Social policies, justice and, above all else, education are what will defeat the BNP. And through the ballot box.

TBE - "I was endorsing Billy Bragg's (oh the shame of sharing initials with the lily-livered apologist above) entirely reasonable exhortation to duff the fascists up in the street (not necessarily literally, for the elucidation of the dim)."

I, and I'm sure many others here, understand what you're saying but, unfortunately, you've missed the point. It's the 'dim' (as you describe those whom you presume to be less gifted in the grey-cell department than yourself) who are the very ones who should be spoken to in absolutely unambiguous terms, because they are the very ones who are most likely to fail to recognise 'irony' and take what they hear and read literally - and indeed they are the ones the BNP target in their quest for support. They're not trying to attract Great Thinkers - just the You're-Gonna-Get-Your-Fuckin'-Head-Kicked-In Brigade.

And do you believe that the BNP will tell their targetted public that BB was only being 'ironic' and to take no notice? Not likely - if and when it suits their purpose they will use that sort of statement as a rallying-cry to their new-found supporters. What better way to fire up hatred than by quoting public threats of violence by high-profile figures against themselves and their supporters? What better way to convince TBE's 'dim' of the paucity of the arguments of those who oppose the BNP? FFS, why hand them the ammunition?

In the War Of Words with the BNP it was a real gaffe, a bad choice of words by someone who ought to know better. Period.

I understand people's outrage at the policies and methods of the BNP. I'm outraged too. But social policies, justice, education and the ballot box - these are The Only True Path.
IMHO