Neo Fascist

After I graduated one of the places I applied for a job was the Atomic Energy Authority. To get an interview I had to pass the preliminary stage of security vetting. This was just a questionnaire which asked about communist or fascist involvement. At the time ( mid 60’s) I realised that communist leanings were a serious matter. The idea of fascist leanings seemed like a joke just in to counterbalance the leftward questions. I thought then that fascism had died in the WW11 as firstly Italy, then Germany, then Japan had been defeated and their fascist regimes toppled. I now see that neo fascism is resurgent and a source of concern.

I’m not talking about the fringe activities of such as the British National Party. This has never gained traction and I hope never will. I find much more worrying that neo fascist parties rule in Poland and Hungary and have significant footholds in Germany, Sweden, Austria. The one unifying theme is hatred of “foreigners”. To be anti immigrant is not in itself a definition of neo fascist but is accompanied by a wish to eliminate the foreign, impose statist economies, abolish the rule of law and eliminate parliamentary norms. All of this accompanied by the “strong leader” approach to government.

In the UK the UKIP party is clearly sliding into a neo fascist mentality such that it is too much for even Farage to stomach. More worrying is that the majority party, the Conservatives under Johnson were quite willing to step outside parliamentary norms to the extent that it required the Supreme Court to stop. I don’t think any apology has ever been made and indeed the transgression was quite deliberate. Clearly Johnson felt desperate measures were called for in the peculiar circumstances but it is an appalling precedent. He has rightly been reprimanded for the language used in Parliament but this hardly represents fascism.

Donald Trump, surely the worst President ever in the US, slides into racism. This is not always done overtly but by divisive statements and actions. In his case it stops somewhat short of fascism but his contempt for civilised behaviour and the rule of law has considerably coarsened American political dialogue and leaves the way open for others to move towards fascism in future. Regrettably there is a strong streak of anti black racism there which despite advances in recent years readily shows itself.

In Europe the racism is more virulent. Disguised lightly as anti immigrant it may be largely a throwback to earlier times but the popularity of supposed anti immigrant political parties shows where the priority of many people still lies.

It is curious that the UK Labour party which supposedly prides itself on tolerance cannot shake off the anti Semitism within its ranks. Anti semitic racism is by no means confined to the Labour Party and appears to crop up as a feature of most of the supposedly nativist parties in Europe. Although Holocaust denial is still very much a minority opinion it is worrying it exists at all. Deniers are impervious to reason or evidence. This behaviour is all too common in cultish deniers ( flat earthers etc )

The Corbyn leadership of Labour is of great concern. He is not philosophically a democrat and approves of the Venezuelan dictatorship. That such a grotesque individual should lead a major party is disastrous. Under his tenure the Labour Party is sliding into the hands of extremists.

The above focus has been on organised political groups. It is depressingly clear that individuals feel free to indulge in behaviour which ten or twenty years ago would have been unacceptable. Although the murder of an MP was hopefully an isolated incident there is no doubt that the public dialogue has changed such that formerly extreme views are openly declared.
All of the recent political trends have been unhelpful to democracy and an opening to neo fascism. The rise of “populists” is deeply worrying with their contempt for democratic norms, bullying behaviour and tendency to elevate supposedly strong individuals. The cynicism about freedom shown by a significant section of the population is of great concern. The public toleration of extreme behaviour only increases the prospect of worse