Some of what Farage had to say was worryingly close to the orations spouted by Adolf Hitler in the early years of the Nazi Party who for twelve years terrorised ethnic and racial minorities in Germany, banning strikes and making trade unions illegal.
The Nazi Party claimed Jews were “not German” and removed their “German citizenship”. Nigel Farage, with his anti-immigrant tirade, sounded dangerously close to this man in his verbal mannerism. Reform Uk's policies are also considered to be “anti-trade union” and want to reduce their “contribution in the workplace.” Nigel Farage perceives trade unions as “obstacles to the free market” and wishes to reduce union power making “strikes more difficult”!! The unfortunate thing is an increasingly large number of people, some of them union members, in Britian are listening to him and his Reform UK party.
Reform UK are bitterly opposed to immigration and that I fear may be just the tip of the iceberg which could eventually encompass all people of migrant descent being, at best, deported. Reform UK advocates using old Ministry of Defence (MOD) properties no longer in use – old army barracks and Royal Airforce (RAF) huts – as holding centres for all immigrants, which would look remarkably like the early Nazi concentration camp at Dachau! Examples of major Reform UK policies include:
a radical approach to immigration including a plan to increase detention capacity by 24,000 within 18 months, build new removal centres, and spend £2bn on bilateral agreements for migrant returns.
This could well mean agreements with evil murdering regimes like the Taliban in Afghanistan who, remember, British and US soldiers died fighting against aided by many Afghan people now living in Britain.
The BBC News covered Farage’s speech outlining Reform UKs policies should they be elected to government. He said; “there are people arriving from Iran who should not be walking our streets today”. He outlined how these people would be “deported” under a Reform administration. When he was asked at this televised news conference about “people getting deported who faced murder and torture” he dodged the issue. The nearest he came to addressing the point was; “I cannot be held responsible for what happens in the world”. Roughly translated he means Reform UK and himself as leader of this party could not care less what happens to these people once they are returned.
The BBC News covered Farage’s speech outlining Reform UKs policies should they be elected to government. He said; “there are people arriving from Iran who should not be walking our streets today”. He outlined how these people would be “deported” under a Reform administration. When he was asked at this televised news conference about “people getting deported who faced murder and torture” he dodged the issue. The nearest he came to addressing the point was; “I cannot be held responsible for what happens in the world”. Roughly translated he means Reform UK and himself as leader of this party could not care less what happens to these people once they are returned.
The Taliban who are now the government in Afghanistan would, no doubt, like some of these people back in their clutches for interrogation! Tony Symonds of the BBC News suggested, “for Reform to get done what they want to do they will have to pull out of agreements.” By this he was aiming at global agreements which Britain are presently signatories to! This was another issue Farage skirted past but he was clear about pulling out of the European Court of Justice (ECJ) and the European Convention of Human Rights (ECHR). He also suggested changing UK domestic law on human rights cutting a lot of these safeguards which protect all people, refugees and indigenous people alike, living in Britain.
Farage wants to “renegotiate the Good Friday Agreement” probably removing any points beneficial to the nationalist population and Irish unification. Using the refugee issue Reform UK want to “renegotiate the GFA” completely to “protect the borders of the UK” referring to migrants entering the UK via the Twenty-Six-Counties. If he can have the border put back in place that would put a barrier between the UK and the EU, one which could be policed! It should be remembered the GFA is enshrined in EU law and International Law. The last two countries to walk away from such agreements enshrined in what was then the ‘League of Nations’ were Imperial Japan and Nazi Germany. Renegotiating the GFA may once again see British troops on the streets of Belfast and Derry to maintain British rule over the Six Counties!* Farage will almost certainly use this as a way of removing the “Irish dimension” from the GFA and probably the right of people to dual nationality and citizenship in the Six-Counties. Could it signify a return to one party Unionist rule and an end to the ‘Legislative Assembly’ at Stormont?
Moving on to what are often called ‘small boat’s’ and people arriving in the UK in these craft particularly from France he said; “the only way to stop the boats is by detaining and deporting all who arrive by this route”. Many of the British electorate may well applaud him for this move particularly those living on the south coast but they should perhaps remember, where would these deportations stop? Extreme policies like these tend, certainly historically, not to stop at their intended aims. These aims tend to be the thin end of the wedge and lead to far greater numbers of deportations and then incarcerations of people and the enactment of policies which the electorate did not sign up to or vote for.
Farage wants to “renegotiate the Good Friday Agreement” probably removing any points beneficial to the nationalist population and Irish unification. Using the refugee issue Reform UK want to “renegotiate the GFA” completely to “protect the borders of the UK” referring to migrants entering the UK via the Twenty-Six-Counties. If he can have the border put back in place that would put a barrier between the UK and the EU, one which could be policed! It should be remembered the GFA is enshrined in EU law and International Law. The last two countries to walk away from such agreements enshrined in what was then the ‘League of Nations’ were Imperial Japan and Nazi Germany. Renegotiating the GFA may once again see British troops on the streets of Belfast and Derry to maintain British rule over the Six Counties!* Farage will almost certainly use this as a way of removing the “Irish dimension” from the GFA and probably the right of people to dual nationality and citizenship in the Six-Counties. Could it signify a return to one party Unionist rule and an end to the ‘Legislative Assembly’ at Stormont?
