By: Dr Matevž Tomšič
At the beginning of this year’s European election season, alarming predictions about the rise of populism and the far right abound. As the European Parliament elections in June draw closer, increasing nervousness emanates from these warnings, suggesting that “extremists” are on the march. Various projections are cited, indicating that the political groups advocating a radical right-wing agenda, and those with a negative view of the European Union, are expected to gain strength in the elections. According to the “alarmists”, this could jeopardise not only the political future of this transnational alliance but even democracy itself in Europe.
In such warnings, the arbitrary use of certain terms is problematic. Populism is typically associated in public discourse with political groups positioned at the right end of the spectrum. Sometimes it is even used as a synonym for the far right. In reality, this phenomenon is much more diverse. Populists can be found on both the right and left sides, and even in the centre. Some of them reject ideological positioning, claiming to transcend such divisions. The issues they highlight vary widely, from anti-migration stances to anti-capitalism.
An even greater problem is the ease with which the label “far-right” is applied, mainly by “progressive” politicians, journalists, and other opinion leaders. They quickly label someone opposing immigration from non-European countries, someone opposing same-sex marriages, or someone advocating for the preservation of traditional values as an “extreme right-winger”. Such labelling often serves to discredit those who oppose the political agenda of the modern left. This is an attempt to delegitimise their positions and politically isolate them.
THE RISE OF PARTIES AND MOVEMENTS WITH “POLITICALLY INCORRECT” VIEWS TRIGGERS MORALISING OUTRAGE FROM THE “ESTABLISHED” ELITES, BOTH TOWARDS THEM, WHO ARE ATTRIBUTABLE TO RUNNING “DEMAGOGY”, AND THEIR SUPPORTERS, WHO ARE DEPICTED AS UNINFORMED OR EVEN DIMINISHED. BUT, IN DOING SO, THEY IGNORE THE REASONS FOR SUCH DEVELOPMENTS. THE MAIN REASON IS THEMSELVES!
Across Europe, dissatisfaction with ruling political elites is growing. Protests from various social groups are on the rise. Farmers, who have taken to the roads from Germany to Spain, from Belgium to Romania, are the most engaged in these days. Populists and far-rightists are accused of exploiting this dissatisfaction for their political agenda, claiming they “incite” people against established elites. However, they are merely taking advantage of opportunities presented to them (as all politicians do). They are not the ones who caused many people to be in distress (or at least feel that way). Moreover, they are not the ones responsible for the increasing loss of trust in political institutions and their representatives. This has mostly been caused by established elites with their unresponsiveness to people’s needs and inefficiency in addressing key societal problems.
Above all, established politics – both at the European Union level and at the level of member states – is the one that, with its misguided and harmful decisions and measures, is souring the lives of Europeans. An egregious example of this is various environmental absurdities linked to an obsession with the so-called green transition, in the form of numerous regulations, restrictions, mandates, and prohibitions that undermine European industry and agriculture on one hand, and increase living costs, thereby jeopardising people’s well-being, on the other. Similarly, the promotion of uncontrolled immigration from culturally incompatible environments, which has been proven to worsen public order and security, is a problem. Therefore, ordinary citizens cannot be accused when they start turning to political alternatives, even if they label them as populist.
