Far-right feeds on fear

This week's Independent News & Media Irish regional newspapers' column.

Michael Commane

Micko, not his real name, works at a waste facility for a county council.

He manages to have at least two foreign holidays every year and drives a 161 car. We chat about politics and the general state of ‘chassis’ in the country. He’s adamant in his hatred of the established political parties and refers to them as the ‘political elite’.

That’s the phrase that is being used worldwide to refer to the political establishment. Micko feels that the far-right listen to him, whereas ‘the current crowd’ have no time for him. He objects to foreigners coming here and ‘milking the system’.

Trump in the US, AfD in Germany, Le Pen in France, Orban in Hungary, the Law and Justice Party in Poland, laughing Farage, all offer a dangerous menu.

The so-called anti-establishment parties are on the verge of becoming the ‘establishment’ and the picture they paint is worrying.

A new government has been formed in Germany. It is a coalition made up of three ‘establishment parties’, that all lost heavily in the September elections.

The formation of the new government means that the far right, Alternative for Germany (AfD) becomes the main opposition party. AfD politicians may come across as attractive sensible people. But at the core of their ideology they are nasty xenophobic people, who want to put Germany first.

Occasionally their mask falls and you will hear members say that it’s time the Germans began to forget about their past. AfD personnel have expressed strong objections to the Holocaust memorial in the heart of Berlin. They have also said it’s time for Germany to have pride in the Wehrmacht, which was Hitler’s army.

In Poland a law has been passed, which makes it illegal for citizens to say anything about Polish complicity during the German occupation of Poland in World War II.

In France Marine Le Pen is airbrushing her father and founder of Front National out of the party’s history. He goes easy on what the Nazis did.

In Italy comedians and far-right politicians made great gains in this month’s elections.

In Europe and in the US there is a fear that our identity is being destroyed.

There is something about the human psyche that needs a scapegoat. And the new anti-establishment parties have played this card to perfection.

Russia has re-elected Vladimir Putin. Like Trump, he promises to make Russia ‘great’ again. The Chinese Communist Party has made Xi Jinping leader for life. Russia and China have expressed their fear of outside interference by placing inordinate trust in what they see as strong people.

In Lisdoonvarna there is tension and worry about the arrival of 115 people who are to be housed in the new direct provision centre.

It’s time for the developed world to make a serious effort in working to banish poverty and war in the developing world, instead of making billions on selling them weapons of destruction.

Whose planes, tanks and guns are doing the killing in Syria and Yemen, and everywhere in the developing world?

People would stay at home if they were allowed live in peace and prosperity. Then the far-right would have to find new ways to fool the ‘Mickos’ of this world.

Le Pen, the AfD, Farage, Orban, Trump feed on the fears of people.

Guardian columnist and author George Monbiot recently wrote: ‘Do not let fear rule your life. Fear hems us in, stops us from thinking clearly, and prevents us from either challenging oppression or engaging calmly with the impersonal fates.’