Mapping the BNP in Britain

Perhaps inevitably, the leaking of the BNP membership list has bred a plethora of responses, one of the more interesting of which has been to plot the locations of members on a map of the UK. A "pin" map that appeared to show exact addresses has already been created and taken down (as the discussion on the blog I've just linked to notes, this was both morally and legally a dubious exercise, and also gave a false impression of accuracy given the data used). But a general "heat map" of the country, showing membership concentrations, does exist. You can view it here—for ease and interest, I've pasted a miniature copy of it at the bottom of the post, beside a population density map taken from the 2001 census.

As the heat map's creator notes, the results "mirror the population centres of the UK." As indeed they do—incredibly closely. Shown to a statistician, they could be a map of almost any uniformly-distributed trait in the population: the ability to curl your tongue, blonde hair, left-handedness. It's not a picture that suggests something regional, factional or transient: this is a contemporary extremism with deep roots. Moreover, judging by the latest screed on the BNP's website—currently a "temporary" version "due to high traffic volume"—the party has become increasingly adept at appealing to the broadest of resentful, paranoid and insecure feelings.

Is this leak, then, a "devastating blow" to the BNP, as some of its more eloquent opponents have said? I'd like to think so. But I worry that it may equally be a highly public display of its breadth of appeal—not to mention a sop to its claims of victimhood at the hands of the "liberal elite." Could the leak end up a strategic coup for the party, or even have been a deliberate tactic? It seems that paranoia, like extremism, is alarmingly infectious.