By Daniel Peake
A powerful orator, an ever present in the shadow cabinet and a failed leadership hopeful- Enoch Powell was many things prior to April 20th, 1968 but he was yet to create his infamous legacy.
The Rivers of Blood speech caused national outcry, swaths of people from across the nation marching in support of Powell and his hard-line views on British immigration. The sentiment swelling so much that the years, and decades, following saw the rise of a much more dangerous beast and the subsequent lineage that has spawned has resonated in Britain to this day. When we see the persistent xenophobic reactions to immigration, or the condescending tone with which migrant communities are treated, we know that this is part of the legacy created by Enoch Powell.
The immediate fall out of the Rivers of Blood speech was an increase in support for the National Front- ethnic populism becoming not only commonplace, but popular, in Britain. The popularity of such a far-right political organisation saw mainstream political leaders feeling pressured into action, by 1978 even the then Conservative opposition leader Margaret Thatcher stooped to the depths of political rhetoric as she claimed the British people were fearful of being ‘swamped by people with a different culture’. But this fear was stoked and encouraged following Powell's notorious speech, these fears were legitimised by the likes of John Tyndall and even Margaret Thatcher and these fears are the root of a dangerous immigration panic that has plagued political discourse into the 21st century.
Early in the 21st century we witnessed what can only be described as an immigration boom; the EU expanded, freedom of movement became available to those in countries from the former eastern bloc and with their arrival came the rise of political opportunists. The BNP (formed due to a dispute between National Front leaders) harnessed the spirit of Enoch Powell and embarked upon a meteoric rise from a little known far right group to a political party at the forefront of national attention and media coverage. Gaining over 900,000 votes in the European elections of 2009 and having Nick Griffin elected as an MEP, this seemed like the pinnacle of achievement for a party whose messaging had an evident similarity to the xenophobia that rose to prominence with the Rivers of Blood Speech.
That was until Nigel Farage's UKIP did not just enter the national consciousness but dominated it. The opposition to immigration combined with the previously low salience issue of EU membership proved to be a popular pairing amongst the British public. And there is not a politician who cannot recognise that UKIP and Farage have drastically altered the course of UK political history. Brexit has happened, Britain has left the European Union, but the true fallout will not be evident for years to come. However, one thing is for certain Farage has gone from a man who idolised Enoch Powell -repeatedly asking him to endorse/join UKIP- to perhaps surpassing the xenophobic legacy of his hero entirely.
53 years on from the delivery of the Rivers of Blood speech the xenophobia that Powell popularised and legitimised has come to define key aspects of British politics and the likelihood is that the populist, far right who he has inspired for many years will continue to act as an accelerate to the burning flame of anti-immigrant sentiment. There is little doubt that the end of freedom of movement will not quash these tensions, xenophobia and the othering of migrant groups will continue. What form this will take is yet to be seen, but one thing is for certain...no matter what form it does take, it can trace its roots back to the 20th of April 1968.
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