91Èȱ¬

91Èȱ¬ East Midlands Today's Des Coleman sets out to question the British National Party's membership rules and policies for the new series of 91Èȱ¬ Inside Out, returning on Monday 12 October, 91Èȱ¬ One, at 7.30pm.

This week, the BNP is being taken to court by the Equality and Human Rights Commission. The EHRC claims that the party breaches the Race Relations Act because it only allows white Britons, or "indigenous Caucasians", to become members.

Des goes on the trail of the BNP candidates in the East Midlands to find out why he's barred from membership. He also wants to question the party's policies on the voluntary repatriation "of immigrants and their descendants".

Des says: "I came into it with a truly open mind. I didn't want to judge them from things I'd heard about them. I felt the BNP is something that needs to be addressed. What are they really about? I wanted to try and get inside their heads to find out what makes them tick."

"At some stages of the filming I found myself getting angry at what they were saying. I wanted to plead with them and say: 'Look, it’s not as simple as you're making out'. It's not just about colour. You can't blame this country's problems on immigrants. It's not as simple as that."

He continues: "I then started to think I could change their minds. I thought I could make them think differently. I thought, naively, that I could be that voice of reason. But I felt as if I let myself down and other people of colour down because I felt I'd achieved nothing."

By his own admission, Des did not know much about the BNP and what it actually stood for before filming for 91Èȱ¬ Inside Out began. During his investigation he learns that tens of thousands of people vote BNP, with the East Midlands being one of its most fertile voting grounds.

He discovers how the party taps into a grassroots discontent with mainstream political parties and how the BNP's views on immigration, and "British jobs for British workers", strike a chord in many communities.

During the summer, the BNP was out in force in the region, campaigning in the local and European elections. But for Des, chasing BNP candidates for interviews proves an uncomfortable journey.

Des says: "For me the crux of this boils down to their entry requirements for the party. You have to be what they call 'indigenous Caucasian' to join. But 'non-indigenous Caucasian' doesn't just apply to people whose colour you can see. If you go back a generation or two that phrase could apply to anyone."

91Èȱ¬ Inside Out East Midlands is on Monday 12 October 2009, 91Èȱ¬ One, at 7.30pm and can also be viewed via the 91Èȱ¬ iPlayer.

BG