At the time of writing this article, the effects of the European
elections are still uncertain in France, where Macron has decided to
roll out the carpet for the National Rally by dissolving the National
Assembly. But if in France the far right experienced a spectacular
electoral leap, this election was unfortunately an opportunity to note
that the progression concerns the entire European Union. Is the
continent shifting towards brown? What possible consequences for
European workers?
Let us already recall the fundamentals: in the functioning of the
European megastructure, the European Parliament which has just been
renewed ultimately has limited possibilities. Certainly, it votes on the
directives drawn up by the European commissioners and the budget, which
it can amend, but it shares this vote with the Council of the European
Union (all the ministers of the Member States by area), and it does not
does not have the legislative initiative. Nor does it dictate the
political orientations of the EU, the prerogatives of the European
Council (which brings together the heads of state or government of each
state). It does not manage monetary policy, the prerogative of the
European Central Bank.
If you look closely, that's not where the power really lies! Enough to
immediately put into perspective the stakes of these elections or their
real democratic significance, and with participation at 51% for the
whole of the EU (added to differences in votes between States which
complicate the readability of the vote), it seems that it was the
disinterest in this staging that guided the working classes of Europe.
A multifaceted extreme right
Even taking these elements into account, the fact remains that 180
parliamentarians from across the European extreme right were elected on
June 9 (out of 705 seats). In most EU countries, the far right has
obtained positions, which provides them with additional resources and
positions. Only three countries, Slovenia, Ireland and Malta, do not
have elected officials from this side. However, this progression is
uneven depending on the location, and the far right does not present a
uniform face.
There are of course, like the RN (30 elected officials), the FPÖ in
Austria (six elected officials) or Fratelli d'Italia in Italy (24
elected officials), the historic movements of the European extreme
right, which are the descendants of the organizations directly created
by the supporters of fascism after the war. Generally these parties have
done everything to erase this connection and present a "respectable" face.
Alongside these old formations, we find today all the parties driven by
their "Euroscepticism" and the national preference which were able to
create by surfing on the disappointments of European politics: this is
particularly the case of the the German AfD (fifteen elected),
originally a liberal and sovereignist party, or the Dutch Party for
Freedom (eight elected), Vox in Spain (six elected), or Chega in
Portugal (two elected). Still others have a hybrid history, such as the
Italian Lega (eight elected officials), or the Hungarian Fidesz (eleven
elected officials) which has until now been classified only on the right
despite the illiberal, nationalist and authoritarian policies of its
leader Viktor Orban. .
Finally, in a more marginal way, there are openly fascist movements like
Our Hungarian Fatherland (one elected), Reppublikka in Slovakia (two
elected), ultraconservative like Confederation in Poland (six elected)
or the Greek Patriot Democratic Movement (one elected), ultranationalist
like the AUR and Renaissance movements in Romania and Bulgaria (six and
three seats respectively) or more atypical like the Bulgarian "There is
such a people" movement (two elected officials), or "The party is over"
in Spain (three elected officials) .
The differences in form and positions have nothing to do with the groups
in which these parties sit in the European Parliament: thus, the French
RN, in the Identity and Democracy group, will find itself alongside the
Italian Lega, where Fratelli d'Italia, will sit with Reconquest within
the "European Conservatives and Reformists" - where the most radical
parties are found. Some of the newly elected organizations are without a
group or have not yet chosen.
Already present in the governments of six EU countries, the far right
confirms its advance in Europe.
RED PHOTO LIBRARY
Racism and exclusion as a common background
Beyond that, these distinctions do not really matter in themselves, nor
do the groups reflect the positions taken. Because if national egoisms
fundamentally guide these political groups, they also divide them among
themselves. Another divisive subject within the far right and which
limits its cohesion is support for Ukraine at war. A significant part of
the far right presents itself as pro-Russian (in Hungary, Bulgaria,
Romania, etc.) while another considers Russia as a hereditary enemy (in
the Baltic countries, in Poland, etc.).
But for the rest, they have much more in common: a reactionary and
conservative vision of the place of women, reduced to the birth rate,
the repression of sexual minorities, the hunt for immigrants,
anti-communism and by extension hatred of the left, the destruction of
individual freedoms.
Economically, even if some differences can be felt, the vast majority
are liberal in line with the policies pursued in Europe, contrary to the
demagoguery that a party like the RN can distill in France. We can only
note the cynicism of these groups, which, feeding on a legitimate
resentment towards the policy of austerity and the destruction of
European public services, are ultimately one of its greatest supporters.
Finally, they have in common their absolute defense of the productivist
economic model and are up against the ecological measures, even timid,
proposed in Europe.
An ever more conservative and anti-social EU
Finally, if the divisions of the European extreme right will limit its
power to cause harm, the weight it has acquired through the European
Parliament, coupled with its presence or participation in power in six
European governments (Italy, Finland, Hungary, Croatia, Slovakia and
Sweden), make it a significant danger, particularly in the negotiations
carried out to appoint European commissioners, who are the real
executive architects of European orientations, and where it could
support the most retrograde personalities.
But beyond the structures characterized as such, it is the diffusion of
far-right ideas into other political groups and the whole of European
society which represents the main challenge today. This must be met by
revolutionaries with a strong anti-fascist internationalist practice,
the construction of common social struggles, stronger joint work between
our political organizations and the aspiration for an anti-capitalist,
democratic and egalitarian political project which would transcend borders.
