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@docrussjackson
Mar 2, 2023 • 32 tweets • 11 min read • Read on X
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#THREAD

Yesterday, at a 'counter-extremism' conference organised by the Govt appointed Commissioner for Countering Extremism, Robin Simcox, Suella Braverman predictably blamed 'political correctness' for 'Islamist terrorism', gaining a culture war front page in Murdoch's Times.

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This is a #THREAD about how the Govt's divisive, misleading, & dangerously irresponsible rhetoric has been carefully choreographed over the last three years, by a Tory Govt which works hand-in-hand with a network of opaquely funded ideologically extreme right-wing 'think tanks'.
It centres on the background, ideology, & appointment of Robin Simcox, & William Shawcross's recently published highly partisan #PREVENT review.

Imho, important information about Simcox has been deliberately concealed from voters by the Govt & the billionaire-owned press. Image
In November 2021, Priti Patel said it was "an honour" to give a keynote speech on security at the Koch-funded ideologically extreme Heritage Foundation think tank in the US, which rejects the scientific consensus on climate change, in which she focused on Hamas & antisemitism. Image
The Heritage Foundation is an influential US neoliberal free-market fundamentalist think tank that represents the interests of the 0.1%.

Charles WL Hill: "given that the Heritage Foundation has a political agenda, its work should be viewed with caution."
Prior to his appointment, Robin Simcox worked at the UK's neo-con Henry Jackson Society, before becoming "Margaret Thatcher Fellow" at the Heritage Foundation.

An anti-Net Zero borderline far-right Koch stooge now heads the UK's Commission on Countering Extremism. Image
Facing accusations of downplaying Islamophobia, & known for his reactionary views, the "temporary" contract for the role of UK head of the 'Commission on Countering Extremism', appointed in March 2021, was extended for the Heritage Foundation's hard-right extremist Robin Simcox.
Ignored by the UK news media, Priti Patel made Simcox permanent head of the Commission for Countering Extremism. She had appointed him on an "interim" basis as a way to ease him into the job without going through a competitive process or having his CV scrutinised too closely.
Simcox was a "war on terror" enthusiast who claimed that "rendition, drones, detention without trial" are all “extremely effective" against terrorism - rendition means sending suspects to foreign dictatorships for torture: people who support torture are embedded in the UK Govt.
At the Heritage Foundation, Simcox argued that making "White Supremacy" the subject of a "countering violent extremism policy" was driven by "political correctness" - regardless of the dramatic increase in terrorist acts by white racists in the UK & US. Image
At the Heritage Foundation, Simcox argued that making "White Supremacy" the subject of a "countering violent extremism policy" was driven by "political correctness" - despite the dramatic increase in terrorist acts by white racists in the UK & US.

In September 2019, Simcox urged new PM Boris Johnson to monitor groups such as @XRebellionUK
& Unite Against Fascism @uaf as part of the Govt's "counter-extremism agenda", while also advising him to "push back" against claims of obvious Tory Islamophobia. theguardian.com/commentisfree/…
Simcox said Javid had “unhelpfully tried to force all his fellow Conservative leadership candidates to commit to undertaking an internal review", & warned of the “political extremism of anarchism, eco-socialism & radical anti-capitalist environmentalism”. heritage.org/terrorism/comm…
Back in January 2021, the Govt controversially appointed William Shawcross as Chair of an "independent" review of PREVENT.

There is a pattern of the UK Govt appointing extremist partisan allies to oversee so-called "independent" reviews & Commissions.

At the time, a coalition of 17 leading & respected human rights & community groups said they would boycott the UK Govt’s partisan review of the anti-radicalisation programme, PREVENT, in protest at the inappropriate appointment of Shawcross as its chair.
amnesty.org/en/latest/pres…
As a director of the Henry Jackson Society, Shawcross had expressed explicitly Islamophobic views, saying:

“Europe & Islam is one of the greatest, most terrifying problems of our future. I think all European countries have vastly, very quickly growing Islamic populations.”
The appointment of Shawcross made it crystal clear that the UK Govt had - & has - zero interest in conducting an objective & impartial PREVENT review, nor in engaging meaningfully with communities affected by it.

Its purpose is to downplay far-right terrorism & scapegoat Islam.
The PREVENT review was designed to whitewash the strategy & downplay far-right rhetoric & terrorism, without interrogating its harmful impacts on human rights & basic freedoms. It's an example of how the UK Govt is facilitating dangerous Orbanist antidemocratic authoritarianism. Image
Murdoch's & the UK Govt's "anti-woke" far-right rhetoric has consequences.

Days after the #BuffaloMassShooting in May, where a far-right white supremacist shot 11 black & two white victims in a “racially motivated hate crime”, leaks from the PREVENT review started to appear.

