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knewshound
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Posted on 06/18/2009 10:39:01 AM PDT by JLS
Mark Steyn on why the fascists are winning in Europe
In bad times, if the political culture forbids respectable politicians from raising certain issues, voters will turn to unrespectable ones
To promote a greater sense of Euro-harmony, the European Parliament—actually, make that the European “Parliament”—is organized into ideological blocs, ensuring that French liberals sit with Slovene liberals, and Belgian greens sit with Latvian greens, rather than hunkering down in their ethnic ghettoes. The largest bloc is the “centre-right,” the second-largest are the socialists, and the third is now the “non-inscrits,” the bloc for people who don’t want to belong to blocs. As a result of this month’s election, this Groucho Marxist grouping of “Others” tripled in size to just under a hundred seats. So, if they’re not liberals, socialists, greens, “European democrats” or the “Nordic Green Left,” what the hell are they?
(Excerpt) Read more at 2.macleans.ca ...
Steyn ping opportunity.
bttt
The fascists are more palatable than the commies? BTW, Mr. Steyn, many right-wing parties won as well (meaning non-fascist)
Yeah. I suppose if you happen to live in Europe these days, love your country, hate the EU, you are automatically branded a nationalist, therefore a fascist (especially if you are opposed to illegal immigration).
A situation familiar to Americans as well.
Things are not going to get any prettier in the next European electoral cycle. Aside from professions of “horror” at the success of the neo-nationalists, there is now talk of shutting down these parties by using the legal system (as was done in Belgium) or by denying them the public funding to which their share of the vote entitles them. Subverting democracy to suppress neo-nationalism doesn’t seem a smart move. But then if the political class were that smart it wouldn’t be in this situation. The problem in Europe is not a lunatic fringe but a lunatic mainstream ever more estranged from its voters.
Not just in Europe....
I liked Steyn’s point about how political leaders who keep crying racism if certain issues are brought up will only get voters to vote for extreme candidates.
Yes, excellent. And the same thing will happen here. If the Republicans keep refusing to listen to the base, then we’re going to end up with someone like Ron Paul getting 17% next time around—or maybe with somebody even worse.
As for the multi culti establishment, if they keep accusing ordinary, sensible people of being racists, then in the end they are going to wind up CREATING racists.
I'm sure he meant that in the nicest possible way. I'm thinking he could try a coalition with the Hungarian fellers who feel the same way but it'd probably be able to hold its meetings in a phone booth. These are obviously not bedfellows under normal circumstances, but the old saw that politics makes strange bedfellows is the one to watch out for here. They're highly unlikely to unite for anything, especially urban renewal in Budapest. But they're entirely likely to unite against something. Steyn's point, if I understand it correctly.
One thing a woman has a right to is an uncircumcised penis. In the course of her successful election campaign, the good doctor told Hungarian Jews to “go back to playing with their tiny little circumcised tails.” I don’t know what Krisztina has against circumcised penises, but it’s probably not her pelvis.
A good guess. I'm sure she meant that in the nicest poss...hmm...
What makes the Labour Party “mainstream” with 15 per cent of the vote and UKIP the “fringe” with 17 per cent? Nothing, other than the blinkers of the politico-media class.
"They who must be obeyed," aren't being. Something like that happened in Weimar Germany, too, if William Shirer is to be believed on the topic. Nobody in the media really saw Goebbels coming until all of a sudden they were working for him...or else. In the United States the transition would be seamless - the talking heads would be shouting "Sieg Heil!" in unison like good little goose-steppers - I know this because they already are.
I don't know if they're "fascists", but governments haven't been listening to them, so they're looking for new parties who will.
Somebody will doubtless say that fascists are exactly what they are, but "fascist" has become such a pejorative, that it's not the most useful word to use in connection with contemporary politics.
He's hysterical!
Just wow. Steyn is basically the only journalist who actually keeps us informed on what's going on out there in the world.
Fascinating. Europe is so weird!
Yes, I am sure Mark would be the first to acknowledge and accept that...its the liberals who are screaming racist at all their oppositions that wouldn't. And we aren't far behind, with the likes of Janet Napolitano and Judge Sotomayer....
This probably doesn’t deserve a cwii ping, but it’s pretty interesting commentary on what is happening economically and politically across the pond.
Actually, I think Steyns point is that while left wing parties lost votes, those votes were not picked up by the center right party or not completely picked up by the center right party.
And I think he identified why, the chicken right is afraid of being called racists by the left and thus won’t discuss the issues the public cares about. I would say as other on this thread have, there is a danger of this happening in the US too, if the GOP is too timid.
Yes. But he seems to have failed to mention that in addition to these supposed race based “nationalist” parties gaining, it was the traditional right wing that did even better.
In the UK, the conservatives got 27%, to 16% for UK Independence, and 15% for Labour and only 8% for the socialist, radical BNP.
In the Czech Republic, the ruling conservative party, ODS, got 31.45%, the socialists got 22% and the communists got 14%.
In Poland, the two main conservative parties, PO and PiS got 72% combined, followed by the socialists at 12%.
Similar results in other countries.
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