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Throughout the past decade, the far-right has been making a drastic return to Europe and beyond. With 2024 coming to an end, seven European countries have ended up with a far-right elected government. Furthermore, many of Europe’s hard-right parties occupy second place in opinion polls. So, what’s changed?
With more young people beginning to reach the voting age in each nation, predictions typically assume that since young people typically vote for left-wing parties, more left-wing governments would get into power. Even more so, with the COVID-19 pandemic in the past half a decade, many primary predictions throughout Europe have suggested that the public would prioritise environmental party policies more, realising the importance of climate change on our planet and our health. But this hasn’t been the case, and with Germany’s AfD party rapidly gaining popularity and achieving success in recent local elections, as the upcoming election draws near, the reality is that we must start to consider the impact this will have on us in the UK – regardless of our individual standing points.
Far-right policies are often deemed extremist and radical and are typically rooted in anti-immigration and conservative rights regarding social issues like reproductive rights or LGBTQ+ freedoms. As a member of all of the described groups, I am shocked to see what our politics are reverting to and the direction they are currently going in. It is not necessarily a bad thing that our political climate is changing – but what makes this situation so much worse is the number of people who will have to compromise on their basic human rights as the cost of people choosing a far-right government.
Furthermore, with Elon Musk becoming increasingly involved in politics, many continue to question his global influence in the economy, society and beyond. The Tesla and SpaceX CEO has recently instigated an online feud Reform UK’s Nigel Farage and called for him to step down; showing support for its message and policies but expressing his disappointment over Farage’s leadership style. At the same time, he has amplified and endorsed Germany’s far-right AfD.
The role of ‘outsiders’ within politics, such as influencers and music artists, is no news and has increasingly been taking place over the years as celebrities are now encouraged to express their political views on social media. However, being the richest man in the world, Elon Musk’s influence goes far beyond just that of influencers; and with the political decisions he makes reflecting the far-right, I begin to worry about not just his political and economic decisions, but also his social standpoints, which will inevitably impact large numbers of people.
This is not to discredit the countries that have made progress and have moved away from far-right governments in recent years; such as the UK shifting towards a majority Labour Party government despite the increased influence of Reform UK in our Parliament and their general election showing, or Poland having moved away to a more centrist government in 2023 which followed a significant far-right majority (one which had presided over attempts to ban abortion almost completely within the country’s borders).
However, it is still incredibly worrying that major global powers have seen growing domestic support for far-right parties, as seen with the re-election of Donald Trump in America, or the rise in influence of the AfD in Germany among other already-elected European populist governments. I cannot help but question where this is leading us as a society and as a fellow global power in the UK.
Free elections, free media, and free politics are near-impossible to uphold within a far-right populist climate. We should be aiming for progress, and that’s not to say that some nations haven’t been making the said progress, but when those states and individuals with the most influence actively go against these values, it becomes even more difficult for those with less power to act accordingly.
Despite the efforts of political parties banding together to prevent the far-right from governing Europe, it is appalling to see key European powers like Italy, Germany and France keep insisting on losses in both social and political outcomes. What this will mean for us in the UK will quickly become more evident. From human rights violations to anti-immigration laws or limits on abortion at the mere promise of preserving conservative values, perhaps Elon Musk’s influence and involvement within the Reform UK party is only the beginning for us.
Image: Meeting May 1 2012, National Front Paris, Blandine Le Cain, 2012//CC BY 2.0
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