The Right Rises in Europe

Michael C. Moynihan | June 8, 2009

A few months ago on Hit & Run, I wondered why, despite a monumental opportunity afforded by the financial crisis, Europe's traditional parties of the left—specifically its mainstream socialist parties—were losing ground to populist, Euroskeptic, and traditional right-leaning parties. It's an oversimplification, to be sure, but Drudge's headline ("USA MOVES LEFT, EU GOES RIGHT") about sums up the results of Sunday's European elections. As noted by the Associated Press, "Right-leaning governments were ahead of the opposition in Germany, France, Italy and Belgium, while conservative opposition parties were leading in Britain and Spain." We can add to this incomplete list Sweden, Poland, the Netherlands, Austria, and Hungary, all of whom saw right-leaning parties either hold the line or increase in size. A few developments worth paying attention to:

- In the UK, Labour was trounced, managing a paltry 16 percent of the vote and increasing calls on Prime Minister Gordon Brown to resign and call early elections. The British National Party (BNP), a populist, anti-immigrant party, had its best showing ever, grabbing two seats in Brussels. BNP Obergruppenfuehrer Andrew Brons will represent Yorkshire and party boss Nick Griffin, seen here sharing a stage with American Nazi David Duke, will besmirch the reputation of northwest England. According to a report in The Guardian, Brons one explained, in a private letter to a supporter, that "on [the subject of burning synagogues] I have a dual view, in that I realise that he is well intentioned, I feel that our public image may suffer considerable damage as a result of these activities. I am however open to correction on this point."

The great libertarian MEP Dan Hannan makes a point worth repeating: The BNP is not a right-wing party, but a fascist party. It will be of no surprise to anyone who has read the party's manifesto that the BNP appropriated votes from Labour, not the Tories. As Hannan points out, in his victory speech Griffin shifted quickly from talk of immigration—everyone knows he isn't too fond of it—to the tub-thumping, rally-the-proles declaration that "his priority was to expose the way in which public assets had been privatised." To save you, dear reader, the trouble of digging up a ghastly manifesto written by a lumpy fascist, Hannan describes its contents: "[I]t wants nationalisation, subsidy, higher taxes, protectionism and (sotto voce) the abolition of the monarchy." This is pretty de rigueur for nationalist, "far-right" parties in Europe. The German NPD, for instance, routinely denounces capitalism (specifically the "Anglo-American financial aristocracy") and has entertained a "Volksfront" with far-left anti-capitalist activists.

- Also making the front page of Drudge is the ascension of the Swedish file-sharing Pirate Party (PP) to Brussels, with 7.1 percent of the vote, enough to guarantee a single seat. Not mentioned in the English language accounts of their victory is the party's strong libertarian streak. Party leader Rick Falkvinge told the Stockholm daily SvD, in reference to a recent proposal that would massively expand the state's ability to monitor electronic communications, that "We don't accept the state's wiretapping. People should understand that the state is not always on the side of good." Perhaps an obvious point, but a sentiment just short of revolutionary in Swedish politics. Even more contronversial was Falkvinge's declaration, in an interview with the magazine Fokus, that he considers himself "an ultra-capitalist," a sentiment so alarming that state television believed it worthy of top billing on its website.

- Bonus Dan Hannan video, reading Dr. Seuss to Gordon Brown:

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Slap the Enlightened!|6.8.09 @ 6:01PM|#

You neglected to mention the UKIP, who bumped the Labour Party out of 2nd place. The UKIP is essentially a libertarian party, the major distinction between them and the Reason type libertarians is that, like the BNP, they are also anti-immigration. In fact, if you were looking for a common thread between the various parties of the right whose fortunes rose in the election, virtually all of them are anti-immigration.

So here we he have a referendum on open immigration from the one continent that's actually tried it. And the verdict is an all but unanimous thumbs down!

Colonel_Angus|6.8.09 @ 6:03PM|#

"while conservative opposition parties were leading in Britain and Spain"

and then...

"The BNP is not right-wing party, but a fascist party."

I was going to say- Britain has become more conservative? I sure haven't noticed.

""[I]t wants nationalisation, subsidy, higher taxes, protectionism"

So we've finally caught up with them then. I guess we can't claim breaking off from Britain bought us six more months of freedom anymore.

|6.8.09 @ 6:07PM|#

The BNP is not right-wing party, but a fascist party.

