December 2012 - Editorial
Written by Gerry Gable
A BAD MONTH FOR BRITISH DEMOCRACY
November’s 41 Police and Crime Commissioner elections fulfilled fears that turnout would be abysmally low – 15% on average. They largely favoured Conservative and Labour candidates, with 16 Conservatives and 13 Labour candidates taking the strategic policing role. That Conservatives won more elections is not a reflection of the party’s greater strength but of the fact that policing areas differ greatly in size and Labour voters are more heavily concentrated in the larger urban areas. Perhaps surprisingly 11 independents and one candidate who described himself as “Zero Tolerance Policing Ex Chief, were also elected. None of them have a genuine democratic mandate and several have wasted no time in handing out lucrative assistant jobs to their political cronies.
Now the government is trying to push its Communications Data Bill through Parliament. This legislation, branded a snoopers’ charter, would force internet providers to retain records of all their customers’ online activity for 12 months, including emails, messages on social networking sites and voice calls over the internet. Theresa May, the Home Secretary, says the powers are necessary to help the police tackle terrorism, serious organised crime and paedophiles, hoping to gain support on the back of the Jimmy Savile and consequent paedophilia investigations and the grooming trials. But such powers are invariably broadened as soon as state agencies obtain them.
Add a commentUkraine: the far right in parliament for the first time
Written by Anton Shekhovtsov
Since the Ukraine became an independent state in 1991 no far-right party – in contrast to those in many post-socialist European countries – has ever succeeded in having members elected to parliament through the party-list system, although a few ultranationalists from various far-right parties have been elected in single-member constituencies. Their numbers, however, have never been sufficient to form their own parliamentary faction, and they have always allied themselves with other, mostly national-democratic, groups. Oleh Tyahnybok’s All-Ukrainian Union “Freedom” (Svoboda) party has changed this position. It has created Ukrainian political history by becoming the first ever far-right parliamentary faction, it achieved this by obtaining a startling 10.44% of the proportional representation vote and by winning in 12 single-member districts. This has secured Svoboda 37 seats in the Ukrainian parliament.
Established in 1991 under the name Social-National Party of Ukraine (and switching to its present name in 2004 on the advice of the French National Front), Svoboda polled badly in elections before 2009. It won a miserable 0.36% of the vote in the 2006 parliamentary election and an equally poor 0.76% in 2007. The 2009 regional election in the Ternopil oblast (region), however, was a watershed moment for Svoboda as it finished in first place with 34.69% of the vote. Although the party failed to repeat this astounding result in the 2010 regional elections, it nevertheless gained seven more seats in regional councils in the west and centre of the country, and three regional councils are now headed by members of Svoboda.
Add a commentLast Updated on Wednesday, 13 February 2013 13:43
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Libertarians of the world unite: you have nothing to lose but your credibility
Written by Mark Pitchford
There is something superficially appealing about libertarianism. Its obvious derivation from ‘liberty’ makes people comfortable being described as a libertarian. Indeed, libertarians’ advocacy of free speech, freedom of association and permissive attitudes towards sexuality resonate both with long-established rights and a more tolerant Britain in which institutionalised bigotry has little traction. Investigate a little further, however, and the libertarian position looks less comforting and more like a fig leaf for closet racists.
On 20 October, Sean Gabb addressed a conference in London held by the Traditional Britain Group. Gabb is a director of the Libertarian Alliance (although why libertarians need direction is an obvious question). He holds a PhD in Political and Intellectual History, has published numerous books and reports, and worked as a political adviser to the Slovak Prime Minister. Gabb is, therefore, far more impressive than the run-of-the-mill rightwing demagogues and would-be führers that emerge with depressing frequency in Britain. His association with the Libertarian Alliance spans four decades, during which Gabb advocated drug legalisation, and supported gay marriage and the right of gay couples to adopt. Most consistent in this time is his defence of freedom of speech. Gabb is also, therefore, no political dilettante.
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NF guests set off smoke flares at the Cenotaph
Written by Gerry Gable
Around 150 people took part in the National Front’s annual Remembrance Sunday parade in London, the 45th time the tiny fascist party has defiled the Cenotaph in this way. Claims that the march was smaller than last year were incorrect: the number of participants was very similar, despite some of the NF’s supporters giving the march a miss in favour of making a nuisance of themselves at an event in the North East.
Not all the marchers were NF members, the party being a mere shadow of its former self in the 1970s when thousands turned out. But the party, which maintains its permission to march on the Sunday afternoon after the official ceremony in the morning, always attracts participants from several other far-right groups.
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Football must engage with anti-racism campaigns
Written by Paul Jackson, Paul Kearns
As part of the outreach work by the Radicalism and New Media Research Group at Northampton University, Dr Paul Jackson, its director, is working with the National Union of Teachers and Show Racism the Red Card to develop awareness among teachers of the dangers of far-right groups and their racist messages.
To inform readers about the work of Show Racism the Red Card, Dr Jackson interviewed Paul Kearns, Deputy Chief Executive of Show Racism the Red Card.
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