How do we defeat fascism?

By Ralph Baldwin

Immigration is the enormously contentious issue that draws emotions from us all whatever side of the political spectrum we find ourselves on. Our media is nigh on obsessed with the issue and has been for as long as I can remember. This very issue brought about an incredibly fascinating debate from all quarters in the article “In case you hadn’t noticed: Britain’s got Fascists“, which many – including myself – felt lacked any serious depth.

The resultant blogging was rich with experience, history and applicable arguments and counter-arguments. So without re-inventing the same debate, I would like to make my proposals for dealing with this central issue. As I am not an expert in this field and have done no research whatsoever in it, I would invite any bloggers to add thier opinions and points, especially those who feel they have the solution to the problem as it exists on our doorstep and what future action should be taken.

How do we defeat facism?

My own view is get back on the doorstep and start building relationships with the people in the poorer, deprived areas. For many exlcusive politicians, this will mean getting your hands dirty and being in touch with the communities you are ashamed of being associated with, and lording over. It means being involved with family breakups, social tensions, pressuring the police to promote co-operation and communication by knocking on those doors and introducing them. I remember being in East Ham where the police held a meeting about addressing crime in the ward. After handing out leaflets and the conclusion of the meeting, they did not follow up on my request to help us set up a neighbourhood watch scheme: they clearly could not be bothered.

Where deprived neighbourhoods have fallen by the wayside, councillors and MPs must be proactive in finding and weeding out the root causes locally. Instead of shying away and leaving it to the police they should go in and do some “voter ID”, go with a group of volunteers and investigate what is happening. If there are good families living there they need help, support and protection. Are they unemployed? Do they need housing? Are they willingly unemployed or unwillingly unemployed? If they are the former give them the hard facts; if they are the latter help them get a damn job! CV writing services, networking, most councillors and politicians are root centres of local networks and can have great influence in helping others. I have helped people historically by writing CV’s for them and have even put them in touch with Business Link to help them set up a business of their own. The unwillingly unemployed are the people we do need to help, the lack of dignity and humiliation they face is awful, and if they have made the tough decision to not commit crime or slime off extra money then they are still better than many until recently well- respected less desperate MPs and bankers.

Government must get a handle on immigration, because it has created many of its own problems. Places like Barking have seen large numbers of newcomers over a very short time; this has shocked the system at a sensitive time when the Ford Factory wound up business, creating unemployment. Feasability studies and surveys must be carried out to measure the social, economic and infrastructure-carrying capacity of a location before unleashing such dramatic change. People granted passports to the UK should be contacted after say, six months to ensure that they are fitting in well and are happy to adopt our general customs (being polite, speaking English, happy with our way of life, happy at work).

I am in South Korea and approaching the end of my contract. I have lived as a South Korean since I arrived and learned a heck of a lot about thier rich, respectful culture and I speak Hangul whenever I am out in public. But I miss old Blighty and will come home in August. I’ve had a great time but I would never stay permanently.

Current and prior governments have been very clumsy with this issue and I would love to hear your own view: Labour, Troll, other alike.