Fascism is incredibly easy. That is one reason why it is spreading. All you have to do is claim that the people are upset. What they are upset by something is something for the fascist to decide. It could be left-wingers, Europeans, Jews, Muslims or any other ethnic minority or, as is now becoming the case, migrants from wherever they might come, even though their number is actually declining.
What the fascist always claims is that those who are upsetting the people are doing so by taking away their rights, their jobs and their culture. Evidence is not provided in support of such claims. Facts are not a part of fascism. Hatred of difference, mostly imagined, is enough for its purposes.
Then the fascist suggests that there is an elite group running the country that is doing so in favour of this group that the people are suggested to hate. After that all the fascist has to claim is that it is the duty of people to overthrow that elite and remove them from office and then those who are upsetting the people can also be removed and everyone's problems will be solved.
There is nothing more to fascism than this, except to note that those who promote fascism are most likely be from an elite group that has no prospect of securing power for itself but by promoting these falsehoods.
What is the difference between fascism and populism? The only significant identifiable one is that fascism openly embraces violence in pursuit of its goals and populism tries to use the instruments of state to legitimise its perpetual hold on power. The line is still on the side of populism in the UK. In the US it increasingly looks as if it has been crossed, with the events of last week reinforcing that view. The methods are otherwise similar.
We do have a populist government. Look at the Sunday Telegraph, Sunday Express, and Mail on Sunday today. After two torrid weeks for the Tory government what we see is a combined attempt to deflect attention from Boris Johnson' obvious failings by issuing a collective demand that the so-called migrant crisis be tackled. That the existence of this issue can largely be explained by Brexit, which has meant that we have no choice but to accept those who arrive on our shores, is a fact that those newspapers ignore.
That these newspapers have combined in their opposition to migration in the face of the government's failure to deliver anything positive is unsurprising. Fascism is not about positive government. It is instead about the creation of perpetual chaos. Only by the delivery of successive crises that can be blamed on those whom it says the people must hate can it ensure that the animosity which it uses to perpetuate its power can be fuelled.
There is one last characteristic to mention. It is not for nothing that within political economy fascism is described as ‘corporatism'. To remain in power fascists have to buy off those who might have the means to oppose them. Since they are aware that opposition has a price that means that the wealthy are those that they must appease. They do this by providing them with opportunities for profit. Silence is secured at a price. Except, that is, in the media, where support is bought in the same way.
The rules of fascism can be learned with ease. There is nothing subtle about them. Tolerance for deviance is not required, because homogeneity is demanded. Through objectification suppression of the conscience is achieved first of all. The oppression of others then follows. The traumatic cost is enormous but so long as the media can be controlled the ideas can be perpetuated. This is the future that we face unless we recoil against the tyranny of the government that we now have. Even an old Tory like Ken Clarke has said so.
The choice is ours. For the sake of human rights in this country the choice now has to be ABC: anything but Conservative, because they are now the pathway from populism to fascism.
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Fear,uncertainty, doubt (FUD) stops people thinking. One of the sad lessons of watching the Brexit fiasco develop is how important emotional responses are to perceived threats.
So tell the story that we are swamped with immigrants, rather than we need immigrants for health, hospitality, farming, distribution, construction.
It works. Sad.
Perhaps Labour might wake up and take notice of this, and start being prepared to cooperate with other parties in an anti corruption/anti fascism pact to ensure that every effort is made in every seat in the UK to prevent Conservatives being elected? Probably not much chance of that though despite the urgent need. I see they’ve put a candidate to contest Paterson’s seat despite the maasive tory majority from the last election which was larger than the combined LD/Labour vote. So, given the manner in which Paterson vacated the seat, surely uniting to put forward one candidate is the priority?
It seems there is hope re the LD’s though. Apparently they are concentrating on winnable Tory seats rather than wasting time contesting seats where Labour are second placed, even if it is mainly due to lack of resouces.
And on another slightly cheering note; Johnson rapidly climbed down in his threat to sue The European over its article highlighting his ‘buyers remorse’ over marrying his latest fling. Pathetic git.
And even better, I see Dacre, a neo fascist if ever there was one has pulled out of the rigged process Johnson was putting together to get him in charge of Ofcom. With of course, considerable bad grace, blaming the civil service for its selection process. Dear oh dear. So the populists/fascists in this government aren’t getting it all their own way despite Johnson’s best efforts.
I do take heart from the fact that there still seems to be a critical mass of people in the civil service, the judiciary, and public sector generally, (and hopefully the services too?) who are still prepared to say “No, I will not do this, (whatever it is, like fix the Ofcom appointment) this is not right”.
And I think that functions as a deterrent to the mavericks who would like to take us towards fascism, wittingly, or even unwittingly. As long as there are sufficient peo;ple with basic honour / guts then the game cannot be won.
