So-called purveyors of the British rule of law were nowhere to be seen today after yet another credible threat to our democracy was exposed.
The National Crime Agency is set to investigate allegations of multiple criminal offences by Arron Banks and his unofficial leave campaign in the Brexit referendum, with reason to believe Banks was “not the true source” of £8 million in funding to the Leave.EU campaign.
Russia may have been the source of some of the money, but even if financial links can’t be proved there are strong indications that outside countries meddled in the referendum in some way in a direct threat to the democratic governance of the country that nationalists hold so dear.
So why haven’t they been more vocal about the revelations?
According to the English Defence League’s mission summary “democracy and the rule of law” is the third pillar of their belief system, and foreign erosion of our governance is often used as a prop to justify their angst towards outside cultures.
A report entitled “Inside the EDL” by Jamie Bartlett and Mark Littler notes that “a clear majority” of party members believe that voting “does matter” and that “supporters cite ‘rule of law’, ‘individual freedom’ and ‘respect for human rights’ among their top values.
But the more you look into their claims, the more you unveil how fraudulent they are.
Last month it was revealed that former leader of the EDL Tommy Robinson almost allowed the Huddersfield rapists to walk free because of his intervention in the trial, which could have prejudiced the jury.
And it’s not the only time it has happened. Nazir Afzal, the former chief prosecutor who led the Rochdale grooming trial, said he had to “fight to persuade court to allow trial to continue” after a previous far-right intervention. He said: “Those criminals came close to being freed and victims came close to getting no justice. Juries must decide on evidence, not on your opinion.”
If meddling in trials and meddling in elections don’t constitute an attack on British democracy then I don’t know what does, and the far-right have been found guilty of playing saboteur on first account and been silent on the second in recent months. Perhaps it is time they re-think their values.