Right-wing, anti-EU Freedom Party tops Dutch poll

[pampango]

Right-wing leader Geert Wilders has called for a series of mass demonstrations in the Netherlands following an opinion poll that shows his anti-euro Freedom Party would become the largest political party in the Dutch parliament if an election were held tomorrow.

The poll showed that just one in three voters – 34 per cent – want prime minister Mark Rutte’s Liberal-Labour coalition to complete its four-year term, down from 63 per cent after the government was formed last October, and from 44 per cent in February.

The big winners would be the Freedom Party, which would almost double its seats from 15 to 29, a boost Mr Wilders said shows the Dutch are “furious” with the coalition’s programme of austerity.

It showed support for the EU was at its lowest level for five years, while support for the euro was also down, from an already low 36 per cent to 28 per cent.

http://www.irishtimes.com/news/world/europe/right-wing-party-tops-dutch-poll-1.1451690

Austerity has been a boon to the right wing all over Europe. The Freedom Party's rise had previously been due to its anti-Muslim, anti-immigration policies. The negative effect of austerity and the popular reaction to it have given a further boost to it.

[MADem]

1. This won't go over well with the "Europe is ALWAYS better than America" crowd.

Fact is, the right wing has been on the rise in Europe for awhile.

[pampango]

2. "... the right wing has been on the rise in Europe for awhile." That's true. It still has a long,

long way to go to match the power of the right wing in the US.

The only thing good about the rise of the right in Europe is that it is, for the most part, still on the outside looking in. Something tells me that if the Freedom Party ever gains power in the Netherlands austerity is not going away.

Being on the outside has the advantage of avoiding responsibility for current problems while offering right wing solutions to them. Their "solutions" have never worked anywhere (and will make things worse in reality) but when people are hurting any change can seem like an improvement). In the US it seems that it is often the left that offering liberal alternatives to current conservative laws on unions, progressive taxation, the safety net, civil/human rights.

[Quantess]

3. Austerity is neoliberal. EU policies are neoliberal as well.

Any EU nation that kept their own currency in favor of the Euro is feeling fortunate.

[pampango]

5. Austerity is not just neoliberal. To me it is downright conservative.

The odd thing is that the anti-euro, anti-EU sentiment is largely a right wing phenomenon in Europe. That's particularly true of the far right nationalist parties like the Freedom Party.

The euro seems to be their favorite target in countries that use it, though the right will surely go after withdrawal from the EU as a future target. In a country like the UK, that does not use the euro, the right is going directly after withdrawal from the EU.

The right in Europe seems convinced of the folly of the euro, indeed of the whole idea of the EU. It's the left that still needs convincing.

[Quantess]

6. Neoliberal = mutated conservatism

I would prefer old fashioned conservative monetary policies and control of the banks. Neoliberal or conservative, I don't care what it's called. It's just an ongoing disaster and a massive-scale robbery by the banks. As for the euro, you can count me in on the group that "needs convincing".

The idea of handing power over to Germany and France is understandably unpopular, but yet there is awareness that Europe needs to be united.

[pampango]

7. This does not seem "muted" to me, but that is subjective, I suppose.

As for the euro, you can count me in on the group that "needs convincing".

I meant that the right is already convinced that the euro is a bad idea. To actually get rid of the euro it is the left that "needs convincing" that the euro needs to go. From your posts I don't get the impression that you need "convincing" at all.