The longstanding effort to keep extremist forces out of government in Europe is officially over.
For decades, political parties of all kinds joined forces to keep the hard-right far from the levers of power. Today, this strategy — known in France as a cordon sanitaire(or firewall) — is falling apart, as populist and nationalist parties grow in strength across the Continent.
Six EU countries — Italy, Finland, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia and the Czech Republic — have hard-right parties in government. In Sweden, the survival of the executive relies on a confidence and supply agreement with the nationalist Sweden Democrats, the second-largest force in parliament. In the Netherlands, the anti-Islamic firebrand Geert Wilders is on the verge of power, having sealed a historic dealto form the most right-wing government in recent Dutch history.
Meanwhile, hard-right parties are dominating the polls across much of Europe. In France, far-right leader Marine Le Pen’s National Rally is cruising at over 30 percent, far ahead of President Emmanuel Macron’s Renaissance party, according to POLITICO’s Poll of Polls. Across the Rhine, Alternative for Germany, a party under police surveillance for its extremist views, is polling second, head-to-head with the Social Democrats.
Please help us, how do we make it stop?
I don’t know, but I am scared for the future. It’s also worrying how popular far right is under the youth. I worry about my little kids growing up …
It’s looking bleak here, indeed. My Heimat is jerking off Wilders and here in Germany it’s the AfD, though luckily in BW they aren’t as popular as in other parts of Germany…
Still, not really sure what to do about it. I vote, but it doesn’t seem to matter. Don’t know how to explain to people why they should care about others. It’s a good thing I have enough books and games and series to offer escapism, because otherwise I’d probably need to get some prescription medication.
Well, they win because they get votes, what is it that they’re unhappy with that they’re drawn to the potential leadership of these parties? I’d start with that. These are democracies, so these parties can’t gain power unless they offer the citizenry of their countries something they want.
That assumes a fair and level playing field and it really isn’t
How so? The parties they’re competing against are incumbents, and often, there are laws preventing them from campaigning. If anything they’re at a disadvantage policitally, and yet they’re winning. Obviously, what they’re offering is popular for some reason.
In my opinion these parties are often mentioning valid issues or things that could be improved in society, and people vote for that. The problem is these parties don’t really have solutions either, but that’s something that doesn’t show up until after the elections…
Can you undo too much immigration?
Maybe sending people like you back to level it out could work?
Simple really - stop importing people from countries incompatible with western culture, like most muslim countries.
Most of the discourse is around anti Islamic immigration so the people might be somewhat discontent with that…
Holy fucking racism Batman
Truth does not equate to racism.
You asked a question and he replied by giving the only reason why people vote for the far right.
Also religion is not race.
Race and religion are absolutely just smoke and mirror scapegoats and panic-triggering red buttons, for the far-right.
People vote far right because of strongman propaganda (Great Leader will solve it all!!!), combined with feelings of anger, frustration and powerlessness.
Any country that keeps it’s people poor and/or let’s rich fucks get rich enough, will get a blooming field of far-right politicians, vying for the privilege of getting more power, to suck the rich people’s dicks better, and get richer themselves.
It’s still discriminatory, though.
If the religion itself is discriminatory towards the tolerant, why should we be tolerant of them?
Nice. Generalizing an entire group of people to fit your narrative. Can you say the same about Christians? You sure can, but again, you’d sound stupid because you’re generalizing.
I don’t think you can… In majorly Christian and atheist nations in Europe, there isn’t much prejudice against women and people from the LGBT group, unlike in the middle East.
I’m no fan of any religion but some have clearly stopped in the middle ages.
Just give in to the hate and give the fear mongers exactly what they want to make them stop must be the dumbest thing ever posted on Lemmy. Congrats!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamic_terrorism#France (since the 80s nonetheless)
That is semantics. It doesn’t change anything about the point they were making since both race and religion are protected from discrimination.
Islamophobia is racism. The logic is subtle and inescapable. Read about it.
Sure, provided that the EU, pays reparations to the countries that it gouges the last 50 years, and provided that former colonial European countries, pay reparations to their former colonies.
What, no?
You can’t colonize Algeria and then complain about Algerians in France. You can’t import gastarbeiter and then complain about Turks in Germany. You can’t genocide the Kongo, Namibia, etc and then complain about Africans. You can’t keep West Africa in a perpetual chokehold with the franc and complain about the Senegalese.
Basically, you simply can not fundamentally alter the rest of the world to serve your interests and then pretend that you don’t have to change yourself.
The funny thing is that the European project as a supra national project is actually perfectly placed to overcome these old wounds by promoting peace and prosperity and encouraging regional integration outside Europe. The basic tenets of Europeanism are wildly successful at promoting peace and prosperity internally. The European experiment seems to have worked and Europe could very well foster similar projects around the world. Instead, they play the role of Vikings…
Congratulations, you just succinctly demonstrated why Far-Right parties are rising. Turns out that many voters do not want to do either of those things.
Yup. So what is your take?
white ppl have some nerve whining about “importing people from countries incompatible with culture” considering their history of colonisation
People really don’t like hearing the truth here.
There is no correlation between your area receiving immigration and people turning far right. Sometimes they do, sometimes they don’t, and sometimes they turn far right in some backwater town where no one wanted to move into anyway. Muslims are just a scapegoat that people too lazy to think about the root of their own problems are fast to attack.