Posted on 05/10/2002 7:01:36 PM PDT by blam
Schröder calls on EU leaders to quell far right
Germany's chancellor, Gerhard Schröder, has warned the leaders of Europe that they must pay urgent attention to the issue of law and order if they are to stem the rise of the far right
John Hooper and Edward Pilkington in Berlin
Saturday May 11, 2002
The Guardian
Speaking at the end of a tumultuous week in the continent's affairs that saw the anti-immigration Dutch politician, Pim Fortuyn, assassinated and nearly six million French people vote for an overtly xenophobic Jean-Marie Le Pen, the chancellor said: "In France, and possibly also in the Netherlands, the right has been getting stronger because, among the public, a feeling prevails that the question of internal security - the protection of people - has not been adequately addressed". His comments came ahead of a meeting tomorrow with Tony Blair at which, he said, the advance of the extreme right would top the agenda.
In an exclusive interview with the Guardian, Mr Schröder also put forward the controversial argument that the European commission was partly to blame for the advance of the far right because of an inability to explain its policies and an insistence on "one-size-fits-all" free-market solutions for the European Union's member states.
"Decisions from Brussels that have repercussions for the economy and therefore for the sensitivities of people in the nation states should be communicated better, and this communication should be prepared before the decisions," he said. "Otherwise they cause anxiety and give impetus to groups we must regard as anti-European, on the extreme right".
Putting the case for Europe to rally round different, less technocratic and more egalitarian values, he said: "It has to be clearer than in the past that Europe is not just a market, a place of economic interaction, but also a place for social interaction. Europe is very much more than a market place. It's always been a social model - a model at whose heart lies the idea that all citizens, or as many as possible, can share in the wealth that is created and also share in the decision-making. I think that this is the only way to anchor more deeply the European idea in people's hearts and minds".
That sideswipe at the neo-liberal ideas embraced so enthusiastically by Tony Blair will not be appreciated in London. But Mr Schröder stressed that he nevertheless saw eye to eye with the prime minister on the need for a tough stance on law and order issues. "Blair and his government have said, quite rightly, that security is a civil right," he said. "That is the same position as we take here".
When they sit down together in Berlin tomorrow, the Social Democrat chancellor and the Labour prime minister will be united in feeling more isolated than ever before in a Europe that has shifted notably to the right.
The chancellor warned democratic conservatives against the temptation to play the race card and called on them to join him in forming a united front against racism and intolerance. The chancellor said: "I think that if the democratic forces in European societies agreed that something should be done to counter this danger, they would be doing something for sensible integration and would also be doing something for their own power and strength".
Elections in Europe will become even more interesting in the future.
Especially as the population of Muslims continues to increase in Europe, and the native population decreases as a result of low birth rates.
"The times they are a changing," Robert Zimmerman (Bob Dylan)
You're absolutely correct. I believe (as others have stated here) that Bush wants a North American Union, consisting of the US, Canada, and Mexico.
He's doing nothing to enforce the border.
He's promising them "X" amount of money, and the GOP thinks this will pay off in 2004 by having the parasites vote for them.
Of course, the democrats will promise them "2X", and the parasites will vote for the higgest bidder.
Meanwhile, the conservative base will either vote third-party or not vote at all. We're likely to see a repeat of 1992 in 2004, unless Bush starts governing like a real conservative.
There's a reason the GOP is called the "stupid party".
I'm getting lost here, I thought the "far right" was all about law and order....Is the idea to use fascism to combat conservatism?
...the Social Democrat chancellor and the Labour prime minister will be united in feeling more isolated than ever before...
Now this doesn't make any sense at all...united in isolation?
What are they smoking in the press room?
Is this a test?
Ummm, no.
Now that we've dismissed your paranoid lie, can we get back to to talking about the topic at hand, Europe?
Bush hasn't signed it yet, but he's tyring to pass 245i, which would allow approximately a half-million illegal aliens to apply for a green card and (because of current INS policies) remain in the United States for the years until they are eligible to receive the green card.
It's not a "paranoid" lie. Quite the contrary, the current immigration system is a grave threat to our national security and our Freedom.
As for "talking about Europe", I don't have much to say about it, but basically I think Europe sucks because of their socialistic governments and their submissive citizenzry. I wouldn't go there if someone paid me to take a trip there.
This poll needs lots of freeping. The pali-sympathizers are casting 500 votes a second claiming they believe there's been a massacre. Freep often and lots of.
This of course is completely disingenuous, because anyone who brought up crime as a problem is immediately denounced as a racist, not mention an extreme rightist. The Left lives on intolerance. The Left lives on demonization. Schroeder is worried about the fall election. He's going to lose.
So, you're an ignorant ass who only came onto this thread to spam about your dislike of Bush?
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