Nick Griffin, the leader of the British National Party, has been invited to attend a Buckingham Palace garden party hosted by the Queen. Each year British MEPs are entitled to two tickets to one of the Queen’s three garden parties at Buckingham Palace. A spokeswoman for Buckingham Palace confirmed that an invitation had been issued this year. She said that Mr Griffin was eligible to nominate himself and the Palace would not discriminate against democratically elected representatives.
His possible attendance plunges the palace into fresh controversy over its attitude to Griffin, who has been convicted of distributing material likely to incite racial hatred.
Mr Griffin is invited is in his capacity as a North West of England MEP and has provoked concern that other MEPs would boycott the eve
nt. Other MEPs and opponents of the far-right party warned that Mr Griffin’s invitation “utterly compromised” the Queen and risked politicising the annual event.
Claude Moraes, a Labour MEP for London, said that the move “deeply politicises and embarrasses the Queen”. “She has been forced into an extremely difficult situation. I would expect some people to boycott the party. If people knew about this it would clearly spoil the occasion for a lot of them. “It has utterly compromised the Queen and she is made to feel that she has to make a political decision.”
Margaret Hodge, the Labour MP who trounced Mr Griffin in his bid for the seat of Barking and Dagenham, said: “It sickens me that Nick Griffin uses his elected position to gain access to the Royal garden party.”
How terrible that her Majesty should be forced meet a person elected by some her subjects. I am not a supporter of the BNP but let’s review some of the people the Queen h
as met in the past: Robert Mugabe, Idi Amin, The Shah of Persia and Nicolae Ceausescu. None of them was elected and they had all committed far worse crimes than incitement to racial hatred. So why did she meet them? It must have been politically motivated and she was told to by the PM/Government at the time because it was politically expedient.
Nick Griffin may be a revolting character but he was elected by the people. If in these times of Dunkirk spirit and us all tightening our belts, we can still afford to have garden parties then it is HMs job to invite MEPs and what is more it is their job to go. But the best solution of all would be to save the money and not have garden parties state dinners banquets etc etc etc. Maybe if as David Cameron says its going to change the country for ever we can’t afford the Queen!
His possible attendance plunges the palace into fresh controversy over its attitude to Griffin, who has been convicted of distributing material likely to incite racial hatred.
Mr Griffin is invited is in his capacity as a North West of England MEP and has provoked concern that other MEPs would boycott the eve
nt. Other MEPs and opponents of the far-right party warned that Mr Griffin’s invitation “utterly compromised” the Queen and risked politicising the annual event.Claude Moraes, a Labour MEP for London, said that the move “deeply politicises and embarrasses the Queen”. “She has been forced into an extremely difficult situation. I would expect some people to boycott the party. If people knew about this it would clearly spoil the occasion for a lot of them. “It has utterly compromised the Queen and she is made to feel that she has to make a political decision.”
Margaret Hodge, the Labour MP who trounced Mr Griffin in his bid for the seat of Barking and Dagenham, said: “It sickens me that Nick Griffin uses his elected position to gain access to the Royal garden party.”
How terrible that her Majesty should be forced meet a person elected by some her subjects. I am not a supporter of the BNP but let’s review some of the people the Queen h
as met in the past: Robert Mugabe, Idi Amin, The Shah of Persia and Nicolae Ceausescu. None of them was elected and they had all committed far worse crimes than incitement to racial hatred. So why did she meet them? It must have been politically motivated and she was told to by the PM/Government at the time because it was politically expedient.Nick Griffin may be a revolting character but he was elected by the people. If in these times of Dunkirk spirit and us all tightening our belts, we can still afford to have garden parties then it is HMs job to invite MEPs and what is more it is their job to go. But the best solution of all would be to save the money and not have garden parties state dinners banquets etc etc etc. Maybe if as David Cameron says its going to change the country for ever we can’t afford the Queen!
As an MEP he's entitled to ask and be given tickets. If he'd been refused, that would have blown the Queen's apolitical stance out of the water.
ReplyDeleteThe stench of hypocrisy in some of the comments in that article is astounding
Ah'm wi' ye baith aw the way here. If we hae tae hae thae gairden-pairties, an' wha thinks we hae tae hae them onyway, then ye hae tae hae the guid wi' the bad. The day the Queen gangs back tae the pickin' an' choosin' amangst thae whae WE elect, is the day she can bugger aff back tae Hanover, constitutionally-speakin' that is, no personally.
ReplyDeleteLet him go! It'll be interestin' tae see if he takes his 'special' friend wi' him, or if he decides tae hire a beard fer the day. He might even embarass hissel', mibbe dribblin' sauce doon his shirtfront, or leavin' his ballop open.
QM: yes I agree, especially in light of some of the people that the Queen has met as outlined above. As I say is Idi Amin more acceptable when it comes to meeting the Queen than Nick Griffin?
ReplyDeleteSophia: exactly as I say, let’s not have garden parties. Their sole function as far as I can see is to massage the egos of those that would be the great and good. MEPs get a very good salary for what they do, is that not enough for them?
