Angry White People: Coming Face-to-Face with the British Far Right

by Hsiao-Hung Pai, Benjamin Zephaniah (Foreword by)

Overview

'An enlightening, thoughtful and intelligent study.'
The Independent

There is a new anger brewing in Britain. In the pubs and estates, the cafes and football stadiums, the mood is unsettled. People kick back increasingly against whoever or whatever is presented as the latest scapegoat.

Delving deep into the day-to-day of a marginalized section of the working class, Angry White People offers an unparalleled survey of this anxious, uncertain, febrile Britain. From the English Defence League (EDL) to UKIP activists, Hsiao-Hung Pai conducts a fantastically daring investigation. Amongst those she follows are Darren, a Lutonian who helped found the EDL but is now a dedicated anti-racist Labour activist, and Tommy Robinson, infamous founder of the EDL, whom Pai observes changing from a young, foul-mouthed kid to a suited-and-booted Oxford Union guest speaker and hate preacher.

Uncovering disturbing levels of racism in our society which must be confronted, Pai also identifies concerns arising from exclusion and inequality in a post-industrial economy. Angry White People is the essential account of social discontent in Britain today.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781783608270
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	03/15/2016
Pages:	400
Product dimensions:	1.00(w) x 1.00(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Hsiao-Hung Pai is a writer best known for her books Chinese Whispers: The True Story behind Britain's Hidden Army of Labour, which was shortlisted for the 2009 Orwell Prize, and Scattered Sand: The Story of China's Rural Migrants, which won the Bread and Roses Award in 2013. Pai's third book, Invisible: Britain's Migrant Sex Workers, was published in 2013. As part of her research for the book, Pai worked undercover as a maid in brothels all over the country. Pai's first work of fiction, Hidden Army of Labour, was published in the Chinese language in Taiwan and China.

Pai has lived in the UK since 1991. She is a contributor to the Guardian and many UK-Chinese publications.
Hsiao-Hung Pai is a writer best known for her books Chinese Whispers: The True Story behind Britain's Hidden Army of Labour, which was shortlisted for the 2009 Orwell Prize, and Scattered Sand: The Story of China's Rural Migrants, which won the Bread and Roses Award in 2013. Pai's third book, Invisible: Britain's Migrant Sex Workers, was published in 2013. As part of her research for the book, Pai worked undercover as a maid in brothels all over the country. Pai's first work of fiction, Hidden Army of Labour, was published in the Chinese language in Taiwan and China.

Pai has lived in the UK since 1991. She is a contributor to the Guardian and many UK-Chinese publications.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements vii

List of abbreviations ix

Foreword Benjamin Zephaniah xi

1 Born and Bred Here 1

2 Defending the Imaginary Nation 65

3 The Story of Bury Park 111

4 'The EDL Cannot Survive Here' 151

5 The Changing Faces of the Radical Right 193

6 The Colours of British Racism 235

7 The New Outsiders 287

Afterword 359

Index 369

Editorial Reviews

The virtue of Pai's work is that, because she has many conversations and reproduces them at length, complexity is conveyed… The malignity of those - a minority - in the white working class who are racist and violent should be exposed: Pai does that well.” —Financial Times

“At a time when far-right politics are sweeping across Europe and beyond, this book provides an important insight into not only the likely driving forces behind such movements but also the effect they have on the mainstream.” —Left Foot Forward

“An important contribution to studies of far-right politics.” —LSE Review of Books

“An interesting and detailed insight into some of the some of the leading players in contemporary far-right movements in Britain.” —Muslim World Book Review

“A lucid account of a deluded movement….Hsiao-Hung Pai deserves high praise for going to some very dark places and bringing out invaluable information to aid the fight against racism and fascism.” —New Internationalist

“Hsiao-Hung skilfully draws out the sense of abandonment by mainstream politicians that has led some people to support the EDL and others to favour the UK Independence Party….[the book] could form a useful basis for policy formation.” —New Statesman

“A valuable insight into the minds of people who choose to hate.” —Peace News

“An enlightening, thoughtful and intelligent study in what makes the far right tick, their political strategy and aims, and how they build support for them.” —The Independent

“A hugely insightful account by one of the bravest contemporary jourbanalists in the business.” —The Morning Star

“[Pai] not only describes the origin of the EDL, what makes it tick and its relation to other far-right movements in Britain. She also daringly investigates the personal and societal circumstances that push many Britons to join their ranks. Her book is a true eye-opener and a reminder that much remains to be done.” —The World Today

“Pai should be congratulated for tackling the subject and doing it with courage and passion….[a] timely contribution.” —Times Literary Supplement

