European Elections Spark Political Upheaval Across the Continent

[Social Media]

 

French, President Emmanuel Macron made a startling announcement following the European election results, which saw Marine Le Pen's National Rally achieve a historic victory over Macron’s party. In a televised address, Macron revealed his decision to dissolve the French Parliament and call for snap parliamentary elections. "This is a serious, heavy decision, but above all it is an act of trust," he said, emphasizing his faith in the French people's ability to make the best choice for their future. Macron underscored the need for a clear majority to work with serenity and harmony, acknowledging the concerns of the French electorate. "I won't leave them without an answer," he added.

 

The French parliamentary elections are set for 30 June and 7 July. This move by Macron came as exit polls indicated a significant shift in voter sentiment, with Le Pen's National Rally poised to secure a historic win. Within the French political landscape, this development is seen as a major upheaval. Marine Le Pen, in her victory speech, stated, "This historic vote shows that when people vote, people win. We are ready to take over power if the French give us their trust in the upcoming national elections." She promised to exercise power to end mass migration, prioritize purchasing power, and revive France's prosperity.

 

The impact of the elections was not confined to France. Far-right parties made substantial gains in both Germany and Austria, according to exit polls. These results underscore a broader trend of rising right-wing populism across Europe, reflecting deep-seated voter dissatisfaction with the current political establishments.

 

In Spain, the conservative People’s Party (PP) emerged victorious with 34.2% of the votes, surpassing Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez's Socialist Workers’ Party (PSOE), which garnered 30.2%. The far-right Vox party received 9.6% of the votes, securing three new seats, while a new radical right party, Se Acabó La Fiesta (The Party’s Over), won its first MEPs with 4.6%. Meanwhile, the left-wing Sumar alliance and Podemos had a less successful night, with the latter securing only two seats. These results point to a significant realignment in Spanish politics, with conservative and far-right parties gaining ground at the expense of the traditional left.

 

In Italy, the election results were somewhat more predictable. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, leading a right-wing coalition government since 2022, saw her party, Brothers of Italy (FdI), secure a commanding position with 27-31% of the vote. This translates into more than 20 seats at the European Parliament, a remarkable achievement that more than doubles the party's previous count. Meloni's continued dominance signifies a stable political landscape in Italy, with the opposition centre-left Democratic Party (PD) also performing better than expected with 21.5-25.5% of the vote. The Five Star Movement (M5S) and Forza Italia followed, with Matteo Salvini's League party suffering a notable decline.

 

These developments have positioned Italy as one of Europe’s most politically stable countries, a stark contrast to the political turmoil seen in other major European nations. Meloni’s strong grip on Italian politics is further solidified by her party’s consistent performance.

 

Meanwhile, in Portugal, exit polls indicated a close contest between the governing right-of-centre Democratic Alliance (AD) and the main opposition Socialist Party (PS), each vying for six to eight seats in the European Parliament. The far-right Chega party is set to secure its first MEP, reflecting the broader European trend of rising far-right influence. Other parties, including the Liberal Initiative and the Portuguese Communist Party, also saw varied performances, with some facing the prospect of losing seats.

 

Across Europe, the centre-right European People’s Party (EPP) remains the strongest grouping in the European Parliament despite the rise of far-right parties. However, the liberal Renew group and the Greens faced significant losses. Emmanuel Macron’s French Renaissance party, a major component of Renew, lost ground but is set to remain the third-largest group in the Parliament. Iskra Mihaylova, Renew's vice-president, assured that Macron’s announcement to dissolve parliament would not affect Renew’s work in Brussels. "No pro-European majority will be possible without Renew group, we will be in the centre of this majority," she stated. Mihaylova vowed that despite the rise of the far right, her group would maintain its values and continue to fight for the democracy and security of Europeans.

 

Philippe Lamberts of the Greens appealed to other mainstream groups to avoid aligning with far-right policies. "If we want our planet to be inhabitable, the Green Deal must expand," he said, urging other parties not to reverse climate change plans. These statements highlight the challenges faced by pro-European and progressive groups in maintaining their influence amid a shifting political landscape.

