The expected news this morning that Italy’s incoming government is its most right-wing since World War II, led by the Fratelli d’Italia (Brothers of Italy) which traces its roots directly to founders who came from Mussolini’s Fascist Party will lead the three party coalition should be seen as a wakeup call be believers in democracy everywhere.
The economies in Italy, France, Hungry, Poland and elsewhere have not been serving ordinary people.
‘The center-left has led the Italian government for much of the past decade but has not been able to deliver fundamental change.’ (TC)
Under these circumstances it shouldn’t come as a surprise when many of the working class as well as the middle and upper-middle classes, along with the ‘… religiously pious and the large number of Italians who treat religion as an identity...'-voted for right-wing candidates. (TC) Can we expect ordinary people to reward governments and political parties that have not delivered for years?
‘The most alarming shock waves may be felt in France, where serious people now believe that the far-right leader Marine Le Pen could well win the next presidential election. Macron’s approval rating has been running below Biden’s.’ (KuttnerOnTap)
TC has cogently laid out this story and provided an answer, ‘. Until the center-left finds a way to win back the working- and middle-class, as well as the nominally religious, it will continue to lose political ground to the populist and nationalist right.’ Of course, then the question is how is the center-left going to accomplish that?
President Biden has taken important steps in bringing support – the government—to the people Has social media and Fox News, along with the loss of journalistic outlets in the mass media made it close to impossible for most voters know who is doing what? If positive changes are made, which improve the lives and economic security of many citizens will the people know who is helping them and who is not? We have an enormous problem with propaganda and getting the ‘facts’ to the people.
This must stop. Corruption and greed are running rampant while the little guys are suffering and grabbing for a lifeboat, not caring who’s at the helm. When the right authoritatively “solves” culture wars but does nothing for the populace what sort of backlash will follow? I thought the pendulum was swinging back towards center. As usual my optimism got ahead of my cynicism.
This specter is horrifying. I can’t help but believe that, behind the scenes, the equivalent of FBI and CIA are also bought and paid for. Otherwise, outright crooks, like tRump, Victor Orban, would never be allowed to take office. The Billionaire’s Gang is seeded everywhere. “Citizens United”, in this country, sounded the death knell of democracy. In Russia, it’s mob bosses. And on and on...like whack-a-moles propping up their favorite fascist sycophants.
Agree, Adam Tooze is very helpful to read, with his broad and detailed sources.
To the trend in Europe I would add a long time decay of democracy that voters are voting against the politicians who have just been in power, and less for a coming policy. In the case of Sweden I would say the possible political shortcomings and difficulties of the last 4 (8) years are in fresh memory, while the mistakes of earlier conservative governments are forgotten. As for the Sweden Democrats I would say they are not at all in the same position as the far right coalition in Italy. They have been victimizing themselves and gaining for a long time from being excluded by all other parties. Now they will be accepted on important positions in parliament, but not in the government, and will supposedly be very eager to behave like a decent and responsible party, and continue to exclude members who express extreme far right opinions.
In Italy I expect Giorgia Meloni to get away with her admiration for Mussolini, and not end up hanging like him, because she is a woman; cleaver move by the Italian Brothers. Italy is very dependent of EU and I hope they take notice if EU now finally is taking steps against Orban's Hungary.
TC, This is from a newsletter on WAPO that I subscribe to. I am sorry that I could not find a way to link it, The piece is about Meloni and indicates the overall strength of the far-right in Europe and the US..
TODAY’S WORLDVIEW, WAPO
9/27/22
By Ishaan Tharoor
with Karina Tsui
'The mainstreaming of the West’s far right is complete'
'In the land that invented fascism, the far right is back in power. Italy’s general election on Sunday yielded the result most saw coming — an emphatic victory for the nationalist Brothers of Italy Party, which secured about one-quarter of all votes and, along with a coalition of right-wing allies, a solid majority in both houses of the Italian Parliament. The party’s leader, Giorgia Meloni, 45, is poised to become Italy’s first female prime minister. She’s also set to be her country’s most ultra-nationalist premier since fascist dictator Benito Mussolini.'
;Meloni’s success marks a significant moment not just for Europe but for all Western liberal democracies. In a major European country, a far-right party directly linked to its country’s fascist past has not simply entered government or backed a ruling coalition but is set to take the lead. For years, as right-wing populists advanced electorally across the continent, more centrist politicians tried to erect “cordon sanitaires” that would freeze them out and cast them as politically beyond the pale.
