The Daily Telegraph follows up yesterday’s interview with Marine Le Pen with a leader opining that the Front National is “not an appropriate model for a political party” in Britain (though presumably far-right racist parties are OK in France). However, there is the prospect of “Right-wing populism” winning support in the UK on the basis of anti-Muslim sentiment.

Such sentiment has a firm basis in reality, according to the Torygraph: “Muslims have migrated to Britain in enormous numbers over the past 40 years; one of the heaviest waves of immigration was encouraged by the last government”, “fears of social fracture are understandable” given that “around 40 per cent of the Muslim community support the establishment of Sharia”, and the government’s empowering of “unelected ‘community leaders'” has “caused huge resentment”.

And the Torygraph’s solution? – “the Government needs to start dismantling an Islamisation that threatens the freedoms of ordinary Britons”.

Update:  See Yusuf Smith’s comments at Indigo Jo Blogs, 29 December 2010

The dodgy demographics that Yusuf challenges are also the subject of a scaremongering post by Torygraph leader writer and Catholic Herald editor Damian Thompson, who asks: “What does this mean for liberal Britain?” To which you might be inclined to respond: since when has the Daily Telegraph been a defender of liberalvalues?

Further update:  See also ENGAGE, 30 December 2010