Read up up on this. Marine distances herself from these. What is “mainstream” in France we think of as socialism. What is “far right” in France we think of as free markets.
Any free market capitalist who is a strong nationalist (anti-European union, anti-globalist) in France is branded as a raving “far-right” loon.
I think as time goes on we see racism and anti-semitism being called out for what it is. Where older generations have tolerated it more, I think most conservatives nowadays are distancing themselves from those who claim to be “conservative” but continue to harbor racist sentiment.
Whenever I read about the details of FN and other right-wing parties in France, and I get beyond the labels thrown at them by liberal/socialist commentators, I see this bearing out to be true.
The big bureaucratic state machinery paints everyone who opposes it with the broad brush of nazism. To anyone who is truly conservative in the American sense, any racial prejudices are contradictory to their most fundamental values. IMHO, there are many Europeans you would be very surprised to find out how much you agree with their perspective. Look at the Gaullists; being very opposed to having foreign troops on French soil not under French command. Well, well, well, how would an American feel about foreign troops on our soil not under American command ? IMHO, if America exclusively and extensively worked with conservatives in every nation and helped a shift towards national sovereignty and responsibility for all nations, we’d be doing much better for America.
FYI.
No. What is “far right” in the European press is Naziism, despite the fact that Naziism is socialist. The European press calls what we call “conservative,” “economically liberal.” FN is a socialist party. Le Pen, pere et soeur, support nationalization of energy, banking, transportation (including airline and manufacturing), and education. And in education, it is vital to note the distinction between government-supported options (like in the U.S.), and nationalization (like in Nazi Germany).
I understand FN under Le Pen is no longer the communist organization it once was, and I’d be interested to know whether after the Muslims targeted Catholic schools for destruction, whether Le Pen concurs with those Islamofacsist mobs that Catholic schools must be eradicated. So if you have anything to share about recent shifts in Le Pen’s positions, please share. (I have little to go besides Wikipedia discussions and leads.)
... I should note that Marine Le Pen’s economic statism is populist, unlike America’s which is corporatist. In America, corporations use the state to protect their market sure and ensure profitability. Le Pen’s proposals are more about old-fashioned redistributism, such as complaining that corporate tax rates are regressive.
However, communists always use populism to obtain power.