UK 2009 Rundown: A Year of Fire and Ice

by A. Millar
December 31, 2009 at 5:00 am

http://www.stonegateinstitute.org/976/uk-2009-rundown-a-year-of-fire-and-ice

What is the future of the Western democracy? A look at Britain over the last twelve months seems to provide some clues. In one way or another Islamism was a constant theme, although party politics were volatile by almost any standards. Having long ignored the will of the people in every area - from law and order to immigration - and demonizing those brave enough to raise uncomfortable, though important issues, the political class began to feel the heat of the nation’s boiling anger. Pressure from the top had kept a lid on things, but in 2009 politics began to spill onto the streets, with “anti-Islamization” protests emerging up and down the country. The response was to give more money to tackling the “far-Right,” even though most of the protestors appear to have been ordinary citizens.

Anti-Israel protests have been held over the last few years, but exploded across Britain in January. In September a London march in support of terrorist groups Hamas and Hezbollah attracted a few thousand; it did not, however, attract any condemnation from the political class or mainstream media. But, then, double standards and contradiction were themes in themselves in 2009. David Miliband condemned Geert Wilders’ film Fitna as “hate-filled,” without ever having seen it. The Chancellor of the Exchequer - responsible for the nation’s taxes - claimed for assistance with his tax return. Sir John Chilcot said the legality of the Iraq war would be central to his investigation, despite the investigating committee having no legal expert. And so on, and so on.

Truth itself seems a casualty of modern Britain. Instead, an ideology, a zeitgeist, is apparent, with politicians and the cultural “elite” seeming merely to repackage, in more sober language, the prejudices of a fascistic-Left: Take, for example, the support for Hamas by socialist street protestors, and the interview of Hamas’ leader in the New Statesman; or George Galloway’s call for protestors to “shut down Israel shops” and the new labeling guidelines for Israeli products from the Department of Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs that would make these products easier to boycott, in addition to the open political propaganda that accompanies its labeling advice.

Below we have listed some of the most important events of the year, with particular attention paid to Islamism (and the backlash against it) and to party politics. Although I have listed events by month, some, such as protests, naturally reemerge at different time.

 

January

Mass “pro-Palestinian” protests are organized in several British cities, including London, ostensibly in response to Israel’s assault on Hamas. The protests are organized by the far-Left Socialist Workers Party in conjunction with various Islamic organizations. Many of these descend into chaos, with protestors (held back by police) amassing outside the Israeli embassy, and at least two Starbucks cafes being vandalized and ransacked. Several Jews are also attacked by Muslim youths during the same period. Speakers at one Hyde Park rally includes Labour MP Martin Linton, far-Left Respect MP George Galloway, pop singer Annie Lennox, and terrorism apologist Azzam Tamimi.

A ten-minute-long video showing riot police running from a mob of “pro-Palestinian” protestors circulates the net, appearing briefly on the Daily Mail’s website. Protestors shout “Allahu Akbar,” “free, free Palestine,” and “run you poofs,” “run you cowards,” “run you swine,” and “kafir” as they chase the police. The police appear to have no control over the situation.

The Labour Friends of Palestine is inaugurated. The main speaker at the event was due to be Cherie Blair, wife of former prime minister Tony Blair, but she is unavailable to attend. Labour MP Martin Linton is the organization’s chairman.

The Conservative Party’s Conservative Muslim Forum issues a statement on the Israel-Hamas conflict. The statement says that “Israel’s actions are extreme, totally disproportionate and inhuman….The Israeli government has blocked the international media from entering Gaza…. we feel this is because they have something to hide,” and that the CFM “is deeply concerned that Israel’s action […] may provoke people to take extreme actions [in Britain] whose [sic] repercussions can last for years.”

 

February

Dutch MP Geert Wilders is due to visit Britain. He has been invited by United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP) peer Lord Pearson of Rannoch and cross-bencher Baroness Cox to show his controversial movie Fitna in a private screening in the House of Lords. (The movie, approximately 17 minutes long, is composed of documentary footage of hate preachers, various terrorist attacks, including 9/11, and spoken extracts from the Koran. No actors are used.) Learning of this, Lord Ahmed threatens to amass 10,000 Muslims outside the House of Lords if Wilders is allowed inside, and writes a letter of complaint to the Home Office. The Home Office decides to ban Wilders from entering Britain, claiming that he is a threat to public security. The ban is publicly supported by Foreign Secretary David Miliband, who says there are limits to free speech, and who describes Fitna as “hate-filled,” although he admits not having seen it.