ReplyDeleteWhen the country can’t afford school meals for deprived kids, pension increases, properly equipped armed forces etc and everybody can expect a pay freeze at best and more likely a cut, can we still afford to be handing out canopies and drinks to well paid MEPs and their guests at a royal junket? But of course if the Queen sat around and did nothing in the Dunkirk spirit it wouldn’t be long before we would all be asking if we actually need her and her brood.
As you say Munguin, in the course of her duties, Her Majesty has had to meet some killers and thugs and some that were just plain boring.
ReplyDeleteI’m wondering if Mags Hodge thinks that the Queen was sitting rubbing her hands together with glee at the thought of meeting her. Somehow I doubt it. Mrs Hodge voted for the killing of hundreds of thousands of totally innocent Iraqis so that her boss could look good with President Bush. Then she voted strongly against any inquiry into it. Although, probably for electoral purposes, she changed her little mind about that when the elections came along. So when the Queen met her she was probably thinking that she had blood on her hands and was a hypocrite too.
It’s part of the Queen’s job to meet duly elected members from all parties, fat and thing, black and white, gay and straight, tall and short, nice and repulsive... and all the ones in between.. and to not utter a word of complaint nor to turn up her nose nor by any gesture indicate that her subjects were wrong to elect them...even if they were.
Although I am a republican, I respect the Queen for having faultlessly done that throughout a long reign. Any suggestion that she should not meet the man will be swiftly dealt with I’m sure.
Well I hope the booze and nibbles are on sale or return if nobody else goes because Nick is there. Then the country can get its money back. But the Queen should be happy as Nick would be a cheap date because nobody else goes. And we know her parsimony is legendary. Can’t see old big ears being like that when his is the head that wears the crown.
ReplyDeleteNo doubt Margaret Hodge would much rather be meeting Idi Amin.
ReplyDeleteHodge played her part in the murder of inocents that was 'shock and awe'.
ReplyDeleteShe should be meeting the devil.
Idi Amin was fond of hanging people he didn't like from meat hooks but I don't suppose he mentioned that to the Queen when he met her.
ReplyDeleteSAVAK that's the Shah's secret police were very fond of using the bastinado (that is beating the sloes of the subjects feet with a cane)as well as electricity to the genitals and hot hard boiled eggs up the anus. But again I don't suppose he mentioned that to the Queen when he met her.
ReplyDeleteCeausescu bulldozed huge parts of historic Bucharest in order to erect the second largest building in the world as his palace, but I don't suppose he mentione that to the Queen when he met her either.
ReplyDeleteCrikey Munguin, what DID these people talk about to HM?
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely. This whole fiasco (i sound like a UKIP supporter there) just shows what a ludicrous waste of time and money all the royal patronage guff is.
ReplyDeleteIt's time the queen lost her title, her money and her privilleges. She should take up lollypoppin or makin tea for the WRVS (women's republican voluntary service) like the rest of us will do if we're lucky enough o survive to her age.
Nick Griffin at a tea party though? Yeeeuch....like the proverbial fart in a space suit.
I'm with Naldo on this. These tea parties should stop. Not because it's not pleasant to be at a garden party with the great and the good (although it's expensive buying all the 'correct' dress) but because they're of no benefit to the average person and an excuse for the elite to mingle at the expense of the hoi polloi.
ReplyDeleteThere we have it. Get rid I say.
I'm wondering why on earth people would have to dress up particularly for a royal event. I mean, most people would be clean and wear clean clothes to go to anyone's party wouldn't they?
ReplyDeleteI was once invited, because of some work I was involved in, to a garden party at Holyrood.
Together with the invitation came a list of what and what not to wear; what (and what not) to say and what (and what not) to do.
So, what the Queen of Scots sees when she meets her people is a host muppets dressed in a uniform dictated by her palace, who will act and talk per a prompt sheet also dictated by her palace.
Yes, it seems like a waste of time and more importantly money.
I'm told that the tea is only warm (and I hate tea at the best of times), the coffee, to these continental taste buds, weak as dish water, and the sandwiches and cakes not particularly appetising.
Naldo, I'd hate to meet Mr Griffin anywhere, and if he was anywhere I was, then I'd avoid him, but, as of the present, the Queen is paid to meet these people whom he subjects have elected. And he is elected to serve all the people of the area he covers, not just BNP supporters, so he has every bit as much right as any other MEP to the ear of the head of state.
In fact of course, as the Queen never meets all the people at a party (there are thousands and she probably meets a couple of dozen, as do a few more of her family) the chances of any member of the royal family speaking to Griffin are slight.
I wouldn't mind seeing Phil and Nick have a chat though.... and I suspect that he might have got on swimmingly with the QM!
I just realised that I didn't point out the obvious... I declined the invitation. I never wear a tie.
ReplyDeleteTris and Munguin...I agree in principle with most everything that's been said here about the Queen and her parties. (As if my American opinion actually matters in any way.)
ReplyDeleteAs you point out Tris, the Queen does her unusual job with great skill and patience. And it seems that the Queen appeals in some way to Americans. Perhaps we actually long for an aristocracy. Maybe it's just that our Head of State is always simply another dreary politician. Sometimes in fact a TEXAS politician.
