Postal workers in BNP leaflet row

Postal workers in BNP leaflet row

www.hellmail.co.uk

The Communication Workers Union yesterday lent it's support to some UK postal workers who had refused to deliver election material produced by the British National Party.

The row came to light after some postal workers across the country claimed they had received personal abuse in the course of delivering election leaflets or felt uncomfortable about delivering them and some said they were being put under pressure to deliver them.

Although Royal Mail has a legal obligation to ensure the delivery of election material for all nominated candidates and parties, a clause in the agreement all

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For anybody unaware, the BNP are a far-right, racist "political party" (used very loosely) in the UK.

en.wikipedia.org...


www.stopthebnp.org.uk...









Mod Edit: Link format - Jak

[edit on 20/5/09 by JAK]



[edit on 20/5/09 by blupblup]

I think this is great news.
And more and more postal workers are refusing to deliver these leaflets around the country.

This has nothing to do with democratic rights or impartiality, it has to do with decency and morality.
And i for one applaud these workers for standing up for what they know to be right.

This is in breach of the “conscience clause” agreed in 2005 that allows postal workers not to deliver material that they find offensive or believe their customers may find offensive.
And I'm glad they're using it to make a point.

They were threatened with the sack a few days ago for refusing to deliver.... now the Post office have reversed their decision.

Great news.

www.hellmail.co.uk
(visit the link for the full news article)

I disagree, it is to do with impartiality. Too many people are "offended", too many things "offensive". We need to start moving away from that. If someone doesn't like a certain political party, then you don't vote for them, you have that freedom. Denying material that advocates a party you oppose...isn't that worse? Sounds a bit selective.

In no way will I be voting or supporting the BNP. However, I seem to be one of the very few left who see that people can have the freedom to believe what they want, freedom in voting, resist thought policing. I see that everyone is free to read what they want, and make their decisions after. Yes, I took the BNP leaflet in from under my letter box and read it, like I have all of the many leaflets/pages that have been delivered to my door recently. I didn't feign 'offense' and throw a hissy fit, I accepted it as a party that exists because a certain proportion of the people are willing to vote for it.

That's what it's all about, anything other is just thought control.

reply to post by AR154


I have to agree with you AR154. At first i was thinking 'Excellent! Go the postal workers!', then I thought about what the implications might be. We're leaving it up to them to not deliver mail that they deem to be offensive.

So maybe some Christian postal guy might decide he's not delivering this month's newsletter for the local mosque, or maybe a Jewish postal worker might decide my local 'Digger' newspaper is anti-semetic, or a Muslim postal worker decides a magazine article is offensive.

At the end of the day, they're there to deliver the mail, not to police it.

Its a pity they dont feel that way about the rest of the crap they shove through my door ie - endless junk mail, tory & labour bs.
I also wont be voting bnp - i honestly dont know who i would vote for at the moment.
I cant blame them if they are getting abuse though.

normaly i woudl be with the previous replier and be full of anger that the posties are deciding what to deliver... in this case though, its really for a greater good.

if i was a postie i wouldnt deliver them either. any one that disagrees.. ask yourself, would you publicly hand out leaflets that promote a party that are built on racisist views and fashist agendas? i know i wouldnt.

let them get their own people to deliver them ... thats how i thought it was suppost to be done anyway, its not like they have popped a few million leaflets in a post box and expected them to be delivered,

THIS IS NOT MAIL THIS IS ADVERTISING,

the bnp (and anyone else) can pay for leaflets to be delivered by royal mail... dont look at this as normal mail, look at this in the same light as spam emails.. as thats really all leaflets delivered by posties are.

for the first time in many years.,, im on their side!

This, i think is a good thing.
I myself received a BNP leaflet (Aswell as a labour and lib-dem) but i thought i would give the BNP a quick read through and what i found was what everyone want's to hear. "British jobs for british people, Stricter control of the boarder which inturn reduces the cost of the NHS, such and such and such."

Now, as lovely as that may sound, I wonder how many of you have seen the film Children Of Men? If you've seen that film you'll see how they are Deporting people in the most inhumane way - Going out of there way to humiliate & descriminate people, abit (if not alot) like the nazi's.