Geert Wilders is expelled from Britain after landing at Heathrow airport. Melanie Phillips remarks that, “[i]f anyone had doubted the extent to which Britain has capitulated to Islamic terror, the banning of Geert Wilders[…] should surely open their eyes.” Wilders calls the British government “the biggest bunch of cowards in Europe.”

The CIA informs president Obama that Pakistani-born extremists in the UK pose the most significant terrorist threat to the US. 40 percent of all US anti-terror operatives are now active in Britain.

After a lengthy legal battle, it is reported that “Osama Bin Laden's right hand man in Europe,” Abu Qatada can be deported to Jordan, where he is wanted for terrorist offenses.

The Obama administration returns a bronze bust of Winston Churchill. It had been given pride of place in the Oval office during president Bush’s two terms in office, and was regarded as a symbol of the “special relationship” between the two countries and their joint war on terror.

David Hartshorn, head of the Metropolitan police’s public order branch warns of a “summer of rage,” due to the economic downturn. Those affected, he says, might become “footsoldiers” in possibly violent, mass protests.

 

March

**** President Obama meets prime minister Gordon Brown. Brown gives Obama unique and priceless gifts, including a penholder crafted from the anti-slave ship HMS Gannet. In return, Obama gives Brown a box set of 25 DVDs. Brown has poor vision, and the DVDs are incompatible with British DVD players. Despite the prime minister’s lack of popular appeal, the British press widely regard this as an insult, especially considering the British-US military alliance in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Dr. Ibrahim el Moussaoui, a former Hezbollah spokesperson and former head of al-Manar Television is due to lecture to an audience of government and high-ranking police officials at the London School of Oriental and African Studies. Moussaoui had visited Britain on previous occasions, though media outlets in the UK and USA now put pressure on the British government to ban Moussaoui. Douglas Murray of The Centre for Social Cohesion writes to the Home Secretary to express concern. The center also seeks religious law expert Paul Diamond’s advise on the possibility of an arrest warrant.

Islam4UK protests against the Royal Anglian Regiment at their homecoming parade. Enraged, supporters of the regiment protest against the Islamists. Two supporters of the regiment are subsequently arrested, although none of the Islamists are arrested. Islam4UK is a reincarnation of al Muhajiroun, the latter of which widely regarded as a terrorist group.

It transpires that Jalal Ahmed (a protestor who had brandished a sign reading “Anglian soldiers: Butchers of Basra” at the aforementioned homecoming) works as a baggage handler at Luton airport, and has an airside security pass. His father tells the Daily Star that his son is “proud to be British.”

The Home Office bans Moussaoui from entering Britain.

Communities secretary Hazel Blears cuts ties to the Muslim Council of Britain after it refused to condemn its deputy secretary-general Daud Abdullah who has signed a public declaration of support for Hamas. The declaration also appears to endorse attacks against the British navy should it attempt to prevent arms shipments to the terrorist group.

 

April

Budget deficit for 2008/09 is revealed to be nearly 90 billion pounds. This is the largest on record, and double the figure predicted by Chancellor of the Exchequer, Alistair Darling, in the 2008 budget.

The Conservative Party expels betting tycoon Stuart Wheeler for donating 100,000 British pounds to UKIP.

Harriet Harman unveils plans for the “Equalities Bill.” Controversially, public bodies will be able to award contracts to private companies on the basis of their “diversity.” In hiring, companies will also be able to discriminate in favor of minorities and women if they are equally qualified with White or male applicants (it will remain illegal for companies to discriminate in favor of minorities or women if they are less qualified). Critics say that such legislation will only hurt companies, and British business overall, in the economic downturn.