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Entirely predictably, & echoing Simcox's pre-existing views, the partisan PREVENT Review dutifully claimed what Patel & Braverman wanted it to: 'The Govt’s counter-terrorism programme has been too focused on right-wing extremism & should now crack down on Islamist extremism'.
The UK Govt is normalising far-right extremist rhetoric. The review misleadingly claims individuals are targeted for expressing 'mainstream right-wing views' because the definition of neo-Nazism had 'expanded too widely', while the focus on Islamist extremism has been too narrow.
Sir Peter Fahy, ex-Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Police & former police PREVENT lead, said leaked extracts suggested Shawcross’s findings were an unwarranted attempt to “politicise counter-terrorism policing” & it was “dangerous to play off one ideology against another”.
In March 2021, Fahy criticised the antidemocratic, authoritarian, anti-British, & anti-freedom 'Police, Crime, Sentencing & Courts Bill', which he argued was a politically-motivated reaction to #BlackLivesMatter & the @XRebellionUK protests.

theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/m…
Since Brexit, the UK Govt has been brazen about bringing in Koch-funded extremists from a global network of free-market extremist 'think tanks' to shape Govt policy, generate divisive culture war headlines in the right-wing media, & push Britain further right than ever before. Image
Instead of tackling far-right violence & far-right terrorism, the UK Government has fuelled it with grotesque scapegoating "invasion" rhetoric reminiscent of the Nazis, while introducing draconian anti-environmentalist & anti-union legislation to protect the 1% from the 99%. Image
Grotesque far-right rhetoric - including the use of antisemetic tropes & conspiracy theories, as well as the dangerously irresponsible "invasion" rhetoric - has been shamelessly normalised & mobilised by the current UK Government & the right-wing press.

This 'shameless normalisation' of far-right radicalisation rhetoric is now a very real, present, & dangerous threat to Britain.

That the UK Government has deliberately both downplayed &
manufactured it, is beyond reprehensible.
A #thread revealing how the catastrophic & thankfully brief premiership of Liz Truss was a direct consequence of the immense power & influence of the global network of opaquely funded free-market 'think tanks' working to replace democracy with oligarchy.

Britain’s *former top counter-terrorism officer* has said parts of William Shawcross's partisan government-backed #PREVENT review appear to be driven by right-wing ideology & are “insulting” to professionals fighting to stop attacks on Britain’s streets.

theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/f…
As stated earlier, in September 2019, Simcox urged PM Boris Johnson to monitor groups such as climate activists @XRebellionUK as part of the Govt's "counter-extremism agenda".

Just imagine the press, Govt, & Simcox's reaction had climate activists used an actual bomb in the UK.

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@XRebellionUK And here we are...
@XRebellionUK FFS where are Britain's investigative journalists?
standard.co.uk/news/london/lo…

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More from @docrussjackson

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Feb 6
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Tice amplifies this article by Allison Pearson, which is riddled with factual errors, misleading claims, selective omissions, and hyperbolic sensationalism which attempts to recast Lucy Connolly not as a bigot lawfully convicted of inciting racial hatred, but as a victim. Image
The Telegraph piece isn’t news reporting or balanced commentary - it’s propagandistic advocacy: a highly opinionated defence that relies on cherry-picked extracts from Connolly’s subject access request (SAR), filtered through anonymous barrister commentary and Pearson’s biases.
Where this narrative collides with or contradicts published court judgments, sentencing remarks, and appeal outcomes, attention-seeking propagandist Pearson predictably either downplays, distorts, or completely ignores them.

I've got 10 minutes, so here are the main problems...
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Jan 12
🧵 Musk’s ‘Fascist Britain’ Claim Is False

@elonmusk isn’t offering his 200M followers serious political analysis: he’s amplifying repeatedly debunked far-right disinformation and presenting it as evidence that a democratic state is illegitimate. He’s dangerously out of control. Image
The claim about arrests for online comments that Musk boosted originated with anonymous far-right disinformation superspreaer account, “Basil the Great”, well known for passing off unverified rumours as fact when there is zero supporting evidence.

Musk’s latest misleading post centres on a striking but deeply misleading graphic asserting that the UK has “the highest number of arrests for online comments in the world”.

I debunked it September and will now do so again today.

Read 37 tweets
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Dec 12, 2025
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Reform UK’s slick, stage-managed launch of a Christian Fellowship in St Michael’s Church is not some harmless Christmas-season publicity stunt. It is a clear and brazen step towards the Trumpification of UK politics, where religion is weaponised as a tool for cultural warfare and political mobilisation.

This is not organic Christian revival. It’s strategic political engineering.

Behind this development sit figures who have spent years trying to inject a US-style fusion of right-wing politics and religious identity into British political culture:

• Paul Marshall

A billionaire media financier with a clear ideological project: to build a hard-right cultural and religious counter-establishment. Through GB “News”, The |Spectator and UnHerd and other platforms he has amplified narratives about “woke attacks” on tradition, identity, and Christianity. The Islamophobic tweets he liked are disgusting. His network provides the media oxygen for precisely the kind of politicised Christianity on display at the Reform launch.

