Euronationalism

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For the movement for a common European identity, see Europeanism

Euronationalism refers to a populist far right political movement which asserts a that Europe's culturally distinct nationalist movements have common interests, and asserts the acceptance of their local views within a wider audience.

A mirror of the Eurocommunism of the 1970s, Euronationalism represents a political strategy used by far right parties to win votes by appealing to a broader interest, thereby underplaying their radicalism and aiming for a more respectable image. It has been used successfully by movements such as France's Front National, Austria's Freedom Party and Italy's Alleanza Nazionale, the latter two of which are in government. In this guise it has transformed fascist-influenced parties into mainstream, if hardline, conservative parties.

Other parties such as the Lega Nord in Italy, Vlaams Belang in Belgium and the Pim Fortuyn List, associated with the late Dutch politician of that name, seem to be pure products of Euronationalism.

The British National Party has been trying this strategy, with a measure of success, under the chairmanship of Nick Griffin. It has been alleged by the BBC that the BNP still has links with the avowedly Nazi Combat 18. There is some controversy about the new moderation of the BNP: Griffin has said he would "like" to "repatriate" all existing visible minorities, but recognises this as impractical. Many people regard this as disingenuous.

The magazine Right Now!, the conservative pressure group the Conservative Democratic Alliance and the small Freedom Party are more self-conscious attempts to create a euronationalist strain within British political thought.

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Opposition

Within Britain there has been opposition to Euronationalism. The main face of this has been Searchlight magazine and the Anti Nazi League with high-profile members such as cabinet member Peter Hain. The strategy has been to remind voters of the BNP's fascist roots. Left wing critics such as the militantly anti-fascist Red Action have derided the strategy followed, claiming that it is an Establishment strategy that is irrelevant to the working class targets of the BNP. Proponents claim that it has prevented it from being any more than a fringe movement.

There are regular marches against the Freedom Party in Vienna. Vlaams Blok is shunned by mainstream parties and has been unable to enter government anywhere in Belgium, and the Belgian state has attempted to sever its funding.

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Themes

The main themes of Euronationalism tend to be some combination of:

Apparent rejection of extra-Parliamentary tactics, with a stress on winning elections.
Hostility to further immigration, although generally nominally accepting existing ethnic minority communities.
Nationalism
Advocacy of traditional family mores
Defence of traditional institutions such as the monarchy and the Church
A focus on securing working class votes
Concern with corruption among the political classes
Environmentalism

Euronationalist thinking differs greatly from country to country and group to group. For example the Vlaams Belang is republican, and Pim Fortuyn was a homosexual and believed Muslim immigration is a threat to social liberalism.

It has been contended (by, among others, Right Now editor Derek Turner) that there is a regional variation in the way in which issues are dealt with. In the northern and western parts of Europe, such parties are often free market, tax-cutting, Atlanticist and sometimes even libertarian in tendency. In southern Europe they are more usually corporatist or semi-corporatist, with a strong traditionalist Catholic support base. In the east these parties often include many ex-communists and have a nationalist veneer; they fear their neighbours’ territorial ambitions, and are often strongly anti-American and anti-Semitic.