Does the UK have the most far right government in Europe?

A left wing columnist in The Guardian newspaper (UK) wrote an article this week about the growth of the far right in Europe. He gave examples of several countries but seems to have overlooked the UK as a European country.

I would describe the far right as the politics of nationalism, individualism, use of control/fear, application of law and order to support policies, a mostly compliant media and power in the hands of the few.

Faces may change in the UK government but far right policies continue.

You can barely find a reference in the UK media that a far-right party runs the country. The media of the left, right and centre seem to be in denial of the truth of the matter.

Here are 10 indications of the politics of the far right in the UK government

1. BREXIT. The result of nationalism at the expense of internationalism. No other major ultra nationalist party in the EU campaigns for exit from the EU.

2. Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson is still the darling of far-right Conservatives, despite his public disgrace, and obsession with self-interest above ethics, principles and integrity.

3. Former Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab resigned after he had been “unreasonably and persistently aggressive” towards staff. In 2017, Raab said "the typical user of a food bank is not someone that's languishing in poverty; it's someone who has a cash flow problem". In 2010, he branded feminists as “obnoxious bigots.”

4. Home Secretary, Suella Braverman stated it is her ‘dream’ and ‘obsession’ to see a flight take asylum seekers to Rwanda in Africa.

5. The UK government campaigns to demoralise refugees fleeing persecution and undermine their need for a place of refuge, a home and hospitality. Far right activists regularly protest about presence of asylum seekers in local hotels. Government plans to use old cruise ships to house refugees.

6. Government passed laws to order the police to minimise any kind of disruption in a demonstration including noise, length of time of demonstration and location. Government ministers now have the power to make rules for demonstrations without a democratic parliamentary debate. 

7. The government passed a law requiring a photo identity card to vote. The law reduces numbers of the poor from voting, who do not possess such a card, nor wish to go through the bureaucracy to secure one.

8. Our insipid Supreme Court, the final court of appeal, compromises on major decisions, which saves the government’s face, whether it is about our relationship with the European Court of Human Rights, Scottish desire for independence or plight of the refugees.

9. A major section of the biggest selling newspapers campaigns for the right far with headline views rather than news.

10. Much of Europe regards the City of London and our police as the ‘corrupt capital’ of the world.

The columnist wrote: “The firewall between the mainstream and the far right is crumbling.”

It looks to me the ‘crumbling firewall’ in the UK is far ahead of the rest of Europe.

A disclaimer

This wallah is not a left winger, not hard left, not soft left, liberal or centrist. I regard the current paradigms of political views as utterly outmoded in terms of the global crisis we face.