Two far-right governments now in Europe

Mamardoit

Callistemon21

tickingbird

What we need to ask is why is this happening?

Good question.

We didn't vote in our government; somehow it just happened when we were distracted by other events. Government by the back door.
I am angry.

We did though. The tories got in with an 80+ majority. It's ok not to have wanted the result, but you can't pretend it didn't happen just because it's not what YOU wanted.

We didn't vote for Liz T as PM but we didn't vote for Gordon Brown either. The leader of the governing party is the PM.

I can see where Callistemon is coming from. Truss is acting as though hers is an entirely new government and is ignoring the manifesto under which the government, of which hers is a continuation, was elected.

Callistemon21

tickingbird

What we need to ask is why is this happening?

Good question.

We didn't vote in our government; somehow it just happened when we were distracted by other events. Government by the back door.
I am angry.

We did though. The tories got in with an 80+ majority. It's ok not to have wanted the result, but you can't pretend it didn't happen just because it's not what YOU wanted.

We didn't vote for Liz T as PM but we didn't vote for Gordon Brown either. The leader of the governing party is the PM.

Whitewavemark2

I note that the Daily Mail that bastion of the right, is describing Truss as far right.

Good grief. To be right of the DM says a lot I think.

There is nothing like a convert for going to extremes. Maybe she is?

I'm just going to hide under my duvet for a while.

Urmstongran

No DaisyAnne I was pointing out that we have similarities with other European countries.

Fascinating. So, there is another country in Europe that has done what our Chancellor has done?

From Newsthump, a photo of Farage with the text

'Italy's Meloni can’t be a fascist because I agree with her views, insist pundits who are also clearly fascists'

I note that the Daily Mail that bastion of the right, is describing Truss as far right.

Good grief. To be right of the DM says a lot I think.

No DaisyAnne I was pointing out that we have similarities with other European countries.

Governments in Italy last even shorter length than the UK, her problem is going to be Brussels, the EU hold the purse strings, coalition will turn sour very quickly

martinthebandit

I think your definition of ‘far right’ comes from the extreme left.

Italy’s government appears to be a on course to be a coalition of centrist and the moderate right.

A great coalition with Salvini and Berlusconi- yeah, right in the centre.

NBC News reports:

"Meloni, who would be Italy's first female leader, and the Brothers of Italy advocate naval blockades to stop unauthorized migration from Africa.

"She has also bemoaned the chronically low birthrate in Italy and spoken of a left-wing government plot to “finance the invasion to replace Italians with immigrants,” a main tenet of the “great replacement,” a conspiracy theory that accuses shadowy global elites of the wholesale importing of nonwhite migrants to majority white countries.

...................." The party's flame insignia is inherited from MSI, an Italian fascist party founded after 1945. .....

"The Brothers of Italy can trace its roots back to a fascist party founded by supporters of dictator Benito Mussolini, although Meloni has rejected any suggestion that lingering fascist tendencies remain, comparing Brothers instead to the United Kingdom's traditionally center-right Conservative Party."

Whether our government is far right is debatable but certainly the Italian government now seems to be.

We are, in my view, heading that way ourselves when Truss speaks of "handouts" when referring to people who desperately need help with astronomical energy costs, and agrees with the policy of reducing taxes that will be of the most benefit to people who are already well off. Even some Conservative MPs are concerned about this policy.

Urmstongran

I thought in Europe that when workers went on strike certain numbers of workers had to provide a skeleton service? Isn’t that what the Tory government are hoping to achieve with the rail strike? And isn’t Denmark ‘shipping off’ immigrants to Rwanda? And didn’t Tony Blair stuff the HoL full of his cronies?

Pots & kettles.

This government is right wing in my opinion.
Not far right, like Orban. ?
Posters of a left leaning disposition may see things differently of course.

So are you saying that everything is fine, and the government are doing the best for each and everyone in the country, Urmstongran?

maddyone

^No, it is not fascist. ^

Yes Daisy the reasons you give are exactly the reasons I think our present government is not fascist, although is lurching very much to the right. I’m reluctant to call it far right because many people appear to think far right is fascist. And I don’t think we’ve ever had a fascist government in this country, anymore than we’ve ever had a communist government. We’ve had left wing government, not communist governments, but some people confuse the the labels.

