folk fan, singling out Kate Rusby for the unwelcome status of his favourite singer, and referencing our own Eric Bogle's famous anti-war anthem, And The Band Played Waltzing Matilda, in his recent maiden speech as an MEP.

According to the anti-fascist campaign group Searchlight, the party is attempting to co-opt folk music as its new "political soundtrack", jettisoning previous associations with heavy rock outfits such as Skrewdriver as part of its drive for greater respectability, allied to its targeting of older voters.

The current BNP handbook urges activists and organisers to get involved with local folk events and re-enacted customs, "as popular awareness of the growing power of Islam encourages support for and interest in our own religious and cultural traditions". Citing renewed popular interest in St George's Day festivities as one of the party's "major successes", the manual notes that, "most regions of the country have cultural events which are unique to that area, or county … Why not do some research to see if there's a lost local tradition you can inspire a team of enthusiasts to revive?"

An organisation called the English Fair Fund, which provides grants to support St George's Day celebrations, has been exposed as a BNP front, while the Steadfast Trust, a like-minded body established to promote the interests of the "ethnic English", is another declared champion of traditional music.

At the heart of the traditional scene itself, there was quite some stushie earlier this year when Georgina Dale of the Middle Bar Singers, veteran session stalwarts of the equally veteran Sidmouth festival in Devon, stood as a BNP candidate in the local elections.

Several prominent English folk artists have also been horrified to find their material featured on compilations sold through the BNP website – as were our very own Capercaillie, upon discovering a song of theirs being featured directly on the same site, underlining that this isn't an issue conveniently confined to south of the Border.

"It was a song I wrote a few years ago called Who Will Raise Their Voice?," says the band's co-founder Donald Shaw. "It was actually about what was going on with Bush and Blair at the time, expressing my disenchantment over that, but when it was used on the BNP site I suddenly realised how the title and lyrics could be interpreted in a completely different light."

In the broader context of Scottish culture, similar issues have been uncomfortably foregrounded by the Year of Homecoming promotion, not least by the clumsily belated addition of a lone Asian man to the originally all-white crowd featured on the official Homecoming graphic. Several commentators have also questioned why Caribbean countries were omitted from the list of target diasporan markets, given that more than 60 per cent of names in the Jamaican telephone directory, for instance, are of Scottish origin, highlighting Scots' central role in the region's former slave-based plantation economy.

Even the totemic Homecoming figure of Robert Burns, after all, was on the point of leaving Scotland for Jamaica to become – in his own words – "a poor negro driver", when the bestselling success of the Kilmarnock Edition persuaded him to stay.

As for today's Scottish folk scene, Shaw argues that its slowness to reflect contemporary multiculturalism, at least in terms of personnel, is in large part simply a product of history – in which even the most modern fusions remain rooted – rather than racism.

"Our traditional music doesn't have much of an urban history until relatively recently," he points out. "It's tended to be strongest in rural areas, on the geographical fringes, where there has always been much less integration with immigrant communities, so there is an inherent conservatism there."

Nevertheless, in his capacity as artistic director of Celtic Connections, Shaw has consciously sought to broaden the festival's cultural mix – in part for pragmatic reasons of keeping the programme fresh, but also with a view to making the event more inclusive. As well as appearances by major African artists such as Baaba Maal and Youssou N'Dour, a key event in this respect was 2007's Burns Mela, a Scottish/Asian Burns Night that was specifically targeted at Glasgow's largest ethnic minority community.

"It worked really well," Shaw says. "We got about a 50:50 mix of people coming along on the night, and ever since then I've had a lot more contacts from the Asian community suggesting ideas and artists for the festival, so it's definitely opened doors longer term, too."

In a similar vein was this year's Jamaican Burns Night, somewhat ironically commemorating that near-miss by the national bard, and very aptly featuring Edward II, one of the few contemporary British folk acts whose line-up includes both black and white musicians. Originally formed in Cheltenham in 1984, they won a large following for their fusion of traditional English and Celtic sounds with reggae and African music before disbanding in 1999, and are currently enjoying a year-long reunion to mark ten years since that split.

The band's trombonist, John Hart, professes himself unsurprised that so little has actually changed in that time. "It's partly just the nature of the music business," he says.

"A genuinely multicultural band like us, trying to bridge what are perceived as separate traditions, is never going to be easy to market or pigeonhole. But it is also partly the nature of the folk scene, particularly in England: there are a fair number of people in that audience who are pretty politically conservative, even far right wing, which is why the BNP are trying to use folk music as a vehicle.

"It's also about economic as well as cultural accessibility: folk music is very largely a middle-class pursuit, and most folk festivals happen well away from the cities. My feeling is that there could well be a bigger, mixed, urban audience who'd love these events, but either they're not marketed to, or they can't afford it, or both."

Hart and Edward II are among a fast-growing list of supporters of a new initiative called Folk Against Fascism, officially launched at the aforementioned Sidmouth festival last month, and also backed by such leading English acts as Jim Moray, Eliza Carthy and Bellowhead.

Its immediate practical aim is to devise and distribute a campaign logo for artists to use on CDs, with the aim of discouraging their sale through far-right outlets, while organisers are also hoping to stage a major live event in London next year.

"Overall, though, we really just want to get people talking, and make them aware of what the BNP are up to," said a spokesman for the campaign – who asked not to be named.

"There is an argument that setting up in opposition like this only gives them more publicity, but we felt we had to take a stand to defend the culture we love, a culture we want to be inclusive and welcoming to everyone, against this kind of distortion. You only have to look at what the Nazis did with German folk music to see where this kind of thing can lead: that might seem alarmist, but after the Euro-election results this year, the potential parallels are just too chilling to ignore."