Hugues (UCL Fougères)
https://www.unioncommunistelibertaire.org/?Elections-europeennes-cinquante-nuances-de-brun-sur-l-Europe
_________________________________________
A - I N F O S N E W S S E R V I C E
By, For, and About Anarchists
Send news reports to A-infos-en mailing list
A-infos-en@ainfos.ca
elections are still uncertain in France, where Macron has decided to
roll out the carpet for the National Rally by dissolving the National
Assembly. But if in France the far right experienced a spectacular
electoral leap, this election was unfortunately an opportunity to note
that the progression concerns the entire European Union. Is the
continent shifting towards brown? What possible consequences for
European workers?
Let us already recall the fundamentals: in the functioning of the
European megastructure, the European Parliament which has just been
renewed ultimately has limited possibilities. Certainly, it votes on the
directives drawn up by the European commissioners and the budget, which
it can amend, but it shares this vote with the Council of the European
Union (all the ministers of the Member States by area), and it does not
does not have the legislative initiative. Nor does it dictate the
political orientations of the EU, the prerogatives of the European
Council (which brings together the heads of state or government of each
state). It does not manage monetary policy, the prerogative of the
European Central Bank.
If you look closely, that's not where the power really lies! Enough to
immediately put into perspective the stakes of these elections or their
real democratic significance, and with participation at 51% for the
whole of the EU (added to differences in votes between States which
complicate the readability of the vote), it seems that it was the
disinterest in this staging that guided the working classes of Europe.
A multifaceted extreme right
Even taking these elements into account, the fact remains that 180
parliamentarians from across the European extreme right were elected on
June 9 (out of 705 seats). In most EU countries, the far right has
obtained positions, which provides them with additional resources and
positions. Only three countries, Slovenia, Ireland and Malta, do not
have elected officials from this side. However, this progression is
uneven depending on the location, and the far right does not present a
uniform face.
There are of course, like the RN (30 elected officials), the FPÖ in
Austria (six elected officials) or Fratelli d'Italia in Italy (24
elected officials), the historic movements of the European extreme
right, which are the descendants of the organizations directly created
by the supporters of fascism after the war. Generally these parties have
done everything to erase this connection and present a "respectable" face.
Alongside these old formations, we find today all the parties driven by
their "Euroscepticism" and the national preference which were able to
create by surfing on the disappointments of European politics: this is
particularly the case of the the German AfD (fifteen elected),
originally a liberal and sovereignist party, or the Dutch Party for
Freedom (eight elected), Vox in Spain (six elected), or Chega in
Portugal (two elected). Still others have a hybrid history, such as the
Italian Lega (eight elected officials), or the Hungarian Fidesz (eleven
elected officials) which has until now been classified only on the right
despite the illiberal, nationalist and authoritarian policies of its
leader Viktor Orban. .
Finally, in a more marginal way, there are openly fascist movements like
Our Hungarian Fatherland (one elected), Reppublikka in Slovakia (two
elected), ultraconservative like Confederation in Poland (six elected)
or the Greek Patriot Democratic Movement (one elected), ultranationalist
like the AUR and Renaissance movements in Romania and Bulgaria (six and
three seats respectively) or more atypical like the Bulgarian "There is
such a people" movement (two elected officials), or "The party is over"
in Spain (three elected officials) .
The differences in form and positions have nothing to do with the groups
in which these parties sit in the European Parliament: thus, the French
RN, in the Identity and Democracy group, will find itself alongside the
Italian Lega, where Fratelli d'Italia, will sit with Reconquest within
the "European Conservatives and Reformists" - where the most radical
parties are found. Some of the newly elected organizations are without a
group or have not yet chosen.
Already present in the governments of six EU countries, the far right
confirms its advance in Europe.
RED PHOTO LIBRARY
Racism and exclusion as a common background
Beyond that, these distinctions do not really matter in themselves, nor
do the groups reflect the positions taken. Because if national egoisms
fundamentally guide these political groups, they also divide them among
themselves. Another divisive subject within the far right and which
limits its cohesion is support for Ukraine at war. A significant part of
the far right presents itself as pro-Russian (in Hungary, Bulgaria,
Romania, etc.) while another considers Russia as a hereditary enemy (in
the Baltic countries, in Poland, etc.).
But for the rest, they have much more in common: a reactionary and
conservative vision of the place of women, reduced to the birth rate,
the repression of sexual minorities, the hunt for immigrants,
anti-communism and by extension hatred of the left, the destruction of
individual freedoms.
Economically, even if some differences can be felt, the vast majority
are liberal in line with the policies pursued in Europe, contrary to the
demagoguery that a party like the RN can distill in France. We can only
note the cynicism of these groups, which, feeding on a legitimate
resentment towards the policy of austerity and the destruction of
European public services, are ultimately one of its greatest supporters.
Finally, they have in common their absolute defense of the productivist
economic model and are up against the ecological measures, even timid,
proposed in Europe.
An ever more conservative and anti-social EU
Finally, if the divisions of the European extreme right will limit its
power to cause harm, the weight it has acquired through the European
Parliament, coupled with its presence or participation in power in six
European governments (Italy, Finland, Hungary, Croatia, Slovakia and
Sweden), make it a significant danger, particularly in the negotiations
carried out to appoint European commissioners, who are the real
executive architects of European orientations, and where it could
support the most retrograde personalities.
But beyond the structures characterized as such, it is the diffusion of
far-right ideas into other political groups and the whole of European
society which represents the main challenge today. This must be met by
revolutionaries with a strong anti-fascist internationalist practice,
the construction of common social struggles, stronger joint work between
our political organizations and the aspiration for an anti-capitalist,
democratic and egalitarian political project which would transcend borders.
Hugues (UCL Fougères)
https://www.unioncommunistelibertaire.org/?Elections-europeennes-cinquante-nuances-de-brun-sur-l-Europe
_________________________________________
A - I N F O S N E W S S E R V I C E
By, For, and About Anarchists
Send news reports to A-infos-en mailing list
A-infos-en@ainfos.ca
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