The British National Party has grown more rapidly than any other in 21st-century Britain, and is on the brink of an electoral breakthrough which would bring media attention and serious European cash.
That’s according to a new study by Matthew Goodwin and Robert Ford to be published later this year.
Titled The New Extremism in 21st-Century Britain, the study posits that the modern-day far right has positioned itself to the left of Labour.
Anxiety about immigration may have fuelled the BNP’s rise, but under the leadership of Nick Griffin the party has developed a full manifesto of policies, including large increases in state pensions; more money for the NHS; improved worker protection; and state ownership of key industries.
According to the study, the BNP is gaining new support from older, less educated, white working-class men – voters from Labour’s historical base who feel they have benefited little from the past decade of Labour government.
The study suggests that roughly one-fifth of white British voters share the BNP’s views. However, most still find it difficult to vote BNP, turned off by the party’s association with extremism or simply because there is no BNP candidate to vote for.
But even one seat in the European Parliament would provide resources and publicity that could act as a catalyst for a party accustomed to operating on a shoestring outside the media spotlight.
There is a precedent. Founded in 1972, Jean-Marie Le Pen’s Front National (FN) was dismissed as a fringe movement for a decade. But after gains in local elections around Paris, the FN achieved a shock success in the 1984 European elections, obtaining 10 seats and transforming its electoral prospects.
In the next legislative elections, the party increased its vote from 44,000 to 2.7million – nearly 10 per cent of the vote. It has been a significant force in French politics ever since.
In short, we dismiss Griffin’s BNP at our peril.
Your thoughts below, please.
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