But if there’s one dominant story in Western politics over the past decade, it’s that the far right is no longer beyond the pale. Indeed, it has taken over the right-wing mainstream in many countries, including, arguably and most significantly, in the United States. In France, the far right has long been the leading force of the opposition; in Spain, it has also gained ground. In Sweden, a party originally founded by neo-Nazis and other right-wing extremists will now be the second-largest faction in parliament. In Hungary and Poland, the far right is already in power.'
'Meloni’s Brothers of Italy can trace its origins to the Italian Social Movement, a small neo-fascist party founded out of the ashes of World War II by Giorgio Almirante, a former chief of staff to Mussolini. In the wake of Meloni’s victory, Almirante’s daughters were misty-eyed about what the election represented, describing to an Italian news agency that the vote was a “completion” of their father’s journey.'
'Meloni rages at being called “fascist," and many analysts don’t view the “fascist” label as a useful frame through which to see her rise to power. There’s little to differentiate her anti-establishment politics from that of other would-be populists elsewhere, as many in the West chafe against the perceived failings of an entrenched liberal establishment. She has disowned elements of Mussolini’s dark legacy and has denounced antisemitism.'
'In an interview with my Washington Post colleagues, Meloni said she should be viewed as a mainstream conservative. “The issue of individual freedom, private enterprise in economy, educational freedom, the centrality of family and its role in our society, the protection of borders from unchecked immigration, the defense of the Italian national identity — these are the matters that we preoccupy ourselves with,” she said.'
'Yet Meloni has a lengthy record of extremist rhetoric, has embraced the white supremacist narrative of the “great replacement” theory and has engaged in frequent dog whistling to a radical base. “Since 2017, she has tweeted repeatedly that Italian identity is being deliberately erased by globalists such as [Jewish American financier George] Soros and European Union officials, who have conspired to unleash ‘uncontrolled mass immigration,’” wrote Ruth Ben-Ghiat, a professor of history and Italian studies at New York University. “The paranoid style in Italian politics translates into xenophobic proposals to deny citizenship to children born in Italy to foreign parents and to cut foreigners’ access to welfare benefits.”
'Economic and demographic anxieties course through Italy — home to some of Europe’s highest unemployment rates and lowest birth rates — and Meloni is only the latest politician to harness them. Anti-immigrant and nativist parties have been part of numerous ruling coalitions in recent years.
The Italian elections “were unique because Meloni will be the first female prime minister of Italy and the first far-right prime minister in today’s western Europe,” wrote Cas Mudde, a professor in the school of public and international affairs at the University of Georgia. “But they were usual in the sense that far-right parties (and ideas) have been part of the European political mainstream for at least two decades now.”
'Meloni’s own journey from angry neo-fascist youth politics to the halls of power in Rome would be impossible without the toleration of the establishment. “Meloni owes much to the more moderate forces in what Italians call the ‘center-right’ alliance,” David Broder, author of “Mussolini’s Grandchildren: Fascism in Contemporary Italy,” wrote in Politico Europe. “They’ve allowed her the opportunity to present herself as part of the mainstream, not just because she’s been softening her policies — at least in presentation — but also because center-right politicians jumping on her bandwagon have given her a veneer of respectability and credibility.”
'At the same time, attempts by her main center-left rivals to make the election about a spectral “fascist” threat proved unsuccessful. “The far right can succeed in Italy because the left has failed, exactly as in much of the world, to offer credible visions or strategies,” wrote Italian essayist Roberto Saviano. “The left asks people to vote against the right, but it lacks a political vision or an economic alternative.”
'Similar arguments were made about the success of the far right in Sweden’s recent election, where the Sweden Democrats became the second-largest party in the country and are now kingmakers in ongoing coalition talks. “Individuals leaning toward the Sweden Democrats for various reasons have felt stigmatized: Some haven’t been invited to family gatherings, and in a few cases have even lost their jobs,” noted Swedish author Elisabeth Asbrink. “This has not only fed the party’s self-image as a martyr but also nurtured even more loyalty among its supporters.”
'Charles Kupchan, a European expert at the Council on Foreign Relations, told the New York Times that far-right parties have not only pushed centrists further to the right but are now “normalized” themselves.'
“The direction of political momentum is changing — we had a wave of centrism before and during the pandemic, but now it feels like the political table is tilting back in the direction of the populists on the right,” he said. “And that’s a big deal.”
