Poor old Nick - you really have to cry

The BNP’s hijacking of British iconography such as classic images of RAF Spitfires spotlights the party’s fuzzy ineptitude and clear shortsightedness in understanding the significance of brands and logos.

The BNP leader, Nick Griffin says that the Spitfire “represents the collective will of the British people to respond to the threat of foreign invasion”. However what he has totally failed to grasp is that the British army has long recruited brave soldiers of every ethnic and cultural background to respond to the threat of any foe threatening the British community – irrespective of that community’s colour or creed. This includes multi-cultural and ethnic British soldiers currently in Afghanistan.

Study British military history and you will discover that there has been Jewish participation in the British Armed Forces from as early as the Battle of Quebec 1754 – 1763 and right through to the enormous number of Jews who fought during the two world wars and other notable campaigns. There were even Jewish Spitfire pilots in the Battle of Britain. Then there are the Gurkas who proudly served the British army since 1816. (Although their treatment by the British Government for services rendered, was until recently, quite a different story altogether). In fact, throughout the Commonwealth, men and women of all faiths and backgrounds have joined and continue to sign-up with the British forces to fight for a common good.

The tradition of the all-inclusive British forces recruiting personnel under the umbrella of one master-brand: the British Army, continues with regiments such as the 9 Regiment whose websites boasts:
“9 Regiment has just over 800 personnel from 20 different RLC trades. It is one of the most culturally diverse regiments in the British Army.
Approximately 63% are from the United Kingdom, 17% of the regiment are from Nepal and a further 20% are from some 19 other countries including Fiji, Ghana, South Africa, Nigeria and St Vincent to name a few.
All officers and soldiers serving in the regiment are an integral part of a high-spirited multicultural community.”

As of 2006, there were nearly 6,700 soldiers from 57 other countries serving in British regiments – with Fiji leading the way with almost 2,000. This total number is said to have increased since then.

The commander of the Desert Rats in the first Gulf War, Major-General Sir Patrick Cordingley, former Chief of Defence Staff Lord Guthrie along with Generals Sir Mike Jackson and Sir Richard Dannatt, put their names to a letter in which they wrote: “We call on all those who seek to hijack the good name of Britain’s military for their own advantage to cease and desist.
“The values of these extremists – many of whom are essentially racist – are fundamentally at odds with the values of the modern British military, such as tolerance and fairness.”

For his part, BNP leader Nick Griffin compared Generals Sir Mike Jackson and Sir Richard Dannatt with Nazi war criminals hanged after the Nuremberg trials.

So, trying to follow the BNP’s logic … (never an easy task) … according to Griffin, the very same force which famously once defended Great Britain in craft such as the Spitfire, against possibly greatest ever threat to what he would consider “Old England, with Old British values” – in other words 1930s England – should in essence, share the same fate as the leaders of the enemy which that ‘British’ force was gallantly fighting in the first place

In turn that would mean that the emblems which the BNP wishes to hijack (such as the Union Jack – the Spitfire and so on) should – according to the BNP’s own logic – actually represent the very worst – rather than the very best of British.

Clearly the BNP’s branding team are a little confused and need to urgently reconsider their recent choice of emblems. Perhaps in honour of Mr Griffin they could instead plumb for a flag featuring a determined chap on a horse tilting at windmills, captioned: “Cry ‘God for Harry, England and Saint George!’”

…Or on the other hand, perhaps not. Henry ended up falling for the French Princess, Katherine – and everyone knows what the  euro/franco/xenophobic BNP think of les Francais et Francaises only a hop away over the Channel

Jonathan Gabay
www.brandforensics.co.uk

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