The ‘mainstreaming’ effect of far-right discourse on key issues such as immigration in global politics, particularly by ‘mainstream’ centre right parties has important implications for the future of liberal democracy in global politics.
In European politics, extensive statistical research has demonstrated that male working class voters tend to hold a much stronger propensity to vote for far-right political parties. While we need to be worried by disaffected white male voters in both modern far-right parties and in extremist political organisations, it is also important to note that the contemporary far-right in Europe (particularly the populist radical right) has sought to become more ‘diversified’ in attracting a wider section of voters in society, and in focusing on different issue areas.
This ideological ‘moderation’ can be seen with the National Rally Party under leader Marine Le Pen in France. Balsa Lubarda, from the Ideology Research Unit at CARR, recently explored how a number of far-right parties have also begun to focus on socio-economic issues such as environmentalism.