Same goes for most of what was voted in to greater and lesser extent. I'm thirty one flavors of giddy over Sweden's Pirate Party, but they're the exception. Europe turned anti-immigrant (perhaps out of a sense of tradition and nostalgia for ongoing bloodshed), but it hasn't turned anti-pay-me-for-sitting-on-my-ass.

Warty|6.8.09 @ 6:08PM|#

I liked Daniel Hannan's comment about the BNP. "We like to think that we're above all that sort of thing: we leave fascism to excitable foreigners who enjoy uniforms and parades and shiny black boots."

Warty|6.8.09 @ 6:13PM|#

Also, I hope the Pirate Party had these guys play at their victory party.

|6.8.09 @ 6:13PM|#

BNP Obergruppenfuehrer Andrew Brons will represent Yorkshire and party boss Nick Griffin, seen here sharing a stage with American Nazi David Duke, will besmirch the reputation of northwest England.

The Reason Cosmotarians to keep drumming the myth that the right wing is racist. Yes there are racist fucks on the right, but there are just as many on the left. The free-for-all welfare giveaway to immigratns has far more to do with the rejection of the left than does with culturalism.

Warty|6.8.09 @ 6:20PM|#

The BNP isn't right-wing, Brandybuck. They're Labour with racism.

|6.8.09 @ 6:24PM|#

So here we he have a referendum on open immigration from the one continent that's actually tried it. And the verdict is an all but unanimous thumbs down!

|6.8.09 @ 6:26PM|#

Yes, I know that your Wartiness, but the title of the article title still says "The Right Rises in Europe". Since it's a stretch to call the Pirate Party the "right", Reason must be referring to the BNP.

Hacha Cha|6.8.09 @ 6:28PM|#

an ultracapitalist that doesn't believe in intellectual property...

Slap the Enlightened!|6.8.09 @ 6:29PM|#

First off, the UKIP is hardly fascist, unless you regard anyone who objects to having their country crap-flooded with hostile 3rd-world immigrants as a fascist (but then, that's probably exactly what you think, isn't it?) Second, if the only parties who are addressing the concerns of the citizenry are fascists, then whose fault was that? There's been decades for the mainstream parties of Europe to address the issue. None of them have seen fit to do so.

I'll say this much - if the fascists do wind up taking over Europe, if there's any justice, the first ones they'll toss in the gas chambers will be the multi-culti, open borders, cosmopolitan asshats that created a problem that only a fascist could reverse.

Warty|6.8.09 @ 6:31PM|#

Your Wartiness...I kinda dig that.

¢|6.8.09 @ 6:32PM|#

They're Labour with racism.

That'd be redundant. They're Labour with labourers.

And that's not redundant, anymore.

MaterialMonkee|6.8.09 @ 6:42PM|#

"The BNP isn't right-wing,"

yup

lefties to the bone

here's a breakdown of UK parties on the left/right Authoritarian/Libertarian diagram
as decided by the braindead unscientific wankers @ political compass

http://www.politicalcompass.org/images/enParties.gif

Anonymo the Anonymous|6.8.09 @ 6:48PM|#

I'll say this much - if the fascists do wind up taking over Europe, if there's any justice, the first ones they'll toss in the gas chambers will be the multi-culti, open borders, cosmopolitan asshats that created a problem that only a fascist could reverse.

Nope, no reason anyone might think these people are fascist at all.

MaterialMonkee|6.8.09 @ 6:53PM|#

"First off, the UKIP is hardly fascist,"

That's true and everybody has a right to express their opinion but when I fly back to the UK with my foreign girlfriend the first thing we see is a UKIP bill board complaining about european immigrants

Its not nice

The Tories have the right idea
EU expansion and decentralization

More Turkey and Ukraine
More free trade and immigration
less Brussels
less government

Xenophobic statist wankers can go fuck themselves

|6.8.09 @ 6:54PM|#

The terms "left" and "right" have lost all meaning. If you ask 100 people what a lefty or righty believes, you'll get 100 different answers.

Intellectual laziness is the only reason anyone would use those labels.

|6.8.09 @ 7:21PM|#

Eric, I can think of another reason.

A deliberate intent to confuse and destroy intellectual discussion of policy, events, opinions and ideas.

