How to disempower the far right

It is no secret that the far right has been on the rise in recent years across the world. And yet – results such as the one we have just seen in Hungary show that it can be defeated.
 
In a recent article for Resilience, written with public intellectual and major YouTuber Vlad Vexler, I argue that the best route to defeating the far right – and unifying in the face of rapidly deepening ecological crises – is pluralism. Not requiring everyone to agree on everything, but collaborating on what unites us.
 
At present, we are living through what might be called a grim kind of opportunity: a “great unifier”. Global ecological breakdown will affect everyone. That reality should act as a lightning rod for political concern across almost the entire spectrum – with the exception of outright denial.
 
But when we make agreement on other issues a prerequisite for climate concern, we risk alienating large parts of the population, and in doing so inadvertently strengthen the far right’s narratives – anti-science, anti-climate, and conspiratorial claims about a “radical” agenda.

We have more in common than divides us.

As the late Jo Cox put it, we have far more in common than that which divides us. Focusing on those shared concerns is how we begin to disempower the far right’s politics of division – of polarisation, and of pitting neighbour against neighbour.
 
Alongside this, I often emphasise the importance of change at the community level. We cannot simply wait for the “right” person to enter Number 10. But politics still matters – and we have a role to play in shaping it.

This is where the coming elections matter.

For my British readers: local elections are taking place on 7th May – the largest set since the 2024 General Election. These include parliamentary elections in Scotland and Wales, as well as council and mayoral elections across England. Please do check what is happening in your area.
 
Make sure you are registered to vote – the deadline is 20th April. If you plan to vote by post or postal proxy, the deadline is 21st April; for proxy voting, it is 28th April. A reminder too that ID is now required to vote in UK elections – it must be the original document. The deadline to apply for free voter ID in England is also 28th April.

Who we empower now matters.

It is vital that we empower those who genuinely have our communities’ interests at heart. I hope you will vote Green – I’ll be out campaigning with the Greens across East Anglia this weekend, and these may well be the most significant elections yet for the party, a sign that even at this dark moment, active hope remains.

But above all – be certain to vote.

Thank you, as ever, for your continued interest in my work – and please continue to connect with me online through my various social media channels, and to support my posts to spread the message further.

Finally, if you want to receive this information, please join my mailing list (link here on the website).