Althouse: "It may seem ironic that Marine Le Pen, the leader of France's extreme right Front National, rooted for the extreme left Syriza in yesterday's Greek election and rejoiced at its landslide victory."

January 27, 2015

"It may seem ironic that Marine Le Pen, the leader of France's extreme right Front National, rooted for the extreme left Syriza in yesterday's Greek election and rejoiced at its landslide victory."

"Yet there's nothing unusual about it: Syriza, Front National and other European anti-establishment parties are partners in a political revolution that appears to be about to sweep the continent, giving back the original meaning to political terms such as 'left' and 'right' — and helping Russian President Vladimir Putin in the process."

So begins a column at Bloomberg by Leonid Bershidsky titled "Syriza, Le Pen and the Power of Big Ideas."

22 comments:

Brando said...: That's the problem with labelling nationalist groups "far right" as if they are polar opposites of the "far left" socialist parties. Is Le Pen's group libertarian economically? Does Le Pen's group favor greater individual rights? If not, then don't they have more in common with far left socialists than with the more libertarian parties? After all, the "far right" and "far left" both seem comfortable with more government control over people's lives.; 1/27/15, 8:38 AM
traditionalguy said...: That writer's observation applies equally to a certain mild mannered Governor of a North Midwestern state that boldly stood for reform of fiscal sanity to the point of starting a counter-revolution in the streets.

Go bold but smoothly present a simple idea. Why that's what an evangelical Baptist Preacher does. He is a smooth pulpiteer presenting a radical as can be simple idea called the Gospel.; 1/27/15, 8:45 AM
Oso Negro said...: Front National favors nationalization of some industries. That reminds me of a movement from the past, but it isn't Libertarianism.; 1/27/15, 9:01 AM
buwaya said...: The French monarchy also had some nationalized industries. This sort of thing was rather common in Europe. Their political distinctions aren't the same as those of the US. US political positions do not map into European ones very neatly.; 1/27/15, 9:23 AM
Sebastian said...: The Syriza victory is a blow to the EU. FN opposes the EU as it works now. Therefore, no irony.

Nationalism and really existing socialism were never far apart. Therefore, no irony.

Rapprochement with Russia, hatred of the Jews: nothing new for left and right.

Of course, neither Greece nor France can vote to end the end of history.

"Europe" is failing but still has money to mask the fall. If the establishment holds on, it is possible the Greeks will not run out of other people's money.; 1/27/15, 9:27 AM
NotWhoIUsedtoBe said...: I'd vote for Syriza if I was Greek.

The EU and Germany are punishing Greece as an example to the other small countries in the EU.

Big countries like France or Italy can flout the rules and go unpunished. The UK is big enough that it can thumb its nose at the EU without any severe consequences. Small countries have to toe the line, or else. It's a coercive union where big countries victimize the small countries.

I'm surprised the usual lefty suspects haven't compared it to neocolonialism or the US relationship to Latin America.

The troika plan is not good for Greece. It serves the interests of Germany and the big EU members. Why should the Greeks acquiesce?; 1/27/15, 10:09 AM
Jaq said...: Next war in Europe, we let them kill each other longer.; 1/27/15, 10:10 AM
Jaq said...: It's a coercive union where big countries victimize the small countries.

And they had the Electoral College to use as a model too. The small countries should have demanded it.; 1/27/15, 10:12 AM
NotWhoIUsedtoBe said...: Eventually the rest of Europe will tire of the EU being run in the best interests of Germany.; 1/27/15, 10:14 AM
glenn said...: Nazis and Communists, two horns of the same beast.; 1/27/15, 10:20 AM
Jaq said...: Nazis and Commies are like the old Irish Catholics and Protestants to the rest of us. They think they are so different, and hate each other deeply, but the rest of us can't tell them apart without a scorecard.; 1/27/15, 10:22 AM
Michael K said...: "Italy's Five-Star Movement with its set of common-sense demands focused on the environment and information freedom. "

The writer's sentiments are rather obvious and they are not anything to do with real economics. He is rooting for the leftist parties, of which the Le Pen party is one.; 1/27/15, 10:23 AM
Tank said...: There's nothing extreme right about Front National. They have a mixed platform. This reeks of the left's desperation to link nationalists with Hitler (who they are also desperate to categorize as "right").