 

Voter turnout in the European elections was estimated at 51%, slightly higher than the 2019 turnout. This increase indicates a sustained or growing public interest in European parliamentary politics despite the complex and often contentious issues at stake.

 

The recent election results have sent ripples across Europe, reflecting a significant shift towards conservative and far-right parties. These developments could lead to profound changes in national policies and the broader direction of the European Union. The upcoming snap elections in France will be particularly critical, potentially setting the stage for a new political era in the country. As European nations grapple with these changes, the political landscape of the continent is poised for significant transformation.

 

 

Credit: BBC 2024-06-10

 

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[JonnyF]

People are clearly sick of being sold out by left wing politicians. 

 

Simply labelling their opponents "far right" in an attempt to discredit them will no longer work. The people want effective leaders and common sense policies. 

[Hanaguma]

56 minutes ago, JonnyF said:

People are clearly sick of being sold out by left wing politicians. 

 

Simply labelling their opponents "far right" in an attempt to discredit them will no longer work. The people want effective leaders and common sense policies. 

Very true. I have seen some ridiculous scare mongering on various media outlets, Canada's Global TV being among the worst. It is not "far right" to want one's country to take care of its own citizens before taking care of others. it's common sense. The Euro Elite either doesn't know or doesn't care about what is happening on the ground in many places.

[riclag]

4 hours ago, JonnyF said:

People are clearly sick of being sold out by left wing politicians. 

 

Simply labelling their opponents "far right" in an attempt to discredit them will no longer work. The people want effective leaders and common sense policies. 

Ya gotta love these hit job head lines

designed to make anybody who opposes the evil attempt of  cultural globalization ,look like the villain !

 

The legacy  media and the politicians they hold favor to ,is truly the 

a cursed cult !

 

methinks

[BobBKK]

Macron getting defeated is such GOOD NEWS!  coupled with the HUGE anti-war protests in Hungary, I do believe that many people are finally waking up to the proxy war! 

You can fool some of the people some of the time...

[transam]

4 minutes ago, BobBKK said:

Macron getting defeated is such GOOD NEWS!  coupled with the HUGE anti-war protests in Hungary, I do believe that many people are finally waking up to the proxy war! 

You can fool some of the people some of the time...

Yeh, but, you're a Red............

[BobBKK]

Just now, transam said:

Yeh, but, you're a Red............

 
Red?  You mean I'm a communist? Seriously?

[RuamRudy]

4 hours ago, JonnyF said:

People are clearly sick of being sold out by left wing politicians. 

 

Simply labelling their opponents "far right" in an attempt to discredit them will no longer work. The people want effective leaders and common sense policies. 

 

Not universal - see the UK and the imminent demise of the Tory party, for example. 

Reform UK may be picking up disaffected Tories but there is no evidence that anyone else is falling for their message. 

 

 

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-68079726

[candide]

31 minutes ago, BobBKK said:

Macron getting defeated is such GOOD NEWS!  coupled with the HUGE anti-war protests in Hungary, I do believe that many people are finally waking up to the proxy war! 

You can fool some of the people some of the time...

Right! Good news for Putin! That was his objective...

Edited June 10 by candide

[JonnyF]

11 minutes ago, RuamRudy said:

 

Not universal - see the UK and the imminent demise of the Tory party, for example. 

Reform UK may be picking up disaffected Tories but there is no evidence that anyone else is falling for their message. 

 

 

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-68079726

 

The Tories are no longer conservative/right. They make all the right noises come election time, but then fail to deliver with real policies/action. Failing to vote conservative does not mean you are do not want a centre right government, quite the opposite in fact.

 

The reason they are losing votes is not because voters don't want to vote right wing, it's because the Tories longer represent right wing voters. 

Like Galloway said, Labour and the Tories are 2 cheeks of the same a**e. 

 

 

[RuamRudy]

1 minute ago, JonnyF said:

 

The Tories are no longer conservative/right. They make all the right noises come election time, but then fail to deliver with real policies/action. Failing to vote conservative does not mean you are do not want a centre right government, quite the opposite in fact.

