The Combination Act of 1799 - passed under the Govt of William Pitt the Younger as a response to Jacobin activity & the fear that workers would strike during a conflict - prohibited trade unions & collective bargaining by British workers.
Throughout the 1790s, the war against France was presented as an ideological struggle between French republicanism vs. British monarchism, with the British government seeking to mobilise public opinion in support of the war.
The Pitt government waged a vigorous propaganda campaign, contrasting the 'ordered' society of Britain dominated by the aristocracy & the gentry, with the "anarchy" of the French revolution. Pitt's Govt always sought to associate British "radicals" with the revolution in France.
Like the current Govt, the Pitt Govt drastically reduced civil liberties. It created a nationwide spy network with ordinary people being encouraged to denounce any "radicals" in their midst, & fermented a "popular conservative movement" that rallied in defence of King & Country.
The 1799 Combination Act drove labour organisations underground & toward militancy, with Unions subject to often severe repression.
Sympathy for the plight of the workers led to Unions being decriminalised when the Combination Act was repealed in 1824.
In response to a series of strikes that followed Union decriminalisation, the 1825 Combinations of Workmen Act decriminalised trade unions, but severely restricted their activity, prohibiting collective bargaining for better terms & conditions, & suppressing the right to strike.
Following the 1825 Combinations of Workmen Act, growing numbers of workers joined Unions in their efforts to achieve better wages & working conditions.
Generally much less radical but more permanent trade unions were established from the 1850s onwards.
The London Trades Council, uniting London's trade unionists, was founded in 1860, & the Sheffield Outrages (a series of explosions & murders by a group of trade unionist militants carried out in 1860s Sheffield) spurred the establishment of the Trades Union Congress in 1868.
The legal status of trade unions was established by the 1867 Royal Commission on Trade Unions, which despite hostility to the idea of legalising trade unions, agreed that the establishment of Unions was to the advantage of both employers & employees.
Unions were fully legalised with the adoption of the Trade Union Act 1871 - although the 1871 Criminal Law Amendment Act (fully repealed by the Trade Union & Labour Relations Act 1974) made picketing illegal.
Between 1862 & 1875, the average wage increased by 40%.
Aided by the billionaire-owned UK news media (Mail, Sun, Times, Metro, TalkTV and GB "News"), populist politicians push a cynical, divisive, and dangerously irresponsible false narrative that Britain is 'lawless'.
Founded in 2021 and srongly linked to Nigel Farage's "friend", billionaire Palantir CEO Peter Thiel, US VP JD Vance, and a constellation of conservative media and political figures, Rockbridge presents itself as a vehicle for advancing conservative causes.
The NYT reported in 2022 that Thiel is one of the major donors to the Rockbridge Network, alongside Rebekah Mercer. It planned to spend over $30M on conservative media, legal, policy, and voter registration projects. Thiel’s financial support is a clue.
'Flag Force UK': The “Grassroots” Group With Hidden Think Tank Ties.
Flag Force UK presents itself as a patriotic, grassroots movement “built by enthusiasts, for enthusiasts.” But closer inspection suggests it may be a coordinated #astroturf operation...
Supposedly based in York, 'Flag Force UK' self-identifies as a "grass roots" campaign set up by three men who 'just wanted to put England and Union flags up', and which already brands itself as "the UK's premier community network tracking flag raisings across the nation."
Rapid Growth, Opaque Origins
Flag Force UK appeared suddenly in August 2025, yet within weeks, its account on @X had amassed a suspicious 12,000 followers — unusually rapid growth for a new, 'volunteer-led' group with little media coverage or on-the-ground activity.
Robert Jenrick’s attendance at the Epping anti-refugee protest on August 18, 2025, represents a grave error of judgment, dangerously irresponsible behaviour, and a morally indefensible decision, particularly given his role as Shadow Justice Secretary.
Jenrick posted photos showing himself at the protest outside the Bell hotel in Epping, where police have been attacked.
A Stand Up to Racism spokesman said “Jenrick is fanning the flames of the far-right by chasing Reform UK votes, and he’s giving confidence to known fascists.”
The rally, organised by the neo-Nazi Homeland Party provided a platform for extremists. Jenrick shared a photo of himslef next to Eddy Butler, former Combat 18 founder and ex-BNP organiser.
A coordinated political project is reshaping Britain in the image of Trump’s MAGA movement.
Reform UK—fuelled by wealthy donors, ideologically aligned think tanks, and a network of right-wing media—has ambitions unlike anything in modern UK politics.
The goal is clear: install Farage as PM, backed by policies and rhetoric that mirror America’s populist right.
Recent events, including JD Vance’s high-profile visit, reveal a deliberate and potentially transformational transatlantic political strategy.
Richard Tice's shameful rhetoric is dangerously irresponsible, and has clear historical parallels with Nazi propaganda, which depicted Jewish men as threats to German women, stoking fear and justifying persecution.
No civilised democracy effectively encourages vigilantism.
The Nazi tabloid Der Stürmer often portrayed Jewish men as sexual predators targeting German women.
A 1935 piece titled "Jews as Sexual Predators," claimed Jewish men committed heinous sexual crimes against Christian women and girls, citing fabricated or exaggerated cases.
The 1935 story described a Jewish man, Kurt Meyer, allegedly murdering a pregnant Christian housemaid, and another, Louis Schloß, supposedly drugging and abusing non-Jewish girls. There is no credible evidence to support these specific claims.