In the political landscape of east London, the far right once seemed entrenched-fuelled by economic anxiety, social fragmentation and a narrative of division that found worrying traction on the doorstep. Yet within a few short years, that tide was dramatically turned. In her Guardian piece “What smashed the far right in east London? A playbook that said connect, connect, connect,” Labor MP Margaret Hodge charts how a community-led strategy of deep engagement, relentless conversation and practical solidarity managed to undercut extremist politics where they had begun to flourish.
Far from relying on slick messaging or top-down campaigns, the effort focused on patient organising: listening to grievances, addressing everyday concerns and building relationships across lines of race, class and faith. Hodge’s account offers more than a local success story-it outlines a replicable model for confronting extremism in polarized times, rooted in the simple but demanding principle that change begins by showing up and talking, again and again.
Grassroots organising in east London how local relationships undercut the far right
On the estates along the Barking waterfront and the streets off Green Street, the quiet work of neighbours talking to neighbours did what police cordons and press conferences never could. Faith leaders, tenants’ reps, youth workers and school governors began by mapping who already held trust in each block, street and cul‑de‑sac, then built outward from there. Instead of parachuting in polished spokespeople, organisers knocked on doors with local parents, shopkeepers and mosque volunteers who could speak in the language, accent and humour of the people they were trying to reach. The message was simple but relentless: your real enemies are poor housing, insecure work and vanishing services – not the family next door. In living rooms and church halls, myths were unpicked, fear replaced by facts, and anxieties about crime or overcrowding redirected into joint campaigns for change rather than scapegoating.
This methodical, relationship-first strategy made it far harder for far-right agitators to gain a foothold.By the time their leaflets arrived, many residents had already had longer, more human conversations with someone they trusted. Organisers focused on building shared interests, not shallow slogans, and used every tool available to embed that culture of connection:
- Street-level listening sessions on estates, recorded and fed back to councils.
- Mixed-faith campaigns around issues like street lighting and school places.
- Neighbourhood action groups that paired long-term residents with newer arrivals.
- Visible local wins – from cleaned-up parks to bus route extensions – that proved cooperation delivered results.
| Tool | Main impact |
|---|---|
| Doorstep conversations | Defused rumours before they spread |
| Shared campaigns | Turned anger into joint action |
| Local leaders network | Created rapid, trusted messengers |
Doorstep conversations and listening campaigns rebuilding trust voter by voter
It began not with leaflets or slogans, but with a knock on the door and a willingness to listen longer than it took to ask for a vote.Activists fanned out across estates and terraced streets, swapping scripts for curiosity. Instead of lecturing about national policy, they asked what kept people awake at night, and then stayed to hear the messy, uncomfortable answers: overcrowded flats, insecure work, crime, and a simmering resentment that nobody in power ever came back after polling day. Each doorstep became a mini public inquiry, turning isolated frustration into shared stories that could be fed back into local campaigning rather than left to fester in online echo chambers.
- Ask first, answer later – open with questions, not party lines.
- Return visits – treat doors as relationships, not data points.
- Follow-through – report back when a problem is taken up.
| Doorstep Insight | Campaign Response |
|---|---|
| Fear over housing insecurity | Visible pressure on rogue landlords |
| Anger about street crime | Joint walkabouts with local police |
| Feeling “ignored for years” | Regular ward meetings and feedback loops |
As these conversations multiplied, a pattern emerged: people were not instinctively drawn to extremist answers, they were drawn to whoever appeared to be listening. Structured listening campaigns, run from community halls and cafés rather than party offices, turned volunteers into local reporters of public mood, mapping grievances street by street and block by block. The cumulative effect was slow but profound. By the time the far right tried to mobilise anger into votes, much of that anger had already been intercepted, acknowledged and redirected into practical, local solutions. Trust was not restored by a single charismatic figure, but rebuilt painstakingly through thousands of small exchanges where residents finally felt seen, heard and taken seriously.
From data to doorknocking tailoring messages to fractured communities
Campaigners began with spreadsheets and voter files,but they never mistook numbers for people. They mapped streets where hostility simmered, cross-referenced election returns with school rolls, housing lists and local business directories, then overlaid it all with on-the-ground intelligence from tenants’ meetings and faith groups. Patterns emerged in stark relief: tower blocks where overcrowding bred resentment, cul‑de‑sacs where long‑time residents felt forgotten, high streets where shuttered shops had become symbols of broken promises. Rather than blast the same leaflet across the borough, organisers segmented their audience with forensic care, building a patchwork of micro‑communities and designing messages that spoke to the specific anxieties of each one.
At the doorstep, that research became a script for listening rather than lecturing.Volunteers were trained to pick up local cues – a school badge, a builder’s van, a prayer mat in the hallway – and pivot to stories that resonated. Rather of abstract appeals to “community cohesion”,they talked about:
- Jobs and wages on estates where work had vanished.
- Housing allocations in streets angry about overcrowding and queues.
- Safety and policing in blocks blighted by petty crime.
- Respect and recognition for residents who felt sneered at by Westminster.
| Area type | Core concern | Message focus |
|---|---|---|
| Post-war estates | Housing fairness | Transparent letting & repairs |
| Dockside terraces | Lost industry | New jobs & training routes |
| Mixed high streets | Decline & insecurity | Revival funds & local policing |
Lessons for campaigners a practical playbook to counter extremism anywhere
At the heart of the east London strategy was a relentless focus on human relationships over abstract messaging. Campaigners moved from performative outrage to patient,local presence: knocking on doors not once,but repeatedly; listening to grievances before challenging prejudice; and turning neighbours into narrators of a different story about who “belongs”. Instead of countering hate with lectures, they built shared rituals – school-gate conversations, street meetings, tenants’ forums, cultural events – where people could see, hear and trust one another across lines of race, class and faith. The goal wasn’t to win an argument in a single conversation but to change the social weather so that extremist narratives felt out of place, even embarrassing, in everyday life.
- Show up locally – be visible in streets, estates, markets and faith spaces.
- Lead with listening – explore fears about housing, safety and jobs before tackling myths.
- Build unlikely alliances – unite trade unions, tenants’ groups, youth clubs and faith leaders.
- Normalise cooperation – promote cross-community projects rather than one-off photo opportunities.
- Own the narrative – talk about fairness, security and pride in place in language people actually use.
| Challenge | Local Tactic | Impact |
| Doorstep anger | Listen, map concerns, follow up | Defuses hostility |
| Mistrust of politics | Community-led meetings | Restores legitimacy |
| Online hate spillover | Neighbourhood story-sharing | Rebuilds solidarity |
Concluding Remarks
what happened in east London was not a mystery and certainly not a miracle.It was the result of patient groundwork,of people choosing to knock on doors rather than shout from podiums,and of a politics anchored in everyday lives rather than abstract slogans. The far right was not simply out-argued; it was out-organised and out-connected.
As other communities confront their own fractures and fears, the lessons from this corner of London are clear. You do not defeat extremism by ignoring the conditions in which it thrives, nor by dismissing those tempted by its easy answers. You defeat it by showing up, listening hard, staying present – and by building the kind of relationships that strip prejudice of its power.
If there is a playbook here, it is disarmingly straightforward: connect, connect, connect. The challenge now is whether political parties, civic leaders and institutions elsewhere are willing to put in the time, humility and hard work that such an approach demands.
