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The Audio Long Read

The impossible promise: are we witnessing the return of fascism?

The Audio Long Read

The Guardian

Society & Culture

4.22.5K Ratings

🗓️ 11 May 2026

⏱️ 32 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Some of today’s far right is openly violent and undemocratic – and even in its less extreme forms, far-right populism is a profound threat. But that doesn’t mean it is just a re-run of history By Daniel Trilling. Read by Sami Abu Wardeh. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod

Transcript

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0:00.0

This is The Guardian.

0:10.0

This article contains some swearing.

0:13.0

Welcome to The Guardian Long Read, showcasing the best long-form journalism covering culture, politics and new thinking.

0:19.0

For the text version of this and all our long reads,

0:21.7

go to the guardian.com forward slash long read.

0:27.2

The Impossible Promise.

0:29.6

Are we witnessing the return of fascism by Daniel Trilling?

0:33.1

Read by Sammy Abu Warda.

0:48.1

Thank you. by Sammy Abu Werder. Politics, before it's about anything else, is about emotion.

0:53.5

We all base our judgments about the world, the state of the country

0:57.0

we live in, for instance, and what we'd like to do about it, on a mix of rational calculation

1:02.6

and instinct. But for these judgments to be shaped into a political program whose ideals are shared

1:09.4

by millions of people, and for us to place our trust in leaders who promise to realize those goals, we really have to feel it.

1:17.6

What then might be the particular set of feelings evoked by the following?

1:24.6

The Britain that I love is being ripped apart by diversity, equality and

1:28.7

inclusion. Suella Braverman, former Home Secretary, February 26. It's not just Britain that's

1:36.7

being invaded, it's not just Britain that's being raped. Every single Western nation faces

1:40.9

the same problem. An orchestrated, organized invasion and replacement of European

1:45.8

citizens is happening. Tommy Robinson, far right influencer, September 2025.

1:53.2

We need to explain to young girls and women the biological reality of this crisis. Many women in

1:59.7

Britain are having children much too late in life.

2:03.2

Matthew Goodwin, media personality, November 2024.

...

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