 

May

The “expenses scandal” begins to unfold: A computer disc containing more than 1.5 million MPs’ receipts is examined by a group of reporters. The Cabinet’s expenses are published, and MP’s expenses come in for increasing scrutiny. Home Secretary Jacqui Smith had “mistakenly” claimed for several pay-per-view movies watched by her husband. Causing much embarrassment, two of these were “adult” movies. Alistair Darling has claimed for a reimbursement for help with his personal taxes. As Chancellor of the Exchequer, Darling is responsible for nation’s budget, including taxation. Former Labour MP Elliot Morley has claimed 16,000 to pay for a mortgage that had already been paid off. Labour is hit hardest by the scandal, though other parties are affected, with embarrassing claims having been made by senior Conservative party members. Former Conservative Cabinet minister Douglas Hogg, for example, has claimed 2,000 pounds to pay for a moat at his country estate to be cleared. As the public’s anger grows, and the press reveals more and more dubious claims, the Speaker of the House of Commons, Michael Martin, is pressured to resign. Critics blame him personally for allowing claims to get out of hand. He is the first Speaker to be forced to resign since 1695.

Three men are convicted for the 2008 arson attack on the Gibson Square publishing house, after it published The Jewel of Medina, a novel about the youngest wife of Mohammed.

The Home Office draws up a list of 16 people to be banned from entering Britain. This is the first time banned individuals have been publicly named. The list - which includes radical Islamists who have glorified terrorism, Russian neo-Nazis, and US “shock jock” Michael Savage - is widely considered a stunt, and ridiculed for its multicultural composition. Many on the list have expressed no interest in visiting Britain, and some are incarcerated abroad.

Former Conservative chairman Lord Tebbit urges voters to boycott the main three parties (including the Conservatives) in the EU elections, and to vote for one of the smaller parties, excluding the BNP, which he describes as “Labour with racism.” Tebbit’s comments are widely regarded as a hint to vote for UKIP.

 

June

Beverley Hughes, the minister for families, announces that she will resign the government in the impending reshuffle of the cabinet. Home Secretary Jacqui Smith also announces her resignation.

Communities secretary Hazel Blears quits the government. David Cameron goads Brown, saying: “the minister in charge of local government is resigning the day before the local elections. Isn’t the fact that she has chosen today of all days to go a direct challenge to his authority.” Cameron says that Brown should call a general election.

Local elections leave the governing Labour party badly beaten, with only 23 percent of the vote.

The European elections are held. The Conservative Party comes top with 27.7 percent of the vote and a total of 26 MEPs. UKIP comes second with 16.5 percent of the vote, giving them 13 MEPs. The governing Labour party is down seven percent to 15.7, coming third. Labour has 13 MEPs. This is the party’s worst election results since the Second World War. The Liberal Democrats come fourth with 13.7 percent. 11 MEPs. The Green Party gets 8.6 percent of the vote, and two MEPs. The BNP gets 6.2 percent, giving them their first two seats in the EU parliament. Party chairman Nick Griffin for the Northwest region, and Andrew Brons in North Yorkshire.

James Purnell, the work and pensions secretary, quits the cabinet and calls on Gordon Brown to resign. Purnell’s resignation is seen as another serious blow to the prime minister’s credibility, and ability to govern.

Europe minister Caroline Flint quits the government, accusing Brown of using here as “window dressing.” The government appears to be in tatters.

Members of the far-Left, direct-action group, Unite Against Fascism pelt Griffin with eggs as he holds a press conference outside the Houses of Parliament. He is forced to abandon the conference.

Sheiykh Allama Shahid Raza Naeemi, founder of the British Muslim Forum, tells extremist Muslims to leave the UK during a conference in West Yorkshire: “If you hate pork, if you hate other non-Muslims, if you hate the police, if you hate moderate Sufi Muslims, if you hate the British Government, then feel welcome to leave this country.”

Britain’s prison newspaper, Inside Times, burns all 50,000 copies of its current issue, at a cost of 15-20,000 UK pounds, after fears that a satirical article on Swine Flu might upset Muslim inmates. The article, by Andy Thackwray, a prisoner at HMP Hull, and entitled “Porky’s Revenge,” suggests that Osama bin Laden created Swine Flu as part of his “global ‘war on pork’.” “So, to try to get in Allah’s good books, Bin Laden created his own ‘halal flu virus’ with the intention of eradicating every pig in Christendom […] denying us our daily bacon,” Thackwray writes. The article is also accompanied by a cartoon of a cutesy-looking pig wearing a turban and beard. In response to his article, Thackwray is charged with a disciplinary offense against prison rules, and placed in Segregation, before being transferred to another prison. Jailhouselawyer's Blog remarks that it is “offensive that a [sic] English prisoner is punished under the Prison Rules 1999 for depicting a terrorist as a pig.”

