THERE was another far-Right rally last weekend, this time in Glasgow. A good number of Saltires were flown, and there were the usual shouts that immigrants should go home. The rally that was held in London the weekend before was even more disturbing (News, 19 September). First was its sheer size: it was estimated that between 110,000 and 150,000 people were present. Even allowing for the fact that they were no doubt bused in from different parts of the country, this is a very significant number.
Second, the fact that, besides many Union and St George’s flags, there were wooden crosses, and flags bearing Christian symbols. Crowds were led in chants of “Christ is King” and encouraged to pray while being urged to defend “God, faith, family, and homeland”.
Christian nationalism has long been a feature of American culture, and was a prominent feature of the memorial service for Charlie Kirk on Sunday. It has been condemned by the House of Bishops of the Episcopal Church “as an idolatry of a white supremacist national ideology that uses the Christian religion as its justification”, and, as such, “an apostasy” that violates the first two commandments. It has come to Europe, especially in Hungary, where Viktor Orbán claims to be defending Christian civilisation and values against Islam.
Until recently, this theme has been fairly subdued in Britain. Nigel Farage, who wants to distance himself from the far Right, but whose message resonates with it, has occasionally talked about Judaeo-Christian values, but this has not formed a large part of his rhetoric. A straw in the wind, however, may be the recent defection of Danny Kruger, the MP for East Wiltshire, from the Conservatives to Reform, as he has explicitly called recently for a revival of ourselves as a Christian nation (News, 25 July). Perhaps judging that he will not get much take-up for that in the present Conservative Party, he has more hopes of Reform.
THE problem, of course, is that, while God, faith, family, and homeland are all good things in themselves, these slogans are being used to divide the country. An emphasis on faith, which is usually taken to mean the Christian faith, excludes those who do not share it. An emphasis on family highlights those who do not fit the usual family pattern. An assertion of homeland immediately distances those who have come to this country from another homeland. These slogans are being used in a highly aggressive and divisive way.
One action that the Government could take would be to give more attention to promoting fundamental British values. These had an unfortunate start in 2011, as they were introduced as part of the Prevent programme rather than put forward in themselves as an essential feature of our life together.
They are also clumsily worded and defective, but could be easily strengthened along the lines of my Private Member’s Bill in the House of Lords. But, even as they stand, defined as “democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, and mutual respect and tolerance of different faiths and beliefs”, much more could be made of them. This is particularly so if it was done in conjunction with the 2010 Equality Act, with its nine protected characteristics of religion, sexuality, race, gender, etc. These values, which bind us together as a society, could act as a counterweight to the divisive slogans of the far Right.
The problem, of course, is that values are rather abstract and do not carry the emotional force of flags or chants; so more needs to be done. Perhaps in areas where there are significant communities of people of South Asian, African, or Caribbean origin, flags could be hung there, to show that the flag includes all those who are UK citizens.
Then, to those who want to lead chants of “Christ is King” at such rallies, I wonder whether they have thought of making sure that the group that they bring to such gatherings includes those who are non-white? Of course, it might be dangerous for them, but it would be a sign that their Christianity was not just a form of anti-immigration protest. After all, as we know, some of our liveliest Christian congregations now are made up of people whose families originally came from outside the UK.
THERE is no doubt that immigration is an explosive point in our society, and any government must try seriously to address the fears expressed in some communities about the effect of this on housing and welfare, as well as that of rapid change in the make-up of their communities. Patrician liberalism has no place. Many people are feeling disturbed and resentful. Unfortunately, this is resulting in terrible abuse of those who are different in some way, especially immigrants. Many feel vulnerable.
The swing to the Right in this country and elsewhere is not just due to immigration or to anti-woke rhetoric, however: it is the result of a swing away from the ideology that has dominated recent decades, in which free choice has been seen as almost the only value.
Recent decades have been dominated by a combination of market and social liberalism. In the market, let people buy and sell what they want; in the social sphere, let them do what they want. But free choice cannot exist on its own. It needs to be embedded in a wider set of values. The US Vice-President, J. D. Vance, said recently that we needed a post-liberal politics. But that is wrong, because liberalism — that is, an emphasis on personal choice — is a fundamental good of our society.
We do not want to be “post-liberal”, but what we do need is a common-good liberalism, a liberalism that is rooted in and supported by a wider set of values that make for the good of the whole community — and that includes patriotism. So-called “Blue Labour”, led by Lord Glasman, tried to get the Labour Party to see this a few years ago, but it was met with something of a rebuff. Sadly, what we are now seeing in society is a sign that a chance was missed.
The Churches, in conjunction with other faith communities, have an important part to play at the moment in promoting a sense of social cohesion. We can thank God that Anglican bishops, in particular, have, in recent years, built up good relationships with other religious leaders. They have an opportunity now to affirm with them those fundamental values that we share, and to help communities to express and symbolise an inclusive patriotism.
The Rt Revd Lord Harries of Pentregarth is a former Bishop of Oxford, and the author of Faith in Politics? Rediscovering the Christian Roots of our political values (SPCK). He reviews The Letters of T. S. Eliot: Volume 10, 1942-1944 here.
Next week: Nick Spencer considers how flags convey meaning.