A wave of far-rightism is about to hit Europe – and it will only worsen the economic crisis | Gordon Brown
BIt's time for European Parliament elections By June, this year's rightward shift in European politics will have turned into a major wave.Ultranationalist demagogues and populist nationalists are now in control poll He won in Italy, the Netherlands, France, Austria, Hungary and Slovakia, and came second in Germany and Sweden. His two far-right groups exist in the European Parliament: Identity and Democracy, the European Conservative Party and the Reform Party. Between the two, it could win up to 25% of the vote in June. But even more ominously, in almost all parts of Europe, including the UK, these factions are pushing into the hands of traditional centre-right parties, with each party becoming increasingly extreme anti-immigration, anti-trade, Giving in to anti-immigrants. environmental position.
Of course, the shift to the right is a Western phenomenon, not just Europe, and Trump 2.0 advocates far more aggressive protectionist and nationalist policies than Trump 1.0. But Europe is better than the United States in one important respect.On the other hand, the US economy roar forward – Even if the average American voter does not fully feel the benefits – Europe, and especially its industrial engine room Germany, continues to almost zero growth and stagnation in living standards. And after a decade of consistently low growth, the continent now has an optimistic but declining minority (still holding out hope that a rising tide will lift all boats) and They have come to think of life as life, and are divided into a growing and more pessimistic majority. Zero sum game.
The latter is a mindset that recognizes that the economic pie is not expanding and leads people to the erroneous conclusion that things will only work out if someone else doesn't. Once this hostile perspective is accepted, it is difficult to shake.
The supporting evidence is clear. In Western Europe's largest country, many people are pessimistic about their future prospects and believe their generation will do worse than their parents. According to a Focaldata poll of seven countries, only 26% of French people and 33% of Italians think they will be better in the future. In the Netherlands and Germany, some people are optimistic and some are equally pessimistic. While Ireland and Sweden are optimistic at the top of the league, only 46% and 40% feel they will do better, with 39% and 35% taking the opposite view. There is no country where the majority of people are optimistic about their future.
The pollster also tested the classic zero-sum proposition that you can only get rich at the expense of others. In every major European country, the results are dramatic. His 59% of UK respondents believed that they could only increase their personal wealth if others did bad things, and only 17% ignored this concept. Similarly, in Germany and the Netherlands, 60% and 58% respectively held this view, but only 16% and 15% opposed it. In almost all countries, more than 50% expressed a zero-sum mindset.
There are good reasons why this trend is here to stay. Low-growth economies create a destructive loop because pessimism breeds a culture of blame. And the more we blame others, the more pessimistic we become. Once people are convinced that their economic situation is so fragile that they can only improve their own lot at the expense of others, they begin to ignore the people they think are holding them back (immigrants, foreigners, They will vote for parties that specialize in targeting minorities (minorities). These parties offer nothing in terms of economic policy to generate long-term growth. As a result, zero-sum politics exacerbates economic downward trends, which in turn strengthens and expands the appeal of zero-sum thinking.
The problem Europe currently faces is that cutback policies have made it impossible to take the very steps it must take to break out of this destructive loop: new investment in technology, clean energy, and medical advances. This means thatEuropean Growth and Stability Agreement exclude Member states have budget deficits of more than 3% and, perhaps just as importantly, do not distinguish between public spending on consumption and spending on investment.In addition, in Germany debt brake It is specified in the constitution that limits the government's structural deficit to 0.35% of GDP. This has cast a shadow across Europe, with Germans facing deep cuts in public spending. The cuts would undermine the country's chances of repairing its beleaguered infrastructure and derail the transition from heavy industry to IT and AI-based industries.
China can subsidize Europe to the detriment, but electric car, battery Due to the introduction of new technologies such as, Bidenmics is running a huge deficit. stimulate the economy, Europe is in a fiscal impasse.of Recovery and recovery facilities in Europe It will end permanently in 2026 and will not be replaced. The Stability and Growth Pact had the following limitations: Paused In the midst of the coronavirus crisis, a strict system will begin again next year. france and 11 Other European countries are already in trouble, running unsustainable deficits and unable to invest more.
Therefore, just when you need to increase your investment, it may decrease. And the European election results are unlikely to make things any better. As anti-environmental parties gain ground, essential green investments will fall off the agenda. With the trade war hitting Europe harder than anywhere else, protectionism will become the order of the day. Unless something gives way, low-growth Europe will continue to be stuck in that rut – and the populist chauvinists will win.
The nationalist time bomb is ticking. Across the continent, Europeans need a plan to deliver better jobs through economic and environmental transformation. When the Polish trade union Solidarity was first formed, its anti-Soviet slogan was “No freedom, no solidarity.” But soon many people realized that a liberal neoliberal economy would mean increased inequality and a lower standard of living for many people, and soon a new slogan was echoed: “Freedom has no solidarity.” Ta. If progressives want to thwart a campaign dominated by anti-immigrant propaganda, they will need to confront protectionism and xenophobia by demonstrating the benefits of cooperation.
