Left Foot Forward’s Alex Hern reports on Finnish fascist Timo Soini’s presence at the Conservative party fringe in Manchester this week.
On Tuesday, Guido Fawkes approvingly posted:
Timo Soini, leader of the True Finns party told the packed European Conservatives and Reformists Group fringe event earlier: “the Euro is our currency, but your problem”. The nail on the head.
Yet again, we find the Conservatives fawning over members of the European far-right. This site has previously covered the True Finns party, and why they are such bad company for any UK politician, but in case you need reminding, this is what Jan Sundberg, Professor of Political Science at Helsinki University, has to say about them:
“The True Finns saw political potential among the neglected people in society. Their political message is two-fold: social-democratic welfare combined with nationalism and xenophobia…
“They believe that a low birth rate is not solved by immigration, as that results in problems and foreigners do not fit into Finnish culture. Instead, young women should study less and spend more time giving birth to pure Finnish children.
“That is like a faint echo of Nazi ideology.”
This is not the first time the Conservatives have hosted a European ally of questionable morals at their conference. In 2009, Polish MEP Michal Kaminski attended the same event Soini was at yesterday.
The Guardian diplomatically referred to his presence as “almost as much of a talking point as London mayor Boris Johnson”, but the talk was hardly idle chatter:
“As a local MP, Kaminski played a key role in the campaign questioning the Polish responsibility for the Jedwabne massacre. The campaign had strongly antisemitic overtones,” said Dr Rafal Pankowski, a member of the Never Again Association and author of The Populist Radical Right in Poland.
In a clear message to Cameron, [the Chief Rabbi of Poland, Michael] Schudrich said: “It is clear that Mr Kaminski was a member of NOP, a group that is openly far right and neo-Nazi. Anyone who would want to align himself with a person who was an active member of NOP and the Committee to Defend the Good Name of Jedwabne [which opposed the apology] needs to understand with what and by whom he is being represented.”
To be charitable, it may simply be that Tory Eurosceptics are so monomaniacal they will ally with anyone of any ideology who will advance their cause. Indeed, one must hope so. The alternative is that these Tories know the views of Soini and Kaminski and don’t care – or even agree.
See also:
• The truth about the “True Finns” – Dominic Browne, April 18th 2011
• The homophobe, the climate denier or the moderate – what next for the ECR? – Ben Fox, February 21st 2011
• Cameron’s ECR farce continues – Ben Fox, January 27th 2011
• Kaminski’s resignation leaves Cameron’s EU group on verge of collapse – Ben Fox, November 25th 2010
• End of the road for Cameron’s homophobic alliance? – Will Straw, April 12th 2010
36 Responses to “Yet again, Tories fawn over the far right”
TheCreativeCrip
Yet again, Tories fawn over the far right: http://t.co/MJHBh2EN reports @AlexHern #CPC11 #ToryCon
Mabel Horrocks
Yet again, Tories fawn over the far right: http://t.co/MJHBh2EN reports @AlexHern #CPC11 #ToryCon
Mike Homfray
Why should the Tories be way behind in the polls? Those who voted for them are getting exactly what they voted for! Hence they are in much the same position, whereas we have gained at least 10% on the 2010 performance.
About time people too cowardly to use their own names were ignored.
Anon E Mouse
Mike Homfray – Where has Labour gained it’s 10%? Which poll has shown that? Even starting from the second worse election results in the party history I cannot see the polls you base your remarks on.
Perhaps Labour activists would be better off spending their time finessing an argument and challenging a comment they disagree with instead of their obsession with who people are.
Anyone with any common sense wouldn’t use their own name when the Labour Party acts as dishonourably as it does – ask Peter Watt or Alistair Darling if they approve of Labour smearing them. And that’s their own party FFS.
Just read any of the auto biographies and it’ll tell you everything you need to know about the dire state of the party.
As long as Derek Draper and Damian McBride are welcomed at conferences instead of being thrown out of the building with a boot up their arse Labour will remain the party of underhand smear merchants.
Any party that can jeer and boo the mention of it’s finest electoral asset in history – Tony Blair – needs radical change and blogs like this one and supporters like you are part of the past Mike and you really need to move on.
Which bit of what I said here was incorrect?
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