“One of Britain's best investigative jourbanalists, Pai addresses a defining issue of our time: the nature of extremism. Driven by an unrelenting curiosity that takes her deep into the world of her subjects, the result is one of the finest accounts of the British far Right.” —Arun Kundnani, author of The Muslims are Coming! Islamophobia, Extremism, and the Domestic War on Terror

“The biggest fear of all of the mainstream politicians is that we understand how much we have in common … Unity is strength, and we should get to a point where we are not talking about black rights or white rights, Asian rights or rights for migrant workers, we [should] just be talking about our rights.” —Benjamin Zephaniah, from the Foreword

“With her calm and unflinching investigative jourbanalism, Hsiao-Hung Pai sheds light on the dynamics of class and racism in Britain today. Essential reading for anybody interested in the contemporary far right, and what feeds it.” —Daniel Trilling, author of Bloody Nasty People: The Rise of Britain's Far Right

“Hsiao-Hung Pai gives us a rich, complex picture of the "left behind" white voters and activists who have fuelled the resurgence of far right politics. Essential reading for anyone interested in understanding the economic, social and emotional forces which drive far right politics.” —Robert Ford, co-author of Revolt on the Right

“A remarkable book...patronising, hideously mistaken...metropolitan liberal...utterly incurious...dismissive...credulous...bone-headed…arrogant...absolutist.” —Rod Liddle, The Spectator

“A fascinating insight into the minds, motives and worldview of the EDL” —Wolfgang Deicke, Humboldt University Berlin

From the Publisher

“Angry White People is a lucid account of a deluded movement. . . . Hsiao-Hung Pai deserves high praise for going to some very dark places and bringing out invaluable information to aid the fight against racism and fascism.

New Internationalist

“Angry White People asks what draws people to organizations such as the English Defence League—and finds a long-felt disaffection. . . . Hsiao-Hung finds not only anger among residents at their present predicament, but also resentment and fear. This book is a timely one.

New Statesman

"Angry White People is an enlightening, thoughtful and intelligent study in what makes the far right tick, their political strategy and aims, and how they build support for them."

Independent - Hassan Mahamdallie

“Ambitiously charting the movement over two years, investigative journalist Pai importantly counters . . . [the] trend with a rich, detailed account not simply of the EDL, but also of the relationships between the various people involved in or affected by it. Accessibly written, Angry White People documents a series of conversations and encounters that Pai experienced in Luton, the town in which the EDL was formed, and although never described directly as such, it consequently reads like an oral history of a far-right movement.

LSE Review of Books

“Delving deep into the day-to-day of the most marginalized section of the white working-class, Pai concludes that their ideologies are not an aberration in modern British society.”
 

New Humanist

“Pai not only describes the origin of the EDL, what makes it ticks and its relation to other far-Right movements in Britain. She also daringly investigates the personal and societal circumstances that push many Britons to join their ranks. Her book is a true eye-opener and a reminder that much remains to be done.

The World Today

“At a time when far-right politics are sweeping across Europe and beyond, this book provides an important insight into not only the likely driving forces behind such movements but also the effect they have on the mainstream.

Left Foot Forward

"An exemplary account of the working class milieu in which a version of the far right began."

rs21 - David Renton

“With her calm and unflinching investigative journalism, Pai sheds light on the dynamics of class and racism in Britain today. Essential reading for anybody interested in the contemporary far right, and what feeds it.

Daniel Trilling

"Pai has an engaging way with her journalism. . . . The virtue of Pai's work is that, because she has many conversations and reproduces them at length, complexity is uncovered."

Financial Times

“One of Britain’s best investigative journalists, Pai addresses a defining issue of our time: the nature of extremism. Driven by an unrelenting curiosity that takes her deep into the world of her subjects, the result is one of the finest accounts of the British far Right.

Arun Kundnani

“With a fire raging under the migration debate, not just in Europe but around the world, Pai . . . offer[s a] timely contribution.”
 

Times Literary Supplement

"Seeks to show how necessary it is to challenge the broader social issues that create the conditions in which racism can thrive. Angry White People is a useful addition to our anti-racist tool box."

Socialist Review

“Pai gives us a rich, complex picture of the ‘left behind’ white voters and activists who have fuelled the resurgence of far right politics. Essential reading for anyone interested in understanding the economic, social and emotional forces which drive far right politics.

Robert Ford

“The majority of the book is about the individuals who make up Britain’s far right—people who are seen at demos, fuelled up and ready for a ruck—but whose stories are rarely heard. They are angry, marginalized, and looking for reasons to blame for their poverty. Watching your home town change from a virtually white monoculture to a multi-cultural community with a large Muslim population offers an easy target.”
 

Peace News

"Pai has an engaging way with her journalism. . . . The virtue of Pai's work is that, because she has many conversations and reproduces them at length, complexity is uncovered."

Financial Times