False Left Right Paradigm

Muttley|6.8.09 @ 7:23PM|#

To be fair, Europe's has massively subsidized immigration with no-questions-aksed welfare to anyone who can breath. Couple that with policies reserving jobs to cultural natives, and official multi-culti that turns a blind eye to repugnant customs (genital mutilation, honor murders, etc)

Oh yeah? I think you are mistaken:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honor_killing#North_America

An article in the Spring 2009 edition of Middle East Quarterly argues that the United States is far behind Europe in acknowledging that honor killings are a special form of domestic violence, requiring special training and special programs to protect the young women and girls most subject to it. The article suggests that the fear of being labeled "culturally insensitive" prevents US government officials and the media from both identifying and accurately reporting these incidents as "honor killings" when they occur. Failing to accurately describe the problem makes it more difficult to develop public policies to address it.

|6.8.09 @ 7:27PM|#

They're Labour with racism.

They're Labour with protectionism.

They're Labour with Enlightened Self Interest.

They're Labour with a profit motive.

They're Labour with a democratic vote.

It all runs together - thus Democracy.

MNG|6.8.09 @ 7:43PM|#

I'm not surprised by these votes, as Europe has not only the same economic mess as we do but what many Europeans see as an immigration mess, and probably has few legit mainstream parties addressing the angst of the people over the latter.

"the abolition of the monarchy." This is pretty de rigueur for nationalist, "far-right" parties in Europe" Really, do far right parties in Europe call for abolition of monarchy that much?

|6.8.09 @ 9:09PM|#

"""A deliberate intent to confuse and destroy intellectual discussion of policy, events, opinions and ideas."""

Is that a swipe at Bush?

|6.8.09 @ 9:10PM|#

Or the current admin?

|6.8.09 @ 9:12PM|#

I keed, I keed.

I seems much like divide and conquer to me. They get the left fighting the right and vice-versa, which moves the focus away from something.

But, what is that something?

|6.8.09 @ 9:46PM|#

The terms "left" and "right" have lost all meaning. If you ask 100 people what a lefty or righty believes, you'll get 100 different answers.

I think a more accurate interpretation would be that the European left/right division falls on very different lines that the American left/right division. So it makes no sense to apply the American left/right spectrum to a European context.

Bart|6.8.09 @ 10:03PM|#

..."The Right Rises in Europe". Since it's a stretch to call the Pirate Party the "right", Reason must be referring to the BNP.

Or the Conservatives.

|6.8.09 @ 10:04PM|#

Uh, you may remember from your history that back in the 30s a lot of Europe went super right-wing -- while the US went left -- too. Not Godwinning at all, just stating a good reason why Moynihan shouldn't be as surprised as he seems. Note that most of the big winners are not going to be mistaken for libertarians anytime soon.

As for the PP's showing, I suspect the USLP could get similar results if we had a similar proportional representation system (ie, you wouldn't be "throwing your vote away" if you voted LP in that scenario).

|6.8.09 @ 10:09PM|#

Muttley,

The difference is that there are honor killings (and similar barbarities perpetrated in the name of Islam) in the Paris banlieus, for instance, that go unprosecuted, not merely uncommented upon in the media.

You have evidence this is also happening in the US?

|6.8.09 @ 10:28PM|#

Two words; protest vote. It seems this is little more than folks saying they really don't like the current situation. Toss in a few corrupt politicians and you have a whole bunch of people casting extreme votes in a feeble attempt at social protest. In all, my guess is it's an ineffectual scare tossed in the ruling party's direction. Yeah, BNP = wooden shoes, practically the same thing from this side of the pond.

|6.8.09 @ 10:35PM|#

..."The Right Rises in Europe". Since it's a stretch to call the Pirate Party the "right", Reason must be referring to the BNP.

Or the Conservatives.

Or indeed any of the dozen other right-wing parties that won more than two seats--a point that Moynihan may have thought too obvious to state. Brandybuck, did the following not pass under your gaze at some point?

The great libertarian MEP Dan Hannan makes a point worth repeating: The BNP is not a right-wing party, but a fascist party.

Didn\'t see it yet|6.8.09 @ 11:22PM|#

Thanks for the spoiler alert before the clip where Hannan ruins the terminator ending, douche.

|6.9.09 @ 12:01AM|#

Uh, you may remember from your history that back in the 30s a lot of Europe went super right-wing -- while the US went left -- too.

