They don’t like immigrants, but in every other respect they’re to the left of the incoming socialist. You’d be surprised how many of Europe’s alleged “extreme right” parties that applies to: These “right-wingers” are culturally protectionist and economically protectionist, or, if you prefer, culturally nationalist and economically statist — like the old British Labour party and most conventional left-of-center Continental parties were before they got the Eutopian fever.
In the first round of the French election, Marine Le Pen got 18 percent to M. Sarkozy’s 27. What is it that makes one a “fringe” “extremist” and the other “mainstream”? Nine points?
So back at the dreary national level there will be more parties like Greece’s Golden Dawn and Bulgaria’s Ataka (National Attack Union), whose official logos slyly evoke the swastika while bending this or that prong just enough to preserve deniability. Which seems fair enough, as Greek “nationalism” is premised on the Germans’ ability to fund it.
