This book analyses the extreme right actors in the UK, a country that was mostly spared from the extreme right studies until the 2000s since it was seen as an exceptional case for a long-time. It tries to explore the dynamics of the extreme right actors in the country in three units of analysis (parties, movements, lone-wolfs). However, the research is limited in its scope since it does not analyse all of the cases and instead focuses on some selective cases. Also, though the extreme right in the UK is not as strong as in continental Europe (like in Austria, France or Germany); this research strongly claims that extreme right primarily represents a real threat for the British society as it inspires a platform for individual and collective extremism in both violent and non-violent forms. Likewise, the research argues that extreme right in the UK is already effective on the critical policies of the country as well because its protagonists, for example, were influential in the Brexit decision. Finally, the research asserts that ideologically “moderate” extreme right parties in the country perform more success in elections than the ideologically more “extreme” ones in elections due to the political culture in the UK.
Author(s): HACI MEHMET BOYRAZ
Publisher: LAP LAMBERT ACADEMIC PUBLISHING
Year: 2019
Language: ENGLISH
Pages: 89
City: MAURITIUS
Tags: UK, extreme right
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ABBREVIATIONS iii
LIST OF FIGURES iv
LIST OF TABLES v
1. INTRODUCTION 1
1.1. Research Questions and Arguments 2
1.2. Data Collection and Methodology 4
1.3. Literature Review 6
2. CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK 7
2.1. Main Characteristics of Extreme Right Ideology 9
2.2. Extreme Right and Populism 11
2.3. Anti-Semitism and Islamophobia in Extreme Right 13
3. THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK 15
3.1. Demand-Side Explanations: Voters in Focus 16
3.2. Supply-Side Explanations: Political Systems and Parties in Focus 18
3.3. Categorizing the Extreme Right Parties 21
4. HISTORICAL LEGACY OF BRITISH EXTREME RIGHT 22
4.1. Pre-World War II Period 23
4.2. Post-World War II Period 25
5. BRITISH EXTREME RIGHT IN CURRENT TIMES 28
5.1. Extreme Right Parties 28
5.1.1. British National Party 31
5.1.2. United Kingdom Independence Party 37
5.2. Extreme Right Movements 42
5.2.1. English Defence League 44
5.2.2. National Action 47
5.2.3. Pegida UK 49
5.3. Lone-Wolf Terrorists 51
5.3.1. David Copeland and London Nail Bombs 55
5.3.2. Thomas Alexander Mair and Murder of MP Jo Cox 56
5.3.3. Darren Osborne and Finsbury Mosque Attack 57
CONCLUSION 59
BIBLIOGRAPHY 64
