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| Marine Le Pen is swept into the mainstream. The Front National is poised to use the Europe problem as a platform in the May 2014 Strasbourg elections. image: Paris political rally |
Marine Le Pen’s Euroskeptic National Front moves into the
lead for the May 2014 European elections and now looks on track to becoming the
largest party in France. Polls put her on
top at 24%.
A
spokesman for the party declared “A brilliant victory” for the National Front after
a local election success. "The French are showing a
wish to take their destiny into their hands and take back their sovereignty."
He also predicted an "unprecedented earthquake" in the next European
elections; a claim echoed by many of the rising Euroskeptic parties of both the
left and the right.
"All the
ingredients are coming together for people to express their discontent with
everything associated with Europe, immigration, globalisation, and so on."
The Front’s power base is in the south of
France, where fear of immigration, identity crisis, austerity and recession are
creating opposition to the Brussels Federalist ideology.
NF success
is mirrored across Europe where Skeptic support grows. Marine Le Pen is interested to jointly
campaign with Geert Wilders of the Netherlands anti-immigration Freedom Party.
Is this the beginning of a clear voice for
the European Parliament.! A choice for voters to be represented through defined
political roles concerning Europe’s future.
New Skeptic parties should impact but they will
engage with the pro-European camp in establishing meaningful reformist coalitions.
Politicians have a way of diluting their rhetoric once they taste the honey elixir
of power and privilege.
Brussels Federalist ideology may be over for
now. The third attempt may have failed, but the project to unite the Europe
project in some shape or form is far from over and in fact is most likely unstoppable.
May 2014 is still some way off.
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