The BNP Ballerina

Why does it matter what Simone Clarke thinks about immigration? Fifty people stood outside the London Coliseum today waving placards with such improving mottoes as "Ballet Not Bigotry" (Simone Clarke is dancing Giselle, but is unlikely to spout BNP propaganda while doing so); "Ballet Should Be Nazi-Free" (surely it is a little more important that politics be Nazi-free) and "The BNP Has Got To Go" (and all this free publicity will surely help). Leaflets were handed out which noted that "When fascists come to power they destroy the freedom of artistic expression", and mentioned the founder of the Monte Carlo Ballet de l'Opera, who was murdered by the Nazis in 1943. It is not clear what connection is meant to exist between these deplorable facts and Simone Clarke's Daily Mail views on immigration, which she expressed after her membership of the BNP was reported in the news. The broadcasting union, Bectu, has called on the English National Ballet to distance itself, which the English National Ballet has done: "any personal view expressed by one of our employees should not be considered as endorsed by the company," a spokesbeing said.

Why does it matter? Simone Clarke has the same political influence as most of us, namely one vote every few years. Unless she lives in a marginal constituency, her vote counts as much as most, which is to say hardly at all. Unless one believes that people are going to cast votes for the BNP because that party has been endorsed by someone who can stand on the points of her toes, I fail to see why her political views should have any more significance than the sexuality of tennis players, the theology of film stars, or the daily habits of royalty. The only positive achievement of the present campaign has been to give Richard Barnbrook, the Barking BNP councillor - excuse me, the BNP councillor for Barking and Dagenham - a chance to express his views on eugenics: "I'm not opposed to mixed marriages but their children are washing out the identity of this country's indigenous people," he said, magnanimously upholding Simone Clarke's right to a relationship with a Cuban Chinese, so long as it remains childless.