• James Orr

A Cambridge academic and prominent Anglican conservative intellectual, closely connected to the “post-liberal” movement and hard-right US conservative and Hungarian organisations. Orr openly promotes the idea of restoring Britain’s “Christian identity” through politics — a framing that sits uncomfortably close to the Christian-nationalist rhetoric of the US right. His advisory role to senior Reform figures is a clear sign of the ideological hardening underway.

• Danny Kruger

Long known for advocating a more “muscular” Christian politics, Kruger has repeatedly argued that the UK should explicitly root its laws and social policy in “Judeo-Christian values” - a dog whistle I explain in the next tweet.

This is the British echo of US culture-war evangelicalism: turning religion into a political badge, not a spiritual or moral tradition. His involvement in shaping Reform’s policy direction cements the party’s shift toward faith-infused populism.

• Calvin Robinson

Though no longer in the Church of England, disgraced former GBN presenter and political extremist Robinson remains one of the most prominent voices pushing an aggressive “anti-woke, anti-liberal” form of Christianity in the media — including endorsing narratives that paint inclusive or progressive churches as heretical. His alignment with Reform’s messaging shows how the party is deliberately courting polemical, grievance-driven Christian activism.

Together, these figures represent a new coalition: a British attempt to import the US religious-right model, with all its corrosive social consequences.

Using St Michael’s Cornhill — a church rooted in the conservative evangelical network — as the backdrop for this political spectacle is shocking in a UK context.

This is not merely a “religious event attended by politicians.” It was a political rally held in a church, wrapped in Anglican aesthetics.

The Church of England has historically avoided such political entanglement precisely because it knows how dangerous it is to let a religious institution become a vessel for partisan identity politics.

Britain is not America — but Reform UK wants to change that

What we are seeing is the deliberate construction of a political identity rooted in far-right themes lurching toward a contemporary form of Christofascism:

grievance Christianity
nostalgia for a mythic “Christian Britain”
hostility to minorities and multiculturalism
anti-LGBTQ+ theology rebranded as “family values”
anti-immigrant populism framed as moral duty
and a narrative of cultural siege identical to the US evangelical right

It is the Trump playbook, translated into British idiom.

This is disturbing, because once a political movement fuses religious identity with national identity, democratic debate changes: Opponents are no longer wrong — they are heretical. Policies are no longer argued — they are sanctified. Compromise becomes betrayal. And politics becomes a zero-sum culture war.

Britain has largely avoided this polarising poison. Reform UK is now trying to inject it directly into the bloodstream of national politics.

Reform UK’s “Christian Fellowship” is not about faith. It is the public unveiling of a British Christian-nationalist project — backed by wealthy ideologues, amplified by culture-war media, and borrowing heavily from the most divisive elements of the US right.

It is a serious warning sign of where Reform UK intends to take the country: toward a politics defined by religious grievance, cultural division, and the erosion of the pluralistic norms that have protected Britain from the worst excesses of American political extremism.
Concerning Paul Marshall:
Concerning James Orr:
Read 10 tweets
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Dec 9, 2025
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How have populist UK politicians and Britain’s right-wing press and broadcasters got away with repeating — day after day, year after year — the brazenly false and wildly misleading claim that we live in a “high-welfare, high-tax” country? Image
Why the “High-Welfare, High-Tax” Myth Persists.

The claim that Britain is a “high-welfare, high-tax” country is a shameless lie—brazenly false—as OECD and OBR data consistently show: the UK's tax take is ~36% of GDP (mid-table globally, and well under the EU average of 40.5%). Image
The UK's total tax take of 36% is far under France's 45% or Denmark's 46%. Welfare benefits spending (including state pensions) is a modest ~11% of GDP—among the lowest in the OECD, well below the EU average of 17.5%, and just under half that of France (20.5%) and Italy (20%). Image
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Dec 8, 2025
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Not only has Nigel Farage shamelessly normalized far right discourse, but Reform UK have welcomed a new generation of young, radicalised, Andrew Tate fanboys who think it's acceptable to spread divisive bigoted lies and disinformation, and to make crass bigoted 'jokes'. Image
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A former KFC worker, who has worked with his dad on sheds and property renovation, despite his total lack of any relevant experience or knowledge of the area, he was appointed Council deputy leader and cabinet member for adult social care—which ispatently absurd. Image
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Dec 5, 2025
🧵

‘The Psychology of the New Far Right: Privilege, Fear, and Media Power in the Rise of Authoritarianism.’

Fear, belonging, and power are being manipulated into a frightening new age of populist outrage and algorithmic media, argues Dr Russell Jackson.

bylinesupplement.com/p/the-psycholo…
I've reproduced the article in 🧵 form, below, because its a subscriber only article from @BylineTimes.

You can subscribe here, and I would encourage you to - Bylines tells the stories and undertakes investigations many national news media fear to.

subscribe.bylinetimes.com
Across the West, figures such as Trump, JD Vance, Farage, Johnson, Tice, Kruger, and Lowe helped normalise far-right populist rhetoric within mainstream politics. Their appeal is anti-elite—yet they themselves embody the privilege they claim to challenge.

populismstudies.org
Read 91 tweets

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