To ask what ‘far right’ means to you?

[Rainbowsponge]

Let’s not make this a Southport thread, just a political one. I consider myself a centrist and voted Lib Dem (to get us back in EU but that’s another story).

There’s been a lot of talk of ‘far right’ on here over the last few days, but very few observations on what far right actually means. To me it means things like capital punishment, enforced religion, open state misogyny, a blanket ban on abortion, homosexuality being outlawed, that sort of thing.

To me, having justified concerns about immigration, having views on new house building, voting Conservative or disapproving of Just Stop Oil protestors doesn’t make you ‘far right’. Centre or right of centre perhaps, but not far right.

What do you think?

I don’t know, Pakistan is busy deporting huge numbers of afghans, Myanmar was just awful to the Rohyinga. There were riots in South Africa against people from Zimbabwe and Nigeria. People who move to spain and then complain about immigrants in the UK. Also religious extremism/ violence against women etc etc are pretty high.

I think people can be really anti-migration into their own countries but see themselves as worthy exports to a different country. I’m not convinced that there are fewer far right people in these countries. I actually think there are fewer far right people in the west tbh.

Who is "they"?

As a white working class person born in the UK (who loves wearing DMs) I have never, ever felt affiliated to, or been accused of being far right.

Because they're not the same thing. And we all know that.

Authoritarianism, no freedom of press or speech are also far left I thought?

It appears that the OP is trying to remove the racist/white nationalist element of the definition of "far right" as it is defined in the UK.

Why is that OP?

No, why would the political scale in different political systems look the same? I feel like you’re just arguing in bad faith and being purposely obtuse?

Because the political systems aren’t different are they? The death penalty in one country has much the same effect as in another.

See my post where I confirmed white BNP types are indeed far right.

Well it's only Whites that cause any trouble........isn't it?

What is your actual point to this thread? We're asking you to be honest now.

To me it is racism and xenophobia

To ask what people personally define as far right, because so many posters say it, but then cannot actually define it. Stop trying to drag some kind of malign non existent agenda out of me because you’re struggling with the topic.

In my opinion, there's no real difference. Stalin, Mao Ze Dong, Hitler, they all murdered millions.

Yes, I would. Saudi Arabia is a PHENOMENALLY right-wing society. It's a misogynistic, totalitarian mediaeval society, nothing about it is democratic or equal.

I feel like the op thinks shes working up to a 'gotcha' moment which I suspect won't be as good as she hopes.

I never said there were fewer far right in other countries. I’m saying the far right end of the political scale will manifest differently in the UK vs Pakistan. Obviously there is a right side of the political spectrum in both countries, but the far right in the UK will not be the same as the far right in Pakistan, although some of the core values will underpin the views in both.
For example in the UK far right manifests as white nationalism, in Pakistan it’s nationalism but not white obviously, plus then there is the caste element.
In the UK specifically a POC is less likely to be affiliated with the far right, in this political system.

Far right to me is akin to nazism - state sponsored murder of those you deem unpure, concentration camps, authoritatian, big on invading other countries, racial purity etc
These things can also define far left as well though.

Far right is a label that is bandied around so much these days it's become meaningless.
I've even seen some posters on MN claiming the Conservatives are far right which is laughable 😂

Yawn. Either contribute properly or just go, it’s getting boring.

Shame that poster never came back to confirm!

Fifty years ago the term “far right” meant

1. People who went around beating up black people and Pakistanis.
2. People who advocated the beating up of black people and Pakistanis.

These days it’s an entirely nebulous term and can mean pretty much anything.

I'm not the only one struggling to see what you're really getting at. There's something extremely disingenuous about your posts on here.

Like how you posted the definition of right wing as "pro business" and then said .."welll far right is just a bit more of that, isn't it?"

Hmm.

What is the point in your thread? Who can’t define it? Far right means far right in the political landscape. Typically the right in the US is further to the right than in the UK. Every political system is different.
When people from the UK refer to “the far right” they are specifically talking about here, which is white nationalism, stereotypical gender norms and roles, anti immigration to name a few.
What exactly are you arguing about?

I would say my gut instinct a person of asian heritage is the frothing at the mouth white bloke shouting racist stuff at me. Because I’ve met him, but also the well spoken man who clearly thinks I’m cognitively impaired because I’m brown. Definitely experienced racism on the Isle of Wight from quite a few people but not in the yelling stuff in the street way. Met a lovely polish girl there working in a restaurant who nervously asked us how our visit was, she must have been having a really shit time of it herself. Anyway so I understand why a lot of people look at groups of white men yelling as being extremely threatening.

My mind kind of goes to the shouty ones more, so yeah absolutely understand why in the UK thats where peoples image is set because in the UK context thats my experience too. I actually almost prefer the ones that are in your face racist because at least you know where you stand. 🙄 the ones with the strained closed mouthed smile while they refuse you service they are offering to others those are the ones I really hate. The other ones you just yell “fuck off you twat” at, much harder with the other lot.

But thats entirely down to my personal experience of racism and what I grew up feeling was far right. So in my context thats what I think of. I don’t think it of people who vote conservative or people who want to have a reasonable conversation about immigration etc.

Political terminology should be fairly uniform across the world, this is how we compare and contrast different systems. Otherwise it’s word salad and we can’t draw meaningful similarities.

Far Right = ignorance + aggression

Far Left = idealism + aggression