Oswald Mosely/Nigel Farage - The Same Story Separated By 80 Years...

[Turborama]

[LeftishBrit]

1. A lot of sad truth in this.

[fedsron2us]

2. Unlike Mosley I don't think Farage has ever been a Labour MP

I am not sure that there is much similarity between Farage and Mosleys views on Europe either

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Europe_a_Nation

In fact Mosley like a lot of Fascists was quite keen on the idea of a European 'super state'.

[Turborama]

3. Then he came back from France & led a fortunately unsuccessful campaign...

... on an anti-immigration platform, "demanding the forced repatriation of Caribbean immigrants and the prohibition of mixed marriages."

Source

Founded by the fascist Oswald Mosley, the far-right Union Movement campaigned on an anti-immigration platform, calling for forced repatriation of Caribbean immigrants as well as a prohibition upon mixed marriages.

The arguments and newspaper headlines reproduced in the party’s election leaflet are depressingly similar to what you might read in the Daily Mail today, with claims about ‘spongers,’ ‘work-shys’ finding ‘paradise in Britain’ and immigrants supposedly depriving ‘British families’ of their homes.

http://www.brixtonbuzz.com/2014/01/keep-brixton-white-shocking-pamphlet-from-1955-london-county-council-elections/

[LeftishBrit]

4. No, but he is certainly trying to attract disillusioned Labourites

Last edited Thu Oct 16, 2014, 08:28 AM - Edit history (2)

The parallel is imperfect. I think Mosley was much more intelligent, and therefore more dangerous, than Farage. Also the Far Right is more divided now than in the past (or at least I hope so). And the pro-violence extremists have been 'creamed off' - probably not the right word!- from UKIP by even worse parties and groups. The pro-aggro Blackshirt types would have been more likely to join the BNP a few years ago, and the EDL now, than UKIP.

But Farage does have something in common with Mosley, in terms of a slick pseudo-populism and an ability to make far-right ultra-nationalist views seem respectable and 'common sense'.

Interesting point about Mosley's pan-Europaean ideas. Now that the Far Right all hate the EU - though some of them love its gravy train! - it's easy to forget a time when some of them were extreme pan-Europaeanists. Of course, one difference is that Europe at that time basically meant Western Europe and excluded All Those Commies in the East, who were obviously The Enemy. At any rate, it's an example of how right-wing attitudes to foreigners are rarely neutral or moderate: RW-ers hate most of them, and may adore a few who may be seen as allies against The Others.