The economies in Italy, France, Hungry, Poland and elsewhere have not been serving ordinary people.
‘The center-left has led the Italian government for much of the past decade but has not been able to deliver fundamental change.’ (TC)
Under these circumstances it shouldn’t come as a surprise when many of the working class as well as the middle and upper-middle classes, along with the ‘… religiously pious and the large number of Italians who treat religion as an identity...'-voted for right-wing candidates. (TC) Can we expect ordinary people to reward governments and political parties that have not delivered for years?
‘The most alarming shock waves may be felt in France, where serious people now believe that the far-right leader Marine Le Pen could well win the next presidential election. Macron’s approval rating has been running below Biden’s.’ (KuttnerOnTap)
TC has cogently laid out this story and provided an answer, ‘. Until the center-left finds a way to win back the working- and middle-class, as well as the nominally religious, it will continue to lose political ground to the populist and nationalist right.’ Of course, then the question is how is the center-left going to accomplish that?
President Biden has taken important steps in bringing support – the government—to the people Has social media and Fox News, along with the loss of journalistic outlets in the mass media made it close to impossible for most voters know who is doing what? If positive changes are made, which improve the lives and economic security of many citizens will the people know who is helping them and who is not? We have an enormous problem with propaganda and getting the ‘facts’ to the people.
This must stop. Corruption and greed are running rampant while the little guys are suffering and grabbing for a lifeboat, not caring who’s at the helm. When the right authoritatively “solves” culture wars but does nothing for the populace what sort of backlash will follow? I thought the pendulum was swinging back towards center. As usual my optimism got ahead of my cynicism.
I am going to have to go back and read this at least twice more to absorb it (bandwidth is lacking...well, absent today).
On first blush, it seems that the inmates are going to be running the asylum for at least the immediate future.
This specter is horrifying. I can’t help but believe that, behind the scenes, the equivalent of FBI and CIA are also bought and paid for. Otherwise, outright crooks, like tRump, Victor Orban, would never be allowed to take office. The Billionaire’s Gang is seeded everywhere. “Citizens United”, in this country, sounded the death knell of democracy. In Russia, it’s mob bosses. And on and on...like whack-a-moles propping up their favorite fascist sycophants.
Oy vé, this really is a fine mess.....worldwide.
Agree, Adam Tooze is very helpful to read, with his broad and detailed sources.
To the trend in Europe I would add a long time decay of democracy that voters are voting against the politicians who have just been in power, and less for a coming policy. In the case of Sweden I would say the possible political shortcomings and difficulties of the last 4 (8) years are in fresh memory, while the mistakes of earlier conservative governments are forgotten. As for the Sweden Democrats I would say they are not at all in the same position as the far right coalition in Italy. They have been victimizing themselves and gaining for a long time from being excluded by all other parties. Now they will be accepted on important positions in parliament, but not in the government, and will supposedly be very eager to behave like a decent and responsible party, and continue to exclude members who express extreme far right opinions.
In Italy I expect Giorgia Meloni to get away with her admiration for Mussolini, and not end up hanging like him, because she is a woman; cleaver move by the Italian Brothers. Italy is very dependent of EU and I hope they take notice if EU now finally is taking steps against Orban's Hungary.
TC, This is from a newsletter on WAPO that I subscribe to. I am sorry that I could not find a way to link it, The piece is about Meloni and indicates the overall strength of the far-right in Europe and the US..
TODAY’S WORLDVIEW, WAPO
9/27/22
By Ishaan Tharoor
with Karina Tsui
'The mainstreaming of the West’s far right is complete'
'In the land that invented fascism, the far right is back in power. Italy’s general election on Sunday yielded the result most saw coming — an emphatic victory for the nationalist Brothers of Italy Party, which secured about one-quarter of all votes and, along with a coalition of right-wing allies, a solid majority in both houses of the Italian Parliament. The party’s leader, Giorgia Meloni, 45, is poised to become Italy’s first female prime minister. She’s also set to be her country’s most ultra-nationalist premier since fascist dictator Benito Mussolini.'
;Meloni’s success marks a significant moment not just for Europe but for all Western liberal democracies. In a major European country, a far-right party directly linked to its country’s fascist past has not simply entered government or backed a ruling coalition but is set to take the lead. For years, as right-wing populists advanced electorally across the continent, more centrist politicians tried to erect “cordon sanitaires” that would freeze them out and cast them as politically beyond the pale.
