brucethemoose comments on French far-right leader Marine Le Pen polling at record high ahead of 2027 election

[–] brucethemoose@lemmy.world 11 points 2 months ago* (4 children)

I've been telling Europeans this!

Not in a "I told you so" way, more of a cold bucket of water in the face. There's this attitude like there's no way a set of Trumplikes could win power in Germany, France, Sweden, Swizerland, the Nordic countries and such like they did in the US, but its already happening!

Its exactly what Americans thought right up until the instant he won, and didnt go away.

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[–] supersquirrel@lemmy.ca [S] 5 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (2 children)

Ironically this is what has been exasperating me about Canada lately (as someone from US), unlike the US and Europe, Canada saw Trump get elected and then actually did wake the fuck up and they turned around and elected Carney instead of Polievre.... but now it doesn't really feel like maybe much of Canada understands that they just pulled the handbrake and powerslided narrowly out of a catastrophe... and Carney isn't in any sense an alternative or a solution, but rather a plug shoved into the dam.

I say the above statements with the caveat that I know that many Canadians know this, I just see Carney getting contextualized as if he really was what Canada needed or wanted in the moment, he was the best alternative! Remember that!!!! Don't let the media turn him into a hero if he doesn't actually back up his bold speeches with bold progressive actions.

The really dangerous thing in my opinion here is when centrist status quo managers begin to lose a belief that if they screw over the average person enough they will turn on not just the people shittier than them (conservatives spouting violent and racist rhetoric), but them too. This is the opening all extremist, rightwing and violent movements exploit.

Ultimately this is a story as old as time right? The wealthy elite jam up systematic change and squeeze the structures that sustain them until one awful day a breaking point is reached and people decide they want everything to burn damn it all, at which point the wealthy elite point at the coming wall of fire and say incredulously "Why!!? This burns down the homes of the poor people and good elites too!!? That is irrational!" right before they are swallowed in the firestorm.

The kinds of people like Carney and Biden sleepwalked us up to this brink of collapse in fascism, which doesn't make them worse than fascists, it just makes them the necessary precursor to fascism, like how you have to dig a hole to plant a tree...

There are only two choices, embrace bold, hopeful policies and visions that address the suffering in people that causes that desire to burn everything down, or wait until your society becomes so brittle and weak that it shatters into violence and chaos. There is no "Third Way".

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[–] brucethemoose@lemmy.world 2 points 2 months ago* (1 child)

Carney was also in the exact right place at the right time, no? A central banker already in the race when a trade crisis erupts; you can't make that stuff up.

but now it doesn’t really feel like Canada understands that they just pulled the handbrake and powerslided narrowly out of a catastrophe… and Carney isn’t in any sense an alternative or a solution, but rather a plug shoved into the dam.

Unfortunately, voters dont think very long term, in aggregate. We just have to hope the short term aligns with the long.

...when centrist status quo managers begin to lose a belief that if they screw over the average person enough they will turn on not just the people shittier than them (conservatives spouting violent and racist rhetoric), but them too. This is the opening all extremist, rightwing and violent movements exploit.

And their supporters, too. I distinctly remember all the hand-wringing from fiscal conservatives in the US that co-opted the far-right forever... they are all but extinct, now.

I'm afraid Europe isnt in such a "fortuitous" crisis though. The countries mostly dont have economic apocalypse and annexation hanging over their head, nor an obvious "solution" like Carney, excepting the countries near Russia and Ukraine (who seem to have woken up).

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[–] supersquirrel@lemmy.ca [S] 3 points 2 months ago*

The thing that totally breaks my brain about European conservatives is how blatantingly they support russia, parts of the German military are wildly concerning for how sympathetic they are to russia and Putin, and yet the public attention of Europe is held firm with a leather glove on fearmongering about desperate immigrants goaded into tragic political stunts and how Europe needs to give tons of money to fascist rightwing leaders to be tough enough to fight russia... and how societies have to close themselves down and engage in cultural and geographic isolationism to protect themselves... when the opposite is desperately true.

What European conservatives want is the same as russia wants ultimately, which is for the movement of the poor and working class to be heavily restricted between countries while the flow of goods, money and power in the hands of the rich are given absolute freedom.

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[–] Kazumara@discuss.tchncs.de 1 point 2 months ago*

Swizerland

I don't think that's news here. Before Trump became relevant we've had Christoph Blocher already, who is pretty Trump-like (right wing populist using racist anti-immigration rhetoric).

Luckily we don't have a presidential system, nor one with a prime minister, so the highest he could and did reach was just being part of the seven person executive council.

That council is elected by parliament, which did not confirm him for a second term. He was in it from 2004-2007 (our executive council terms align with calendar years).

PS: It's Switzerland, with a t

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