Best Of

A flattering portrayal of Nick Lowles, the chief dude at Hope Not Hate, focused on the risk of political violence from the extreme right

It casually mentions half way through that he was a student Trotskyist, like it’s no problem, because of course political violence of the extreme LEFT is just fine

The double standards are so howlingly blatant I can only presume the Guardian doesn’t even see them

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2025/sep/16/basic-decency-british-people-hope-not-hate-nick-lowles-how-to-defeat-far-right

Is that so ?
It acknowledges it, but does it condone ?
.. “When I first got involved in anti-fascism – this was late 80s – it was all about the street. I’m not saying it was right, but that’s how it was. You didn’t have cameras.” So, wait, he doesn’t mean handing out leaflets in the street? “No, you would have groups of Nazis and groups of anti-fascists, and they would battle it out, down sidestreets, and sometimes it got quite violent. I mean, look at me, I’m not built for that. I never got involved in that. But that was the world it was.”..

Oh give over. What if someone said “yes I was in the national front as a teenager” - would she simply have passed by that without mention and interrogation? Of course not. And the NF didn’t want to overthrow liberal capitalism - unlike the Trots

It’s fuxking ludicrous. This guy is held up an an exemplary opponent of right wing political violence yet it turns out he was a revolutionary activist in his youth, desiring to end parliamentary democracy, and she doesn’t even note that this is somewhat jarring

I don't get why we give communism such a free pass. Most of the most horrible regimes of modern history have been communist. Saying "I'm a communist" is tantamount to saying "I favour overthrowing liberal democracy and replacing it with a totalitarian system (which whenever it has been tried has led to tyranny)". Yet apparently we are unconcerned about having people who are members of the communist party as advisors to government (I'm thinking in particular of Susan Michie, during Covid). I'm content to allow people to take their own view on what society should be, but surely being a member of the communist party should ring some alarm bells? I'm pretty sure being a member of the National Front or whatever its equivalent is this year would raise the odd eyebrow.

The right-wing press and right-wong commentators are always going on about people with connections to the Communist party (or -ies). Where does this "apparently we are unconcerned" come from?

Easy. If you went to most parties and said: "I am a Nazi" or "I am a fascist", you will get thrown out, or worse. If you say "I am a Communist", you might get a roll of the eyes, but little else.

Communism is *much* more acceptable, despite its blood-drenched history.

They were both terrible ideologies.

They were, and indeed still are, both terrible ideologies.

Fascism says it wants to spill blood. Communism says it doesn't want to spill blood... but has often ended up there. That's the difference. I share your criticisms of communism and I think those who support communism should be strongly pressed on what they think was happening in the Soviet Union, Cambodia, Albania etc., but they're not actively calling for violence in quite the same way as fascists.

Tht is not true. Communism is predicated on the idea that to take power it will have to be seized by force from the elites, using extreme violence. The difference between Lenin and Martov* was merely that Lenin short-circuited things.

*Or indeed Ebert and Luxembourg.

Comparing Communism to Fascism as ideologies is not quite the same as whether somebody identifying as a Communist is likely to be as unsavoury and dangerous a person as somebody identifying as a Fascist. You can make a strong case for the ideologies being equally antithetical to human freedom and happiness but faced with two lifts, one occupied by a bloke wearing a swastika and the other by one sporting a hammer and sickle, ok you'd take the stairs, but if you couldn't, if you had to get in one of these lifts, you'd surely join the commie. Anybody says otherwise I'm not believing them.

Are you postulating an actual hammer and an actual sickle? Because, if so, I prefer the lift with the unarmed guy.

That's actually a great point. Me too.

Comparing Nazism and Communism as ideologies is perhaps a category error, because they are not strictly comparable.

Communism is a universalist, evangelical religion like Christianity or Islam. The upside of that is inclusivity: anyone can belong if they convert to the faith. The downside is violence: if you don’t convert, you are fair game for destruction.

Ethno-fascism is an identity based religion like Hinduism or some of the Middle Eastern sects like the Druze. There is an in group and an out group. The upside could be that they leave you alone if you leave them alone (though the Nazis clearly didn’t do that). The downside is that if you’re not in the in group you’re sub-human and therefore fair game for destruction.

I prefer centrist dada-ism myself.

And one is a perversion of political economy, whereas one is a perversion of science.

What are you driving at here, Lucky?

I wondered the same, but then assumed Communism is the perversion of economics and Fascism is a perversion of science. Am I correct @Luckyguy1983 ?

Yes.

Senedd poll from YouGov with an eye watering drop in Labour support

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 SENEDD POLL | Labour plunge to just 14%

🟩 PLAID – 30% (-)
➡️ REF – 29% (+4)
🔴 LAB – 14% (-4)
🔵 CON – 11% (-2)
🟠 LD – 6% (-1)
🟢 GRN – 6% (+1)

Via @YouGov, 4-10 Sep (+/- vs 23-30 Apr)

Broken, sleazy Labour, Tories AND LibDems on the slide!

Labour at 14% in Wales is extraordinary but I am not the least bit surprised

As I have said previously, Starmer's red flag will be May 26 if this continues

It is not impossible that Labour come 5th in Holyrood. Given both Starmer and Sarwar’s utter incompetence, such a result would be well deserved.

Lewis Goodall
@lewis_goodall
Catastrophic
@ITVWales
polling from
@YouGov
showing Labour cratering in Wales in a distant third for the Senedd. Straight Plaid/Reform battle.

* Plaid 30% (n/c)
* Reform 29% (+4)
* Labour 14% (-4)
* Conservatives 11% (-2)
* Lib Dem 6% (-1)
* Green 6% (+1)

If realised could well be terminal for Starmer. It’s Wales, not Scotland which could finish him next year.

https://x.com/lewis_goodall/status/1967998859789078786

Comparing Nazism and Communism as ideologies is perhaps a category error, because they are not strictly comparable.

Communism is a universalist, evangelical religion like Christianity or Islam. The upside of that is inclusivity: anyone can belong if they convert to the faith. The downside is violence: if you don’t convert, you are fair game for destruction.

Ethno-fascism is an identity based religion like Hinduism or some of the Middle Eastern sects like the Druze. There is an in group and an out group. The upside could be that they leave you alone if you leave them alone (though the Nazis clearly didn’t do that). The downside is that if you’re not in the in group you’re sub-human and therefore fair game for destruction.

I prefer centrist dada-ism myself.

And one is a perversion of political economy, whereas one is a perversion of science.

What are you driving at here, Lucky?

“I think you're some kind of deviated prevert. I think …. found out about your preversion, and that you were organizing some kind of mutiny of preverts.”

A JD Vance-type backstory and announcing running for Senate in Kentucky:



Logan Forsythe
@loganforky

I'm Logan Forsythe.

I grew up on Medicaid and food stamps. Stripped tobacco at the age of 7. Lived in the back of a Dodge Caravan in HS. Married a teacher. Served my country.

Now, I’m running for Senate because KY families deserve better than cuts to Medicaid, SNAP & vets’ services.

If you're pissed off like me, join our campaign today.

https://x.com/loganforky/status/1967876123682898243

Well, I'd vote for him. Interestingly, his campaign vid doesn't mention which party he's standing for, or even if he is a party member.

Interesting he uses the British form 'pissed off' rather than what I understood to be the American form 'pissed'.