Mark Green

Last updated 13:42, Thursday, 20 November 2008

At first, I thought the leaking of details of the entire 10,000 membership of the BNP onto a website was quite funny.

• Related: BNP member details leaked

A typical example of the disorganisation of the tin-pot malevolents.

BNP leaders believe an ex-employee with a grudge was responsible and in a typically muddled and childish way, have hailed the leaking of the list as a triumph.

They claim it shows its members aren’t all crew-cut bovver boys out looking for a fight with anyone who doesn’t have pink skin, or has a funny nose, or doesn’t wear the right tattoos...

This is my biggest concern about the issue. The list includes teachers, doctors, a serving police officer, a Church of England vicar, members of the Armed Forces and former civil servants.

So these people are insidiously infecting our children with their poisoned lies and baseless scaremongering.

They are infiltrating our police service, causing distrust, spreading disharmony and countering any efforts to win over communities and make our streets safer for all.

It is interesting that so many of those on the list are upset at their details being leaked. Upset through shame and fear of what others may say – including their employers.

But if you are ashamed of being a member of a particular group, why join? If you fear it may put your job at risk why sign up?

This incident will make many think again about joining the organisation, fearful of personal details being made public in some childish act of revenge.

True, the group suffers from chronic in-fighting and will always be vulnerable to such leaks from grudging members trying to get their own back. Such is the nature of the membership.

But it is wrong for me and any of us to dismiss this group of sad, misguided people as disorganised or tin-pot.

I’m thankful that out of a population of 60 million, there are only a measly 10,000 or so signed up to such rubbish.