On the fringe

Wise Words: fringe

For as long as I've had hair, I've had a fringe. And for as long as I've been interested in politics, the British National Party (BNP) has been a fringe party. The party members haven't got long hair (many don't have much hair at all), but they have always been on the fringe of politics. Not any more.

In the latest European elections, fringe parties that are openly hostile to foreigners, to immigration, and to the European Union won seats in the European parliament. Britain now has two MEPs who are members of the BNP. Is Britain becoming more racist and (even more) anti-EU?

Not really. Arlene McCathy, a candidate for Labour in the same constituency where one of the BNP members, Nick Griffin, was elected, summed up the public's reason for voting for the far-right party perfectly: “It was not a European election, it was an expenses election,” McCarthy told the Financial Times.

Which brings us to another meaning of fringe, as in fringe benefits. These are benefits that an employer gives to an employee in addition to a normal salary. This could include cheaper flights if you work for an airline, or clothes at a discount if you work for a retail store. British politicians wrongly thought that their fringe benefits included expenses for a moat and for pornography. As Gordon Brown refuses to call an election, the British electorate chose to express their anger at their national politicians in the EU-wide election.

Brown suffered a humiliating defeat in the elections. Could he soon become a fringe player in politics? Even though he's from Scotland, I can't see him playing at The Fringe — one of the largest art festivals in the world, which is held in Edinburgh every August. The festival is famous for its fringe comedy. The players here are usually unconventional, innovative and edgy. Brown just wouldn't fit in.