People are not born as white nationalists, they are propagandised into supporting white nationalism and fascism. The EDL and Britain First, throw in UKIP as well have an appeal because when times are hard fascism thrives. One of the reasons i really believe brexit has to done quickly is that getting done it closes down an avenue of propaganda and reinforces that Democracy has been the answer. I know that may result in further hard times but that is when a Socialist message can be used to full effect. It can concentrate on the area's
@Saddleworth2 mentioned in his fine post earlier in the thread.
Caring and blaming has to be reversed, instead of blaming immigration for societies ill's there has to be a reinforcement of how society can benefit from immigration. This can be done with the NHS, the benefits of a Doctor from Iran saving your child's life should be exhorted, because even the most overt White Nationalist will be happy to see their child's life saved. Immigration can both be controlled and at the same time have its virtue's extolled. I have come to the conclusion though that the only way that immigration can be successful is that we do allay the fears of the those who feel overwhelmed by the pace of change and acknowledge that those fears are genuine and are not misguided racism. The working class have to be listened to and not treated as imbecile's. Policies that help the working class such as good schools, where their kids get a place, law and order, decent health provision, access to libraries, decent public services, good council housing, a proper welfare system, decent pensions, an honest job that pays a fair wage and a pride in their community will all help immigration seem less of an issue. There really is no difference between the white lad who works on a building site and the Asian lad who works on a building site, there is no difference between the white lad who works in a warehouse and a black lad who works in a warehouse. They get paid the same, they have the same hopes and dreams for their kids, they watch the same football teams, drive the same cars, live in similar housing, because the one thing they really do have in common is that they are working class.
The Labour Party has to make an offer to the whole of the working class, work from the bottom up not like the Tories who work from the top downwards. If the working class has the necessary solidarity and sees that the issues affect them all, then Labour can win.
I'm sorry mate, but this old time religion of class solidarity is seductive, but ultimately hollow.
The Affluent Worker study of 1962, which tried to explain why the working class had abandoned Labour began the slow realisation within the Labour establishment of why it fails time and time again.
And since then things have only got worse.
The destruction of manufacturing, the tearing down of working class institutions, the atomisation of the work force, the gig economy and Labour's seemingly benign adoption of equality of opportunity, which, apart from being utterly disingenuous, was nothing more than an admittance, that the only way for a working class lad or lassie to improve their lot was to get out of the working class.
Dignity through work, strong working class communities, housing, education, health, a proper welfare system, who's going to pay for these things? Not corporations, which means it will fall on the middle class and they're not willing to pay for it, they feel no solidarity with the working class, they're not going to fork out for other people's free stuff.
As for multiculturalism, that's for the fairies, a lie sold as cover for cheap labour.
There is a dominant culture in this country, it's difficult to define, but it's keenly felt by those who fall outside it. When so many members of our ethnic minorities feel alienated from mainstream society, its always blamed on racism, but that is only a partial answer, they are alienated from the mainstream because they aren't the mainstream, because the mainstream is not multiculturalism and to keep banging on that it is, is a lie.
So you have the spectacle of middle class Labour MP's griping on about the reactionary nature of so many white working class communities, they're inability to embrace the joys of being global citizens in a multicultural Britain! While at the same time you get savvy, but unscrupulous, right wingers exploiting that. Hence Brexit, hence endless Tory governments.
And your solution? A return to Attlee socialism? A mythical wonderland of working class solidarity? Not only is there no road back there, that Britain has gone, but it misreads history. Churchill scraped past Attlee in the early 50's because he promised an end to rationing, the socialist dream was defeated by the promise of an extra ounce of butter on a slice of toast!
The reason you're a dreamer mate, is you don't appreciate that the things that divide us are stronger than those that unite us. Self interest, even petty self interest, beats class solidarity every time and it has done, almost without interruption, for the last 70 years.
www.spectator.co.uk