It was a lovely sunny day. A gentle breeze russled the leaves of the trees in London’s Saint James Park. Ian Miller gazed out of the window of his office. He smiled at the sight of the little children with their black or mixed race nannies. The children played happily under the watchful gaze of the servants. “Gods in his heaven and alls right with the world” popped unbidden into Ian’s head. The United Kingdom in the year 2050 was a stable and prosperous country and Ian was proud that in some small way he was responsible for maintaining that peace and tranquillity.

Ian shuddered as he remembered the chaos which had engulfed the country in the 2030s and early 2040s. Following the UK’s decision to leave the European Union in 2015 the economy had nose dived. The EU had erected trade barriers putting UK PLC at a competitive disadvantage as the country’s manufacturers had to pay heavy tariffs in order to do business with the EU. The decision to exit the EU also meant that the free flow of labour and capital was stifled leading to economic stagnation and growing social unrest. Racial tensions had grown with large numbers of white Britons blaming black and other ethnic minorities for the countries difficulties. Black and Asian businesses had been attacked and to counter the onslaught gangs of black and Asian youths where formed to protect their communities.

Cometh the hour, cometh the man. In 2035 the British Patriot Party (BPP) was formed by a group of disaffected people on the far right of the Conservative Party. For a brief period the party was led by the charming but ineffective Lord Microft. The party’s programme emphasised a return to governance by the landed and business elites, the reintroduction of national service, harsher punishments for criminals including the death penalty for murder and a halt to all future immigration. In January 3036 Microft was replaced by John Marks a small businessman from Leeds. The party’s programme was extended to appeal to a broader cross section of disaffected white Britons. Demands for the reintroduction of the death penalty and national service where joined by a proposal to “encourage the voluntary repatriation of non whites with generous resettlement grants to their countries of origin”. The Programme went on “We recognise that not all black and other minorities will wish to leave the UK. Anyone wishing to stay is welcome to remain, however in return for the hospitality afforded to them by the United Kingdom they will be expected to serve the indigenous (white community). Non-whites who remain will be treated humanely, however they will not be permitted to own property (other than personal possessions, E.G. clothes), all rights to own property will be restricted to the indigenous (white) peoples of these islands”.

The party saw a steady growth in support among all sections of the white community. The working classes where attracted by the prospect of the removal of black and other ethnic minority competition to their labour while the middle class liked the party’s emphasis on social order. Unlike other parties of the far right Marks was careful to avoid any hint of association with Nazism. Any member who expressed public admiration for Nazi Germany was immediately expelled and the wearing of Nazi style uniforms resulted in a life long ban on party membership. This rejection of Nazi and Fascist ideas convinced people who would never have considered voting for an avowedly Nazi party to join or at least to cast their vote for the party at local and general elections.

The general election of May 2040 saw the election of a weak coalition of conservative and liberal parties. The inability of the coalition to govern lead to the calling of a fresh election in May 2041. While the BPP didn’t win a majority it held the balance of power and following the failure of negociations between the Conservative and several smaller parties on the forming of a coalition Marks was summoned to Buckingham Palace by the Queen and asked to form a government.

To be continued