The BNP leaflet also wants to exit the EU (i'd like that) and the age old "No to high taxes & rip off britain" that every party bases its election on.
I have to agree, if i was an idiot and didnt think things through i may have actually voted BNP. I wont be voting this year but i can bet that BNP will win alot of seats because people are getting desperate.
And when they do get a majority the uk is going to have a massive shake up which will end bad for alot of people.

So they have a clause to NOT deliver post thatmay be 'offensive' to them or postal workers may think their customers may find 'offensive'?

Since when does the postman decide for me what is offensive or not?

He's there to do a job, delivering the mail, we pay to send it , and if they don't do we get a refund?


Tell you what Mr.Postman, I find the junkmail you keep sending to my home offensive, so can you please stop delivering it. As well as ALL political post, and the bill reminders, and and please help yourself to my post if you think I MAY find it offensive.

Some have been chased and spat at? shame , if the majority of them weren't lazy and rude to begin with then maybe they wouldn't have such a bad reptuation.
Oh and they 'lose' post ( ie its either stolen, misplaced behind the sorting machine or dumped in a bin because the posty is too 'stressed' to deliver it) so I really shouldn't complain about the posties, apart from the littering our pathway with their elastic bands.
They drive their vans like nutters , I lost count the times I've nearly been run over or knocked off my motorcycle when they've been racing each other. so their totally professional.
I dislike posties who complain about doing their job, if you don't like it, change jobs.

Rant over, *Lazy bloody Postal staff * Grumbles under breath.....

reply to post by blupblup


Forgive my ignorance but who is the BNP? I am American, while I try to stay abreast of Allied nations politics sometimes it get confusing?\.

So, hang on. Bear with me, I don't know a lot of the details about the BNP (aside from the fact that quite a few people don't like them), but they are, at the end of the day, a legitimate political party, aren't they? They're legal, they're on the ballot, that kind of thing?

Have I got that right?

And Royal Mail carriers will be allowed to decide for themselves whether or not to deliver their election mailouts?

That's an extremely dangerous precedent, if I've got that right. There's nothing stopping them from - individually or collectively - effectively shutting down any political party they personally disagree with.

That's some really messed up censorship. You may not like the BNP, but let's be serious - it's not up to the mailman to decide what you should and shouldn't see, nor what constitutes the "greater good".

In free countries, anyway.

Personally I don't believe the BNP should even be allowed a right to form considering the racist and intolerant rhetoric they spout. They may have tried to portray themselves as more "Middle of the road" recently but anyone with half a brain can see they are still rotten to the core.

Nick Griffin was interviewed on BBC1 the other night and openly stated that he would not let a black man join the party. Now are we still living in the middle ages or what? His reasoning behind this remarkable statement was that, "Should the white native population get their "fair share" in this country" then he would consider opening up the party membership.

The Post Office traditionally has a left wing bias due to the hay days of unions and the Labour movement so it does not surpirse me that some have refused, good on them. The literature the BNP produce should be illegal on the basis it is promoting racial hatred and divide. This should be the Government's call not the posties............

I have no intention of voting for the BNP, but the postal service is a non-political organisation - regardless of what the Communication Workers Union believe.

For a service, in which majority of their workers go on strike for the most tribal, pathetic and insignificant reasons (most are ideological), it should not be interfering with the electoral procedures of the United Kingdom. In fact, the BNP do have a valid complaint over the CWU and should make reference to the Electoral Commission.

"Free, fair and open elections" - it implies to all of us. Not just the parties we like.

[edit on 20-5-2009 by infinite]

reply to post by poedxsoldiervet


British National Party

en.wikipedia.org...

Originally posted by vox2442
So, hang on. Bear with me, I don't know a lot of the details about the BNP (aside from the fact that quite a few people don't like them), but they are, at the end of the day, a legitimate political party, aren't they? They're legal, they're on the ballot, that kind of thing?

Have I got that right?

And Royal Mail carriers will be allowed to decide for themselves whether or not to deliver their election mailouts?

That's an extremely dangerous precedent, if I've got that right. There's nothing stopping them from - individually or collectively - effectively shutting down any political party they personally disagree with.

That's some really messed up censorship. You may not like the BNP, but let's be serious - it's not up to the mailman to decide what you should and shouldn't see, nor what constitutes the "greater good".

In free countries, anyway.

