"In Europe, extreme right-wing parties only do well when they are headed by a charismatic party leader".
" In Europe, extreme right-wing parties only do well when they are headed by a charismatic party leader".
Introduction
Over the last number of decades, the European Political system has observed the growth in popularity of the extreme right-wing party. This is a hotly debated topic among many European politicians, as the rise of the Right-Wing echoes for many the forgettable era of Hitler and Mussolini. Right Wing Extremism generally preaches the following: agitation against the integration of foreigners or refugees and to curb immigration, rejection of social equality, the reestablishment of authoritarian hierarchies and traditional female roles and so on. In the same way as the Nazis blamed the Jews as the cause of all evil, 'foreigners' are frequently referred to as 'scapegoats' and are held responsible for unemployment, crime and decay in society (Bailer, 1996). The majority of the extreme right wing conceals their xenophobic prejudices behind the harmless ideals of preserving their countries cultural inheritance and national identity. These parties also usually are presented as a vehicle for their leaders personal beliefs. In this essay, I intend to look at three countries - Austria, France and the Netherlands - and the unmitigated rise in support for their right-wing parties. I intend to closely look at their party leaders and question is it ultimately their leadership skills and charisma that has led the meteoric rise of the right-wing?
France
One of the most prominent voices on the extreme far-right is the leader of the French National Front party, Jean Marie le Pen. Over the years, the National Front has made slow and steady victory in local balloting and polls, without having to moderate its messages of racism, xenophobia and bigotry.
"In no major country has the resurgence of an ultra nationalist, xenophobic, anti-Semitic political party made more headway than France. With a vote share of between 15 and 20 percent, Jean Marie Le Pen's National Front has become a central element in French political life". (ADL, 2002)
Le Pen has used hateful phrases and egregious comments to espouse anti-Semitism, deny the Holocaust and create resentment among many of the countries minority groups. The vocal leader has accused President Jacque Chirac of being 'in pay of Jewish organisations' and called Nazi gas chambers a 'mere detail' in history (ADL, 2002). In 1990, he was convicted of spurring racial hatred and fined $233,000 when he questioned the Nazi persecution of Jews and Gypsies.
- Jean Marie Le Pen
In 1998, Le Pen was also convicted for assaulting a Socialist politician, leading to his ban from public office and the European Parliament for one year. Le Pen therefore had never been considered a serious contender for high political office and thought of himself as an alternative to the status quo of public office. However, he scored a surprise victory in the 2002 Presidential elections when he gathered 17% of the vote coming in second behind Chirac and dashing the hopes of front-runner Lionel Jospin.
"There are differences between the races...there are differences in the genes...there are simply too many immigrants, and they make who knows how many children whom they send into the streets and then claim welfare..." - Le Pen
(ADL, 2002)
Many public opinion polls express dissatisfaction with Le Pen's bigoted language, but do show considerable support for his nationalist themes and his defending of traditional values. 26% supported his desire to control crime by introducing tougher judicial system and 25 % agreed with his anti-immigration demands and that immigrants conform to the French language and culture. ...
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"There are differences between the races...there are differences in the genes...there are simply too many immigrants, and they make who knows how many children whom they send into the streets and then claim welfare..." - Le Pen
(ADL, 2002)
Many public opinion polls express dissatisfaction with Le Pen's bigoted language, but do show considerable support for his nationalist themes and his defending of traditional values. 26% supported his desire to control crime by introducing tougher judicial system and 25 % agreed with his anti-immigration demands and that immigrants conform to the French language and culture. In contrast, when asked whether they agree with the Front National as a whole, distinct from his specific policies, there proves a definite public opposition to Le Pen. 76% opposed the Le Pen ideology, 75% said he was a danger to democracy, 50 % considered his policies 'excessive', 36% found them unacceptable and only 4% agreed with his opinions on anti-Semitism. (ADL, 2002) This shows that there is certain indecision among conservatives about how to respond to Le Pen, as there is a tendency among conservatives to sympathise with defending traditional values and cultural preservation, but reject his use of language and extreme values.
To say that Le Pen is a charismatic party leader is unjustifiable. His use of harsh xenophobic language, his extremist, blatant bigotry towards immigrants and not forgetting his assaulting of a fellow politician do not equate him with charisma or style. His success boils down to his ability to stir up controversy and appeal to people's hidden resentment on immigration and subsequent unemployment.
