Do The British People Fear Fascism Is Spreading Across The World In Wake Of Donald Trump Victory?

[anotheoldgit]

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/fascism-spreading-across-world-bmg-poll-trump-brexit-le-pen-wilders-petry-a7492981.html

This 'exclusive' study shows half of Britons believe fascist views are on the rise in the US, UK and Europe.

How can they possibly claim that?

Surely they mean that 50% of the people who bothered to vote in the BMG poll, thought so?

[Khandro]

In line 1 in my above post, please replace fuelled with enacted, sorry

[jourdain2]

I would be very reluctant to answer any question that referred to 'fascism' without having a clear definition of what the questioner meant by the term. Very often it is used instead of 'right-wing' these days. The equivalent would be branding 'left-wing' as 'communist'.

Unfortunately, the terms are, more and more, being conflated.

[Mamyalynne]

I do online Polls every day (mostly YouGov) - their questions are usually quite clear but in a case like this I agree there needs to be a strong clear definition of what you are being asked.

[Jackdaw33]

As the word is derived from the 'fasces' a bundle of rods and an axe carried by lictors who accompanied Roman magistrates, symbolising their authority to carry out punishment if the magistrate so decreed, I would be hard put to put a cigarette paper between Stalin's Russia and Hitler's Germany. I would translate the word as authoritarian, whether left or right.

[ToraToraTora]

no

[jourdain2]

Thanks, Jackdaw. I had a vague idea that wood and axes came into it somewhere.

[Togo]

Just another disaffected minority group using a little "poll" to ignite mistrust, hatred, and division.....so that they can play firefighter.

[youngmafbog]

No

[Ninefingers]

Has potential for another popcorn thread this does.

No Trump does not represent an increase in Fascism in any way shape or form, what he does represent, in the extreme, is a society that so fed up with left wing elitist politics that they'll elect someone like Donald Trump.

Sadly you could link the poll result to a rise in right wing support, that's a completely different ballgame but it's sources are the same as a rise in Fascism, Left wing politcs, appeasement, social and political correctness; the more politically centre ground people are stuck with it the more they'll push towards supporting the right, it's all there in history if you want to read it

[ChillDoubt]

Given how fantastically wide of the mark polls have been over the last 18 months in relation to major events(Scottish referendum, the Election, Brexit and the US Presidential election to name but a few) I'm surprised they're given much credence these days.

[dave50]

I dont know anyone among my friends, work colleagues or family who has raised this point or would be remotely interested. They just want to get on with their lives.

[mikey4444]

Chill....I am not sure that the Polls were that much wide of the mark in all the cases that you mention. Most of the Polls I saw gave a minority result.

In the case of the American Election, they got it pretty well bang on the nail....more people DID vote for Hilary than actually voted for Trump !

I don't recall the Scottish Ref. Polls being wrong at all. And the 2015 Election only gave the Tories a small minority, which is smaller now that it was in May 2015.

[ChillDoubt]

They were all wrong with their projections mikey..... And by some distance.