Bloody Nasty People: The Rise of Britain's Far Right

by Daniel Trilling

The past decade saw the rise of the British National Party, the country’s most successful ever far-right political movement, and the emergence of the anti-Islamic English Defence League. Taking aim at asylum seekers, Muslims, “enforced multiculturalism” and benefit “scroungers”, these groups have been working overtime to shift the blame for the nation’s ills onto the shoulders of the vulnerable. What does this extremist resurgence say about the state of modern Britain?

Drawing on archival research and extensive interviews with key figures, such as BNP leader Nick Griffin, Daniel Trilling shows how previously marginal characters from a tiny neo-Nazi subculture successfully exploited tensions exacerbated by the fear of immigration, the War on Terror and steepening economic inequality.

Mainstream politicians have consistently underestimated the far right in Britain while pursuing policies that give it the space to grow. Bloody Nasty People calls time on this complacency in an account that provides us with fresh insights into the dynamics of political extremism.

Genres: Politics, Nonfiction, British Literature, History

240 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2012

About the author

Daniel Trilling is the Editor of New Humanist magazine and has reported extensively on refugees in Europe. His work has been published in the London Review of Books, Guardian, New York Times and others, and won a 2017 Migration Media Award. His first book, Bloody Nasty People: The Rise of Britian’s Far Right, was longlisted for the 2013 Orwell Prize. He lives in London.

Reviews

[Barry · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very readable and concise history of the BNP from it's inception and roots, it's rise in political relevance and eventual downfall. The final few chapters focus on the rise of the EDL.

Well I suppose writing this review in March of 2015 both the BNP and EDL are largely irrelevant - largely due to their infighting and incompetence (always quite laughable how the 'master race' of weirdo's and deviants struggle to make a cup of tea without falling out - how do they think they'll get on if they ever do get in power?). However I think it is quite important to recognise that the far right, like mould on a wall can spread quite quickly if left unchecked and unchallenged.

I knew quite a lot of the history and the potential reasons for the relative electoral success of the BNP. What I did appreciate in this book was the highlighting of the various strains of fascism that former Fuhrer Griffin adopted in his political development. What is clear is that the organisation always was a fascist organisation and deeply and unequivocally racist. What is of interest is actually how often the BNP tried to distance themselves from Nazi ideology and on occasion overt racism. The way they balanced their propaganda with those of black separatists and National independence movements in other countries is quite interesting. I did find the background on Griffin quite interesting and although most observers will be aware of this but the Far Right isn't made up solely 'disaffected White working class' people. Griffin was educated at Cambridge and was from a wealthy background. The founders of the EDL were City bankers. What I think this book does quite well is that it quite accurately describes how working class people identify with the Far Right but it also calls the middle class to task. Fascism has always had a strong appeal to the middle classes and power brokers. In the media in the UK it is almost exclusively presented as a working class issue. The BNP success in Lancashire wasn't in working class areas - it was in relatively well off middle class areas.

The analysis of why the BNP picked up votes is largely straightforward and won't be a surprise to most observers. A lack of employment and affordable housing has contributed to a strain on resources combined with a 'flexible' economy that has welcomed immigration in recent years. The rich and wealthy in this country have openly encouraged immigration (both EU and historically from our 'Empire') - not to bring in valued skills but to provide a cheap labour force. They have profited from this and devalued the way of life and working conditions for many. Instead of showing some backbone and recognising the impact of this policy they have all 'got tough on immigration' - blaming the immigrant victims who have awful access to services for taking 'our' jobs. The people in power are those who have created the issue they decry. The politicians disgust me and make me sick! In the meantime any leaning to the right from working class people and the 'racist' tag comes out. Once again, the rich blaming the victims...

The 'Right to Buy' schemes and the failure to build enough social housing is what causes tensions and that isn't the fault of anyone who just wants a home... (It's interesting that right now it's not 'asylum seekers' but the disabled who are to blame for the housing crisis with the 'bedroom tax'.) The book makes a succinct but quite accurate point - if there is not enough social housing why aren't we building more???

Another relevant point the book makes is that it recognises the causes of electoral support for the Far Right but it also doesn't shy from acknowledging that many people are racist. I find some commentary on the Left sometimes presents the working class in particular as a vanguard of anti-fascism who ONLY turn to fascist parties because of the failure of mainstream parties. It's quite accurate that the Far Right fill in vacuums left by the mainstream and it is certainly accurate that the Labour party completely betrayed and abandoned the working class a long time ago. However, when one votes for the BNP or equivalent it is from a racist perspective. That person is racist whether they admit it or not, 'I'm not racist but (insert group) get all the jobs' is still a racist attitude. I appreciate Trilling challenging both the positions of 'stupid working class racists' and 'it's all the Tories fault these people vote BNP'.