Austria
Similar to the National Front, the Austrian Freedom Party led by Jorg Haider has achieved major success politically by employing policies that emphasise racial agitation against immigrants, and campaigning against nepotism and corruption. In 1986, the FPO increased its vote to nearly 10% and this kick-started a phenomenon that has led it to becoming the second largest party in Austria. The FPO likes to regard themselves as the most successful right-wing party in the whole of Western Europe.
- Jorg Haider
The secret to the success of FPO cannot be entirely credited to a charismatic party leadership (but some can, this will be discussed later) but more so on the ability of the FPO to capitalise on the widespread disillusionment with traditional, governing Austrian parties. There was increasing dissatisfaction among the public with the Austrian government, with middle class people claiming their social status and material security were being threatened. Proportional representation, as employed in Austria, prevented any opposition to government policies and therefore the political and powerful elite remained uncontested. An 'organised conspiracy' against the people took place as economic favouritism and nepotism developed and spun out of control.
"The aim is to complete the liberal ideas of constitutional and free rights through the liberation of the people from the political parties...By this means the power cartels of the grand coalition, into which both the main parties have fled in order to maintain their areas of power, will be stripped of their significance". - Haider
(Rodenberg & Rippert, 1999)
Haider and the FPO observed this disillusionment and waxed together as the other parties waned. Haider cleverly and shrewdly began drawing support from two sides - those who felt excluded by the old system and those who benefited from that system, but felt those benefits were being threatened. What is interesting about Haider is that his policies are scarce, instead he employs a 'vote-getting' attitude, he calls for action in areas where he knows there is no chance of change or amendment, and in areas where action has already been taken. Haider is the ultimate employer of the worst type of social demagogy - he makes impassioned appeals to the prejudices and emotions of the populace, he whored the vulnerability of the young and the anger of the blue collared workers who became unemployed. The rise in popularity of the Austrian ultra-right is a direct consequence of the rottenness and political dilapidation of these parties. The popularity of the FPO can be attributed both to the decline in support for traditional parties and to the shrewd and clever way in which Haider enticed voters and handled issues. He has been described as:
"A man, a fabricator, a clown, and a shameless exploiter of cheap feelings... a vacuous and negative nature of his politics." (Woollacott, 2000)
Netherlands
One of the most significant developments in years in the Netherlands was the meteoric rise of the right-wing leader Pim Fortuyn. Initially, Fortuyn was sacked as leader from his own party because he radically demanded the first article of the constitution, which forbids discrimination, be repealed. Such controversy served him well and soon enough he was almost leading opinion polls and entered the election with a list of candidates under his own name, Ljist Pim Fortuyn. Nine days before election day, he was assassinated outside a radio studio. However, his name and reputation got 26 relatively unknown candidates seats in the Dutch parliament and then put them into power in a coalition government with the Christian Democrats.
"Pim Fortuyn had skilfully played the media to position himself as the mouthpiece of mounting popular discontent and this brought his party an unprecedented election victory in May." (Andringa, 2003)
Fortuyn was a flamboyant character with a flashy lifestyle and had ultimate charismatic leadership skills. He was described as a 'maverick with a certain attraction', (BBC, 2002) and became a well-known talk-show guest, columnist and speaker. The leader was openly gay, and shocked people by his lifestyle and by explicitly telling details about his sexual interests. He also used his sexuality to fuel his arguments against Islam, who do not accept homosexuality. Despite the country's tolerance of religious diversity and liberalism, Fortuyn successfully manoeuvred a large portion of the public towards his own personal beliefs by appealing to the dissatisfaction of the Dutch voter. He won one-third of the votes in the municipal elections in Rotterdam. He secretly referred to himself as Moses, leading his people to a Promised Land. Paul Treanor, who wrote 'The Nationalism of Pim Fortuyn' drew some interesting comparisons between Fortuyn and the French leader Le Pen:
"Fortuyn got 17% of the vote in the May 2002 elections in Netherlands, about the same as Le Pen in France...there were two fundamental differences: Fortuyn was dead on election day, and Le Pen took twenty years to reach that level, Fortuyn took three months".
