The Pygge is aware of the horseshoe theory, but was still intrigued to see a branch of Your Party extending a hand to a group called the Bristol Patriots in an open letter.
“We saw your recent posters, and we hear you’re not a fan of Labour or Starmer. We couldn’t agree more,” said the letter, published on a local news site and written by Your Party Bristol East and a local anti-racist organisation called Bristol Anti-Racist Action, addressed to the anti-small boats and asylum hotel protest group.
They found other common ground with the group, writing that they agreed on opposing digital ID, helping the homeless, maintaining jury trials and taxing the rich.
“We believe that to stand up to this government, we need to build as big a movement as possible. The more divided we are, as the working-class, the more likely we are to lose… If you are serious about opposing Starmer and digital ID: stop marching to the hotels, march against the government instead.”
When the Pygge asked whether they would consider a joint anti-government march with Bristol Patriots, Your Party Bristol East and Bristol Anti-Racist Action did not respond. A national spokesperson for Your Party didn’t respond either.
The Pygge asked Bristol Patriots whether a joint march could be on the cards. A spokesperson highlighted more common ground – “shared frustration regarding ‘the elites’, especially in light of recent revelations like the Epstein files” – but added “our end goals for the country remain fundamentally different from theirs”.
They said they had already carried out a specifically “Labour/Starmer out” demo, which the Communist Party joined, but “most other left-wing groups chose to counter-demonstrate and levelled baseless racist remarks against us”.
They said a “joint march would require more than just shared frustration”, and sent the Pygge a list of “conditions for collaboration”. These included “specific assurances” such as a commitment to flying the national flag, no affiliation with extremist groups, and mutual respect (specifically, “a move away from the ‘blue and purple hair’ identity politics and the abuse we have previously received from their side”).
Bristol Patriots have invited the authors of the open letter to get in touch for a direct conversation. If a joint march does take place, the Pygge hopes for an invite. Blue hair probably goes nicely with St George’s Cross red; combine the two and you get a full Union Jack.
[Further reading: Britain is getting poorer, and angrier]
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