Anjem Choudary announces that the terrorist group al Muhajiroun will officially reform.

Douglas Murray of the Centre for Social Cohesion is due to debate Anjem Choudary. The invitation was issued by a group calling itself the “Global Issues Society.” The group is, in actuality, al Muhajiroun/Islam4UK. Murray attends as scheduled, but the debate is cancelled after men and women are forcibly segregated, and a member of the public assaulted by al Muhajiroun/Islam4UK. Murray is also threatened.

Civitas claims that there are now at least 85 sharia courts operating in Britain.

The English Defence League  forms in response to Islam4UK’s Luton protest in March, and, according to an EDL statement, “due to frustration at the lack of any significant action by the British Government against extremist Muslim preachers and organizations[…] We have had enough of our Government ignoring both the problem itself and the cries for action from the majority of those in this country.” The EDL are accused of being “far-Right” and even “Nazis” by the UAF, while the news media also describes them group as “far-Right” or “Rightwing.” The Centre for Social Cohesion claims that a few members of the skinhead “Blood and Honour” movement and one member of the National Front attended the EDL’s Luton protests. A spokesman for the EDL says “We hate Nazis as much as Muslim extremists. The leader of the EDL Youth is Black, we're not a racist organization.” Masked members of the EDL (three of which are Black) later burn a swastika flag in a press conference [video], “to show that we hate Nazis, we don’t agree with extremism. We are a multicultural group of people. We are a Black and White organization that anyone can join.”

 

July

A Danish, Muslim man, of Asian origin, is stabbed, hit with bricks, and has acid poured down his throat in an “honor attack.” He suffers 90 percent burns, is blinded, and has his tongue destroyed by the attack. The victim was having an affair with a married Muslim woman, and the “honor attack” is in response. Police tell the woman that she could be murdered.

Labour loses Glasgow East to the Scottish National Party in a local election. Glasgow East was previously considered to be one of Labour’s safest seats. It now looks certain that Gordon Brown cannot survive as prime minister or Labour leader for much longer. The Independent calls the defeat “a portent of worse to come.”

Neo-Nazi Neil Lewington, 43, is arrested. He lives with his parents, but has allegedly turned his bedroom into a bomb factory, and intends to commit acts of terror against British Asians. He is a member of a previously unknown group called Waffen SS UK. He tells the arresting officers “I’m Bin Laden. I just wanted a pyrotechnic weekend with my girlfriend.”

 

August

Community cohesion minister Shahid Malik says that he will divert money intended to tackle al-Qaeda recruitment to fund tackling the far-Right. He also says that the government’s anti-radicalization program “Prevent” (full title: “Preventing Violent Extremism”) would be renamed because some Muslims were upset by its emphasis on “violent extremism.” The move is derided as dangerous, and as a transparent attempt to woo the Muslim vote.

David Miliband says on a BBC radio talk show that terrorism is sometimes “justifiable, and [that] there are circumstances in which it is effective.”

The EDL protest in Birmingham, but are attacked by Muslim youths and UAF members. The Daily Mail publishes photographs of a bloodied EDL member. An anti-EDL protestor later writes a letter of apology to the people of Birmingham, published in the Birmingham Post. He says that “The young Muslims who rampaged through the city streets were incited to violence by UAF activists. I was near the front of the rally in Rotunda Square and I saw how they worked and I saw how it got out of hand. The UAF should have switched rhetoric when they saw that the young Muslims were getting restless and angry. Instead what they did was get increasingly aggressive speakers to talk about ‘smashing the BNP’ (who not directly involved with the protest) whilst sending agitators into the crowd, with megaphones, to whip up anger there.”

Salma Yaqoob calls for the EDL to be banned from protesting in Birmingham. Yaqoob is a councilor for the Respect coalition, described by Terry Glavin as “an open collaboration between British Islamists and the Socialist Workers Party.”

Conservative MEP Daniel Hannan appears on the Glenn Beck show, strongly criticizing the National Health Service, and warning America against nationalized healthcare. David Cameron rebukes Hannan, calling his opinions “eccentric,” and claiming that the Conservatives stand “full square behind the NHS.”