If you are referring to the facists and the Roosevelt administration, they weren't that far apart in terms of economic policy.
Roosevelt just didn't go crazy, invade a bunch of countries, and try to exterminate the Jews.

ev|6.9.09 @ 12:05AM|#

Well, frankly, you should have already seen the first two Terminators, barring extremely mitigating factors.

Didn\'t see it yet|6.9.09 @ 12:46AM|#

I just assumed he was talking about the new one, I'm waiting for it to come out on Pirate Bay so I haven't seen it yet.

Elemenope|6.9.09 @ 1:35AM|#

Roosevelt just didn't go crazy, invade a bunch of countries, and try to exterminate the Jews.

Silly, insignificant details. Clearly, economics is what really matters.

|6.9.09 @ 1:44AM|#

Man, Daniel Hannan is a pompous git.

Omegis13|6.9.09 @ 4:56AM|#

Roosevelt just didn't go crazy, invade a bunch of countries, and try to exterminate the Jews

No, he just used economic sanctions to meddle dick with the Axis powers before entering the war then interred the Japanese-Americans.

..|6.9.09 @ 7:14AM|#

I'm waiting for it to come out on Pirate Bay

The thief calls the spoiler a douche. Classic.

|6.9.09 @ 8:44AM|#

Why am I not surprised the "World War II was the U.S's fault" crowd has crawled out of their holes.

It is terrible to see fascist parties like the BNP doing well. But, that kind of thing happens when your political class acts with complete disregard and distain for the majority of the country. Transnationalist liberals think that the nation state is dead. Well, it is not. In Britian they have taken away people's right to bear arms and defend themselves in their homes. In the mean time they have offered welfare to any jhiadist deadbeat who comes along. People are not going to put up with that. Sadly when neither the Tories nor Labour will listen to them, voters will turn to thugs like the BNP.

MNG|6.9.09 @ 8:54AM|#

"Roosevelt just didn't go crazy, invade a bunch of countries, and try to exterminate the Jews.

Silly, insignificant details. Clearly, economics is what really matters."

Pricless LMNOP. Well done.

|6.9.09 @ 8:56AM|#

Also, BNP is anything but right. They are anti-capitalist and have very left wing economic views.

creech|6.9.09 @ 9:06AM|#

Heard Hannan on the Smerconish radio show yesterday: humorous, articulate, quoted Hayek.
Libertarians need someone like him to carry the banner in the U.S.

|6.9.09 @ 9:09AM|#

I take it by "right" in Europe you mean populist, low class racists. I don't expect much improvement in the European condition anytime soon.

JB|6.9.09 @ 11:56AM|#

When even the socialists and communists are telling the US that it has gone too far left, then we are in trouble.

Obama quadrupled the previous largest deficit in one year. Unreal.

Sean Healy|6.9.09 @ 1:21PM|#

In Ireland the populist/nationalist party (which is in coalition with the Greens) lost a lot of ground to left-wing parties (apart from Sinn Fein) and the main opposition party, which is traditionally centre-right. Go figure. If a general election is called, the most likely outcome is a red-blue alliance between Labour and Fine Gael, a sort of Christian Democrat wannabe with tonnes of civil war baggage (and a brief flirtation with fascism) in its history.

|6.9.09 @ 2:23PM|#

If you are referring to the facists and the Roosevelt administration, they weren't that far apart in terms of economic policy.

Uh, yeah. And these European "centre-right" parties by and large aren't far from the Obama administration. Another parallel.

|6.9.09 @ 6:52PM|#

If Europe doesn't get a handle on its immigration problem then it will be lost in another generation. Thank goodness that true patriotic parties like the BNP and others on the right won seats. Money is good but not at the expense of your children ending up on reservations like the American indians.

|6.13.09 @ 1:14AM|#

i confess to have a hard time understanding the political spectrum of Europe, but the way our framers saw it, the spectrum would put "facism" and "communism/socialism" on the same side of the spectrum...they placed the spectrum as Anarchy to the far right, and tyranny on the left, with liberty as the goal. (Unfortunately we have moved more and more towards tyranny, and away from the founder's idea of liberty.) Anyway, when i see "europe goes right"...i dont know if they mean "facist" or the american idea of 'right', which is smaller government & more liberty. i hope the latter!

I'm sure it will never happen, but i'd love to see Daniel Hannan as PM of GB someday! I've been To England, and its such a great country! I'd love to see the prosperity skyrocket!

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