Because when these improper overtures and pressures take place, why then they somehow arrive in the inboxes of the Good Law Project, or the Guardian or opendemocracy or whoever.
However I do wish these issues were more protested about than they are. That is a real problem, they are abstract (compared for instance to sewage in our rivers) and just do not rouse people in their millions.
Sadly.
I wonder how we could make it so? (so that lots and lots of people would feel angry / cobcerned enough to make the politicians pay)
The difficulty I have with the Anybody but Conservative view is that it means asking people to consider Reclaim, Heritage, UKIP, Libertarian ( in Scotland), Legalise Cannabis and other assorted options.
None of them have merged with others into electoral forces at this stage but a charismatic leader could do it.
I think it more beneficial simply to educate and inform people to think about who they are voting for.
If you really think that you really are missing the point
The problem with “ABC” is the assumption that the alternatives are better. Conservative, Lib Dem Labour, UKIP Reform, are all the same party. They are owned by the same corporates, and have the same policies. The fact that johnson is being allowed to slide in the polls, is because those corporates have lined up Labour to carry on, but with much less overt fascism.
The solution lies outside parliament, it lies with XR, Unions (some anyway) possibly Green councillors. It also needs the destruction of Labour, to force those 12million who voted for progressive policies in 2017, to find an alternative.
The future is grim!
Sorry, but that is utter drivel. Labour and LibDems may be too neoliberal but to claim they are the same as the Tories is utterly absurd.
I think its a fair point – certainly the things that are happening within Labour on virtually a daily basis indicate that Starmer is lining up to be a “safe pair of hands” for the esthablishment. Change ? No thanks – the puppet masters dont want change.
The only change Starmer will make is to alienate even more former Labour voters – the estimate now is that around 200,000 Labour party members have left or been expelled since he took over.
Lib Dems ? Yes, well, we remember the coalition, dont we ? Without Lib Dem support we may not have had so much imposed austerity or, ironically, Brexit. They have little credibility.
Greens ? They ought to be stepping up to the mark right now, but dont seem to be. Indications are that they are in the process of becoming just another route for would-be career politicians, more presentable men and women in suits who’ll be whatever you want them to be (except radical). I hope I’m wrong, but…
As John says, the solution probably lies outside of parliament as it currently exists. Neither Labour or Lib Dems really want to make more than limited superficial changes.
You may think its drivel, and perhaps you’re right – but a huge amount of people are becoming increasingly disenfranchised by the current system of voting for variations on a neo-liberal theme.
And the opportunity of voting for the least-worst is not good enough.
Redstar, wholly agree.
Yesterday was the day that Bozo happily strapped into the ejector seat and pulled the cord!
The headlines of a PM who has gone off the rails (and HS2 and bashing the poor red wallers for their social care …) counterpointed by the Great Knight Dope speaking ‘sensibly to business’ is the Narrative inflexion point on the back of the stew of corruption, profiteering and moral degradation.
“Look into my eyes business, a safe pair of hands and metrosexual manful arms to safely fall into” mesmerises the purring MSM.
A full on repeat of the back to basics fandango and the marketing of bambi Blair and NuLabIncirlorated from the late 90’s
As it is today some of the great wizard string pullers are still doing the same – Murdoch, Moore, Harmsworth and Dacre back in situ & the Beeb!
It is all systems go! The Thunderbird puppet villains and heroes with their strings showing.
The only long term solution is full on in adulterated proportional representation with all its messy outcome post vote. Messy but reflective of the actual populace!
This language does alienate many here and so does not further your argument
I think that you have more than adequately described what is actually happening in this country and it also chimes with that master of the genesis of holocausts, Timothy Snyder.
If people fall for this, then more fool them and woe be to those of us of us who don’t.
The only way forward is that memory is where the struggle is (thank you Kundera) – we have to make people remember what was said by the Tories about the NHS (We won’t cut the budget – just keep it as it was at 2010 levels), BREXIT (oven ready deal, no disruption, freedom, blah blah) and Covid (A protective ring thrown around Care Homes).
That is our act of rebellion.
For goodness sake, remember – and don’t forget!
remember what was said by the Tories
A depressing proportion of the population can’t be bothered to think and can’t be bothered to remember. When pressed, they just say ‘Oh yeah, I forgot. Oh well, anyway..’ and carry on reading the simplistic headlines and ignoring anything else.
Drives me mad!
Boris Johnson’s similarity with Mussolini is striking.
Both changed their allegiances with ease, were/are sexual diletantes and have no interest in the details of running a government in the nations interest. Their only real interest is in self-promotion, enjoying the trappings of the state and the maintenance of their own positions of power.
The inherent lack of real focus is what makes it difficult for such individuals to garner loyalty and as soon as their failings become a hinderance to their positions and so to the crony positions of others loyalty and support drop away.
Let us hope the slide has begun.