The BNP got almost a million votes in the Euro election (943,598 to be exact). In comparison, NuLabour got only 2,381,760 and was beaten into third place by Ukip with 2,498,226 votes. Ukip also wants a total halt to immigration and is regarded by some her as 'the BNP in blazers'.

Those determined to politicize the English folk scene are just accelerating the polarisation of British society, and this risks creating the very thing they fear.

As an historian with a special interest in the Spanish Civil War, I am mindful of the political climate which led to that cruel and bloody episode. A left-wing government with a powerfully-entrenched opposition turned a blind eye to the extra-parliamentary antics of its extremist supporters. The murder of the Conservative politician, Calvo Sotelo, by Leftist police (the ultimate realisation of the 'No Platform' policy) finally accelerated the path to war.

Those who would deny free speech to a substantial electoral constituency (with even more widespread sympathy for its policies if not yet for the organisation itself) are going down a very dangerous path and one completely alien to Britain's democratic tradition.