The rift between Europe’s people and its “leaders”
Mr. Hollande’s approval ratings have risen since the attacks, but they are still below 30%. In January 2013, according to the newsweekly L’Express, 74% of the French said that Islam “is not compatible with French society.” Though that number fell last year, it is almost certain to be higher now.
Voters all across Europe feel abandoned by the mainstream political class, which is why populist parties are everywhere on the rise. Whatever the biggest initial grievance of these parties””opposition to the European Union for the U.K. Independence Party, opposition to the euro for Alternative fé¼r Deutschland, corruption for Italy’s 5 Star Movement””all wind up, by voter demand, placing immigration and multiculturalism at the center of their concerns.
The rift is not as extreme here—yet. But it is building.
Like in the US the elites have stolen self rule from the people. I frequently visit UK sites & they are disgusted at how all these rules are being decreed from Brussels by people that were not voted in & will not be voted out.
Sadly the same situation exists here, the only one I have ever heard mention how perverted it is has been
Ron Paul !
The death is the only fact in our life.
Whatever your believe and thoughts about death and life after that you will see sooner or later by yourself without stories.
Neo said:
“The rift is not as extreme here–yet. But it is building.”
Neo has probably been hanging our too much with us and not enough with her liberal friends. Many average Americans probably wonder about some of Obama’s decisions, but most probably think that the possibility that the president of the USA actually desires us harm is absurd especially since then entire Democrat party and the majority of the media continually assure them that Obama is doing his best.
“Voters all across Europe feel abandoned by the mainstream political class, which is why populist parties are everywhere on the rise.”
Prima facie evidence that denial has an expiration date. Recognition of that date is directly related to the degree of personal threat. Any mortal threat “concentrates the mind wonderfully”.
“Sadly the same situation exists here, the only one I have ever heard mention how perverted it is has been Ron Paul!” Molly NH
I suggest you broaden your reading. There are tens of millions of Americans, hundreds of bloggers and every Tea Party supporter in Congress, who share that view. More than a few Governors and State Legislators as well.
Ron Paul’s analysis is fundamentally flawed, thus (some of) his proposed solutions unsound as well.
The same rift exists here, especially in the more rural states. We have a multi-tribal society instead of a unicorns and rainbows multicultural utopia. The tribe that will prevail is the tribe with the most determination and the fiercest attitude.
The rift between the American Ruling Class and the rest of us has been pretty obvious for about 50 years now. See the 1965 immigration reform law; see abortion on demand; see….Ah hell, I’m not going to catalog the gaps between the Ruling Class and the Country Class (with kudos to Angelo Codevilla).
In a half-century, nothing has changed to close the rift. Nothing. The country has been squandered by our Rulers, and we won’t be getting it back. When it’s gone it’s gone; no getting it back.
The Fed is a good example of the benificence (sarc) of the Ruling Class, for those of us here who follow some financial issues and care about financial history. The Swiss central bank is a small version of our Fed, and this week it abruptly stopped its 3 year market flood of Swiss francs; it simply couldn’t buy enough Euros and other stuff, couldn’t flood the market with enough francs to keep the franc at the bank-desired exchange rate. Blam! Swiss stocks plunged 15% in two days. The loss to the Swiss central bank is thought to be about 20% of Swiss GDP. Not pocket change. Swiss exports to Europe are suddenly 10+% more expensive to the Europs. Not good for future exports. The Swiss economy will contract.
Our Fed has exploded its balance sheet in the same basic fashion as the Swiss bank has: print (digitally issue) money and buy stuff( US Treasury debt, principally), also aiming to cheapen the dollar with no success since QE began in 2008. It cannot end well, no more than the Swiss attempt did. But we will make a much larger bang when we blow up.
The Europeans are too late, I am sorry to write. We aren’t far behind.
I think a lot of people are getting tired of being called racist, sexist, anti-islamic or anti-environment. If the economy was growing, then there might be a grudging willingness to go along with this biliousness. But people are not seeing a better future. So all the lies about violence against blacks (vs violence committed by blacks), about how bad women have it, about muslims being victims and about global warming are causing resentment not cooperation. It won’t be long before people who are being personally attacked start fighting back and being unpleasant about it. Many leftist activists are from privileged backgrounds. You want to neutralize them? Take away their funding. Sue the people who make fake rape claims. Put them in prison. Defund the global warming racket. Stop paying for people not to work. If they have to do a job, they won’t be sitting in the middle of the road blocking people who do work. Don’t be nice about it. Don’t try to work with them to find common ground.
I don’t think the left succeeds as widely and thoroughly as is typically presented in the media. As Boris Johnson stated,” To a greater or lesser extent, the story of this Euro-election has been the rise of the minor parties……..united by a VISCERAL dislike of the EU bureaucracy: its arrogance, its remoteness, its expense, its endless condescension and its manic and messianic belief in its right to legislate for all 500 million people in the EU.”
I am fascinated by the best seller popularity of dystopian literature, geared to adolescents. that have anti bureaucracy and anti social engineering themes. For example, the “Giver” incorporates anti euthanasia, anti-political correctness, anti-revisionist, anti-microaggression, pro family, pro free speech themes. I think human stories are more potent than debates and essays. But my hope is tempered by amazement that liberal readers see the government depicted in the “Giver” as right wing. Cognitive dissonance, much?
I think this is useful:
FauxScienceSlayer Moa
“There are only two systems of governance: either you have property rights, free speech and rule by informed consent….OR YOU DON’T. There is virtually NO difference between communism, fascism, marxism, nazism and socialism….they are all REBRANDED FEUDALISM.”
I wonder what percentage of Muslims think that Islam “is not compatible with French society”? It might change the 74% figure a bit, as I suspect that Muslims were underrepresented in that survey. Perhaps that 9% of France which is Muslim would (proudly) say upwards of 100%, but do we know?