The ghost of Ken Livingstone...?

ConservativeHome this morning tells us that a West Midland Council, - the Labour-controlled Halesowen council, is trying to stop to any public celebration of St. George's Day on April 25th.

So far it is merely a refusal to give funding towards the celebration, but if the organisers struggle on without public funding, the council's argument applies even to a privately funded "do".

Their argument? It might attract far right elements. Perhaps they have knowledge of great BNP membership or presence in their area, but more likely it is a violent dislike of an extreme organisation. The BNP, however loathsome to most of us in their readiness to do violence, is a legal organisation.

The result is that the BNP wins. There will be a moral victory for the BNP, -" the Labour Council is opposed to spending on the celebration of the patron saint of England, and coincidently of William Shakespeare, and denying the poeple. We didn't have this problem become immigrants came, etc., etc."

It is reminsicent of the attitude of the ex-mayor of London, Mr. Livingstone, who celebrated and funded virtually every minority celebration, but never that of England, so the BNP would exploit further grievance.

The BNP would, conversely, lose, if the celebration took place and many people attended and enjoyed it, and the BNP were shown to be what they are, - a small minority willing to exploit grievances but able to achieve very little positively.

There might be extra policing costs to prevent public disturbance, but we accept this when other small groups mount protests or demonstrations. Why should the large numbers of the English who wish to celebrate their nation by denied?