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Ghost Dog

(16,881 posts)
Mon May 27, 2019, 06:00 AM May 2019

European elections: far right 'surge' ends in a ripple

Source: The Guardian (in Budapest)

After months of boasts, bluster and apocalyptic rhetoric, Europe's far right had a modest night at the polls in the European elections, making striking gains in some countries but losses in others. In the end, a promised populist surge turned out to be more of a ripple.

There were expected strong showings for leading figures of the European far right, such as Hungary's anti-immigration prime minister, Viktor Orbn, whose Fidesz party took more than half the vote, and Italy's interior minister, Matteo Salvini, whose Lega was the biggest party. Marine le Pen's National Rally also narrowly topped the polls in France.

But while there were losses for traditional big parties in many countries, far from all of those votes went to far-right or populist parties, with greens and other pro-European forces also doing well...

Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/may/27/european-elections-far-right-surge-ends-in-a-ripple



This gives a pan-EU, more detailed and nuanced view than you'd get from most MSM propaganda articles. Not mentioned is that the mainstream Green/EFA group is definitely left-wing and includes some pro-EU regional nationalists such as the Scottish SNP, while the rarely-mentioned Confederal Group of the European United Left /Nordic Green Left, which brings together left-wing MEPs in the European Parliament is also pro-EU and includes some regional reformists as well as Green interests and parties.

See official (provisional) results here: https://euobserver.com/eu-election/144963

Note that the far-right anti-EU nationalists are in the ENF and in (not all of) the EDFF, which together will hold only 15% of seats in the new EU parliament.
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still_one

(91,965 posts)
1. This is a warning to all of us. Not only must trump and the republilcans be soundly defeated in
Mon May 27, 2019, 06:19 AM
May 2019

2020, but the influence of Russian interference in iinternational elections must be curbed


 

Ghost Dog

(16,881 posts)
2. Huh?
Mon May 27, 2019, 06:43 AM
May 2019

This thread is about pan-EU parliamentary elections in which no credible European source I've seen has referred to any Russian or other foreign state interference.

yardwork

(61,418 posts)
5. Russian influence on European elections is ongoing.
Mon May 27, 2019, 08:55 AM
May 2019

There's no question about this. The influence of social media is insidious.

Polybius

(15,239 posts)
8. How is social media still influencing on how people vote?
Mon May 27, 2019, 12:13 PM
May 2019

People who are that easily swayed I can never understand, especially since we all know now that fake news is all over Facebook.

yardwork

(61,418 posts)
9. It's far more insidious than that.
Mon May 27, 2019, 12:19 PM
May 2019

I know academics who are studying this and they're worried that democracy itself is in peril. It's not at all easy to tell what's real and fake. Propaganda is based on sophisticated understanding of how to manipulate people.

Polybius

(15,239 posts)
10. I knew a Trump supporter who believed everything
Mon May 27, 2019, 12:33 PM
May 2019

He believed some ridiculous stuff. He asked me how I knew what was fake and what was real. I told him it was simple. Check a major news source (CNN, NBC, etc.) and see if the story is there. If it's not, it's fake. This guy was so bad that he believed fake deaths too. He also has the nerve to call others dumb.

Still, this didn't really influence him. He was voting Republican no matter what anyway.

Ford_Prefect

(7,828 posts)
6. The MSM in Europe and the US would seem to be blind about Russian efforts to influence.
Mon May 27, 2019, 08:58 AM
May 2019

It has been acknowledged by security agencies but the press seems to have problems discussing the existence and degree of influence of social media efforts. No one seems to have an accurate take on how much dark money has gone into promoting right-wing nationalism but it would be quite naive to expect that the rise of anti-EU and anti-immigration parties had no help from Russian sources. Putin has long desired the weakening of the EU and has spoken of on numerous occasions.

 

Ghost Dog

(16,881 posts)
15. Spooky! By "credible sources" do you mean this
Tue May 28, 2019, 05:25 AM
May 2019
commercial outfit out to make money out of cyber-insecurity and disinfo?

and/or this EU taxpayer-funded psyops publisher?

The latter describes its mission as "part of a campaign to better forecast, address and respond to pro-Kremlin disinformation... The Review analyses messages, not the messenger. If the message is a) false, which is determined by the facts and b) originating and in line with identified pro-Kremlin disinformation messaging, it is included in the product." This outlet also produces according to their Wikipedia page, "positive communications products mainly focused on the countries of the Eastern Neighbourhood and produced in the local languages of those countries. They are distributed via social media channels of the EU Delegations in the region, and are also carried on television and via other media and public events."

These people do not describe their methodology for determining what are " facts" nor what is "pro-kremlin" in the cases they choose, but they do make clear they have no interest in calling out any other kind of 'disinformation', and certainly not any that might support any kind of NATO or direct-from-the-US warmongering propaganda. In fact they themselves appear to produce some of the latter.

Thanks for your contribution.
 

Ghost Dog

(16,881 posts)
4. More from BBC Europe editor:
Mon May 27, 2019, 07:18 AM
May 2019

Last edited Tue May 28, 2019, 06:50 AM - Edit history (2)



... Europe's voters are looking elsewhere for answers. They're drawn to parties and political personalities they feel better represent their values and priorities.

Some are attracted by the nationalist right, promising a crackdown on immigration and more power for national parliaments, rather than for Brussels. Italy's firebrand Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini is a successful example, as is Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban.

Other voters prefer a pro-European alternative, like the Green Party and liberal groups, which also performed well in these elections.

The new European Parliament will be broadly pro-EU but also fractured, making law-making and change difficult. Just when Europe's voters are screaming for change...

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-48420024


(Also without mentioning the United Left/Green group, which held its ground although it weakened through fragmentation in Spain).

Nitram

(22,671 posts)
7. That's a relief. Now if Britain would just hold a second referendum on Brexit and stop all the
Mon May 27, 2019, 10:38 AM
May 2019

tomfoolery.

Maxheader

(4,366 posts)
11. We could all be living in squalor...
Mon May 27, 2019, 12:35 PM
May 2019

and the wingers would be saying its maga..

The yellow haired traitor could kill thousands of iranians and americuns...
and the wingers would be saying its maga..

Consumer products go up 1000% because of the trade war...
and the wingers would be saying its maga..

Dopers_Greed

(2,640 posts)
13. Notice how...
Mon May 27, 2019, 08:16 PM
May 2019

Whenever, the left wins, the M$M isn't willing to admit it. (Ex. them trying to act like the 2016 blue wave was a dud.)

But when the RWers make even small gains, they act like it's a blow out.

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