Summarize this content to 100 words BIt's time for European Parliament elections By June, this year's rightward shift in European politics will have turned into a major wave.Ultranationalist demagogues and populist nationalists are now in control poll He won in Italy, the Netherlands, France, Austria, Hungary and Slovakia, and came second in Germany and Sweden. His two far-right groups exist in the European Parliament: Identity and Democracy, the European Conservative Party and the Reform Party. Between the two, it could win up to 25% of the vote in June. But even more ominously, in almost all parts of Europe, including the UK, these factions are pushing into the hands of traditional centre-right parties, with each party becoming increasingly extreme anti-immigration, anti-trade, Giving in to anti-immigrants. environmental position.Of course, the shift to the right is a Western phenomenon, not just Europe, and Trump 2.0 advocates far more aggressive protectionist and nationalist policies than Trump 1.0. But Europe is better than the United States in one important respect.On the other hand, the US economy roar forward – Even if the average American voter does not fully feel the benefits – Europe, and especially its industrial engine room Germany, continues to almost zero growth and stagnation in living standards. And after a decade of consistently low growth, the continent now has an optimistic but declining minority (still holding out hope that a rising tide will lift all boats) and They have come to think of life as life, and are divided into a growing and more pessimistic majority. Zero sum game.The latter is a mindset that recognizes that the economic pie is not expanding and leads people to the erroneous conclusion that things will only work out if someone else doesn't. Once this hostile perspective is accepted, it is difficult to shake.The supporting evidence is clear. In Western Europe's largest country, many people are pessimistic about their future prospects and believe their generation will do worse than their parents. According to a Focaldata poll of seven countries, only 26% of French people and 33% of Italians think they will be better in the future. In the Netherlands and Germany, some people are optimistic and some are equally pessimistic. While Ireland and Sweden are optimistic at the top of the league, only 46% and 40% feel they will do better, with 39% and 35% taking the opposite view. There is no country where the majority of people are optimistic about their future.The pollster also tested the classic zero-sum proposition that you can only get rich at the expense of others. In every major European country, the results are dramatic. His 59% of UK respondents believed that they could only increase their personal wealth if others did bad things, and only 17% ignored this concept. Similarly, in Germany and the Netherlands, 60% and 58% respectively held this view, but only 16% and 15% opposed it. In almost all countries, more than 50% expressed a zero-sum mindset.There are good reasons why this trend is here to stay. Low-growth economies create a destructive loop because pessimism breeds a culture of blame. And the more we blame others, the more pessimistic we become. Once people are convinced that their economic situation is so fragile that they can only improve their own lot at the expense of others, they begin to ignore the people they think are holding them back (immigrants, foreigners, They will vote for parties that specialize in targeting minorities (minorities). These parties offer nothing in terms of economic policy to generate long-term growth. As a result, zero-sum politics exacerbates economic downward trends, which in turn strengthens and expands the appeal of zero-sum thinking.The problem Europe currently faces is that cutback policies have made it impossible to take the very steps it must take to break out of this destructive loop: new investment in technology, clean energy, and medical advances. This means thatEuropean Growth and Stability Agreement exclude Member states have budget deficits of more than 3% and, perhaps just as importantly, do not distinguish between public spending on consumption and spending on investment.In addition, in Germany debt brake It is specified in the constitution that limits the government's structural deficit to 0.35% of GDP. This has cast a shadow across Europe, with Germans facing deep cuts in public spending. The cuts would undermine the country's chances of repairing its beleaguered infrastructure and derail the transition from heavy industry to IT and AI-based industries.China can subsidize Europe to the detriment, but electric car, battery Due to the introduction of new technologies such as, Bidenmics is running a huge deficit. stimulate the economy, Europe is in a fiscal impasse.of Recovery and recovery facilities in Europe It will end permanently in 2026 and will not be replaced. The Stability and Growth Pact had the following limitations: Paused In the midst of the coronavirus crisis, a strict system will begin again next year. france and 11 Other European countries are already in trouble, running unsustainable deficits and unable to invest more.Therefore, just when you need to increase your investment, it may decrease. And the European election results are unlikely to make things any better. As anti-environmental parties gain ground, essential green investments will fall off the agenda. With the trade war hitting Europe harder than anywhere else, protectionism will become the order of the day. Unless something gives way, low-growth Europe will continue to be stuck in that rut – and the populist chauvinists will win.The nationalist time bomb is ticking. Across the continent, Europeans need a plan to deliver better jobs through economic and environmental transformation. When the Polish trade union Solidarity was first formed, its anti-Soviet slogan was “No freedom, no solidarity.” But soon many people realized that a liberal neoliberal economy would mean increased inequality and a lower standard of living for many people, and soon a new slogan was echoed: “Freedom has no solidarity.” Ta. If progressives want to thwart a campaign dominated by anti-immigrant propaganda, they will need to confront protectionism and xenophobia by demonstrating the benefits of cooperation.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/apr/29/hard-right-tidal-wave-europe-economic-crisis-worse A wave of far-rightism is about to hit Europe – and it will only worsen the economic crisis | Gordon Brown
