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Do the Greens have a "lets cut down on immigration and return powers from Europe to Westminster" agenda? I don't think they do. So voting BNP, and later UKIP, as a protest points out to the main two parties that people are hacked-off on these issues. It has forced Milliband and Cameron to mention these subjects today. I personally don't even know what the Greens stand for. I assume it's a "lets cut down on environmental damage" agenda, even though the senior figures in the Green party will no doubt drive everywhere, fly regularly and so on - and will just expect everyone else to 'go green'.

I work near Baker Street in London and I recently got talking to an old guy in the pub we often go to after work. He lives in St Johns Wood, about one mile to the north, and he told me something quite interesting. Years ago in St Johns Wood High Street there was an electrical shop that was called Griffin's Electrical Supplies, it was a privately owned shop and was in the high street there for many years. This old guy used to see the man who owned it around the area and would sometimes chat to him, he said he knew a lot of local shopkeepers.

He told me that the son of the man who owned it is the BNP leader Nick Griffin, the Griffin family are apparently from St Johns Wood. The business later failed and the premises is now apparently a restaurant that is owned by someone else. Had the business succeeded and continued, the man's son, Nick, might have gone into the family business and ended up running the shop - I am only speculating here, but people often go into the family business. There was no possibility of that as the business failed as I've said.

So had that little shop carried on to this day Nick Griffin may now be running it, selling electrical supplies and maybe going out wiring up flats and houses around the NW8 area. Instead he got into right-wing politics and ended up running the BNP. I thought this was quite interesting, what this old guy was telling me. People's lives can take a totally different path because of one thing occurring - in this case the family business failing. We might never have heard of Nick Griffin had it not have been for that.

[quote]Do the Greens have a "lets cut down on immigration and return powers from Europe to Westminster" agenda? I don't think they do.[/quote]

That's what I'm saying. BNP policies came into it - in this case, immigration. It's not the old style 'protest vote' like voting for the Monster Raving Loony party, or putting 'Jedi' when asked about your religion on a census form.

Maybe it's just semantics.

Absolutely shocking.

Imagine if he'd surged to power by polarising opinions by spreading negative opinions about immigrants draining the country. He need charging for that. He should stay where he is, in his own little circuit of friends. Watt I want to know is is he going to do now? Current opinion on immigration should mean he'd be a real live-wire in politics about now but I guess UKIP have certainly grounded any ambitions he had of striking down any of the main parties.

I suppose the BNP vote, and later the UKIP vote, is a specific protest - on the issues of immigration and Europe. If people just wanted to annoy the main parties by casting votes for someone else they'd just have voted for anyone - probably the smallest most unheard-of party out there.

Very funny. I thought it was quite an interesting little story.

Yes me too. Sam is obviously catching the Johnsonian brand of sarcasm.

Also, perhaps the shop when bankrupt so in that way Nick Griffin is following the family tradition...

Sarcasm?

It was a light-hearted paragraph of electrical puns, Essex Lad.

Exactly which bit of my post could be construed as sarcastic?

"Sam is obviously catching the Johnsonian brand of sarcasm."

Now you've gone and done it, Essex Lad. Comparing me with Sam Slater in any way. Bit like comparing Hitler with Jesus Christ.

I can feel a demand for an apology coming your way shortly!

None of it. Max was unhappy with it... that was all.