Far-Right

Tom Vasseur dissects the strategies and methods of the increasingly popular radical right, and suggests the means to an effective Green counterstrategy.

Are the two major party blocs that have dominated European politics since the immediate post-WWII period too big to fail? The evidence suggests not — so what are they going to do about it?

Since the crash of Polish President Lech Kaczyński’s plane in 2010, a period of renewed nationalism centred around Catholicism, conservatism, and an ‘us’ versus ‘them’ mentality has taken hold in Poland. This wave of populism has led to an increase in division and violence.

The architecture of the European Union institutions is flawed.

The recent Austrian elections show there is a lot of discontent with the governing parties and their management of the crises of recent years; in particular the migration crisis, which is an obvious boost for the far right. Nevertheless, to really understand what is happening, one has to consider not only the past and the present, but especially the future.

Europe promotes migration and mobility, but new or ‘different’ Europeans are still stigmatised and marginalised in our societies.

The recent accession of the right-wing Law and Justice Party (PiS) to power has seen the judiciary and legal systems in Poland struck by swift and far-reaching reforms, and the trend shows no sign of slowing. With the phrase “constitutional crisis” being increasingly heard, it is time to examine what is happening to the legal system in Poland.

The recent elections in Poland show some startling trends. A narrowing of the political landscape has all but eliminated progressive voices from the Left, and the principles of solidarity and social justice, which once defined political struggle in Poland, seem to have been discarded in favour of strict individualism.

The Front National secured the largest share of the vote in the first round of the French regional elections on 6 December, but failed to win any regions in the second round. While the Front National is often regarded simply as a far-right party, Marine Le Pen has increasingly focused on the Front National’s role in defending liberal and republican values. This apparent liberalism reflects a wider trend across Europe for parties to cite liberal values as the basis for critiques of Islam.

The Left in Europe might be tempted to answer with Left-wing populism to the current return of borders and to the broader socioeconomic crisis. This is playing with fire. An escalation of populism would actually benefit Right-wing populism. Only a consistent Europeanisation led by the Left can respond to the 21st century challenges of Europe.