 

The reason they are losing votes is not because voters don't want to vote right wing, it's because the Tories longer represent right wing voters. 

Like Galloway said, Labour and the Tories are 2 cheeks of the same a**e. 

 

 

 

I don't disagree with any of that but my point is that there is no evidence of a rise of the right in the UK - Farage is picking up votes but not by a significant margin. He is merely collecting the Tory right. The majority, however, remains in the middle, hence the appeal of the saccharin Starmer and his mix of Labour and Tory lite.

[James105]

1 minute ago, RuamRudy said:

 

I don't disagree with any of that but my point is that there is no evidence of a rise of the right in the UK - Farage is picking up votes but not by a significant margin. He is merely collecting the Tory right. The majority, however, remains in the middle, hence the appeal of the saccharin Starmer and his mix of Labour and Tory lite.

 

You won't see it yet.  The Tories have failed on every single metric and the rigged electoral system demands that Labour have their turn next.  When Labour fail to make an impact and/or make the lives objectively worse for the voters over the course of the next parliament at that point the UK may well turn to the Reform party for real change.  As Labour are just like the Tories but worse, this seems inevitable.   I just hope the next Labour government doesn't damage the country beyond repair.  

 

[rabas]

30 minutes ago, BobBKK said:

Macron getting defeated is such GOOD NEWS!  coupled with the HUGE anti-war protests in Hungary, I do believe that many people are finally waking up to the proxy war! 

You can fool some of the people some of the time...

Can't fool me. Do you mean:

 

Thousands demanding change in Hungary  Feb 17

Thousands Protest Against Hungary's Orban  March 26

Tens of thousands march in Budapest against Orban  April 6

Thousands protest Hungary’s Orban in government stronghold May 6

Orban Challenger holds mass demonstration on eve of EU election June 5

 

or

Orbán stages  ‘peace march’  before European election June 1

 

[JonnyF]

3 minutes ago, RuamRudy said:

 

I don't disagree with any of that but my point is that there is no evidence of a rise of the right in the UK - Farage is picking up votes but not by a significant margin. He is merely collecting the Tory right. The majority, however, remains in the middle, hence the appeal of the saccharin Starmer and his mix of Labour and Tory lite.

 

Bit early to conclude on Farage IMO. He only announced it a few days ago. Plus, some people just won't vote Farage because he doesn't always come across well and/or has been demonized by the media. Also, I doubt right wing Remainers would vote for him given his history with Brexit.   

 

So basically, if you are right wing in the UK you have a choice between Sunak and Farage. Given that choice, many might stay at home. Alternatively, right wingers fed up with the Tories have the option to vote Farage instead of Labour or abstaining now. 

 

Be interesting to see how it goes. Farage entering the fray has certainly made it more interesting.

[BobBKK]

6 minutes ago, rabas said:

Can't fool me. Do you mean:

 

Thousands demanding change in Hungary  Feb 17

Thousands Protest Against Hungary's Orban  March 26

Tens of thousands march in Budapest against Orban  April 6

Thousands protest Hungary’s Orban in government stronghold May 6

Orban Challenger holds mass demonstration on eve of EU election June 5

 

or

Orbán stages  ‘peace march’  before European election June 1

 

 Wrong again bro
 

 

[WDSmart]

This trend to elect far-right governments is very disturbing. It also seems to be present, at least conceivably, in my home country, the USA, with all the unbelievable support for Trump. I certainly hope this trend disappears soon in the world, but especially in the USA. 

[rabas]

1 minute ago, BobBKK said:

 Wrong again bro
 

 

Whoa, like I said can't fool me.

 

That's the same protest in Hungary that I referenced in my post.  It's a protest in Hungary staged by Orban for election with a misleading headline by Times of India. Did you watch?

 

[BobBKK]

1 hour ago, rabas said:

 

Whoa, like I said can't fool me.

 

That's the same protest in Hungary that I referenced in my post.  It's a protest in Hungary staged by Orban for election with a misleading headline by Times of India. Did you watch?

