Farage, Polish populists dash far-right hopes of grand EU alliance

France 24 ^ | 5 June 2019 | Reuters

[CondoleezzaProtege]

Italy's far-right League was one of the biggest winners in last month's EU elections and its leader, Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini, has sought to persuade Europe's nationalist parties to set aside their differences and form a 10-party European Alliance for People and Nations in the new assembly.

Jaroslaw Kaczynski, leader of Poland's conservative ruling party Law and Justice (PiS), ruled out joining on account of the pro-Russian stance of Salvini, France's National Rally, led by Marine Le Pen, and the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.

Nigel Farage's Brexit Party, which won 29 of Britain's 72 seats in the European Parliament, also said it would not join the putative new grouping, though it gave no reason. Britain is due to quit the EU on Oct. 31 but its lawmakers will join the European Parliament in July and stay until Brexit happens.

Expressing his scepticism about Salvini's plans, Kaczynski told Polish private Radio Wnet: "When it comes to Mr Salvini, here we have a problem that he wants to create a new group with formations that we aren't able to accept."

"This is a group called National Rally belonging to Ms Le Pen. It's also the Alternative for Germany," he said. "This is something that we cannot accept under any circumstances."

Last week, Hungary's nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban also distanced his Fidesz party from Salvini's eurosceptic group as he tries to repair strained ties with the EU's mainstream centre-right parties.

Orban's chief of staff Gergely Gulyas said he did not see "much chance for co-operation on a party level or in a joint parliamentary group".

Orban, suspended from the centre-right European People's Party (EPP), has unexpectedly dropped contentious judicial reforms in an apparent gesture to appease mainstream EU allies.

[clintonh8r]

It’s always “far” right. Always.

[OldNewYork]

The problem with a united Europe, in a nutshell.

[DoughtyOne]

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[Savage Beast]

Many years ago, before the formation of the European Union, the world--including me--looked to a united Europe, patterned after the United States of America, as one of the great events of world history.

The European Union was hailed as the fulfillment of that great dream.

It failed.

The European death wish, which brought Europe to the brink of suicide so many times, from which the USA saved Europe so many times, proved just as deadly to a European Union as to any other European endeavor.

Suicide is in the heart of Europe.

Suicide is in the heart of the European Union.

In fact, it appears that the European Union will enable Europe finally to commit suicide, where all the religious wars, the plagues and famines, the World Wars, the Cold War, Naziism, communism, and all other suicidal efforts failed.

[SunkenCiv]

http://freerepublic.com/focus/news/3754700/posts

[Cronos]

The truth is that PiS (Poland), Le Pen (France) are economically socialist - wanting to increase the welfare state. They are nationalist - or at least mouth that. And Le Pen isn't socially conservative while PiS is

[sinsofsolarempirefan]

Farage is desperate to avoid any taint of anything that could be construed as racism or bigotry by association. Its the reason why he has sold Islamosceptics down the river by abandoning UKIP and throwing his old colleagues/supporters under the bus.

Its particularly important to him to do so because the Brexit Party is also full of leftist Brexiters (yes they do exist) who will not be happy at cooperating with such people. The way he sees it he has to avoid damaging the party’s image by engaging in any controversy outside of Brexit.

Other than on Brexit, Farage is just a typical, bog standard virtue-signalling politician pursuing expediency over principle. I guess I can kind of understand it if it is the only way of actually securing Brexit, but it still leaves a sour taste in my mouth the way he has sold out every other principle.

[sinsofsolarempirefan]

Continental Europe maybe. Unfortunately, the proximity of Britain to the European continent means this will always affect us. Any attempt at remaining completely aloof from events on the continent has often cost us dearly. Personally, I wish we could push Great Britain far out into the Atlantic to get away, sadly Brexit cannot change geographical reality.

[Savage Beast]

Make no mistake: I love Europe. I love Britain. My ancestors are European and mostly British. I have only good will for Britain and for Europe.

I have lived in Continental Europe and have visited Great Britain many times. It is my second home and my ancestral home.

I am appalled at the decadence that is destroying Western Civilization and Europe and threatens to destroy America.

I pray that this is a passing phase and that Western Civilization will surge again into ascendancy.

[Svartalfiar]

has sought to persuade Europe's nationalist parties to set aside their differences and form a 10-party European Alliance for People and Nations in the new assembly.

Huh? I thought most of the so-called "far-right" nationalist parties were against the EU? The big thing with Europe now was everyone voting in people that didn't like the EU and more countries might be heading out?

[Impy]

EU could be swell if were lead by right thinking men instead of socialists. Unfortunately right thinking men are a minority so it friggin sucks.