No, we’ve not lost our minds, we’re not recommending support for the fascist boot boys. But perhaps driving them from public and party politics isn’t all that good an idea? As The Guardian seems to be telling us:
Since 2011, Hope not Hate has published an annual State of Hate report. Since at least 2015 we have seen that the demise of the electoral far right in the UK has been giving way to something far more sinister, which is evolving from the embers of the two better-known far-right groups operating in the UK, the electorally dead and insignificant British National party (BNP) and the moribund EDL (which this week has been shaken by a paedophile scandal involving one of its leading members). Although both spawned cheaper imitations upon their demise, they also spawned a million angry voices on social media.
The point being that there are people angry out there. There’re people angry about all sorts of things of course. So, what we’d like is a system whereby the anger can be ameliorated – that is, that people feel that the system of democratic politics does at least listen to that anger, those concerns.
This absolutely doesn’t mean that we’ve got to do anything about it of course. That’s also true of those who would institute Stalinism. But by having the angry people inside the democratic tent pissing out we avoid their being outside pissing in. A pretty useful thing for us to be doing really.
Thus by driving the idiots out of politics, legal politics that is, we’ve encouraged them to partake of extra-legal actions.
That is, we don’t need to agree with the BNP, don’t have to follow their plans, but leaving them to fight elections as best they can does stop the deluded from trying to storm the barriers.
More importantly if they’re inside the tent we know and where they are and can counter their arguments and show them up for what they are.
More than one left winger was known to eat their words after Nick Griffin’s appearance on QT.
What we really need is a society that relearns how to engage in civil discourse with people with whom we disagree.
Slight point of order Mr Chairman… The BNP is NOT “right wing”. Last time I looked at its manifesto it read like Michael Foot’s Labour manifesto but with added racism. Politically it’s very left-wing – advocating public ownership etc etc. It’s only “right wing” in as much as it’s the blanket term for “the left hate it”.
Spot on. See also the Front National across the Channel. But, of course, “far-right” is simply an all purpose boo-word when used by the BBC (or their dead tree edition, The Guardian). See also ‘neoliberal’.
They never define far-right, lest they have to justify the label, which is not to be questioned.
The Communists were behaving illegally even though they were welcomed into the political process. The mistake these people make is that we do not have a democratic system for the benefit of our rulers. They have no right to power. They can make a case that they deserve power. But they have no guarantee it will be them or their college chums on the other side of the House. We may decide to elect someone completely different. So there is no case to ban Vlaams Belang or Trump or anyone else. If they cannot get their act together and rule… Read more »
Politically it’s very left-wing – advocating public ownership etc etc. It’s only “right wing” in as much as it’s the blanket term for “the left hate it”.
Yeah, you could say the same thing about the National Front in France. But the rule is that anyone who wants less immigration is “extreme right wing”, regardless of their positions on other isssues.
It’s almost like immigration is the only thing that matters.
It is.
If people think that they have a chance of influencing public policy by legal means they are less likely to use bombs, killing innocent bystanders. Jon Snow (aka Kit Harrington)’s TV series explaining Robert Catesby’s reasons for trying to murder James VI and I (although selectively omitting Mary’s treatment of Protestants) was an excellent illustration.
“Thus by driving the idiots out of politics…”
I’d imagine quite a lot of are of the opinion it’s the idiots have totally taken over politics & it’s the sensible have been driven out.
Ben S–You are ill-advised to seek “civil discourse” with those whose aim is to steal everything you have, put you under the boot of tyranny, make you a hated minority in what used to be your nation and –if you are white–almost certainly kill you at some point down the line. We would also do well to stop buying into the left’s Newspeak shite by using phrases such as “far right”. It is designed to have folk think of skinheads etc when in fact anyone who won’t spew cultural marxist bullshit is classed as far right. Esp those who won’t… Read more »