The National Front

Description

The National Front was one of the most controversial political parties in Britain. This exploration, first published in 1981, of the NF ideology and its meaning for members is based on a participation observation study which involved the development of relations with its headquarters, and with branch staff and members in several English cities. The fieldwork was carried out at marches, branch meetings and rallies, and candidates, activists, ordinary members and opponents of the NF were interviewed. Nigel Fielding examines in detail the ethnography of the National Front, describing its history, electoral performance and some demographic characteristics of its membership. He investigates the party ideology, concentrating on the key aspects of race, nationalism and conspiracy theory. The party’s involvement in overt and covert political action is discussed, and tolerance of ambiguity in adherence to ideology, are explored. In a final chapter the author discusses the case for regarding active NF membership as evidence of a commitment to an alternative conception of social reality founded on fundamental disagreement with the political and social order of the status quo. This book examines the problem of the relationship between the beliefs and actions of the political deviant in the context of a group which is involved in political activism. Cover Half Title Title Page Copyright Page Original Title Page Original Copyright Page Table of Contents Preface Acknowledgements 1 The problem Introduction: political deviance and the National Front Conventional accounts of the extreme Right 2 Description of the National Front History Aspects of organization: election performance and branch activity Aspects of organization: demographic characteristics 3 National Front ideology The meanings of ideology Issues and policies The attitude of patriotism The idea of nationalism 4 National Front ideology on race 5 National Front ideology on liberalism and permissiveness 6 National Front ideology on conspiracy theory 7 The fit between National Front ideology and the beliefs of members 8 The National Front and political action Overt action Covert action Sacrifices 9 The world-view of the National Front The idea of a world-view The National Front style ‘Racial nationalism', objective reality and 'false consciousness' The 'essence' of National Front membership The motivation to activism The symbolic supermarket 10 The National Front and deviant motivation Tables Notes Index