People with attitudes that are generally found amongst the far-right are much more likely to support Brexit than to oppose it. Some of them feel empowered by the 2016 EU Referendum result.
Summary
The Brexit referendum was associated with a significant rise in hate crimes.
On average, supporters and opponents of Brexit have very different profiles with regard to:
age
education
authoritarianism
national identity
I believe these explain why Brexit has been so polarising.
In particular people with authoritarian attitudes and who see their identity as primarily English rather than British are more likely to be drawn to the far-right.
Delivered 3 October 2019. Posted 13 October 2019.
The Challenging Hate Forum is a relatively informal grouping of Manchester faith and community leaders convened by Manchester Cathedral and chaired by the Dean of Manchester Cathedral, the Very Reverend Rogers Govender MBE. I have attended for many years in my capacity of Co-Chair of the Muslim Jewish Forum of Greater Manchester.
I was asked to give a presentation about Brexit and the rise of the far-right. When planning my presentation, I set out to explain the rise, and to suggest some ways of addressing the polarisation in our society.
I recorded my 22-minute presentation, and it is below.
Once I found recording presentations worthwhile, I purchased a high quality Sennheiser digital lapel microphone which plugs into the lightning port of my iPhone. That produces a much better recording.
I also recommend downloading the Technical Details document which explains how authoritarianism is measured etc.
A partial transcript of the question and answer session
The question and answer session was also recorded. However, I am not publishing the full audio recording for two main reasons:
While the sound quality of my responses is very clear, the questioners were some distance from the microphone. Accordingly, in many cases their questions are almost inaudible.
I respect the privacy of those asking the questions. I do not have their written consent to publish their recordings. In many cases, I do not even know who they were, so cannot seek permission.
Instead, I have listened to the Q&A session and, where I regard the questions as being worth sharing, have written down a condensed version of the questions. I have then published the audio of my answers.
1. Has the language used by some Remain supporters caused Leave supporters to become even more entrenched in their views, due to feeling that Remain supporters look down on them?
Below I have reproduced slide 11 which contains the education data.
Highest educational qualification
Leave %
Remain %
Degree
22
78
None
72
28
Recording of my 2-minute answer
2. Giles Coren wrote an article in The Times after the Brexit Referendum implying that old people should have their votes taken away because they would be dead soon. The questioner was an older Remain supporter, and even she felt unhappy about such comments. How do we talk about Brexit when it arouses such passions? Some people are genuinely scared to talk about it.
I recounted my telling a very pro-Leave Conservative dining club about my being a European federalist!
Recording of my 3-minute answer
3. The Far Right seems to be motivated by a desire not to be ruled by others such as Brussels. How do we address this? How do we address identity issues?
Below I have reproduced slide 18 which contains the national identity data.
Voting by national identity
Leave %
English, not British
72
British, not English
38
Recording of my 1-minute answer
4 (a). There is a rise of the far right within the Indian Hindu community, which worried the questioner, though many deny that it is happening. What can we do about it?
4 (b). Also What do you recommend as a good quality newspaper?
5. The questioner pointed out the rise in antisemitism which took place several years before the Brexit referendum. To what extent is the rise of the far right due to economic factors?
Recording of my 2-minute answer
6. There has been a major loss of trust in institutions of all types. People no longer seem to know who to believe. How do we re-create this trust?
Recording of my 1-minute answer
7. Some supporters of Brexit have said in private that it is about “Getting the Muslims out of our country.” How do we address such attitudes?
I responded with a reminder about racism amongst British Asians.
Recording of my 40-second answer
8. What is your perception of the EU Referendum itself, and the perception that both sides lied during the campaign? Should there be a second referendum? We have the lowest unemployment for decades. Normally the far right rises during times of economic hardship. What is going on?
I began with the confession that in 2013 I thought David Cameron’s speech about the EU at Bloomberg was a good idea!
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