Le Pen’s victory frightens ineffective mainstream

Many European parties have taken voters for granted, who will punish them by voting the eccentric or bigoted

The French regional elections have given a boost to the extreme right-wing National Front and the recent polls in Poland saw the Law and Justice party emerge victorious with its message of nationalist paranoia and admiration for Hungary’s Prime Minister Victor Orban and his support of “illiberal democracy”. There is a knee-jerk reaction to see Europe moving to the right as a result of the flood of migrants heading into the European Union, but it would be a mistake to read a Europe-wide message out of the French regional elections.

Certainly, the National Front has benefited from French fears of refugees and from the terrible terror attacks in Paris, but its success has also been fostered by the ludicrous failures of the two mainstream parties, which have been crippled by infighting and scandals. In Germany, the anti-immigrant AfD made a few local gains, but at the national level, the German public has reposed its confidence in Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government, despite its dismay over the refugee issue. In Britain, the anti-European United Kingdom Independence Party has been pushed into national irrelevance even if it still retains a large number of European MPs. And in Greece, the nationalist Podemos has been soundly trounced by the left-wing, ruling Syriza.

The real message is that Europeans want parties that listen to them. They want government that supports their aspirations and do not get lost in transitory glories. Far too many European parties have taken their voters for granted, who will punish them even if it means voting for the eccentric or bigoted.