Royal mail shouldnt be being used for ANY political party in my opinion. It is there to deliver letters of importance - not to try and steal your vote. BNP are a legit party (Formerly known as the National Front) and if they wish to try and collect votes they can do so - just not through royal mail. No political party should be able to use the Royal Mail or UPS. If your vote means that much they should get off there asses and post there spam instead.

although i agree with postmen not censoring mail, in this situation i dont think it does.

i remember the old days, when people running for political places would have people post them through the door themselfs, and actualy have people going about campaining, this is not the case, royal mail are basicly working as paid couriers, if they dont want to deliver them then its their call, as this is not a public post issue, its the issue of a private delivery contract that the people who work for the company dont want to take part in as its immoral.

wouyou (anyone reading) do something immoral (in your own eyes of course) at work because its your job ? i know i wouldnt, and i have even gone as far to leave a place of work in the past due to moral reasons.

its easy to have a dig at the posties, i know i have and still do to this day whenever they start uttering strike.

bnp, and any other party have plenty other ways of getting their message accross, and have done for many many years. i guarentee their are plenty more people who they can have deliver their leaflets for them.. of course, it will be hard, would you want to deliver a bnp leaflet to a house where the people who stay their are of a different ethnicity , who are the people the bpn want to fight against?

its easy to get on the posties about it,. but stop and ask the questions involved.

reply to post by poedxsoldiervet


The British National Party, they used to be a rascist ( at to some extent still are) party ( used to run by the sort of people you'd associate as 'skinheads') they wanted the UK to have only white people, etc etc, but lately they have had a lot of press saying their membership has more lawyers and 'professional' people doctors, nurses , bankers and the like.

I remember they're last manifesto, it actaully sounded quite good, British jobs for Bristish people , too many immigrants , too higher taxes , and so on. I didn't vote for them though I wasted my vote on the green party, tree hugging hippies

Besides ALL politicians from ALL parties are a waste of time, they're all in it for themselves and not the country / people their supposed to be representing. And I certainly WILL NOT waste my vote , voting for the Christian Party' I'm expecting holy hell to play with them , "Lets run the country with Christian beliefs", ( re: out with all Muslims ) I'll bet they go down the BNP route and start saying the problems we have as a country stem from one particular class of person....

reply to post by boaby_phet


To you saying " if YOU think it's immoral, would you do it?" line I'm afraid the postal workers should get on with their jobs.
I process money and cheques for Huntingdon Life sciences, ( animal testing) I sure as hell don't agree with it, but I still do the work I'm employed to do, the posties should do the same, after all if we started pandering to the Policitically Correct nonsense crowd this world would soon crumble,
As Policeman wouldn't arrest criminals incase they hurt their feelings or chaff their wrists with the handcuffs
Bankers don't agree with the money the wealthy have by stepping on the backs of the public to make a few quid.
Or politicians having to care about the comunity instead of themselves
Or jails having to release all the criminals as caging them is against their 'human rights' to freedom.
This poncy nonsense has gone on for too long, gone are the days of actually having to work for living, all that happens these days is if you don't agree with something , you can claim 'distress' of some form and get a payoff.
These days people just want an easy ride, and claiming 'you don't agree' with something makes it easier for you to take time off for having stress, for having to deal with it has made you unwell, that you should be paid for having time off to 'get your head together'.

[edit on 20/5/09 by DataWraith]

after finding out that 'ukip' is paid for by the conservatives, and I dont like the greens, oranges, blues, or the red party, who's left to vote for? so far, not one of the 'major' parties I have emailed has even bothered to acknowledge my email, let alone answer, so a vote for BNP is a protest vote, no other way to protest!
Yes, I read all the 'bumf' that come through my letterbox, and I do not beleive a word of it, not now there is proof in the daily newspapers of the greed of MPs.

reply to post by 0010110011101



To me it seems the policies of the British Government have allowed the BNP to move closer and closer mainstream; For Instance the "seeming" preferential treatment to NON-BRITS, such as immigrants; as well as the Anti-Hate speeches.

It has happened (and is) here in the States with allowing illegal immigrants to collect Social Security and Welfare benefits, which they don’t pay into. I am all for legal immigration as long as you bring your culture here an adapt to ours and not try to change your new country into your old.

Does this make since?

mine just came through the door. slick paper with push button emotive headlines aimed at the disgruntled. sinister.