(As an aside, as we head for a General Election this year it will be interesting to see how the UKIP vote does. I can't help but think that the electoral beating the BNP has taken may be in part to UKIP getting the racist vote. UKIP stole the language, policies and even the same promotional campaign (just look at BNP and UKIP posters over the last five years). BNP's electoral drubbing isn't because people are less racist, it's because UKIP are a more credible option for racists. Funny how UKIP say they are not a racist party but all the racists vote for them...)

So the history is pretty good and well researched. The policy and political shifts and strategies of the BNP are well researched (and it is notable that they have succeeded where they have got out into communities - is it that hard a lesson for politicians to get? Help the people and they will vote for you!). The infighting and power struggles are well documented - quite notable that Griffin is now out of the door also - maybe if Trilling ever does another edition of this they'll be a happier ending.

The election history is well researched and the analysis is intelligent and reasoned and seems honest. My only small gripe would be the inference that the Anti Nazi League was a street level group responsible for driving fascism off the streets. To be honest ANL were about as much use as a chocolate fireguard and the diversion of tactics from street level to local politics was largely down to militant anti-fascism and not waving lollipops four miles away... I felt the ANL strategy of putting on an anti racist concert where everyone who goes feels great about not being racist is a massive waste of time and resources, although everyone can pat their hands on their backs...

[Lea · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a weird time to read this book, with the brexit happening thanks to a load of British Anti-EU xenophobes & the rise of the far right throughout all of Europe.

This is mostly a book about the British National Party, how it started, who it's best-known member Nick Griffin is and about the rise and subsequent fall of the party.

There is not as much background and political context as I would have wished for, not enough interpretation for my taste. I'd say if you've never thought or read much about politics, racist rhetorics or the British party system you might get lost here and there. But if not, this is a pretty easy and straight forward read. Short, too.

While it was interesting to learn about the BNP, the most interesting aspects for me where when Trilling writes about other British parties reactions to the BNP. How the Tories, Labour and the Lib Dems all managed to help create a climate of fear and racism because they tried to win back voters from the BNP. The same thing we have seen now happening with Cameron and UKIP.

This book is from 2012 and it only mentions UKIP a few times. I'd be curious to read an account of how and why this party is perceived even more favorably by the general public and why they're better at managing to walk the line between being racist as hell and still a "people's party" than the BNP.

The most frustrating thing about reading this book was seeing how racist rhetorics and the rise of facist parties work in very similar ways through out Europe (and the world in general, too). It makes one feel extremely helpless. Especially in the political climate we are now in. The same anti-immigrant headlines you got back then in the Daily Mail against Eastern European migrants, you can find now against Syrians in papers all throughout this continent.

This is not the definite book on the rise of the far right in the UK. It is mostly on the BNP. And to be quite honest, I'm not sure if the party itself warrants a longer or more insightful look than this one offers.

[Hugo Turner]

Reasonably short, engaging book about the rise and fall of the BNP from the 80s to the early 2010s, examining its emergence from the National Front and associated fascist/far-right movements, to its electoral success and spread of popular support under the leadership of Nick Griffin. There is also a bit at the end about the early years of the EDL, and its murky origins relating to City finance.

This book was published in the early 2010s, and therefore does not cover the Brexit era, the massive growth of Tommy Robinson’s movement, or the rise of the Reform Party. However, the parallels between the rhetoric and actions of the BNP with those of its successors on the mainstream and far right are fascinating. Similarly, reading about the BNP’s tactics is highly insightful, particularly their local-level community activism. I’d recommend this book for anyone interested in how far-right movements operate, how they use propaganda, and how they can be effectively combatted.

[Al Bità · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a very readable history of the rise of far right political parties in Britain. As such, some might find it a little too parochial for general interest. Even so, the ideology behind the thinking of these groups is, I would suggest, a common trait wherever they are found. Judging by the apparent shift towards the extreme right in many if not all Western democracies in recent times, Trilling’s report is timely and cautionary.

Most revealing, perhaps, is the methods used by these groups to insinuate themselves into the political system by appealing to the uncertainties, fears and frustrations of ordinary people, suggesting that their lives, jobs, culture, customs, identity and security are all under threat, and by discrediting the ability of democratic governments to achieve any real solution to these problems. The initial appeal is to patriotic pride, and they initially limit their activities in areas where they an sense that such caring and concerned citizens can be shifted, even if ever so slightly, towards a kind of conscientious outrage at the decline in their living standards, their sense of security, and their control over complex and confusing social times. By emphasising these insecurities, and nudging the fears they generate, many people are fooled into believing that the caring, concerned candidate who speaks fearlessly of these things will be able to fix them by voting them in. And then “suddenly” a whole region turns to the right… and the influence on the general state of politics is thus subtly but almost inevitably changed — not necessarily all the way, but almost always contributing to further confusion and distractions which in turn serve to reinforce the biased perceptions.

Scratch this kind, concerned, initial face of the new right, and it is not too long before the blunt ideological “answers” are revealed. All these groups are essentially racist, anti-migration, anti-multicultural, and ruthless in their sheeting all the blame onto the most vulnerable in their society. They are intolerant. They are narcissistic. They are authoritarian. They appeal to the supremacy of their individualism and their “rights” (e.g. their right to free speech, which they use to propound their biases, even to the extent of preventing others from exercising that same right…).

