BNP member for Mayor

[anotheoldgit]

http://tinyurl.com/6cymc4p

So the town of Padiham, near Burnley.are to get the countries first BNP Mayor.

In a democratic country does it really matter what a Mayor's political leanings are?

[R1Geezer]

The fact he was "overwhelmingly" elected forces one to ask what is driving the public into the hands of the extremists? That's democracy though!

[New Judge]

The reason voters are turning to so-called extreme parties, Geezer, is that the main parties are increasingly ignoring the legitimate concerns of the electorate.

- People who are concerned about the UK’s relationship with the EU have nobody to vote for. None of the main parties has any plans to radically alter the influence MPs allow the EU to have on our affairs.

- People concerned at the levels of immigration into the UK (from both EU and non-EU sources) have nobody to vote for. No main party has plains to curtail it.

- No main party has any plans to curtail the UK’s continuing interference in foreign affairs over which we have little or no influence.

- Anybody who would like to see the preposterous amount of waste that is evident in publicly funded organisations reduced has no voice. Government ministers hate the idea that their budgets may be curtailed. They see spending as achievement.

I could go on, but I need a cuppa.

[andy-hughes]

From the text in AOG's clip, it appears the the office is ceremonial, and the gentleman was elected by default on a rotation system and his political stance does not appear to have been an issue in his selection.

Dependent on the system of voting, in this case it does not apear to matter what the soon-to-be mayor's politics are - in other councils this may not be the case, so the answer to your question AOG is 'No', in the instance, but possibly 'Yes' in others, depending on circumstances.

[birdie1971]

The role of Mayors is largely ceremonial – at least outside London. John Cave's political leanings in this post are pretty irrelevant.

Earlier tonight I saw an interview on the BBC local news. It was a BBC representative talking to the Bishop of John Cave's parish. The good Bishop Goddard said that a man who is a member of the BNP could not honestly represent all of the people of Padiham.

It must have slipped the Bishop's mind that the Catholic Church categorises all homosexuals as being 'morally evil' (a quote attributed to the current Pope) and that it bars all women (who represent at least 50% of the entire world's population) from attaining any position of high office in that church. And this idiot has the audacity and bare-faced cheek to preach to others about a lack of objectivity?

Pot kettle and black.

[mike11111]

Whatever the rights or wrongs of the Bishops of Burnley's comments, he is a suffragan bishop of the Church of England, and to associate him with the pronouncements of the RC church and its Pope on other issues is wildly erroneous.

[birdie1971]

Mike11111

I stand corrected. I did not do my research thoroughly enough.

I was under the impression that John Cave was a Bishop representing the bigoted, misogynistic and reactionary Roman Catholic faith. I was unaware that he was in fact representing the entirely invented Church of England faith, founded by the violent, murderous, dishonest, and ultimately delusional character, Henry VIII who created this branch of Christianity for entirely personal reasons in order to circumvent Papal decrees that he disapproved of.

Sorry about that.

[mike11111]

I think that you are being a bit unfair on poor old Henry VIII. It's called politics. Just think of Henry as an amalgam of Blair and Brown, and Wolsey and Cromwell as a composite Mandelson.

[birdie1971]

Mike11111

Read the excellent book, “Monarchy” by David Starkey.

I think my statement is fair. The creation of the Church of England was done for entirely selfish reasons. There was no other reason to split from the RC church other than Henry's desire to be rid of his first wife, Catherine.

“It's called politics” - What is? Creating an entirely new branch of Christianity? You have a pretty wide definition of politics!

[mike11111]

There is nothing in your second paragraph with which I could possibly disagree. I was trying to be mildly humorous, much as I was a few months back when I tentatively suggested that Queen Mary I showed commendable foresight in introducing the winter heating allowance.

[mike11111]

Oh that others would pay me such kind compliments!

[mike11111]

I wish that I had your prescience in believing that you will survive till 09:00. Should you not, it will be none of my doing - you have lightened up my evening. .

[mike11111]

And for that you have my undying gratitude.

[mike11111]

In order to reflect on the place I'm coming from, I would have to have eyes in my arse. I'm clever, but not that clever.

[mike11111]

I think that this is an appropriate point to bring this discussion to a conclusion. From a very early age my late mother imprinted in my mind that it was wicked to mock the afflicted, so I shall heed her advice.