We haven't had either government maddyone. I think we would remember if we had. However, we have had both fascists and communists in the past who have been listened to and agreed with by more people than I care to think about.

As others have said, this is not an overnight thing. We do seem to have made many moves towards far-right thinking being acceptable in a way it wouldn't have been, as far as I am aware, in my lifetime although some of it did hang around post-war as I understand.

The biggest problem of a country going to either extreme is that parts of the other side of politics tends to go further to their own extreme to try and regain balance.

Who'd live through the making of history

Urmstongran

I thought in Europe that when workers went on strike certain numbers of workers had to provide a skeleton service? Isn’t that what the Tory government are hoping to achieve with the rail strike? And isn’t Denmark ‘shipping off’ immigrants to Rwanda? And didn’t Tony Blair stuff the HoL full of his cronies?

Pots & kettles.

This government is right wing in my opinion.
Not far right, like Orban. ?
Posters of a left leaning disposition may see things differently of course.

I don't give a toss about what 'Europe' is doing, Ug

Nor do I care about what Tony Blair did 20 years ago, or where Denmark is doing with its immigrants.

What I care about is what my country is doing right now in the present. And what it is doing is suffering from a government that is running to the far right at top speed leaving the ruins of a once civilised and prosperous nation in its wake.

I thought in Europe that when workers went on strike certain numbers of workers had to provide a skeleton service? Isn’t that what the Tory government are hoping to achieve with the rail strike? And isn’t Denmark ‘shipping off’ immigrants to Rwanda? And didn’t Tony Blair stuff the HoL full of his cronies?

Pots & kettles.

This government is right wing in my opinion.
Not far right, like Orban. ?
Posters of a left leaning disposition may see things differently of course.

Farzanah

Well let’s say a majority Whitewave. It’s like pre Brexit all over again, but a tadge more serious.

Yes absolutely!

Jonathan Pie swears a lot- but he is spot on, as always. And honestly, current in current circumstances, his swearing is excused afaiac!

fb.watch/fNfYyZZ9_a/

Well let’s say a majority Whitewave. It’s like pre Brexit all over again, but a tadge more serious.

I honestly don’t think we are sleepwalking, some of us have been screaming from the rooftops.

What many have is tin ears.

Thank you for elucidating MaizieD. It is happening right under our noses, and and we appear to be sleepwalking.

Well, if clamping down on protest, taking control of the supposedly independent electoral commission, restricting the franchise by requiring voter ID, attempting to curb the judiciary by proposing to exclude government actions from judicial review, proposing to curb trade union action and legalise the use of agency workers to break strikes,intention to remove workers' rights, failure to offer safe routes to asylum seekers and shipping off the ones who do get through to another country for 'processing', refusal to properly fund public services, intention to leave provision of all goods and services to 'the market', stuffing institutions and the 2nd house of Parliament with political appointees to guarantee support for the government, and willingness to break international law aren't signs of a government moving to the far right then I'm 25 again and in the prime of youth.

As someone else pointed out, far right governments don't just spring up overnight. There are steps on the journey and our government is taking them.

I think our current Government may not be far right fascists but they are too far right for my liking. As for Italy, I think there are some worrying signs for the LGBQT+ community and it will be interesting to see just how Meloni is going to tackle other issues given some of her so called "softening".

It’s very much right wing, but I worry about using the descriptor far right because of the tendency to conflate the terms far right and fascist. Therefore I think this is a right wing government who are lurching further to the right.

If people don’t think that this government is far right, where on the political spectrum would you place this government?

No, it is not fascist.

Yes Daisy the reasons you give are exactly the reasons I think our present government is not fascist, although is lurching very much to the right. I’m reluctant to call it far right because many people appear to think far right is fascist. And I don’t think we’ve ever had a fascist government in this country, anymore than we’ve ever had a communist government. We’ve had left wing government, not communist governments, but some people confuse the the labels.

I hope you’re not right Farzanah. I’m not sure that I see signs of fascism in Europe but I do see a swing to the right in some countries. I think we collectively, meaning citizens of Europe, will need to take a look at why this is happening before anything will change.
Politically I prefer moderate government. Neither far right nor far left. We haven’t got that at the moment obviously.