OBSERVATIONS
MARTA HALPERT
Letter from Europe: Right Populism Conquers
the Political Mainstream
T
HE POLITICAL ALARM CLOCKS
across central Europe are ringing
loudly-but few have the stamina to get up and stop the annoy–
ing irritation. The last two years brought more tangible changes
for some of Europe's saturated, idly bored social-democratic govern–
ments than the preceding two decades together. The majority of the fif–
teen European Union member states have seen not only a constant rise
in right-wing nationalistic and xenophobic attitudes in their popula–
tions, but the impressive victories of personalities and parties represent–
ing these views.
In Austria, Italy, Portugal, and Denmark political parties hostile to
immigrants, with anti-European notions, and in some cases with fascist
antecedents participate in coalition governments or prop them up. Nor–
way, Belgium, and Switzerland (the last not an EU member) have strong
right-wing parties holding
15
to
23
percent of the national vote.
Even though France got away with a Le Pen shock treatment for the
moment, the Dutch, traditionally known for their tolerance, may soon
be governed by a newly elected, strengthened Christian-conservative
party teamed up with the heirs of Pim Fortuyn, the recently murdered
idol of a populist far-right group.
What have these mostly affluent countries-with strong social and
economic networks pragmatically managed by center-left democrats–
done wrong to evoke these dramatic turnarounds? Or the more precise
question: What makes their inhabitants so receptive to blatantly cheap
promises by far-right populists? The answers are valid for more than
one European state, mainly because they share similar socio-political
developments, including the goal for a reunited Europe .
I)
Hostility to immigration grew with a proportional rise in numbers.
The numerous critical conflicts in the world caused heavy influxes of
refugees from former Yugoslavia, Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, as
