The Hand of History

The most striking, and possibly the longest-lasting, political legacy of New Labour and New New Labour has emerged with the election to the European Parliament of Nick Griffin, the leader of the British National Party. The Vicar of Downing Street, his Glorious Successor, and their loyal servants Jack Straw, Agent Smith, David Blunkett, John Reid, Phil Woolas and all the rest of their delightful crew - from the lowest Muslim-baiting Blearsy servodrone to the glossiest grinning immigrant-bashing Flintopath - can feel proud of themselves today. Griffin may even have hinted at a willingness to form a coalition with New New Labour with his claim that racism in this country is directed overwhelmingly against creepily smirking things in suits; certainly, given the Glorious Successor's past form, it is entirely possible that he will find this a plausible explanation for his own difficulties. Still, it is no small achievement to have deported children and cancer patients, to have broken down doors at three in the morning, to have regarded ludicrous contortions about "Britishness" as a matter for national policy, and still to be so ineffectual, crooked and cowardly as to make the BNP seem the better option.