The Telegraph reveals that public swimming baths are holding separate swimming sessions for Muslims: “across the UK municipal pools are holding swimming sessions specifically aimed at Muslims, in some case imposing strict [Islamic] dress codes.”

The Scottish government frees the Lockerbie terrorist bomber, Abdelbaset al-Megrahi, and allows him to return to Libya, ostensibly on compassionate grounds, as he has been diagnosed with prostate cancer, and given only a few months to live. Most of the victims of the Lockerbie bombing were American, and the decision to free al-Megrahi angers the US government and people. Libyan dictator Colonel Gaddafi thanks Gordon Brown for influencing the Scottish government’s decision. Gaddafi’s son Saif al-Islam tells Libyan TV that al-Megrahi’s release was first raised in discussions about oil and gas. There is speculation in Britain - and increasing evidence - that his release was part of a British-Libyan oil exploration deal. In November al-Megrahi is discharged from hospital, and returns to live in his family villa in Tripoli. It is reported in December that his cancer has worsened.

 

September

200 “Asian youths” attack police in the Bury Park area of Luton. The youths had heard that a “rightwing” march was going to take place, though no protestors arrive. Later, in November, the News of the World will claim that, “In the past 18 months 30 non-Muslim homes have been targeted by extremists in the Bury Park area of Luton because they don't want non-believers living there.”

The EDL protest in Birmingham. Birmingham Central Mosque chairman Dr Mohammad Naseem has told Muslims to “vent their feelings,” and counter protest. Violence ensues as Muslims youth and UAF protestors confront the EDL.

A death threat against the blogger Lionheart is made on a public, Muslim internet chat room. The threat is made by a user called Bilal, who, according to his post, is affiliated with Islam4UK. He tells Muslims to circulate Lionheart’s photograph (which he posts on the chat room), and says, “you know what to do.” “[K]eep an eye on the news. Allaah [sic] knows, you might see a repeat of what happened to Theodoor van Gogh at the hands of our beloved brother Mohammed Bouyeri in Amsterdam on 2 November 2004.” The threat goes unreported by the mainstream media.

Anjem Choudary sends a video message to the EDL.

The Sun reports that 40 terrorists have been freed from jail, and have been housed in probation hostels. “They can be subject to curfews but are free during the day.”

Stop the Islamisation of Europe (SIOE) plan to demonstrate on September 11 against the building of a “mega mosque.” (EDL members are also said to be intending to protest with SIOE.) Shaaz Mahboob, the Vice-Chair of British Muslims for Secular Democracy says that his organization is also “extremely concerned about the rise of extremism and political Islam in Britain,” but asks SIOE to call off the demonstration. SIOE intends to protest nevertheless, but the demonstration, though legal, is called off at the last minute by SIOE leader Stephen Gash, who has been arrested. Only a dozen SIOE protestors arrive, and have to be protected from UAF and Muslim youth counter protestors (approximately 1,000 in total). Police are attacked with bricks, sticks, and bottles as the counter protest descends into chaos [video].

September 12, communities secretary John Denham compares the EDL to Oswald Mosley’s pre-World War II British Union of Fascists. “You could go back to the 1930s if you wanted to - [the battle of] Cable Street and all of those types of things. The tactic of trying to provoke a response in the hope of causing wider violence and mayhem is long established on the far-right and among extremist groups.”

Former London mayor Ken Livingstone interviews Hamas leader Khaled Meshal in the Leftwing New Statesman.

A rally is held in London for the “pro-Palestinian” (i.e., anti-Israel) al-Quds Day, founded by Ayatollah Khomeini. The venue is moved from Trafalgar square to Pall Mall due to the likelihood of an EDL protest against the rally. A few thousand attend the al-Quds rally, carrying Hezbollah flags, and signs reading “we are all Hizbollah,” “we are all Hamas,” “Boycott Israel,” “Zionism is racism,” “end apartheid Israel,” etc. Others carry placards bearing portraits of Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, (the latter of which has said of the Jews, “If they all gather in Israel, it will save us the trouble of going after them worldwide”). Speakers at the rally include Dr. Daud Abdullah of the now disgraced Muslim Council of Britain, Yvonne Ridley (a socialist-turned-political-Muslim and a presenter for the Tehran-financed, London-based Press TV), and Rabbi Ahron Cohen, a leader of Neturei Karta who spoke at Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s 2006 Holocaust denial conference. There Cohen claimed that the six million Jews murdered in the Holocaust “deserved it,” and that it was ordained by G-d. The British press describe the London al-Quds rally as a multicultural peace march. Not one mainstream media outlet notes the support for terrorist groups or the background of the speakers. Nor do mainstream politicians condemn it.

