Voting for the far right is done out of anger, not to solve problems

The astonishing increase in the power of the far right across Europe is not due to citizens seeing its agenda as a solution to their problems. This is due to the fact that the systemic parties are not only unable to solve them, but often cause them with their policies. In the past, we used to say that a person becomes left-wing because of discontent, and today we can say that because of discontent he votes for the extreme right. It is a refuge for all bitterness, without a sarcastic mood. Whether conservative, Russophile, right-wing extremist, or an angry vigilante citizen, the anti-establishment parties of the right, with their invisible financial resources, are an easy solution. Not much more than that when it comes to the European elections.

But when the citizen vote brings these parties to power, they discover — as Tsipras discovered on the other side, in 2015 — that words are light years away from reality. A classic example of this is Georgia Meloni, who suddenly realized that the immigration issue could not be solved with bold words, so she changed course 180 degrees. He requested the European Union's help to deal with the matter. The same will happen to Marie Le Pen and the Germans from the AfD, if they are called to power.

So they get votes because of anger and reaction, but in the end they are also subject to reality.

Does the far right have a coherent vision for another Europe? He may have had a vision. In 2014-2015, Syriza believed it would change the whole of Europe. This was also a vision. But the visions are tested in practice. As I mentioned before, reality is relentless. What will Le Pen do with the Islamic neighborhoods in Marseille and Paris? What Meloni does – or rather fails to do – with the migrant boats arriving in Lampedusa.

For Greece, the situation in the far-right space is moving more towards an internal redistribution of power, after the disintegration of the “Spartans”, than towards an overall increase in the power of the space. Disaffected New Democracy voters are likely to abstain – as they did in the municipal elections – rather than turn en masse towards a particular party to its right. To date, such a trend has not been recorded. After all, as I have written many times, Greece lacks a serious conservative party, with principles and serious people. Nor is the possibility of creation visible. New Democracy still covers this area to a satisfactory extent.

However, judging by the quality of the discourse and arguments of the New Democracy right parties, it is very difficult for them to expand their constituency beyond a clearly defined and defined limit.