Saturday, January 13, 2007

Time to dig up Voltaire... again

There more than a few words I see or hear that now seem to set off various twitches. One near the top is 'activist'. I am not too sure what it means, but it seems to describe someone who cares a lot about an issue (fair enough), wants to do something about it (also fair), tends to try and do something (laudable, depending) and... seems to think that they have a god-given right to impose their views on other folk as the only course of truth, justice and the 'ist' way. The latter can lead to me getting twitchy.

The BNP is, as far as I am aware, a legitimate (at least in legal terms) political party. So, if you share their views, you can vote for it, vote against it and/or join it.

Like so much in politics, I am uncomfortable with broad brush-strokes, but on balance they don't seem like my kind of people, so I won't be voting for them. But, and here's the M. Voltaire bit, I will defend with my life your right to do so if that's your fancy.

Hence this - Activists taunt the BNP ballerina - did not go down well at all with me (as reported), and if anything left me less impressed with the cause of the 'activists' than the one they are so set against.

As to talks of bans and the like, I'd say you can make a personal stand in support of your views, but when the pols and grants bodies get involved on 'our' behalves, that is a can of worms no one should be considering. 'Nazi' is a term that can apply - if usually inaccurately, but often successfully by the cynical and opportunistic - in many directions.

A bit like much in the environmental world. See, it did have a point for these pages.

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