Moving on to what are often called ‘small boat’s’ and people arriving in the UK in these craft particularly from France he said; “the only way to stop the boats is by detaining and deporting all who arrive by this route”. Many of the British electorate may well applaud him for this move particularly those living on the south coast but they should perhaps remember, where would these deportations stop? Extreme policies like these tend, certainly historically, not to stop at their intended aims. These aims tend to be the thin end of the wedge and lead to far greater numbers of deportations and then incarcerations of people and the enactment of policies which the electorate did not sign up to or vote for.
BBC Political Correspondent, Ben Wright, warned very clearly of the present mood in the country as he sees it; “If Reform win the election they will start building detention centres for migrants. The Home Secretary would then be under an obligation to start deportations”. Again to many living on England’s south coast initially such a move may be music to their ears but, and again I repeat, where would these “detention centres” stop? Farage was asked again about potential torture and would he be “bothered” by the fact many of these deportees, many who have arrived legally by approved routes, would face “torture?” The Reform leader replied; “of course I’m bothered but I’m more bothered about the numbers arriving here.” Reform UK aim to, if elected, “deport 600,000 in the first five-year term”! These bilateral deals Reform UK talk of with other countries to ‘take people back’ how much exactly would such deals cost the tax payer?
In order to introduce their policies a Reform UK government would have to change the law. This would not be easy by the normal route providing, that is, the normal Parliamentary procedures apply under such a government. For a Reform government to pull out of global agreements is not easy under ordinary circumstances. Like the present incumbent President of the United States, who cares nothing for relations with foreign countries, Reform UK are not a normal political party usually associated with a liberal democracy. Yes, they are strong upholders of capitalism, as were Franco and Pinochet, but using the customary parliamentary chamber to enact their laws the electorate may discover to their cost, not apply. Reform UK are not a normal political party associated with British elections, they are an extreme right-wing party with fascist ideals, who would take the ‘dictatorship of the bourgeoisie’ to an extreme right-wing position. If this party win the 2029 UK election, could it be the last election that country holds? This has happened in various countries when far-right fascist parties have taken power. Italy, Germany, Spain, Chile to mention a few!
Despite the poor performance of the Starmer supposedly ‘Labour Government’ such a knee jerk reaction is concerning and has happened. In the fairly recent by-election in Runcorn and Helsby Reform Uk's Sarah Pochin was elected as MP. Sarah Pochin won by just six votes but Starmer’s concern should be that Reform UK overturned a 14,000 Labour majority! Voters should perhaps be a little weary about electing this party into government. If an election were held tomorrow Reform UK would be favourites to win! A knee jerk protest is one thing voting in a potentially fascist party to government is something completely different. Today it could be ‘immigrants’ for detention, tomorrow it could be you and/or your family!!
*For this possibility it may have been advisable for the IRA and INLA to have loosely maintained their structures and weaponry at a peacetime level.
In order to introduce their policies a Reform UK government would have to change the law. This would not be easy by the normal route providing, that is, the normal Parliamentary procedures apply under such a government. For a Reform government to pull out of global agreements is not easy under ordinary circumstances. Like the present incumbent President of the United States, who cares nothing for relations with foreign countries, Reform UK are not a normal political party usually associated with a liberal democracy. Yes, they are strong upholders of capitalism, as were Franco and Pinochet, but using the customary parliamentary chamber to enact their laws the electorate may discover to their cost, not apply. Reform UK are not a normal political party associated with British elections, they are an extreme right-wing party with fascist ideals, who would take the ‘dictatorship of the bourgeoisie’ to an extreme right-wing position. If this party win the 2029 UK election, could it be the last election that country holds? This has happened in various countries when far-right fascist parties have taken power. Italy, Germany, Spain, Chile to mention a few!
Despite the poor performance of the Starmer supposedly ‘Labour Government’ such a knee jerk reaction is concerning and has happened. In the fairly recent by-election in Runcorn and Helsby Reform Uk's Sarah Pochin was elected as MP. Sarah Pochin won by just six votes but Starmer’s concern should be that Reform UK overturned a 14,000 Labour majority! Voters should perhaps be a little weary about electing this party into government. If an election were held tomorrow Reform UK would be favourites to win! A knee jerk protest is one thing voting in a potentially fascist party to government is something completely different. Today it could be ‘immigrants’ for detention, tomorrow it could be you and/or your family!!
*For this possibility it may have been advisable for the IRA and INLA to have loosely maintained their structures and weaponry at a peacetime level.
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| Caoimhin O’Muraile is Independent Socialist Republican and Marxist. |
Like you Caoimhin, I fear the rise of Reform. But it is important to distinguish it and other far right actors like Tommy Robinson from classical fascism. They are not like the Nazis or National Front I. That they are not explicitly racist and antisemitic. They are culturally ethno-nationalist with a specific focus on Islam and immigration which they see as a threat to traditional Christian Europe.
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