 

 Times of India is pretty independent and Thank God for Oban

[BobBKK]

1 hour ago, WDSmart said:

This trend to elect far-right governments is very disturbing. It also seems to be present, at least conceivably, in my home country, the USA, with all the unbelievable support for Trump. I certainly hope this trend disappears soon in the world, but especially in the USA. 

 What is far-right to you?  the problem is lefties have gone too far-left

[WDSmart]

1 hour ago, BobBKK said:

 What is far-right to you?  the problem is lefties have gone too far-left

"Far-right" to me is any movement that, socially, leans towards fascism, and economically, leans towards capitalism. 

Edited June 10 by WDSmart

[CallumWK]

2 hours ago, WDSmart said:

This trend to elect far-right governments is very disturbing.

 

Yes disturbing for the wokes.

 

Right wing parties are gaining massively everywhere in the world. As far as I'm aware, the majority is rarely wrong.

 

In my country there were also local and federal elections, and the right wing got 22.7% of the votes, while the biggest party got 24% of the votes.

 

Also a record 12% of eligible voters didn't turn up.

[BobBKK]

15 minutes ago, WDSmart said:

"Far-right" to me is any movement that, economically, leans towards capitalism. 

 But Vietnam, for example, is very focused on economic growth and capitalism - is it far-right? Labels are quite dangerous, I think.  I have always thought of myself as 'left of centre', supporting women's choice (within term limits) and cannabis freedom, but I also support immigration controls, etc. I hate woke liberalism and am anti-war. Labels are divisive - what is Macron?  to me, he's a warmongering populist and very far from a real leftwinger.

[WDSmart]

1 minute ago, BobBKK said:

 But Vietnam, for example, is very focused on economic growth and capitalism - is it far-right? Labels are quite dangerous, I think.  I have always thought of myself as 'left of centre', supporting women's choice (within term limits) and cannabis freedom, but I also support immigration controls, etc. I hate woke liberalism and am anti-war. Labels are divisive - what is Macron?  to me, he's a warmongering populist and very far from a real leftwinger.

I amended my post after you saw it. Now, I'll say:

"Far-right," for me, is any movement that, governmentally, leans towards fascism and economically, leans towards capitalism.

I consider myself "far-left," and governmentally, I lean toward democracy, and economically, I lean toward socialism. 

[riclag]

9 minutes ago, CallumWK said:

 

Yes disturbing for the wokes.

 

Right wing parties are gaining massively everywhere in the world. As far as I'm aware, the majority is rarely wrong.

 

In my country there were also local and federal elections, and the right wing got 22.7% of the votes, while the biggest party got 24% of the votes.

 

Also a record 12% of eligible voters didn't turn up.

The PM from Belgium resigned to , hopefully there will be a inquisition to find possible crimes he committed!

These globalist don’t have a clue as to the damage they caused sovereign citizen communities with their open borders policy.

methinks

 

[Seppius]

Is this for the French PM right? It's not the presidential election

[Gaccha]

There is a huge and quite exciting rupture going on here between the "people from somewhere" and the "people from nowhere" (technocratic, globalist, cosmopolitan, neoliberal, socially liberal). The latter are trying quite desperately, in their final death throes, to hold on to their monopoly of power across Europe. 

 

In the UK the Blairite domination of government is overwhelming. The best possible outcome for the People of Somewhere is, ironically, a destruction of the Tory party; this would scare the Labour Party more than any other possibility because they will appear to lack legitimacy if they have no real opponent.

 

With the rise of a new party (I don't have much hope for the neoliberal Reform party), the socially conservative and economically liberal (unquestionably the majority of the UK public) could finally get a voice.

 

Blair was a member of a Trotskyist group at university. This was only revealed a few years ago but it is very significant to understand him. The Trotskyist aim is to enter and co-opt the system from within. The Tory party has been a model demonstration of success of Blair on his influence of UK politics. 

 

The Tories have had 14 years to reverse the Blairite excesses, such as the Equalities Act and the Human Rights Act. They haven't done so because they truly believe in them.

