OVER the weekend, London saw an anti-immigration rally with (the media reporting) up to 150,000 demonstrators.
Many of the views expressed from the stage and also from those attending the rally can rightly be described as intolerant and even racist. It's however only the tip of the iceberg as there is clearly a more publicly acceptable and much larger face of the same basic movement in the form of the Reform UK party.
Simply calling that movement, as a whole, racist will not defeat the rise of the proto-fascists (who will open the door for real fascism) because being intolerant people with different view points does not defeat intolerance, it fuels grievances, hardens divisions, and makes things worse.
And let’s face it, Scotland is not immune. Being seen as supporting unfettered immigration is a big vote loser here too. Reform will exploit that, unless those of us who want to create a more accepting society act quickly. History tells us one of the most dangerous and naive political thoughts is that: “It couldn’t happen here.”
A broken political spectrum?
Why do prosperous societies collapse into authoritarianism? Why does intolerance so easily overwhelm acceptance? Maybe because our understanding of politics is wrong.
We view politics as if it sits on a traditional left to right political spectrum, but what if that is last century's dominant political spectrum?
What if this century's dominant spectrum runs top to bottom, higher purpose thinking versus lower purpose thinking? Enlightenment at the top, intolerance at the bottom. It would look a little like this:
- Enlightenment – Head and heart together: Reasoned logical thinking in context, empathy and acceptance, the wellbeing of all.
- Social democracy – Fair rules, strong freedoms, and a safety net, not socialism or capitalism, but balance.
- Centrist populism – Trying to please everyone with quick fixes, but papering over cracks until the extremes squeeze through.
- Trigger issues – Hot-button politics designed to press emotions, not solve problems.
- Intolerance – Shutting down other voices, dividing the world into “us versus them,” blaming and scapegoating, paving the road to authoritarianism.
Left and right can both fall into emotional blame culture. That’s why the far left and far right are neighbours at the bottom of this spectrum, because left and right are not so far apart as enlightenment and intolerance.
This is because both are intolerant and authoritarian when tribalised and radicalised. Meanwhile, enlightened acceptance allows politicians from both traditional left and right wings to try to work together to build balanced social democracies, as in Scandinavia.
When you’re emotionally triggered, everything becomes black and white. First comes tribalism, then radicalisation. The radicalised demand unity of thought: “Either you’re with us or against us.” When they can't get people to listen, they look to a “strong leader”, someone who proves their strength by scapegoating, enlarging the military, posing as a moral guardian, supporting extreme law and order policies or claiming religious authority. That explains why many Christians in the US back Trump, he triggers their emotional markers and they allow him to break the rules because they think it's for the greater good.
The intolerant right and intolerant left are both playing the same game: Pushing emotional buttons. I note that the intolerant left are not a real threat to western society at the moment but it's not as simple as left = good and right = bad. Anyone who thinks that has been triggered and hasn't understood history.
Inequality breeds alienation
Inequality is the tipping point. When people can’t afford to participate in society, they feel excluded. Alienation breeds the belief that everything is stacked against you, and in that mindset people start searching for someone to blame.
Reform thrive on the politics of blame, which is why they are seen as relatable and in tune with those frustrations. That’s the answer to the question I get most often about Reform UK: Why are so many young people drawn to them? With few opportunities, insecure work, and little hope of a home of their own, it’s no surprise that many feel abandoned.
But neoliberal capitalism isn’t the solution. Growth in an unfair system only widens the wealth gap. Alienated people are offered scapegoats: Migrants, asylum seekers, trans people, disabled people, the poor.
Social media amplifies this. When someone is triggered online, they don’t just absorb intolerance, they also signal the algorithm to serve them more of it. The result is that intolerance now spreads faster and deeper than ever before.
Finding Scottish solutions to stop intolerance at the Border
The problem is intolerance. The answer is participation. Alienation is the enemy of democracy, but participative democracy can reconnect people.
That’s why I argue for a Scottish Citizens’ Convention. Face-to-face assemblies backed by online engagement could involve thousands directly, tens of thousands indirectly, and surveying hundreds of thousands. Give people the tools, evidence and balanced debate, and they can move past hot-button despair and towards shared hopes and dreams.
This is how we access the wisdom of society, to lay foundations for an enlightened socioeconomic approach. We can buck the global trend.
Fascism never rises by its own strength. It thrives on the weakness of society, so we must strengthen society.
Wellbeing economics
The solution isn’t just political; it’s economic. The wellbeing economic approach aims to end inequality, reconnect people, to put the wellbeing of communities at the heart of decision-making. John Swinney, Nicola Sturgeon and Humza Yousaf all said they support this approach, but government moves at a glacial pace while intolerance spreads like wildfire.
There is still time, though. If Scotland launches a Citizens’ Convention and challenges its people to build a greener, fairer, healthier, happier, wealthier society, then intolerance can be contained. People instinctively understand that a thriving society needs a thriving economy, and vice versa. What they also know is that no intolerant society can thrive.
Stopping fascism
If you want to stop fascism, don’t fight it on its own terms. Fascism feeds on confrontation. Street fights, shouting matches, and insults are its lifeblood, they confirm the narrative of “us versus them.” The best way to face down rising fascism is to address the root cruises and offer a better alternative – independence with a wellbeing economy and participative democracy is the solution.
Here lies the paradox: In an enlightened society we must tolerate everything, except intolerance. But if we use the law to silence intolerance, we risk justifying its worldview.
We don’t need fury, insults or disdain, that's just another emotionally triggered response. The answer is a new national conversation: It's enlightenment, it's acceptance, participative democracy, wellbeing economics. It’s building a society of hope, not hate.
That’s why Scotland must act now. It’s easier to hate than to build, but we have no choice: If we don’t strengthen democracy and society, intolerance will overwhelm us.
Gordon MacIntyre-Kemp is an economist, the CEO of Business for Scotland, the founder of the Believe in Scotland campaign consisting of 143 local and national Yes groups, and the author of Scotland the Brief.