Scotsman

Musicians fight to keep politics out of folk

The British National Party is using English Folk songs on its website but the musicians are not happy with the association. Paul Moss, from The World Tonight, reports on a scheme to keep such politics out of folk.

The first Steve Knightley knew about it was when one of his fans sent an e-mail to tell him what had happened.

"It's a betrayal of your invention," he says, "you feel violated."

What prompted this reaction was Steve's discovery that one of his songs was being used on the British National Party (BNP) website. "Roots" is about his love of English traditions and English culture. But he insists he has no sympathy with the BNP.

"We try to make music that's inclusive. And when organisations like the BNP come along and say 'this music is ours, this isn't for black people or Jewish people or whatever' - that's a betrayal of what you've been working for."

Steve Knightley is not alone. Guitarist and singer, John Boden, recorded several tracks for a folk album he was told would be sold through gift shops. But he then found it was on sale through the BNP, helping to raise money for the party.

"The CD was titled 'a place called England'," he says. "But suddenly when you see it on the BNP's website, it takes on a darker significance that you never imagined."

The problem faced by Steve Knightley, John Boden and all the others is that they have no control over who sells their CDs. And they have only a limited say over how and when their recordings are played. So they have now resorted to a new approach to manage the way their folk music is used.

At the Sidmouth Folk Festival last week, a new organisation was launched "Folk Against Fascism." It is a slogan they will try to persuade musicians to put on their CDs. Founder Joan Crump hopes this will make it awkward for what they describe as far-right parties to sell the music or to use it for promoting their causes.

"Music has been a very powerful political tool, usually for the left," she says. "What concerns me is that the BNP could do the same thing from a far-right perspective."

In fact, according to the anti-racist campaign group, Searchlight, the BNP is very much on the look out for a "political soundtrack". Its predecessor, the National Front, was supported by a clutch of heavy rock bands like Skrewdriver, with albums like "Blood and Honour" and songs like "White Power." But these are no longer appropriate, says Searchlight spokesman Matthew Collins.

"The modern BNP no longer has angry white teenagers in big boots. They have people between 35 and 55 years of age. So folk music with its ideas of land, tradition - the BNP are trying to get involved in that."

The BNP's affection for folk is embodied in its leader, Nick Griffin. Griffin claims to be a life-long folk music fan and hopes to present his own folk music programme when the BNP launches an internet radio station. And the party's spokesman, John Walker, insists they do not have any obligation to ask permission from the musicians whose recordings they play.

"We use a product to raise funds for our party," he says. "Whether the musicians like the BNP is irrelevant."

He also threatens folk musicians that if they speak out against this, the BNP will react by playing even more of their music.

"There's absolutely nothing they can do about it," he added.

But Folk against Fascism are determined to prove him wrong.

"What we are trying to say is yes, we love Englishness," says Joan Crump. "But our vision of England is an open and inclusive one, as opposed to the BNP's white's only Englishness. If you love English folk music, it belongs to you. You don't have to have been born in England."

BBC

Folk Against Fascism

The British National Party's manifesto encourages its members to insinuate themselves into the folk and traditional customs and events of Britain. This involves the appropriation of British folk music, customs and culture as a means of spreading their racist policies. They are selling traditional music through their Excalibur merchandising arm, despite the protestations of many of the artists included, who find their policies abhorrent.

The UK folk scene is a welcoming and inclusive one. Folk music and dance is about collaboration, participation, communication and respect. This group is being created to take a stand against the appropriation of folk culture by the BNP. They want to take our music. We will not let them.

From the BNP's Activists and Organisers Handbook:

"Community Activism means our activists getting involved in the affairs of their neighbourhood at all levels...We have had some major successes, for example, with local groups set up to encourage the celebration of St George's Day. Fun activities for children and families which are linked to our Christian heritage - such as Pace Egging in many northern towns - are particularly suitable candidates for revival as popular awareness of the growing power of Islam encourages support for and interest in our own religious and cultural traditions."

More from the Activists and Organisers' Handbook:

"Ideally our units will lead their communities in organising, or at least supporting, cultural events such as St George's Day celebrations (April 23rd). Most regions of the country have cultural events which are unique to that area, or county. For example, Padstow Hobby Horse (sic) in Cornwall, Arbor Tree Day in Shropshire, Garland King Day and the Well Dressing in Derbyshire, the Marshfield Mummers in Wiltshire, the Haxey Hood in Humberside, and countless others.

Some such celebrations, now very popular, have only been revived in recent years - the Hastings Jack in the Green and Whittlesea Straw Bear festivals show just how big such things can get. Why not do some research to see if there's a lost local tradition you can inspire a team of enthusiasts to revive?"

One of the things we need to be particularly aware of is the English Fair Fund. This exists to "give grants to help local community groups celebrate St George's Day."

Another racist organisation, The Steadfast Trust, provides community grants for "English-themed" events and St George's Day celebrations, and has already co-opted folk music within this strategy.

So, you're a folk musician or in a morris side. Someone in your town or village asks you to come and play at their St George's Day festival, and, in the spirit of community, you agree. Later, the BNP or the Steadfast Trust releases a press statement telling of all the wonderful St George's Day festivals it has supported this year, and lists all the artists/dance sides who took part. And there's your name.

Just like the artists who find their music being sold on the Excalibur/BNP website and are powerless to do anything about it, you become part of their marketing strategy, and there's not a lot you can do.

So if you are asked to play at any St George's Day events next year, ask who is supporting them. Find out where the money is coming from. Or, even better, start your own St George's Day event, and make it one that actively welcomes ALL of England's communities. Don't let them win.

Folk Against Fascism