In a recent interview, the former Director General of MI5, Jonathan Evans, discussed his perspectives on the U.K.’s radical right scene. He highlighted that he suspected the rise of actors in the far-right scene was “a reflection of the social pressures on communities as a result of austerity measures. There seems to be a constituency of disaffected males (for the most part, but not entirely) who find extreme right-wing beliefs attractive”.
One of the conclusions I set out in my book; The Prevent Strategy and Right Wing Extremism: A Case Study of the English Defence League is that rather than thinking of Prevent as being the vehicle for countering the radical right, we should be investing far more in building cohesive communities, to create safe spaces for the difficult conversations we need to have about issues, such as the economic and cultural aspects of immigration, poor levels of social mobility, regional inequalities and the impact of ten years of austerity which have fed increasing numbers of grievance narratives from which the radical right has gained sustenance. Indeed, “Back to Basics” is the title of my final chapter where I make the case that responses to the radical right must be rooted in community integration rather than counter terrorism.
For me, therefore, the answer lies in research - such as the “Left Behind: Understanding Communities on the Edge” carried out by the Oxford Consultants for Social Inclusion (OSCI). It is in many ways reminiscent of the very granular level of analysis carried out under the Connecting Communities programme led by John Denham MP back in 2009. This was a £12 million programme to connect with “resentful white working-class communities in 130 wards across England and to undercut right wing extremism”, it “would address legitimate fears and concerns that if neglected could prove fertile territory for extremism”. This initiative was discontinued in 2010, but the lessons should not be forgotten. Reconnecting all our communities with locally elected representatives to give them a voice has never been more important.
