Enraged by what they perceived as the disappearance of their fickle parent, our contacts had wandered in from various points in the political wilderness to the only loose organisation that promised to represent their interests. Some made their way to the EDL from the field of organised football violence (see Garland and Treadwell, 2010; Treadwell and Garland, 2011). Very few had been active in other right-wing campaign groups (see Copsey, 2010; Busher, 2015). For the vast majority, this was their first foray on to the field of politics. Before getting involved with the EDL, or vocally supporting its politics from a distance, these men had been totally disengaged from our electoral system. They were disinterested in local politics, and generally unconcerned about the broader geopolitical issues of the day. They were bored to tears by the dour uniformity of our liberal democratic system, and had been for many years. They found absolutely nothing of value in it. All they had experienced on its watch was a descent into the insecure margins and the subsequent deterioration of their collective life.

Despite their prolonged dissatisfaction with the political field, they could not summon up the interest or energy needed to oppose it. They cynically dismissed politics as a sham, a racket, a stitch-up. The political culture they saw enacted on their TV news broadcasts appeared a world away from their reality. Those who occupied the incestuous Westminster bubble seemed quite alien to them. Many of those we spoke to were aware of the ability of the Westminster political elite to shape and reshape their environment, job opportunities and lifestyles, but nothing ever seemed to happen. Nothing good at any rate. In their view, things were becoming incrementally tougher for people like them. No matter which party was in power, they felt unrepresented, forgotten and ignored. Soft metropolitan liberals had taken control of politics, and they were busy feathering their own nests at the expense of everyone else. They saw in politics no principled debates, no vision of a secure economic future, no drive to improve the prospects of ordinary men and women, and no obvious commitment to addressing the genuine problems and frustrations they faced. Things were getting worse for people like them. They were sure of it. And from their position, other social groups seemed to be faring much better.