 

After all, it is the Tories who had the first woman prime minister, the Tories who had the first minority leader of government, and it is the Tories with the huge number of members of parliament who have committed acts of sexual degeneracy. They are true believers just as many of us are. After all, I like the idea that gays are not murdered on the streets of the UK, or that women don't have to wear hijabs.

 

In fact I have a lot of sympathy for these Trotskist values. The Tories at their best are exemplified by Spiked Online magazine, which was formally the Trotskyist 'Living Marxism' magazine. It stands for true free speech, a distaste for the feminine risk-aversion afflicting modern society, and libertarian values.

 

But the authoritarian tendencies of both parties have tended to prevail. They went too far. What we are seeing now is the parties quite radically moving to the right ("putting the Woke away") but not doing it quick enough to satisfy the electorates across Europe.

 

For example, Starmer, straight out of the playbook of Blair, just a week ago, accused the Tories of being too "liberal" on immigration. Just 5 years ago this would be regarded as fascist and yet here we have the Labour leader saying it.

 

All parties of Europe have a problem. There are far too many Boomers. As a huge and powerful voting bloc they always get their way. And that means voting for themselves very nice pensions and low taxes. In the UK for the very first time pensioners' incomes are greater than the wages of workers on average. This is unsustainable.

 

There is no magical remedy except the importing of huge numbers of migrants. The extra migrants in the UK was the equivalent of 4p off income tax. How do you square this circle? The indigenous population is dying off. 

 

The accusation of "far-right" has clearly lost its rhetorical impact. Fascism is, if we consider it carefully, simply "capitalism without capitalism"; that is, having the appearance of traditional values but with the capitalists continuing on behind the scenes. Since capitalism always creates social frictions the far-right government tend to opt to blame people for these frictions: Jews, the Lizard Council, Freemasons, Muslims, aliens.

 

It appears from the election of far- right Meloni in Italy, and the exceptional extent she has been invited into the inner core of Europe, that the leaders of Europe have resigned themselves to the lurch to the right.

 

They will then do what they always do: some agitation against migrants. They are going to reopen the playbooks of fascism-lite until things cool down. Ironically, this is true democracy in action: forcing the technocrats to act on behalf of the people.

 

We can expect lots of borders closing, economic suffering, and then with the gradual death of Boomers, finally some economic resurgence, possibly in 10 to 15 years.

 

[WDSmart]

19 minutes ago, Gaccha said:

We can expect lots of borders closing, economic suffering, and then with the gradual death of Boomers, finally some economic resurgence, possibly in 10 to 15 years.

@Gaccha Thank you for your very well-written and detailed post above. My homeland is not the UK but the USA. However, much of what you say also resonates there.

I am a far-left liberal, so I started responding to you point-by-point, but after a few paragraphs, your references to the UK and mine to the US just got too confusing, so I will respond only to your last point in your last sentence, copied above. 

I am not overly interested in or concerned about "economic resurgence." I am primarily concerned with "social resurgence" or, more accurately, "social evolution." And that, I think, is the main difference between those of the "far right" and those, like me, of the "far left." 

 

Edited June 10 by WDSmart

[riclag]

35 minutes ago, Gaccha said:

There is a huge and quite exciting rupture going on here between the "people from somewhere" and the "people from nowhere" (technocratic, globalist, cosmopolitan, neoliberal, socially liberal). The latter are trying quite desperately, in their final death throes, to hold on to their monopoly of power across Europe. 

 

In the UK the Blairite domination of government is overwhelming. The best possible outcome for the People of Somewhere is, ironically, a destruction of the Tory party; this would scare the Labour Party more than any other possibility because they will appear to lack legitimacy if they have no real opponent.

 

With the rise of a new party (I don't have much hope for the neoliberal Reform party), the socially conservative and economically liberal (unquestionably the majority of the UK public) could finally get a voice.

 

Blair was a member of a Trotskyist group at university. This was only revealed a few years ago but it is very significant to understand him. The Trotskyist aim is to enter and co-opt the system from within. The Tory party has been a model demonstration of success of Blair on his influence of UK politics. 