In his analysis, Trilling suggests that it is the very belief in unrestricted individualism that might serve ultimately to split any combined onslaught. The far right is attractive for strong individuals; strong individuals take over the running of the group; inevitably another strong individual will come to disagree on the direction the group is taking… It’s hard to be a controlling individual when everyone else in the group also wants to be a controlling individual, but in a different direction… So perhaps the best aspect of this is that splits will occur, and the power diluted. But Trilling warns against complacency, and rightly so. They should not be dismissed as “looney” — these “looneys” have weakened governments by getting themselves into strategically important political positions which do exert sufficient power to stuff up just about any constructive policy which they see as being not “friendly” to their cause. If they cannot actually rule, then destabilisation may well be their game. We have been warned.

[Jack Stewart · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've read Bloody Nasty People three times. The first, as a young teenager with a burgeoning interest in the study of political extremism. The second, in the first year of my undergraduate history degree and a third time, as a postgraduate just last week. Every time I read this book I gained a new insight into the BNP.

Daniel Trilling explores the growth and failure of the British National Party, and presents a straightforward yet intriguing political narrative. Contextualising the BNP in the demise of the National Front, Trilling explores the changes that allowed the BNP to gain a foothold in many of the UKs post-industrial towns and communities. The central thesis of Trilling's book is compelling - that neoliberal politics, deindustrialisation and a decline of regional investment gave rise to a feeling of disenfranchisement among many working class communities. This gave space to, and allowed the BNP to operate on behalf of these communities, organising on behalf of the 'white working class'.

Trilling's book is ultimately a journalistic account of the party, and it will perhaps disappoint those looking for a more academic dissection of the BNP's politics. However this book is an excellent introduction to the literature of far-right politics in the UK and is full of colourful insights into the BNP.

[Mark Farley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really interesting insight into the BNP and UKIP, despite only a fleeting chance interview with Nick Griffin at the beginning. Aside from that it is a textbook, well researched tome based upon archived interviews and election statistics. Even though there is no grand breakthrough, it is a welcome introduction to a very sinister (but gloriously outdated and irrelevant) part of British political history. Good read.

[Pinko Palest · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just great. Very readable and does just what it says on the tin. Very convincing in the way it shows the dangers that the Far Right brings about, but also its limitations. Quite unlike others of its ilk, has matured very well, even though it does not reach Brexit. Cannot recommend it enough. Very well written too

[Tina Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Essential for getting an understanding of the British Far Right but also touches on austerity, colonialism, holocaust denial and other issues of import for far right movements more generally. Additionally, provides some good insight in their paths to victory and possible ways to defeat them.

[Jonny Brick · Rating 4 out of 5]

A history of the BNP and everything that led up to the EDL. 10 years on, the extreme right are still banging the same drums.

[Harvey K · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well written and interesting breakdown of the BNP's history, its flirtation with fascism and it's terrifyingly timeless rhetoric.

[Steven Pilling · Rating 4 out of 5]

Timely despite the fact that the BNP appear to be a spent force.

This book looks at the history of the far right in Britain and the "rise " of the EDL after "the fall" of the EDL.

Trilling canvasses a lot of people, follows the line of society and illustrates the fact that the far right dont exist in a vacuum and that the "3 main" parties in England have a far amount of responsibility for the prominance of the BNP.

It wont shock anyone "switched on" but it is important to remind yourself and it is impressively researched

[Matthew Griffiths · Rating 4 out of 5]

a really interesting account of the far right movement in Britain documenting many of the names and movements associated with the ideologies in the UK. starting with the national front and then working through to more modern movements such the BNP. the book did a good job of showing the difficulty with which the political mainstream in the UK has failed to address the many issues surrounding these ideologies. Was hoping that this book may have addressed the UKIP and EDL movements in a bit more detail as ultimately these groupings share much common ground with those that were discussed.

[Tom · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good insight into the far right in Britain which gives an up to date account of the BNP and the EDL.

Trilling gives some very well though out arguments about where support for the far right comes from and backs this up with recent historical examples.

More worrying is his assertion that if they had someone with half a brain in charge they could be quite a challenge to the existing political mainstream.

[William · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good. It does break down the myths behind the rise of the BNP/far right in general though; it all comes down to housing and the lack of it, especially social housing. Right to buy really was ridiculously stupid. I do wish it was a bit longer though... No immense surprises through the book though, bar the appearance of a certain Guido Fawkes.

[Huda]

No surprises here, been aware of some of these trends since high school. Rather depressing stuff but good to know there are those who are fighting the good fight against such groups.

[Fiona · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really pulls together the almost symbiotic relationship between mainstream and extremist politics . All politicians should read this- to learn about the dangers of playing the race card.

[Lara · Rating 4 out of 5]

A must read book for anyone interested i politics.