FOR some time, the levels of credibility and trust in mainstream politics have been at an all-time low. There is an evident lack of trust in the political system’s capacity to deliver real change for people. This is grounded in an indifference or even antipathy towards mainstream political parties and politicians, the so-called Establishment.

It is not necessarily a general aversion towards parliamentary processes. It appears that this credibility crisis has more to do with the failure of mainstream parties and politicians to deliver the change which people want to see for their family, communities and in their workplace.

It’s an important distinction to make because if we understand the fuel which fires popularism and far-right politics, then we can start to deal with the substantive issues.

A poll published last week, commissioned by the Electoral Reform Society Scotland, revealed that people in Scotland feel angry and disconnected from political institutions.

The survey respondents gave political parties an average score of just 3.1, and politicians 2.8, with 0 representing “no trust at all” and 10 representing “complete trust.” Around three in 10 adults (31 per cent) say they always or often feel “angry” about how things are, with a similar number (30 per cent) stating that they frequently feel anxious and disconnected.

Despite these sentiments, there is a desire to see more consensual politics. Around 72 per cent of people said they would prefer a leader who seeks consensus before making decisions, while 73 per cent agreed that parliaments should consider all opinions before passing new laws, even if that slows down the legislative process.

The Scottish parliament was set up to foster a consensual politics, but due to the quirks of the electoral system, despite it being more proportional, it hasn’t prevented a majoritarian government system. It raises legitimate questions about whether the current system is “democratic” enough.

The credibility crisis facing mainstream parties permits a party such as Reform UK to exploit this reservoir of disconnect. Such parties can harness support by banging the drum on a few issues like immigration, while saying next to nothing on anything else. A perception that they have no political baggage can be fostered, built on the premise that they are not more of the same.

The approach helps to explain why Reform UK has risen sharply to 17 per cent in the Scottish constituency vote share, and 16 per cent on the list. These are the highest figures it has ever recorded in a Scottish poll. It means the party is on course to pick up a sizable number of seats in the forthcoming Scottish elections in 2026.

Nigel Farage comes with immense political baggage, and he is the epitome of the Establishment that he claims to loathe. Yet, that’s not necessarily how significant swathes of the public see Farage and Reform UK. A cleverly cultivated story is being woven, which pitches them as outsiders willing to shake up a broken and failed political system. Unfortunately, this message will resonate with many people.

In the case of the Grangemouth oil refinery, this feeling of failure in politicians and mainstream political parties is acutely felt by our members. False promises were made in advance of last year’s general election, where political leaders clamoured over each other to promise that they would invest hundreds of millions into Grangemouth to save the refinery.

Fast forward a year, and we have a trail of broken promises. The first tranche of redundancies is set to take place this week, with the remainder of the refinery workforce set to leave at the end of June. It is a glaring example of mainstream politicians misleading, ignoring and failing people, which only fuels further resentment.

We cannot fall into the convenient comfort zone that growing support for far-right parties is simply down to racist or bigoted attitudes. Neither is it exclusively down to people wanting stronger immigration controls, despite Britain having left the EU. There are many motivations for people thinking about or be willing to give their vote to a party such as Reform UK.

Unite may share the admirable objective of the First Minister John Swinney to oppose the far-right and to urgently address the reasons why people feel disenfranchised. Yet, we are in danger of missing the point, which is that many people view the same mainstream politicians calling for this front to be a primary reason why Reform UK is gaining traction.

The recent summit is in serious danger of further alienating people and misdiagnosing the condition, which will only lead to the wrong prescription.

It all begs the question: how can we respond to this far-right challenge? There is no doubt that trade unions, civic and community groups have a vital role to play because it can’t be left to mainstream political parties. If it is, then the problem of the far-right will spread.

There are no easy solutions. We do, however, need to start from a basis of understanding the problems. We also need to do it from a place which doesn’t demonise people for turning away from mainstream political parties and towards a party like Reform UK.

If we are honest, many of us have felt these same sentiments of anger and disillusionment, but our task is to turn this into the fuel of progressive politics which puts people and communities first. We cannot vacate the battleground — but first of all, we need to know what we are fighting.

Derek Thomson is the Unite Scotland regional secretary.