Police initiate a new drive to tackle “honor crime.” Crimes will be treated as such where there is the slightest evidence, even if they have not been reported as “honor” based.

 

October

After a vote of its members, the BNP agrees to amend its constitution to allow non-Whites to join. This move is prompted by the Equality and Human Rights Commission’s legal action against the BNP, which also forces a temporary membership ban.

BNP chairman Nick Griffin appears on Question Time - a BBC, current affairs show on air since 1979 - alongside Labour MP Jack Straw, Conservative MP Baroness Warsi, LibDem MP Chris Huhne, and Chicago-born playwright Bonnie Greer. (The Conservative Party later posts a video on its homepage entitled “Sayeeda Warsi: Behind the scenes at Question Time with the BNP.”) Griffin’s appearance is highly controversial and widely reported in the press. Hundreds of UAF members protest outside the BBC as the episode is filmed, and some protestors manage to penetrate the building, smashing down a barrier in the process. Three police are injured in the chaos. Author and journalist Ian Dale  accuses the UAF of using “fascist tactics.”

Andrew Neather, a former advisor to Tony Blair says that mass immigration into Britain was planned, and not a mistake as previously believed. “Mass migration was the way that the Government was going to make the UK truly multicultural,” said Neather in an op-ed piece for the Evening Standard. Neather also claims that mass immigration was meant to render the traditional position of the Conservatives redundant, assuring that Labour would remain in power.

The Centre for Social Cohesion reports that the office of London Mayor Boris Johnson (Conservative) rubber stamped an invitation to Mohamed Ali Harrath, the chief executive of the Islam Channel, to speak at an Islamic celebration in London. Harrath is a former member of the terrorist group the Tunisian Islamic Front, and subject to an Interpol red notice. He is also wanted by the Tunisian authorities on terrorist charges.

The Asylum and Immigration Tribunal overturns the ban on Geert Wilders entering Britain.

Britain is predicted  to hit 70 million by 2029. Home Secretary Alan Johnson says that the country would be able to “cope.” (Britain is slightly smaller than Oregon.)

Queen’s College, Oxford, establishes the Neda Soltan scholarship in honor of the Iranian music student who died in Tehran, after being shot by a Basiji during a pro-democracy demonstration. The Times later learns that the British government would have advised against setting up the scholarship, and believes it to be “another nail in the coffin” of the British-Iranian relationship.

Islam4UK advertises its London rally, calling for full sharia law for the UK. They also say they will turn Buckingham Palace   into a mosque, and ask the queen to convert to Islam or go into exile. The group later cancels its rally after the EDL and several Muslim groups, including British Muslims for Secular Democracy, decide to counter protest.

Geert Wilders meets UKIP’s Lord Pearson in London. Islam4UK protest outside with banners reading “Sharia is the solution, freedom go to hell” and “Geert Wilders deserves Islamic punishment.” One protester tells Press TV [video] they are there to “warn him.” “Obviously he knows that in Islam the punishment for the one who insults the prophet is capital punishment, and he should take lessons from people like Theo van Gogh.”

The Palestinian Return Centre announces a pro-Palestinian (or pro-Hamas) conference to be held in London. Krisztina Morvai, leader of the Hungarian Jobbik party, is one of the listed speakers. Morvai’s invitation, and the negative press that follows, causes Labour MP Neil Gerrard to withdraw from the conference. Fellow speaker Baroness Jenny Tonge is pressured to withdraw.

 

November

The BNP announces a new EU-wide bloc, formed with Jobbik, the (Walloon) National Front, (French) National Front, (Italian) Tricolor Flame, and the (Swedish) National Democrats. The bloc is called “European Alliance of National Movements.”

The Palestinian Return Centre axes Krisztina Morvai from its advertised conference.

