The Rise Of The Far Right

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After the election results from Oldham and the riots oop north, allegedly aggravated by the NF/BNP, do you think we are witnessing a genuine resurgence of the far right or is it just a flash in the (toilet) pan?

― DG, Tuesday, 26 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

And did anyone see Newsnight tonight? That turd Nick Griffin was on it being grilled by Paxman.

― DG, Tuesday, 26 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I thought Paxman was been quite unhelpful. parts of the interview bordered on "you're a racist, ner ner ner ner ner!". No delving into the hypocracies of his false tolerance of assimilation. and if he's to be singled out then perhaps so should those two young asian guys, though i'm rather more willing to believe they were genuinely not racist; they were clearly, though, enthusiastic for trouble. i've never heard the words "they're our parents,w e love them, we respect them" sound so hollow.

And it's less a flaring of the far right than an increase in white/asian tension. that's the one element common to leeds, bradford, oldham and burnley. and though it brings me no pleasure to side with Griffin, it's primarily muslim communities that are clashing with neighbouring white communities. perhaps any strong culture is likely to find itself in trouble wherever it goes, balkans, middle east. perhaps the judeo-christian-islamic tradition commits itself to violence. i'm desperate to find a reason for this sudden violence. simple social deprivation doesn't seem a satisfactory asnwer; otherwise, where are the rioting bangladeshi? the rioting chinese, the rioting black? i do hope someone has at least explanations. they help a liberal rest easier...

― matthew james, Tuesday, 26 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I think Britain is well and truly over the difficult transition period between being an all-white society, and being a multi-cultural society, that it was going through in the 70s when the National Front had a major surge in popularity.

However, there is still a lot of bad feeling out there, and it only takes a few idiots from the BNP et al to stir it up ... I would agree that the current developments are worrying, though I think that Britain, *as a whole*, will continue to evolve for the better on this front.

― Robin Carmody, Tuesday, 26 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

i'm always wary of blaming the BNP for stirring. it's easy and.. unsatisfactory. i see them exploiting rather than creating tense situations. the far right is a dead movement, essentially, desperately trying to tame and modernise a quite unpopular sentiment, as evidenced by nick griffin's ludicrous contradictory statements on nwesnight re. mixed race families + repatriation, desperate fumbling for centre ground.

― matthew james, Tuesday, 26 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Something got lost in translation there. I *meant* that they exploit, rather than create. That was the sense in which I used the word "stirring": that there is a tension at a local level, which they attempt to turn into a national issue, and (as is their intent) make much more large-scale.

― Robin Carmody, Tuesday, 26 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I notice that most people in here are pro-Europe. How do you reconcile that with the fact that most European countries have far stronger extreme-right parties than Britain does?

― tarden, Wednesday, 27 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

See the analysis of the election results for the BNP. Support actually fell back rather than increased. ALthough the level of support in Oldham and Burnley is very worrying. Burnley was there second biggest vote even before the rioting. It scares me. Also I find the BNP/NF position quite ridiculous. The notion that we are some kind of pure bred race is ridiculous, I may be as white as they come, but my know ancestors, give me scots, irish, scouse, yorkshire, east european and russian Jew.

Aside from a few inc incidents in our history, britain has generallyt accepted immigrants and invaders and blended very sucessfully with them. there were blacks in britain in Roman times and you can still find traces of their DNA in people who are whiter than white, maybe even in the blood of BNP members themselves, wouldn't that be a turn up. Racial purity is bollocks. I can only hope that not too many people start beleiving otherwise.

― Ed Lynch-Bell, Wednesday, 27 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Tarden: I see your point in that I think some of us here *sometimes* idealise a social democratic unified Europe where *everything works beautifully*. You are right to point it out (not least the fascists with ministerial posts in Berlusconi's coalition government in Italy, the direct equivalent of a Tory-BNP coalition government here) but I think you can support Britain's involvement in the EU while still being aware of the downsides of mainland European countries.

― Robin Carmody, Wednesday, 27 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

i think its worth pointing out that there may have been a slow but steady rise in support for the far right for maybe 5 or 6 years. and the BNP have attempted to rebrand themselves in this period, it looks as though this may be paying off for them (at least in comparison to how they were faring before). if this isn't a flash in the pan, perhaps the detachment that people seem to feel from the political system at the moment only gives more disillusioned potential supporters for the BNP to go after.

― gareth, Sunday, 1 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

and now my home town erupts in the worse violence yet. depressing.

― gareth, Monday, 9 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

ten months pass...

Dear Sir As a well integrated British Citizen of Sikh extraction I find the rise of the extremists very disturbing. Brought up on western liberal ideals I believe strongly in a live and let live Britain which is non judgemental on issues such as race gender and disability. In all this darkness surrounding me, it is individuals like you who give me hope for a brighter future. May the sun always shine on you and the wind be behind your back. Often I find myself in tears, worrying about my world which the extremists want to collapse around me. I feel like a Jew on the eve of Kristallnacht. You are a kind person. This country needs people like you. I remain ever in your debt Danesh

― Danesh S Sidhu, Wednesday, 15 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

twenty-one years pass...

Where is Danesh now I wonder?

― man in suit and red tie raising his fist (Tom D.), Sunday, 10 March 2024 23:40 (one year ago)

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