Losing touch?

There's a poll out today by Searchlight (the "Far Left" anti fascist magazine*) which finds that there would be huge support for "Far Right" parties if they'd give up violence.

The "Far Left" Guardian.

Huge numbers of Britons would support an anti-immigration English nationalist party if it was not associated with violence and fascist imagery, according to the largest survey into identity and extremism conducted in the UK.

A Populus poll found that 48% of the population would consider supporting a new anti-immigration party committed to challenging Islamist extremism, and would support policies to make it statutory for all public buildings to fly the flag of St George or the union flag.

Anti-racism campaigners said the findings suggested Britain's mainstream parties were losing touch with public opinion on issues of identity and race.

The poll suggests that the level of backing for a far-right party could equal or even outstrip that in countries such as France, the Netherlands and Austria. France's National Front party hopes to secure 20% in the first round of the presidential vote next year. The Dutch anti-Islam party led by Geert Wilders attracted 15.5% of the vote in last year's parliamentary elections.

Anti-fascist groups said the poll's findings challenged the belief that Britons were more tolerant than other Europeans. "This is not because British people are more moderate, but simply because their views have not found a political articulation," said a report by the Searchlight Educational Trust, the anti-fascist charity that commissioned the poll.

They also have a picture up of members of the English defence league which is a bit misleading as they aren't a political party, nor are they "Far Right" but as far as the Left are concerned anyone who opposes their world view has to be "Far Right"

The "Far Right" Mail.

In one of the most revealing questions, pollsters Populus asked people if they would back a party that
‘wants to defend the English,
create an English parliament,
control immigration and
challenge Islamic extremism’.
A total of 48 per cent said they would either ‘definitely support’ or ‘consider supporting’ a party with such an agenda, if it shunned violence and fascist imagery.
The results will alarm both PM David Cameron and Labour leader Ed Miliband, who are worried about the rise of right-wing extremists.

Again a picture of the English Defence League plus a mention of violence despite the fact that at their last few marches there were few incidents, mostly down to those who opposed them and they have been praised by the police for following instructions.

 Now the points in bold are interesting because none of those desires strikes me as being particularly "Right Wing" Nor oddly enough have those parties who are misleadingly called "Right Wing" got much of a record of violence, that tends to be the province of the Left as witness the student riots, plus the majority of arrests made at the so called "Right Wing" EDL marches have been from their opponents though you may have struggled to find that out due to the spin that the MSM put on such events.
The political compass shows that the one party really perceived to be far right (the BNP) are actually to the left of the mainstream parties, at least economically.

The truth is that on issues like health, transport, housing, protectionism and globalisation, their economics are left of Labour, let alone the Conservatives. It's in areas like police power, military power, school discipline, law and order, race and nationalism that the BNP's real extremism - as authoritarians - is clear. It's easy to see how the term national socialism came into being. The uncomfortable reality is that much of their support comes from former Labour voters, not Tory ones. I doubt though that the BNP will ever amount to more than a fringe party, they are clearly tainted goods with Griffin having run it as his own private feifdom for several years, the endemic corruption in the upper ranks means that they need a total makeover and probably several years to recover assuming they even can. Tainted also are the Lib/Lab/Con party of government, they allowed the conditions to arise whereby the peoples desires and needs were thwarted by their political correctness and multiculturalism which alienated much of the native population. UKIP I suppose could fill the void here, though they really need to get past their image problem of being a single issue party over the EU (I know they aren't) and start tapping into the national mood.
Still the first party to actually tap into the national mood might be onto a winner in England at least, though I doubt that the "Far Left" will be silent over the perceived betrayal. No doubt the first mainstream party to try it will be dubbed "Far Right" it's what the leftists do to try and stifle debate, point and scream.

The full report will be available Monday 9am, here.

*Two can play at the "Far" game