Oxford Student:"Rekindling" of European far right-"rejection of multiculturalism and globalisation."

[pampango]

http://oxfordstudent.com/2011/02/17/a-new-generation-the-rise-of-the-far-right/

At the heart of their (far right's) doctrine still lies the rejection of multiculturalism, epitomised by Geert Wilders’ harangue on 14th June 2009 when he declared on the Dutch television channel, DR2, that it was necessary to “deport from Europe… millions, maybe dozens of millions, of Muslims” – ‘criminals’ whose scheme was ultimately to implement Sharia law. In 2004, Wilders had founded the Dutch Party for Liberty, which received five percent of the vote during the 2006 general elections and 15 percent in 2010.

Far-right leaders thus raise the spectre of identity loss with the aim of supplanting the tradtional elites – known for their attachment to universalism – in the name of a ‘popular wisdom’.

This new generation has yet another common enemy: globalisation – an economic model which, they claim, is responsible for the degeneration of their nations, social disintegration, their loss of independence and values, rampant unemployment and a widespread feeling of insecurity.

What can justify this rise of far-right populism in Europe? Structural reasons have been put forward, such as ageing populations, which are said to generate a culture of anxiety, property, patrimony and greater concern for the themes of security and identity. Other factors brought forth include globalisation, which can generate a demand for national retraction; the burden of deficits, which can be viewed as the harbinger of public impotence; or the waning of faith in Europe as an institution, and in the elites in general.