Treanor said that none could match Le Pen in terms of organisation or status, but absolutely no one could match the media abilities of Fortuyn. Fortuyn's policies were along the same lines as the rest, although he condemned being compared to Haider, Dewinter or Bossi. He offered full-on racism, immigrant-bashing and did not hide behind phrases such as 'integration problems' to explain his anti-immigration ideals.
Treanor elaborated on his policies, giving an account of one of his interviews when Fortuyn went further than any other politicians in his demands and use of language:
"The Netherlands is full, preferably zero immigration, all borders closed, no-one enters the country without an iris scan, no Muslim immigrants, the Islam is a backward culture, Muslims are a dangerous minority, scrap
Article 1 of the Constitution". (Treanor, 2003)
However, the power attributed to the Ljist Pim Fortuyn when they were elevated to coalition government was short-lived as was their initial euphoria at newfound success. Internal squabbling and power feuds led their partners in government to abandon them and in the 2003 elections, two-thirds of the parties seats were lost. Treanor believes that another charismatic figure can repeat his success if he/she appeals to the same ideology that Fortuyn stuck to. The immense reactions of both the public and media following his death showed the strength of his support, and the strength of nationalism support today. Fortuyn, although openly racist and xenophobic, exuded an air of style and charisma rarely matched, and succeeded with merit in winning the trust of the Dutch people who shared his ideals.
Conclusion
The rise of the extreme right-wing has been one of the most interesting, if controversial, aspects of the European political system to date. Le Pen, Haider and Fortuyn are each comparable to one another. They each shared similar policies and ideologies that were intrinsically racist ethno-national. What set them apart however, is how they executed such policies and used their leadership skills, personality and charisma to communicate their beliefs. Fortuyn, proved most successful in turning a period of political disillusionment in Netherlands to his own advantage and along with his charismatic appeal, proved a successful political figure throughout his life. Haider also exploited people's anger with the political elite in Austria, but was a contradictory and inconsistent politician, which eventually led to his party suffering huge losses in 2000 and a continuous decline in popularity. Le Pen, finally, proved an organised and focused figure and was charismatic in his executions, but his strong use of language and intimidating fashion takes away from respect that he sometimes deserved.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Andringa, H.; 2003; The lessons of Pim Fortuyn;
http://www.rnw.nl/hotspots/html/ned030117.html
Anti-Defamation League (ADL); 2002; Backgrounder: Jean Marie Le Pen and the National Front;
http://www.adl.org/international/le-pen_new.asp
http://www.adl.org/international/LePen-1-introduction.asp
http://www.adl.org/international/LePen-4-support.asp
Bailer-Galanda, B.; 1996; Right Wing-Extremism: History, Organisations, Ideology;
http://www.doew.at/english/right/englre.html
BBC World News; 2002; Obituary: Pim Fortuyn;
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/1971462.stm
Rodenberg, M. & Ulrich, R.; 1999; What lies behind the recent successes for Jorg Haider's Freedom Party?;
http://www.wsws.org/articles/1999/nov1999/aus-n18.shtml
Tiggeloven, C.; 2002; Splinters in the Hague;
http://www.rnw.nl.hotspots/html/ned021025.htm
Treanor, P.; 2003; The Nationalism of Pim Fortuyn;
http://web.inter.nl.net/users/Paul.Treanor/pim-fortuyn.html -
Woollacott, M.; 2000; Jorg Haider's rise will soon enough be followed by a fall;
http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,3604,239273,00.html
http://perso.wanadoo.fr/caricaturenet/politique.htm - Jean Marie Le Pen caricature
http://www.magixl.com/caric./globeb/haider.html - Jorg Haider caricature
http://www.rnw.nl/hotspots/html/ned030117.html - Pim Fortuyn caricature
` NAME: AMY HARTE
STUDENT NUMBER: 51731106
MODULE CODE: LG302
MODULE NAME: THE WIDER EUROPE
LECTURER: MR. ROBERT ELGIE
ASSIGNMENT NUMBER: ONE
ASSIGNMENT NAME: 'EXTREME RIGHT WING PARTIES ONLY DO WELL WHEN THEY ARE HEADED BY A CHARISMATIC LEADER'
ASSIGNMENT DUE DATE: 13-4-04