British Socialist theorist Chris Harman dies in Cairo. Harman was an editor of Britain’s Socialist Worker for two decades, and the author of 1994 essay “The Prophet and the Proletariat,” in which he argued that socialists should align themselves with Islamists. In its eulogy for Harman, the Independent says the essay was “crucial in pioneering an analysis of political Islam even before 9/11, and thus preparing socialists to combat war and islamophobia.”

Lord Pearson is elected as the new leader of UKIP. The Independent accuses him of “playing the Islam card to win.” The Telegraph says that, “UKIP has acquired a formidable leader.”

Pakistani-born Rajinder Singh (described by the press as an “anti-Islamic” Sikh) will reportedly become the BNP’s first non-White member. A BNP spokesman describes Singh as “the kind of immigrant you want if you are going to have them.”

David Cameron says that the Conservatives will not hold a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty. Earlier he had pledged “[…] that if the constitution is not in force in the event of the election of a Conservative government this year or next, we will hold a referendum on it, urge a no vote, and - if successful - reverse Britain’s ratification.” Euroskeptics noted originally that the Treaty was almost certain to have been ratified by that time, and thus Cameron’s promise was an empty one.

MEPs Roger Helmer and Daniel Hannan resign from the Conservative frontbench in protest at Cameron’s announcement that he will not pursue a referendum on the EU constitution.

Sir John Chilcot opens an inquiry into the Iraq invasion. Chilcot says that the legality of the 2003 invasion will be one of the main areas of investigated. The investigating panel will not, however, include a legal expert.

With the Lisbon Treaty ratified, Baroness Ashton of Upholland is made EU foreign affairs chief. Ashton is an unknown in British politics. UKIP’s Nigel Farage refers to her and appointed EU president, Herman Van Rompuy, as “pygmies,” during a session of the EU parliament. He goes on to suggest that Ashton “was treasurer during a period when CND took very large donations and refused to reveal the sources.” “Will Baroness Ashton,” he asks, “deny that while she was treasurer she took funds from organizations opposed to Western-style democracy? Are we really happy that somebody who will be in charge of our overseas security policy was an activist in an outfit like CND? I do not think she is a fit and proper person to do this job.” Ashton’s spokesman later claims that “during her time in the CND she never visited the Soviet Union, had no contact with the Soviet Union and has never accepted any money from Soviet sources.”

Emails from researchers at the University of East Anglia are exposed. Some of the emails show that prominent climate scientists have withheld information that contradicted their claims on global warming, and have also sort to marginalize journals and editors that disagreed with their assessment. The episode becomes known as “climategate.”

Jobbik establishes a London branch. The purpose of the British Jobbik Society is to inform Hungarians in Britain about the party’s agenda.

BNP chairman Nick Griffin is announced as the representative of the EU parliament's environmental committee for the December climate change conference in Copenhagen.

The Times claims that Mr al-Awlaki - preacher to Fort Hood shooter Major Nidal Hasan - has “a large following in Britain and counts prominent mainstream Muslims among his supporters.”

A group of Muslim men (who appear to be part of Islam4UK) pelt Baroness Warsi with eggs while she is on a walkabout in Luton [video]. They shout “this woman doesn't represent us,” and “she doesn't agree with sharia law.” The News of the World says that the “demonstrators in Luton cannot be passed off as just a few hotheads letting off steam. They're part of a much bigger problem - and a dangerous one.”

 

December

According to a London Daily News poll, 75 percent of Londoners support the Swiss ban on minarets.

John Denham says that 5 million pounds will be made available to councils in England and Wales to tackle far-Right extremism, although al-Qaeda remains the priority. “It is important that local Muslim communities do not feel they are being singled out if other forms of extremism are a threat in the area,” Denham says.

Adam Khatib, 22, Nabeel Hussain, 25, and Mohammed Shamin Uddin, 39, are convicted of the 2006 plot to blow up passenger airplanes between Britain and the US.

A study conducted by the Open Society Institute (founded by controversial multi-billionaire George Soros) finds that British Muslims are the most patriotic in Europe. According to the study, 77 percent British Muslims say they identify with Britain, while only 50 percent of non-Muslim Britons say the same. The IPPR also reports that more than one million Muslim immigrants live in the UK, because, in the words of the Daily Mail, “it is more sympathetic towards Islam than other European countries.”

