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.
I mainly blame the influences of people like Joe head-kicked Rogan, Elmo, Benzo Kermit and the Russian troll farms.
It is happening in Belgium as well.
At least people are wising up, the extreme right party might be polling high, but the second right-wing party is doing better. I may not always agree with that party, but at least their leader isn’t a raging racist that thinks everything is woke, thinks trans shouldn’t exist and wants to split Belgium in 2 while simultaneously abandoning the EU.
My fucked up country is hopefully moving back to the centre next month. We still fucked all our lives up with Brexit though.
The irony of the UK having a normal government just when the EU pivots towards the right.