But if there’s one dominant story in Western politics over the past decade, it’s that the far right is no longer beyond the pale. Indeed, it has taken over the right-wing mainstream in many countries, including, arguably and most significantly, in the United States. In France, the far right has long been the leading force of the opposition; in Spain, it has also gained ground. In Sweden, a party originally founded by neo-Nazis and other right-wing extremists will now be the second-largest faction in parliament. In Hungary and Poland, the far right is already in power.'
'Meloni’s Brothers of Italy can trace its origins to the Italian Social Movement, a small neo-fascist party founded out of the ashes of World War II by Giorgio Almirante, a former chief of staff to Mussolini. In the wake of Meloni’s victory, Almirante’s daughters were misty-eyed about what the election represented, describing to an Italian news agency that the vote was a “completion” of their father’s journey.'
'Meloni rages at being called “fascist," and many analysts don’t view the “fascist” label as a useful frame through which to see her rise to power. There’s little to differentiate her anti-establishment politics from that of other would-be populists elsewhere, as many in the West chafe against the perceived failings of an entrenched liberal establishment. She has disowned elements of Mussolini’s dark legacy and has denounced antisemitism.'
'In an interview with my Washington Post colleagues, Meloni said she should be viewed as a mainstream conservative. “The issue of individual freedom, private enterprise in economy, educational freedom, the centrality of family and its role in our society, the protection of borders from unchecked immigration, the defense of the Italian national identity — these are the matters that we preoccupy ourselves with,” she said.'
'Yet Meloni has a lengthy record of extremist rhetoric, has embraced the white supremacist narrative of the “great replacement” theory and has engaged in frequent dog whistling to a radical base. “Since 2017, she has tweeted repeatedly that Italian identity is being deliberately erased by globalists such as [Jewish American financier George] Soros and European Union officials, who have conspired to unleash ‘uncontrolled mass immigration,’” wrote Ruth Ben-Ghiat, a professor of history and Italian studies at New York University. “The paranoid style in Italian politics translates into xenophobic proposals to deny citizenship to children born in Italy to foreign parents and to cut foreigners’ access to welfare benefits.”
'Economic and demographic anxieties course through Italy — home to some of Europe’s highest unemployment rates and lowest birth rates — and Meloni is only the latest politician to harness them. Anti-immigrant and nativist parties have been part of numerous ruling coalitions in recent years.
The Italian elections “were unique because Meloni will be the first female prime minister of Italy and the first far-right prime minister in today’s western Europe,” wrote Cas Mudde, a professor in the school of public and international affairs at the University of Georgia. “But they were usual in the sense that far-right parties (and ideas) have been part of the European political mainstream for at least two decades now.”
'Meloni’s own journey from angry neo-fascist youth politics to the halls of power in Rome would be impossible without the toleration of the establishment. “Meloni owes much to the more moderate forces in what Italians call the ‘center-right’ alliance,” David Broder, author of “Mussolini’s Grandchildren: Fascism in Contemporary Italy,” wrote in Politico Europe. “They’ve allowed her the opportunity to present herself as part of the mainstream, not just because she’s been softening her policies — at least in presentation — but also because center-right politicians jumping on her bandwagon have given her a veneer of respectability and credibility.”
'At the same time, attempts by her main center-left rivals to make the election about a spectral “fascist” threat proved unsuccessful. “The far right can succeed in Italy because the left has failed, exactly as in much of the world, to offer credible visions or strategies,” wrote Italian essayist Roberto Saviano. “The left asks people to vote against the right, but it lacks a political vision or an economic alternative.”
'Similar arguments were made about the success of the far right in Sweden’s recent election, where the Sweden Democrats became the second-largest party in the country and are now kingmakers in ongoing coalition talks. “Individuals leaning toward the Sweden Democrats for various reasons have felt stigmatized: Some haven’t been invited to family gatherings, and in a few cases have even lost their jobs,” noted Swedish author Elisabeth Asbrink. “This has not only fed the party’s self-image as a martyr but also nurtured even more loyalty among its supporters.”
'Charles Kupchan, a European expert at the Council on Foreign Relations, told the New York Times that far-right parties have not only pushed centrists further to the right but are now “normalized” themselves.'
“The direction of political momentum is changing — we had a wave of centrism before and during the pandemic, but now it feels like the political table is tilting back in the direction of the populists on the right,” he said. “And that’s a big deal.”
***
Thanks for the in-depth analysis. Very helpful in understanding the situation in Italy and (maybe) the US.