The primary thing about Front National is that they do not want France to be turned into "something else."; 1/27/15, 10:26 AM
Fritz said...: Having run out of their own money and German patience, the Greeks have decided to burn it all down and start over.; 1/27/15, 11:07 AM
Seeing Red said...: At least this time we are spending less money to prop them up. Ooohhh is a free course in Econ 101 taking place in real time? This is what they do, they're European. 4 times in 100 years if you include The Balkans. Or is this partially happening because we don't prop them up by paying their security and the money is running out? It's easy to have the social welfare they gave when America paid their defense bill.

My family has discovered "Endeavour," the early Inspector Morse show. It takes place in the mid-60s. The older generation in the show, the people in their 40s and 50s, lived thru and were in WWII. Quite the different perspective.

You young 'uns better pay attention. Your dry, dusty history books teaching mid- and late- 20th century history may be about to come to life.; 1/27/15, 11:09 AM
buwaya said...: Extreme right in US terms does not map neatly into extreme right in European terms.

The issues of nationalism are more or less on the same axis, such as immigration and national symbols.

Issues of religion and traditional morality are also mostly on the same axis too.

Issues of centralized government and economic policy certainly don't, and never have, even pre-National Socialism.; 1/27/15, 11:18 AM
cubanbob said...: A red-brown coalition, why that smacks of something right out of 1938. American's never seem to grasp what the Europeans call far-right we used to call it the KKK. Same racial policies and largely the same economic policies.

John Lynch if you were a Greek and voted for Syriza you would be a fool. It's a pretty safe bet that any Greek that could have taken his or hers Euro's out of the country already has done so. Money isn't sentimental and no one is going to beggar themselves for the 'greater good'.

That the Greeks were dishonest enough to cook the books in order to get in the Euro is one thing, to be foolish enough to act like Greece had Germany's economy and could borrow and spend like German's with the German's ability to service the debt is truly monumentally stupid. To demand now a debt restructuring is hubris.

At some point soon they will have their bluff called and most likely will have to drop the Euro and adopt the drachma which will in turn get every Greek and his uncle to convert said drachma to euros, pounds or dollars at every opportunity to do so. Yes vacations will be cheaper for foreigners and essential imports much dearer for Greeks and inflated drachmas won't improve the pensioner's lives. The moral of the story is you can't keep fools from folly and voting for this communist government with a neo-nazi coalition partner isn't going to improve anything for Greece at best.; 1/27/15, 11:22 AM
holdfast said...: LePen likes rich people and hates dark-skinned people, so she's "conservative" by European standards. Which is part of why the EUnicks are so forked.; 1/27/15, 12:37 PM
Michael K said...: "Yes vacations will be cheaper for foreigners "

I'm watching this as I decide if I want to go to Greece this summer. On the other hand I don't need this.

I'll bet Egypt is cheap for tourists, too. Except for the hospital bills.; 1/27/15, 1:55 PM
viator said...: "throughout Europe, the convergence of centrist parties into a kind of colorless sludge has led to huge decreases in party membership"

Substitute the "United States" for Europe. Then consider the Tea Party and the Working Families Party.; 1/27/15, 2:18 PM
Jaq said...: Issues of centralized government and economic policy certainly don't, and never have, even pre-National Socialism.

Shhh. Nobody is supposed to know that there isn't a dimes worth of difference in economic policy between the Nazis and the International Socialists. The only thing is that the Nazis are honest about letting those running large industries get rich and the Commies let them get rich through looking the other way at corruption.; 1/27/15, 3:02 PM
William said...: The Nazi pilots who bombed Guernicia did their flight training in the Soviet Union. Even before the Molotov pact, there was quite a bit of sotto voce cooperation between the Soviet Union and the Nazis. The Nazis liked to claim that they were the bulwark against Communism, and the Soviets, likewise, claimed to be the rock upon which the Fascist tide shattered, but more often than not they found reasons to cooperate. Up until the time Hitler launched his invasion, Germany and the Soviet Union were more rhetorical rather than existential enemies........Can someone knowledgeable about such things explain who LePen hates more: the Muslims or the Jews? Who do the French Jews distrust more: the Muslims or LePen? Who do the Muslims hate more: the Jews or LePen?; 1/27/15, 5:09 PM