A picture from the National Action website that appears to show a Stone Roses fan being threatened by some children from ethnic minorities (via)
According to data released yesterday, white people are the unhealthiest ethnic group in Britain. There wasn't a lot of explanation why, but there were bits and bobs detailing how exactly they're less healthy than their compatriots from ethnic minorities. For instance, 36 percent of people from white ethnic groups had long-standing illnesses, while the proportion was 21 percent among non-white groups.
This presumably has something to do with diets or exercise or hereditary illnesses inherited from Elizabethan people who existed solely on mead and pig fat. But we're not experts in white British culture or history, so we didn't have all the answers.
One person who we thought might have some of the answers, however, was "Tom", a representative of National Action – a nationalist group campaigning "for a free white Britain". Nationalists are always banging on about establishing a pure race, so I figured Tom would be interested to hear that white people are apparently the unhealthiest of all the races in the UK, and called him up to tell him.
A British nationalist (not "Tom") at an EDL rally in Newcastle (Photo by Paul Alexander Knox)
VICE: Hi Tom. How do you feel about the fact that white people are the unhealthiest ethnic group in Britain and are, apparently, twice as likely to suffer from long-term illnesses?
“Tom”: I’m gobsmacked. When you look at the statistics generally, you find that certain minorities – such as Afro Caribbeans – live in the worst conditions, in the worst areas and go to the worst schools. I mean, this report seems mundane, and I don’t really care. We don’t exist to hate other people and we don’t complain about the blacks; we are here to improve white people. We say don’t do drugs, don’t drink too much and try and improve your diet.
That’s the official line to Britain’s white population – don’t drink too much, don’t do drugs and try and eat healthier?
[Laughs] Yeah, that’s my official statement.
What would you say the statistics are down to?
It’s tough to say. It’s having a McDonald's in every town and it’s having booze here, there and everywhere. It’s about shit being put in our food that regular people have to eat because they can’t afford [better alternatives] with the low wages they’re paid by the profiteering bastards running the corporations. Being white doesn't make you unhealthy, but something is causing white people to have higher instances of long-standing illness.
And you think this is a modern issue?
Historically, white people have been conquerors, so there isn't any historical precedent for whites being lazy and fat, or struggling to look after themselves. The areas affected by the decline of the manufacturing base – places like South Wales, the North East of England, Glasgow, etc – are overwhelmingly white, which might have something to do with it. But then, of course, Pakistanis and Bangladeshis tend to have terrible rates of unemployment as well. Perhaps a discussion needs to be had concerning the differential effect that unemployment has on white people?
Perhaps. You said that black people are most likely to be found in the poorest areas. So surely they’re eating the same kind of shitty food that’s made white people so unhealthy.
I know rich people and I know poor people. I know people from all different types of background who are fat and thin. I’m not a sociologist of health and I don’t study it, so I can’t really say. Also, basing everything off one report is a bit weak; I don’t think that’s good practice.
I know lots of fat white people. You walk into a town centre on a Saturday and you do see lots of fatties. I myself enjoy a burger as much as the next man. I would say it does tie into some of the subjects we talk about, like national pride, pride in yourself and pride in your community.
I suppose it’s hard to be proud of your white community when they’re out there making Britain look like chumps to the rest of the world.
At the end of the day, you need to realise that you are white and that you are special. You are part of a unique bloodline and you are the product of thousands of years of reproduction. And by being a fat twat, you’re letting down all of your ancestors by filling your body with chemicals and shit. If you’re a nationalist, you want a healthy society, and having loads of fat people doesn’t gel with this. So guys, get on the treadmill and stop eating the McDonald’s. I mean, I’m a bit of a chubby chops, so I have to say to myself, “Don’t eat the burger. Don’t eat the chips. Go for a run.”
How about releasing a National Action fitness DVD?
[Laughs] Well, we’ll try. We have a lot of things in the works, but that does sound like a good idea. If we do that, you know we stole it from you.
What do you think about the second- or third-generation immigrants from varying ethnic minorities who’ve grown up here their entire lives, but have clearly managed to avoid being corrupted by white fatty British culture?
Well, I’m not sure. Maybe it’s because minorities such as Arabs view McDonald's as a Western conglomerate – a transnational company that doesn’t appeal to them. I mean, you look at the white community, which has been decimated, and the nationalist says, “Hey look, there’s nothing wrong with being white – take a bit of pride.” But most people don’t have that pride, so it removes that identity and makes them a shell of a person.
I suppose you’re most susceptible to marketing and advertising when you’re in that low a state of confidence. I have no idea – I haven’t thought about it. I don’t spend a lot of time thinking about why people are fat.
Okay. Another part of the report suggested that we no longer need five-a-day, but ten whole portions of fruit and veg every day. How many portions do you eat currently?
[Laughs] I’m averaging three or four portions a day.
Do you think ten is too many?
I look at what I eat and I try to be healthy. I don’t see the need to turn into a carrot monster, if I’m honest. Not a chance on ten, no. How big is a portion?
A portion, I think, is a fist. So that’s ten fists inside you.
I’m never going to be able to do that.
UPDATE: After a request made in the comments, we removed a photograph that was used in an earlier version of this article.