So Tris, this is my tongue-in-cheek way of saying that I really wish you had passed your invitation along to me. I would have worn any required attire (up to and including white tie and tails) and flown the Atlantic to attend that party at Holyrood.
Just kidding....sort of.
Damn, Danny, if you'd only said......
ReplyDeleteNext time....OK?
Danny sometimes though you get someone who is an inspiration to the whole world. But what we get is another privileged aristo with a silver spoon in their mouth and their hand on the state teat. And there is nothing we can do about it. What does the Queen actually do? As head of state does she step in when she thinks the power of the state is being misused? No, she goes to tea parties where she meets Robert Mugabe because she is told to. We don’t need an expensive unelected head of state to do that, we could get a waxwork anamatronic dummy from Madame Tussauds and programme it to say “one lump or two Mr Amin” and for ordinary people “what do you do?” and for Prince Charles “ghastly man” and Prince Philip any appropriate racist or sexist comment that we can all laugh off.
ReplyDeleteGood for you Tris I can’t bear these fair weather republicans that go weak at the knee at the thought of meeting a royal or can’t wait to get their hands on a bauble from the British Empire. Neil Kinnock and his good lady wife are particularly repulsive in that respect. I wish that the papers would print a list of people that have refused an honour, they are the people I would want to meet.
ReplyDeleteha ha champagne socialist Margaret Hodge is complaining about Nick Griffin. She is a former leninist ( At Islington Council during the 1980s she proudly hung the red flag outside the main building and displayed a bust of Lenin.)
ReplyDeleteNow a millionaire and chairman of the expenses committee she pontificates about Nick Griffin while ignoring her love of lenin who murdered 20 million in his gulags and forced marches. And they wonder why we hate them.
Excuse ma bleary een, but ah've jist woken up fae a dream aboot Margaret Hodge. She had been elevated tae the Lords fer beatin' Nick Griffen in Barking, an' she wis whinin' oan tae me that folk keep comin' up tae her an' sayin' "You used tae be Margaret Hodge"
ReplyDeleteAh didnae really hae anythin' tae say tae her so we jist sortae stood there. It wisnae an awfy excitin' dream.
Oh dear Sophia. That sounds more like a kind of nightmare. Maybe it's these cheese butties you're eating before you go to bed.
ReplyDeleteI mean, it's not up to me to tell you what to eat, but really, if its' going to mean dreaming of Maggie Hodge, maybe it's best to try a nice digestive biscuit....
Socialist: she is vile and a turn coat fair weather socialist like the Kinnocks who couldn't wait to get into the House of doddering old farts.
ReplyDeleteSophia: more like a nightmare you poor thing.
ReplyDeleteYo, Socialist. Lenin didnae kill 20 million. He was dead by the time all that pish kicked off.
ReplyDeleteNot sure your being all that fair on the Shah, but leaving that aside...
ReplyDeleteGriffin has an electoral platform, he represents people. Enough people to hold public office. The ostrich tactic of ignoring them, and refusing to offer them a platform has failed, resolutely.
Give him access, and hopefully we can turn around the march to the far right in the depressed liebore holds in the UK.
p.s it really doesn't matter how many a murderous dictator killed, they are all equally bad no? Is there a sliding scale for tyrannical regimes? How do we assess and differentiate the 'good' dicators from the 'bad'? Maybe I ought to ask Kissenger?
Dean: not all that fair on the Shah? I’m sorry Dean but the torture methods used by the Shah’s secret police are well documented and cannot be denied. And if you are an autocratic totalitarian leader like the king of kings was you do not have any deniability full stop.
ReplyDeleteI agree that Griffin has been elected and therefore has every right to go to these royal junkets like every other fawning sycophant. Whether or not the country can afford them is another matter.
I personally don’t think there is any scale for the murderous but then I am not in charge of the Queen’s diary and don’t control who she meets. Clearly neither does she. She clearly does whatever she is told in order to keep that crown on her head. An effective organ of government? I think not. She is a check to nothing and she is a balance to nothing.
naldo
ReplyDeleteSorry you're right. That was Stalin.
Lenin was just as bloodthirsty though with his 'Red Terror' campaign. Torturing and murdering opponents and dissidents. One of his favourites was ' the glove' where he flayed the prisoners hands while still alive and presented the gloves to their relatives as a memento. There was also his famous 'hanging order' telegram to his troops..
" "Comrades! The insurrection of five kulak districts should be pitilessly suppressed. The interests of the whole revolution require this because 'the last decisive battle' with the kulaks is now under way everywhere. An example must be demonstrated.
* 1. Hang (and make sure that the hanging takes place in full view of the people) no fewer than one hundred known landlords, rich men, bloodsuckers.
* 2. Publish their names.
* 3. Seize all their grain from them.
* 4. Designate hostages in accordance with yesterday's telegram.
* Do it in such a fashion that for hundreds of kilometres around the people might see, tremble, know, shout: "they are strangling, and will strangle to death, the bloodsucking kulaks".
Telegraph receipt and implementation.
Yours, Lenin. "