Prime minister Gordon Brown visits British troops in Afghanistan. He is the first prime minister to stay overnight in a combat zone with troops since Churchill.

Rt Rev Stephen Venner, bishop to the armed forces, says that the Taliban should not be regarded as wholly evil, but that they “can perhaps be admired for their conviction to their faith and their sense of loyalty to each other.”

Nick Griffin attends the Copenhagen climate change conference. He claims that concern over global warming has meant that crops normally grown for food have been replaced by crops grown for fuel, causing famine. “This will be […] the greatest famine of the modern era and I regard that as a crime.”

Gordon Brown visits Copenhagen to try to push for a deal on cutting carbon emissions - “to shape the future of humanity. It is a defining moment,” he says.

A British court issue an arrest warrant for former Israeli foreign minister, Tzipi Livni. The request for the warrant was submitted by a “pro-Palestinian” organization for alleged war crimes committed by the Israeli government in Operation Cast Lead, launched in December 2008 in response to Hamas rocket attacks. Livni is forced to cancel a trip to Britain. A senior Israeli official is reported as saying, “every week in London, you have people visiting from countries undemocratic in the extreme and with atrocious human rights records, yet this happens to the leader of the Israeli opposition? That is a perversion of the British sense of fair play.” Legal experts say that “universal jurisdiction” could be abused to harass or incarcerate any high profile visitor to the UK that has had a prominent role in a military conflict or anti-terror operations, including Barack Obama. Foreign secretary David Miliband later says that the legislative harassment of Israeli officials will no longer be tolerated, and that, “Israel is a strategic partner and a close friend of the United Kingdom. We are determined to protect and develop these ties.”

The Department of Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) issues new guidelines [pdf] for the labeling of products from Israel. The document is entitled “Technical advice: labelling of produce grown in the Occupied Palestinian Territories,” but articulates, at length, a clear political message. For example, it states that, “Israeli settlements in the OPT are unlawful under international law;” “the [UK] Government believes that the existence - and continued growth - of Israeli settlements poses a significant obstacle to peace in the Middle East,” etc. The document also says that, “Traders and retailers may wish to indicate whether the product originated from an Israeli settlement or from Palestinian producers. This could take the form, for example, of ‘Produce of the West Bank (Israeli settlement produce)’ or ‘Produce of the West Bank (Palestinian produce)’, as appropriate.” The Kadima party, led by Tzipi Livni, calls for a boycott of British products and airlines, The move has the backing of nearly half of the Knesset, with some MPs likening the new food labeling guidelines to early attacks on Jewish businesses and property by the Nazis.

Mehmet Goren, 49, is convicted for the “honor killing” of his 15 year-old daughter Tulay. Goren had already been convicted for seven years for attacking Tulay’s boyfriend with an axe after the murder of his daughter. Police say that they came into contact with Tulay several times a couple of months prior to her murder, but ignored “tell-tale signs.”

The BBC reports that Wales may soon get its first sharia court. Shaykh Siddiqi says that the court will give “third or fourth generation British Muslims who are growing up[…] the services necessary to make Britain their homeland.”

A top Hamas official tells the Times that the terrorist organization is behind the campaign to arrest Israeli officials as they enter Britain. The Times says that, “The campaign by Hamas takes advantage of an aspect of law in England and Wales that allows anyone to apply for an arrest warrant for alleged war crimes without the need for a prosecuting lawyer.”

Umar Farouk Abdul Mutallab, 23, attempts to blow up a Northwest Airlines passenger flight as it is about to land in Detroit. Al-Qaeda expert Rohan Gunaratna says that, “it seems clear that Mutallab was recruited in London — probably not at a mainstream mosque but on the sly with militant groups.”

The Daily Mail says that the EDL has now attracted “some of the most violent football hooligans in Britain” to their ranks. The newspaper also publishes a photograph of several masked EDL members around a woman in a hijab, who “appears intimidated.”

The Spectator says that Britain’s libel laws means that the country’s press withholds information on Islamism and related terrorism: “Investigating or writing about Islamic terrorism […] is perhaps the single most expensive thing that a UK publication can do […] because you can be guaranteed that lawsuits will follow[…] We can even be sued for linking to overseas websites, or sued for a comment on a website.”

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