Post-election depression
Writing this very depressed at the terrible election results, with the Conservatives, UKIP and BNP as the big winners in the UK, and the far right resurgent across Europe. Even the Telegraph describes the winners in Europe as "extremists": the Euronationalist populists who use anti-Gypsy, anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim racism as their main crowd-pleasers, with good old anti-Jewish racism lurking just behind the surface.
Meanwhile, the Labour party is falling apart: the so-called rebels playing for their own personal survival, all factional intrigue, backroom squabbling, and absolutely no differences of policy from Gordon Brown and no democratic debate about how Labour can re-connect to its grassroots. The spectacle is disgusting, and only confirms voters' disdain at the sleaze that permeates politics.
The lack of headway by the BNP in London is heartening. But its growth in Labour heartlands like the Northwest and Yorkshire is striking, confirming the view of those of us who have long argued that the rise of the BNP is predicated on the vacuum left behind by the collapse of the Labour movement in working class areas, and its turn to a mythical Middle England. Here, by the way, is the BNP's second MEP: Andrew Brons.
Broadly related:
Meanwhile, the Labour party is falling apart: the so-called rebels playing for their own personal survival, all factional intrigue, backroom squabbling, and absolutely no differences of policy from Gordon Brown and no democratic debate about how Labour can re-connect to its grassroots. The spectacle is disgusting, and only confirms voters' disdain at the sleaze that permeates politics.
The lack of headway by the BNP in London is heartening. But its growth in Labour heartlands like the Northwest and Yorkshire is striking, confirming the view of those of us who have long argued that the rise of the BNP is predicated on the vacuum left behind by the collapse of the Labour movement in working class areas, and its turn to a mythical Middle England. Here, by the way, is the BNP's second MEP: Andrew Brons.
Broadly related:
- Dave Rich's analysis of the Euro-elections.
- Andrew C swears vengeance.
- Two from Nick Cohen: The Golden Age of Conspiracy Theory (which I liked) and The BNP's rise is a fantasy created by anti-democrats (which I didn't).
- I have been getting increasingly impatient with Johann Hari recently, but liked this savage attack on the British colonial legacy.
- Ron Capshaw on James Ellroy and the Cold War: very interesting. (H/t Jogo)
- Mark Gardner on the Independent's fantasy of a "Jewish lobby".
- And, because you deserve a smile, the origins of band names.
Comments
The entire Left has failed the working class, black and white alike, though many prefer to believe that the working class has failed the Left. We are here today, not only because they (the Left) are bad socialists but more specifically because they are bad antifascists.
has been proved to be spot on. Much as we'd both rather we hadn't been proved right on this one.
That's the really fucking annoying thing about this. It's depressing, but it's not a surprise. It's been coming since the Isle of Dogs...
Articulate, but very weak arguments, particularly in light of the 943,598 BNP votes.
None of the antifascist groups acquitted themselves particuarly well.
UAF did the standard "Don't Vote Nazi" tactic. Hope Not Hate went one step further and ended up as a New Labour frontgroup (they even ended up parading around with Gordon Brown which was a spectacuarly bad move in the current political climate). Antifa went for an anarchism-by-numbers "don't vote, organise" slogan.
All of those tactics can fairly be said to have failed. If we don't start looking at a way out of this current quagmire, we're looking at a BNP MP sooner or later.
With the election anytime now to a year away you'd imagine that the BNP will be planning for that. Trying to make the most of the anti-politics sentiment, in the wake of the expenses scandal.
Bad to worse?