"Why Right Is Beating Left"

There is little doubt that in many working class areas of Britain, the political alternative is now the far-right, not the left.

Where left wing candidates popped up in the May elections, they were by and large humiliated, whilst the BNP had a mixture of very good results, some not so good, and some disappointments. The National Front, long dormant as an electoral force (and able to put only 17 people on the streets for a recent march in Eltham) managed an astonishing 30,000 votes in the London elections.

The size of the disaster for the left has not been noticed, never mind digested. On Saturday I attended 1968 and All That a conference to mark 40 years on from the May 68 events in Europe. It was perhaps appropriate that the largest gathering of "the left" in Britain so far this year was concerned chiefly about events abroad, and entirely about events in the past!

Bringing in Eamonn McCann from Ireland as headline speaker may have seemed a good idea - he has certainly kissed the blarney stone. The problem is some of the Brit left's Islamophilia has clearly been exported to Ireland and swallowed wholesale - much of McCann's rabble rousing failed to rise above the level of "Victory to the Muslims".
The fact that if McCann - a lifelong Socialist and Atheist - lived in much of the Muslim world he would either be in prison or dead, was clearly beyond him. The reality that the opposition in countries like Iraq and Afghanistan (which McCann wishes to 'free') often appears to be even more reactionary than those in power was beyond his audience. A real shame.

The London borough where this event occurred, Camden, is multi-cultural, with low levels of overt racism, and a large left leaning middle class in areas such as Hampstead and Tuffnell Park. In this months London Assembly elections the boroughs of Camden and Barnet scored 2,778 first preference votes to the fascist candidate, Richard Barnbrook. Lindsey German of the "Left List" polled less than half that total - 1,251.
The left needs to wake up and smell the coffee, before it is too late. Rambling on about the Middle East is I'm afraid part of the problem, not part of the solution.

In the new issue of Black Flag I have got together with my on-line chum Kaf, and attempted to analyse exactly where and why the BNP has managed to take advantage of the disillusionment with not just contemporary Britain, but ideals such as socialism.

I would welcome feedback from readers - especially to this blog. "Why Right Is beating Left" is the lead article in Black Flag, which can be bought in Housmans and Freedom in London, or ordered from AK Press.

Comments

[Duncan Money]

I've not read your article yet, I will do at some point, but I was going to comment here in response to some of the points raised in your post but it was so long I turned it into a post on my own blog.

[Darren]

"Why Right Is beating Left"

can it be read online?

[Paul Stott]

I don't know when Black Flag will stick it on-line - sooner the better really.

Although you could always just stick your hand in your pocket, pay £3, and buy a copy!

[Darren]

I live in the States. I don't have three quid in my pocket. ;-)

[Paul Stott]

Sorry Darren I thought you were in the UK.

AK Press sell Black Flag in the USA - check out their site.

[Daniel Owen]

Well it's all to do with people being so fed up the left that they jump at the smallest glimmer of common sense, practicality and spirit. Which is coming from the right.

[Trev]

The mysterious case of over estimating the BNP;

The BNP stood approx 100 less candidates from last year.

Overall the BNP vote stabilised at approx 12% where they stand, and 1% if you include ALL seats.

On average the BNP vote is down about 30% from the 2001 council elections which were their highpoint.

The left has ALWAYS done badly against the fascists electorally;
e.g. http://pubs.socialistreviewindex.org.uk/sr176/bambery.htm

I read your article in Black Flag and got bored with it ever so early, it's just a repeat of stuff already in public.

Rather than cut new ground it repeated a lot of stale cliche and its proposals were the usual 'utopian hard working going nowhere' guff.

Anarchists remaining on their own will, with no relation beyond their purist fetishished groups as normal, get the multitude nowhere. You stay in your ghetto Paul, the new world will be built out of something bigger than that though.

[mad hatter]

i thought that popular fronts had had their day back in the 1930s, trev. perhaps hobnobbing with the likes of searchlight have persuaded you that the failed politics of seventy years ago are relevant today.

i would like your usual constructive criticism, though, when the next issue of mayday comes out, for which i am submitting an article on shoplifting.