Respect and the British National Party are diametrically different political organisations but their recent electoral successes in east London have a few things in common.

Some of the other parties (especially Labour) won seats solely because Respect or the BNP failed to field enough candidates in certain wards. Each could probably have gained up to a dozen more councillors in their respective heartlands if they had been able to find more members willing to stand.

Neither of their achievements can be dismissed as simply reflecting the desire of the electorate to give all the major parties a kicking. Other minority parties like the Greens and, especially, UKIP did not benefit to the same degree from voters’ discontent.

The similarities end there.

Respect has based its appeal on dissatisfaction with the national government’s policies on issues such as the war in Iraq.

Its best performances have been in areas with a large Muslim population, although it has also drawn support from a wide range of voters who are generally unhappy with Labour’s repositioning close to the centre of the political spectrum.

The British National Party has capitalised on resentment of the rapid change taking place in parts of outer London that were formerly white working-class strongholds.

It is no coincidence that levels of educational attainment are lower in the borough of Barking and Dagenham, where the BNP performed best, than anywhere else in London. The longer-established residents of this borough may have the most to fear in terms of losing their jobs to immigrants who are prepared to work for less money.

They may also be poorly acquainted with lessons of history that explain how fascist political parties operate, and what the consequences of their success can be.