British nationalism

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British Nationalism is the term given to describe a political movement that has been in existence in the United Kingdom since the end of the Second World War. It initially developed as a wish to protect and defend the British Empire. British nationalism then moved on to acquire racial connotations, being controlled in the 1960s and 1970s by self-proclaimed far right individuals and organisations that oppose immigration and multiculturalism such as the British National Party (BNP) and the National Front (NF). Since the 1980s, the term has mainly been used to express the wish of such groups to remove the UK from the European Union, to preserve British culture, and to actively campaign against ethnic minority equality rights and asylum seekers.

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[edit] British nationalism in UK politics

Broadly speaking, there can be two strands of nationalism identified in British politics, since the split in the League of Empire Loyalists in the late 1950s. On the extreme right, the neo-fascist National Front and the far-right British National Party have been strongly anti-immigration. They have encouraged the repatriation of ethnic minorities, and have been associated, until the 1990s at least, with race riots and violent politics. They have never had representation in the House of Commons, although they have had a number of local councillors in inner-city areas of East London and the mill towns of Yorkshire and Lancashire, such as Burnley and Keighley.

To the centre-right, a more moderate form of nationalism has existed in the League of Empire Loyalists, Conservative Monday Club, - both pressure groups within the Tory party - and more lately in United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP) and Veritas, which both campaign against European Union membership and have also been strongly against uncontrolled immigration. There has been a long history of Euroscepticism in these groups, which became focused in the parties such as UKIP after the Maastricht Treaty was passed. At one time, the Conservative Monday Club included a number of Members of Parliament (MPs), though this group has now been disowned by the Conservative Party. Other nationalist parties on the right have never had an MP, but UKIP has a number of MEPs and Councillors.

[edit] History

[edit] Post-War and the decline of Empire

The British Nationalist movement rose out of the dying embers of the British fascist movement. Although leader Oswald Moseley actually went on to form a pro-European party, a number of members of the British Union of Fascists, which was banned during World War II, became members of parties attempting to defend the British Empire.

The Empire had begun to break down as nationalist movements rose in the early 20th century, though this had largely been resisted in the UK. After 1945, pressure from the United Nations and the financial damages that had resulted from the war lead to a general acceptance that the empire was both immoral and economically unsustainable, and needed to be disbanded. This occurred over a thirty year period, with the larger territories and Dominions being first to gain independence in the late 1940s - India in 1947 as an example.

The League of Empire Loyalists was the main group to develop in this era. Founded by A. K. Chesterton in 1954, they were actually a pressure group, rather than a political party, and refused to contest elections. The majority of their members were part of the Conservative Party, and they were known for their politically-embarrassing stunts at party conferences. J.R.R. Tolkien was a known supporter [1], and the group promoted a Shire-esque view of an idealized UK. It has been argued that the majority of this group were more 'Colonel Blimpish' traditionalists, rather than fascists. However, its more extreme elements wanted to make the group more political.

This led to a number of splinter groups forming, including the White Defence League and the National Labour Party. These both stood in local elections in 1958, and merged in 1960 to form the British National Party

[edit] 1960s-1980s - The National Front and anti-immigration

With the decline of the British Empire becoming inevitable, Britain's nationalist parties turned their attention to internal matters. The 1950s had seen a lot of immigration to the UK from its colonies, particularly from India, Pakistan, the Caribbean and Uganda. Lead by John Bean and Andrew Fountaine, The British National Party opposed the introduction of these people to the UK. A number of their rallies, such as a 1962 rally in Trafalgar Square, ended in race riots. After a few early successes, the party went into difficulty and was destroyed by internal arguments. In 1967, it joined forces with John Tyndall and the remnants of Chesterton's League of Empire Loyalists to form the National Front at another violent rally.

The NF quickly grew to be the biggest nationalist party in the UK. It polled 44% in a local election in Deptford, London and finished third in three by-elections. The party supported extremist unionism in Northern Ireland and attracted Conservative members who had become disillusioned after Harold Macmillan had recognized the right to independence of the African colonies, and had criticized the Apartheid [2] government. During the 1970s, their violent rallies became a feature of British politics. Election results remained strong in working class urban areas, with a number of council seats won. It was during this period that British nationalism and patriotism became linked with violence in the public conscience.

Other political groups also developed to support British Nationalism. The Conservative Monday Club was a division of the Conservative Party whose aim was 'to safeguard the liberty of the subject and integrity of the family in accordance with the customs, traditions, and character of the British people'. Again, this meant a general opposition to post-colonial states, to immigration and those immigrant communities in the UK, as well as support for the hard-line unionism in Northern Ireland.

However, the rise of Margaret Thatcher and an economically successful 1980s reduced the support for these two groups. They maintained anti-immigration policies - the Monday Group calling for an end to race relation laws in 1981. There was a move, however, towards a more inclusionist vision of the UK, and to opposition towards the European Union. The National Front, for example, began to support non-white radicals such as Louis Farrakhan. This led to the splintering of the various groups, with radical political soldiers such as a young Nick Griffin forming the Third Way group, and traditionalists creating the Flag Group. Membership of the Monday Club, meanwhile, fell to under 600 by 1987

[edit] The 1990s and the anti-Europe movement

The New National Front had been formed by John Tyndall in 1980, and changed its name to the British National Party in 1982. They, alongside the Monday Club, campaigned against the increasing integration of the UK into the EU. They developed a policy of nationalism, espousing the traditional nationalist methods of extra-parliamentary movements, and concentrated instead on the ballot box.

The National Front continued to decline, whilst the more media-friendly BNP, lead by Nick Griffin, grew in popularity. Around the turn of the 21st century, a number of councillors were won. However, policies of anti-immigration continued [3], and a damaging BBC documentary lead to Griffin being charged with the incitement of racial hatred. The 2006 local elections saw the BNP have the most successful campaign of any far right party in British history. They gained thirty three seats, the second highest gain of any party at the elections; in Barking and Dagenham, they gained twelve councillors.

A less radical branch of nationalism was also born in the 1990s. The United Kingdom Independence Party, formed by Alan Sked in 1993, came out of failed attempts to block the Maastricht Treaty. It has been an attempt to assert British national independence. Alongside the Referendum Party, which took a more single issue approach to British withdrawal from the EU and many of whose members subsequently joined UKIP, it has been the most successful British nationalist party in elections. Despite some internal divisions, which led to MEP Robert Kilroy-Silk forming his own splinter party Veritas it went on to get 10 MEPs in the 2004 Euro-election. There have since been a number of divisions within the party, with many members leaving to join the English Democrats and the Popular Alliance.

Many of these have come from the Conservative Party, who 'disowned' the Monday Club in 2001 and who have become less Eurosceptic.

Mainstream parties have continued in their attempts to reclaim British national identity from the nationalist groups. Chancellor of the Exchequer, Gordon Brown, in 2006 suggested the introduction of a British national holiday [4], in the way that the French celebrate Bastille Day. This, some have suggested, has been a reaction to a growing importance of the West Lothian question;[5] Brown, a Scottish politician, would see his future career impeded if England were to become disillusioned with the United Kingdom.

[edit] Influential figures in British nationalism

[edit] References

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