 

The Tories have had 14 years to reverse the Blairite excesses, such as the Equalities Act and the Human Rights Act. They haven't done so because they truly believe in them.

 

After all, it is the Tories who had the first woman prime minister, the Tories who had the first minority leader of government, and it is the Tories with the huge number of members of parliament who have committed acts of sexual degeneracy. They are true believers just as many of us are. After all, I like the idea that gays are not murdered on the streets of the UK, or that women don't have to wear hijabs.

 

In fact I have a lot of sympathy for these Trotskist values. The Tories at their best are exemplified by Spiked Online magazine, which was formally the Trotskyist 'Living Marxism' magazine. It stands for true free speech, a distaste for the feminine risk-aversion afflicting modern society, and libertarian values.

 

But the authoritarian tendencies of both parties have tended to prevail. They went too far. What we are seeing now is the parties quite radically moving to the right ("putting the Woke away") but not doing it quick enough to satisfy the electorates across Europe.

 

For example, Starmer, straight out of the playbook of Blair, just a week ago, accused the Tories of being too "liberal" on immigration. Just 5 years ago this would be regarded as fascist and yet here we have the Labour leader saying it.

 

All parties of Europe have a problem. There are far too many Boomers. As a huge and powerful voting bloc they always get their way. And that means voting for themselves very nice pensions and low taxes. In the UK for the very first time pensioners' incomes are greater than the wages of workers on average. This is unsustainable.

 

There is no magical remedy except the importing of huge numbers of migrants. The extra migrants in the UK was the equivalent of 4p off income tax. How do you square this circle? The indigenous population is dying off. 

 

The accusation of "far-right" has clearly lost its rhetorical impact. Fascism is, if we consider it carefully, simply "capitalism without capitalism"; that is, having the appearance of traditional values but with the capitalists continuing on behind the scenes. Since capitalism always creates social frictions the far-right government tend to opt to blame people for these frictions: Jews, the Lizard Council, Freemasons, Muslims, aliens.

 

It appears from the election of far- right Meloni in Italy, and the exceptional extent she has been invited into the inner core of Europe, that the leaders of Europe have resigned themselves to the lurch to the right.

 

They will then do what they always do: some agitation against migrants. They are going to reopen the playbooks of fascism-lite until things cool down. Ironically, this is true democracy in action: forcing the technocrats to act on behalf of the people.

 

We can expect lots of borders closing, economic suffering, and then with the gradual death of Boomers, finally some economic resurgence, possibly in 10 to 15 years.

 

You mentioned, Not quick enough !

Unfortunately the only peaceful  remedy is to vote the global /bolshevik/ left out of office , thats every few years or so!

 

Also worth mentioning global instability has only been recognized In Europe  since after covid 19 subsided!

 

Finally it was the radical progressive’s

who decided to force their open borders humanitarian efforts on sovereign citIzens

 

 

 

methinks

 

Edited June 10 by riclag

[Gaccha]

4 minutes ago, WDSmart said:

I am primarily concerned with "social resurgence" or, more accurately, "social evolution." And that, I think, is the main difference between those of the "far right" and those, like me, of the "far left." 

 

I think the economy of the world is inevitably changing with profound social changes. Many people speak of Technofeudalism (rentier capitalism), and I don't really think this can be stopped. The world is set to be a very cruel place with a few winners and a lot of losers.

 

I think in America the situation in a sense is totally hopeless and totally fantastic. The American people are absolute believers in the beauty of capitalism. They really think that if somebody fails it is their own fault. Yet the inequality of America is clearly structural (rampant nepotism and trustafarians etc), more so than Europe.

 

This same mindset which guarantees a country of great cruelty also guarantees the country will be very wealthy, as we can see with America's remarkable economic success compared with Europe over the last 15 years.

 

I think the only real credible ameliorating change is the introduction of Universal Income (basic income) across the developed world. I know that South Africa is right now about to introduce it.

[Aforek]

44 minutes ago, Seppius said:

Is this for the French PM right? It's not the presidential election

If the far right has an absolute majority, Macron will have to choose a prime minister from the far right Presidential elections take place in 3 years