Fear, Hate, and Beer: England's Tea Party

English Defense League: Inside the Violent World of Britain's New Far Right (The Guardian)

Driven by fear and hate, and fueled by pints of strong ale, the lumpenproletariats of Britain’s culturally diverse cities have found a new target for their anger over Britain’s stagnant economy – their Islamic neighbors. There’s nothing like unembarrassed ignorance coupled with a soaring blood alcohol content to really stimulate a mob’s aggressive behavior. Like their American Tea Party cousins, members of the English Defense League wrap themselves in the flag, swearing to defend their country from the growing hordes of foreign looking citizens seeking to overthrow centuries of Christian dominance. Demagogues like Gingrich and Limbaugh, and anti-intellectuals like Palin and Beck, foment fear and mistrust of all who are different. “I’m tired of ignorance held up as inspiration, where vicious anti-intellectualism is considered a positive trait, and where uninformed opinion is displayed as fact,” (Phil Plait, The Mainstreaming of Crazy).

Liberty is not for these slaves; I do not advocate inflicting it against their conscience. On the contrary, I am strongly in favor of letting them crawl and grovel all they please before whatever fraud or combination of frauds they choose to venerate...Our whole practical government is grounded in mob psychology and.. the Boobus Americanus will follow any command that promises to make him safer.
H. L. Menchen, 1956