The big lesson progressives need to learn to counter right wing populism

The inauguration of Donald Trump raises lots of uncertainty about what’s next for our economy and democracy — but one thing’s clear: the effects of a right wing populist presidency are already being felt in the UK. Like in the US, we’re already seeing a toxic mix of attacks on the government, misinformation, and racism on the rise. It should concern us all that Elon Musk — the US tech billionaire, Donald Trump appointee, and far right cheerleader — has so easily been able to set the political and news agenda. Even more worryingly, is how this has emboldened some politicians to make racist statements disguised around ​‘cultural differences’. And, with groups promoting divisive ideologies that target minorities organising across the UK, the impact on our communities could be huge.

To understand how we got here, we need to look back in history. It’s now forty years since Reagan and Thatcher tore up the post-war consensus. The rise in economic inequality generated by neoliberal policies is widely understood. Less recognised is the full-on assault on the institutions that once connected people. Communities have been ripped apart by the loss of unionised jobs and the fire sale of community assets like community centres, youth clubs, and libraries following the financial crash.

This decay has left a void. Tech billionaires have replaced real connection with fake friends and fake news. Community is now accessed through apps that mine our data and financialise our rela​tion​ships​.In this vacuum of cheap products, empty likes, and divisive ​“hot takes,” anxiety has grown and fear taken root. It is the perfect context for the far right to flourish.

So much of Trump’s victory was rooted in this violence of individualism — which has also laid the foundation for far-right authoritarianism globally. Having weakened institutions of collective action like trade unions, neoliberalism tells you that your precarious economic situation is your own fault, producing a sort of existential shame. Neoliberal society offers no practical way of releasing you from this shame, except by projecting it onto those worse off than you – migrants, Muslims, people who claim benefits – or by attaching the blame onto ​“shadowy figures”who conservatives say have rigged the system like the woke elite or ​‘the globalists’.

“Progressives have failed to grasp what could unite people across diverse working class communities — turning a profound sense of powerlessness into a feeling of power.”

In this context, progressives have failed to grasp what could unite people across diverse working class communities — turning a profound sense of powerlessness into a feeling of power. The far right have not missed this opportunity. Steve Bannon, MAGA’s chief movement architect, understands this discontent and how to meet that sense of alienation head-on, offering a path to self-empowerment. ​“This is all about your agency” and ​“Action, action, action,” Bannon says to Trump supporters on his podcast the War Room. Nigel Farage knows how to tap into a sense of powerlessness too — his slogan of ​‘Take Back Control’ spoke to this. Without addressing this bedrock of atomisation, unhappiness, and pain, the authoritarian right will always have an advantage. We need to build relational power across communities.

Rebuilding a genuine civil society means constructing and supporting organisations deeply rooted in communities and built around people, from trade unions to organisations led by and serving minoritised communities, to cooperatives, sports clubs, faith groups, and youth-led initiatives. Without them, the capacity to build relationships across differences and unite around a common cause will continue to deteriorate.

Throughout the UK, there are thousands of extraordinary people tackling poverty and inequality. You are unlikely to find them in the corridors of power, activist circles, or political party meetings — but they are often at the forefront of picking up the pieces of communities hit by decades of cuts and neglect. Independent organisations like Himmah in Nottingham, the East Midlands food bank and justice organisation, and Mama Health and Poverty Project, a Black women-led network aiming to eradicate inequalities for Black women and girls in Greater Manchester, are examples of the leadership driving initiatives like Power to Prosper, our partnership with the Runnymede Trust. And in Greater Manchester, alongside Middleton Cooperating, Our Agency, and Mama Health, we have come together to campaign for a Living Income. But this work has gone beyond the campaigns themselves. We’ve forged strong, lasting bonds within and across diverse communities — connections that will endure, regardless of the campaign outcomes.

Yet in too many communities across Britain, such organisations are absent. Places like the Little London Estate in South Yorkshire show us that without these anchors, organising becomes the only route to reweaving the relationships that are critical to resisting the atomisation on which the far right thrives.

“Community organising is about transferring power to everyday people, and that’s why so many politicians are scared of it.”

Through organising together, we build deep, enduring relationships — grounded in shared values, common struggles, and a collective hope for change. These ​“thick relationships” bind us into a powerful force, committed not only to the change we need but also to each other. This process stands in direct opposition to the isolation and fragmentation fostered by neoliberalism.

Community organising is about transferring power to everyday people, and that’s why so many politicians are scared of it — including many of those in the Labour Party. But the solution to figures like Trump and Musk can not only be party political. In a period in which people feel a deep cynicism about politicians and politics, there is an urgent need to reconnect people with democracy. This demands a long term investment in growing the political leadership of everyday people at the forefront of making change in Britain.

The truth is building relational power is the only way to counter the isolation, anxiety and fear we feel through neoliberalism. If we are serious about defeating the far right, community organising is not optional — it is essential. It is the only way to address our sense of powerlessness and to replace the power of the billionaires with a society rooted in justice, equality, and yes, love.

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