A RED-headed Welshman teased me at the weekend that it was only people like him who were the ‘true English’. I was a migrant, like everyone else claiming to be ‘English’ – Anglo-Saxons from Germany and Denmark, who came during the fifth century. Many of my forbears came much later than that – but the guy was making a really important point.

Almost all of us ‘true English’ are from migrant stock – which is one of a million reasons why the message of the so-called “English Defence League” (EDL) would be so much poisonous nonsense – if it did not have a more sinister purpose, of seeking to stir up divisions in our society, especially against those of the Muslim faith.

The EDL have called for a ‘national demonstration’ in Blackburn, this Saturday.

The town needs this like it needs a hole in the head.

We’ve all worked extremely hard to foster good relations, with some success.

Now, parts of the town are having to be turned into a fortress, traffic will be disrupted, shops will be adversely affected; above all thousands of decent people, of all religions and none, are going to be inconvenienced as the EDL parachute into town.

Police from across the North West are being taken off their normal duties.

The cost will run into hundreds of thousands – at a time of cuts in police budgets.

Many have asked me why the police can’t ban the EDL demonstration. I understand this sentiment very well.

The police do have power (on strict criteria) to ban marches. But they have no power to ban demonstrations.

So, sadly, we’re stuck with this EDL demonstration.

The EDL aren’t bothered about any of this. Their desperation is for the oxygen of publicity. Some attending, I don’t doubt, will be praying for disorder. The EDL turned up before, on 1 December, when the Duke of Lancaster’s Regiment had that wonderful Homecoming through town.

Thankfully, then, cool heads prevailed.

Most people denied the EDL the publicity they crave by staying away.

That’s my hope for this Saturday.