Media, don't know left from right?

[Balmoral Green]

The media, and the BBC in particular have been talking all day about 'Gains for the far right'. Time & time again on BBC Breakfast, Bill Turnbull referred to UKIP and the BNP as the far right

I was very pleased that Nigel Farage mentioned this with his lunchtime press conference and made it perfectly clear that UKIP is not a right or far right party. Their agenda transcends left & right. It was also good that he stressed that they are also the most libertarian party in British politics at the moment too. I don't support UKIP (but I really rate Farage, top bloke), but I'm glad he set the record straight and made the left/right issue clear.

Whilst I can understand to a degree UKIP being branded as a right or centre right party, what I really don't get is that the BBC also repeatedly described the left and authoritarian BNP as a party of the far right. Do they know nothing? Perhaps because they don't have 'National Socialist Party' in their name like the Nazis did, the BBC don't quite realise?

Describing the BNP successes as 'gains for the far right' goes beyond ignorance. I can only assume the term is used to smear the right in general?

[Timberwolf]

Personally, I find nowadays the libertarian/authoritarian balance matters a hell of a lot more to me than anything else, especially now that most parties have converged on variations of centre-something with the odd nod to their political heritage.

I expect for the BBC, using these descriptions might go against their notional impartiality, as it would mean drawing unpleasant connections between the BNP and Labour, who are IMO the most authoritarian of the three mainstream parties by a fair margin.

[Balmoral Green]

Mooching around the internet, just found this blog from Daniel Hannan, seems he is of the same view.

http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/daniel_hannan/go/tag/...