Strange Bedfellows

From the realm of "strange bedfellows" I present this article on Peak Oil and agriculture from Britain. But not just by anybody in Britain, oh no. The writer belongs to the The British National Party.

The BNP is just what it name implies, a party of white, nationalist Britons. They have had enough of multi-culturalism and immigration. I don't have to make this up, they describe themselves pretty well. Download the Infopak and read the first Adobe document, a 20 page PowerPoint presentation on their views.

What really makes them interesting is that they combine an ultra-conservative approach to social and fiscal issues with a progressive view on animal slaughter, farming, and of course Peak Oil. It's an interesting combination of simplistic answers to matters like crime and development, coupled with a sophisticated understanding that the current economic environment cannot continue indefinitely. I don't think this is a matter of grandstanding for attention. Their totally wholistic approach, regardless of what any reader here thinks of it, is pretty impressive.

They take Peak Oil quite seriously. Thus their contribution to the dialogue.

I can't say that I hold with nationalists of any persuasion, American, European, African, Asian or fill in the blank here. Yet the presence of the BNP in the fray, and their commitment to leveraging the challenge of Peak Oil with their political and cultural outlook is something I do appreciate. Their members, if they are working with the leadership, will be more ready for what comes than most of us on this side of the pond. The only organizations that come to mind that might do well are the intentional communities that share the wealth and the work.

The BNP, with all its warts, is clearly a more complex and complicated group than we might otherwise consider. It is something to think about as we survey the landscape of various political, social, and cultural organizations. It is easy to condemn cartoonish and boorish actions, but it might be worth the effort to look beyond the obvious. We might be surprised, and we might learn that we can make common cause with such folk when our interests converge.