welcome to part two of my "the far right and the modern world" series of threads. that's what it feels like anyway.

so i was talking to my flatmate last night, she's a south african, few years older than me so lived through the fall of apartheid. she's not politically inclined but i was having a good old natter at her about this bnp thing, and she asked me the very salient question, "so where's it all going to lead?"

and where is it going to lead? i can't see the bnp themselves ever gaining massive power, or even ukip when it comes to the next general election. nor can i see them being destroyed, even by themselves. so what difference is it going to make? will there be a social difference? will the election of the bnp encourage skinhead thug gangs to go round beating up third generation immigrants from the ex-colonies? will it encourage the major parties to make a leap even more to the right to try and strangle their support? will there be fighting on the streets? riots? more placard-waving? can we expect any long-term consequences?

i know there's a lot of 'worst-case scenario' stuff, and i'm as guilty of entertaining that in my mind as the next person, but how realistic is any of it?

(btw, i put rise in inverted commas because i know there's some scepticism as to whether there even is a rise of the bnp)