This is a HIGHLY RECOMMENDED ARTICLE by the Economist, looking at Europe\’s movement to the extreme right.
Europe’s populist insurgents: Turning right | The Economist.
Because of the excessive focus on austerity, with widespread unemployment and resentment in Europe, the extreme right wing parties are rapidly gaining ground. This theme was also made strongly by George Soros, in another article that I reblogged this morning.
Although there has been recent
English: European national parliaments with representatives from right-wing populist parties in 2010. In dark brown, those in government. Español: Parlamentos nacionales europeos con representantes de partidos de la derecha populista en 2010. En marrón oscuro, los que están en el gobierno. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
evidence of a lighter hand on austerity, the damage is done and it is expected that there will be popular push-back in the European elections that will see a move towards extremism.
Let me turn this to an open question:
How should European leaders respond to the populist move towards extreme right-wing politics?
Any comments?
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Dr Alf's Blog 
The labelling of these parties as “extreme right” only makes sense within the context of the general move of many parties towards the centre and the consequent alienation of many social conservatives who are genuinely worried about issues such as immigration. Mainstream parties have denied their legitimate concerns, not just about overcrowding and jobs, but the overall effect of millions of immigrants on social cohesion and identity. Many politicians are now waking up to this, but unfortunately Establishment media like the Economist still label such reservations as “extreme right” when really they are shared by those on both the left and right – it just happens that some parties who tend to be right of centre are ahead of the game.
I agree that the problem is with the mainstream political parties who are burying their heads in the sand. Cameron’s government, for example, has ignored evidence-based policy and consistently followed ideological directions, like austerity. Surely, if the mainstream political parties are discredited there are only two options:
1. Reduced support for politicians, manifested in voting, and
2. A move to the the more extremist policies of both the left and right?
One wonders which “populist insurgents” the Economist has in mind?
This news magazine has always been very pro EU and is a mouthpiece for those who would like to see the entire planet ruled and controlled by a World Government which is why their owners attend Bilderberg meetings every year but never report on them or on what is decided.
I notice that the map produced by Dr Alf only shows mainland Europe, so presumably Nigel Farage, the UK’s beer guzzling, rabble-rouser, does not figure into the accepted order of the roll call of “insurgency” but that people like Umberto Bossi of the Northern League, Geert Wilders in Holland, Le Pen in France do.
Some 67% of ordinary people, including Germans, would like to see the back of the EU because it has failed to deliver on its promises. In the UK, the figure is higher, so the Economist is being disengenuous by trying to pretend that anti-EU sentiment is demogoguery in the minds of just a few malcontents.
Neither the jobs promised by Ted Heath, Lord Heseltine, Ken Clarke, Tony Blair, Nick Clegg et al, nor the influence on the world stage, has been forthcoming so people naturally say “Where is the substance and the benefit to us”, when no evidence can be found to demonstrate it.
Accordingly,we are all demogogues and “insurgents ” now.