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They Want Their Country Back, But It Was Never Theirs

“The emphasis on Christian identity is deeply weird in a country where public expressions of belief are slightly embarrassing. It points more to the Americanisation of the European far right than to any national spiritual awakening: Robinson’s reinvention as a “citizen journalist” owes much to American cash from outfits like the Daniel Pipes–founded Middle East Forum. Yet this also helps the new far right solve a problem. Christianity as an ethnic rallying point cuts across the old racial lines while sustaining a Kulturkampf against Muslims.

“The Unite the Kingdom rally was the product of years of international networking and funding, backed by wealthy, racist Americans. But the fact that so many people turned out to Robinson’s fascist jamboree cannot be blamed on his donors, or even the platforms that profit from his propaganda. The UK has been on a course to rightist radicalization for years.

“‘Unite the Kingdom’ was built during a summer of racist agitation outside asylum hotels, which a Labour government has done everything to validate. 

“Robinson’s fans don’t particularly want a government that tackles inequality. They are not disaffected Labour voters. Like Reform UK’s base, they will be mostly radicalised Tories from very white constituencies with few amenities and prospects and a statistically higher-than-average share of home and car ownership. They eat up fascist disinfotainment not because they are angry at the rich but because they fear and loathe those with less money and status.

“They are undoubtedly radicalising as capitalism grows nastier and life gets harder, but their agitation is no more a displaced class struggle than was the QAnon frenzy.

“Missing these last five years, as a growing far right has monopolised attention, is any national political organisation on the Left.

***

The part about who owns Britain is too short relative to the title of the article. No mention, for example, of the 8,000 families who own 43% of the land (only 5% of English land is owned by householders), or of what the foreign entities mentions own or control such water, electricity, transport and other parts of the economy.

The British far-right

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