British Neo-Fascism Between 1990 and 2005 - Essay Example

The term ‘neo-fascism’ is a much more equivocal and dangerous one. In this essay, we will adopt the definition that treats neo-fascism as a political and cultural phenomenon created for the acquisition of “national relevance”1 – that is to say, as an ideology2 favoring the extreme right-wing political system marked by fierce (if not belligerent) nationalism and racism. Understandably, Gregor argued that fascism cannot be identified as ‘right-wing’ because the contemporary ‘extreme right’ displays “glaring differences from inter-war fascist movements”3.

Therefore, it is important to highlight the significance of the ‘neo’ part which could establish that ‘neo-fascism’ is not the same thing as ‘fascism’, but that there are a number of features in common4. This study will be restricted to England as it is the heartland of British far-right. The approach adopted here is of synchronic rather than diachronic nature which enables me to better portray the moving image of the neo-fascist position.The essay is broadly organized into three main parts.

The first part will be concerned with the engagement of neo-fascists in democratic politics, namely their electoral successes and failures. In parts two and three I will critically assess the changing context in which the contemporary British far-right operates. Firstly I will analyze the main factors which enhanced the success of the far-right in Britain. The concluding paragraphs of the essay will be concerned with the factors which impeded such success. Here the attempt was made to clarify why contemporary fascism in Britain is condemned to remain on the very fringes of mainstream national politics.

I will look to conclude that mainly due to the British electoral system and barely concealed fascist agenda the extreme right has been largely unsuccessful.