Of course, politics is prone to strange partnerships. How else can we explain that Iran is allied with North Korea or that US supports governments of Egypt or Saudi Arabia? Neverless, it is astonishing how easily in western democracies today right and left-wing populists come to a common denominator.
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In Greece, ruling coalesces left outside party Syriza with Anel on right margin. The Kremlin supports populist movements in many European countries, wher in left or right spectrum. In majority of West, radical rights as well as anti-imperialist left ignore war crimes of Bashar al-Assad. At same time, more and less left in US believe that Donald Trump is a threat to world peace. They say that cornerstones of America are so rotten, because y do not help naïve belief in Trump’s desire for change. Moreover, nothing good was left in country, which would be worth it.
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But after such a bizarre political alliance as one that has now come toger in Italy, one has to look for a long time. In future, country will be governed by five-Star Movement with xenophobic Lega. The Chairman of league, Matteo Salvini, recently demonstrated xenophobia of his party when he refused to denounce a party colleague who had seriously injured six African migrants in city of Macerata.
In contrast to Lega, five-Star Movement actually started in left Politspektrum. Beppe Grillo had occasionally claimed that political categories such as left and right were no longer contemporary. Grillo was famous for his attacks on Silvio Berlusconi, populists and ex-premier with his numerous dubious contacts.
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Five stars bear name because of ir five idealistic demands, which y set up right at beginning of movement: water supply should remain in public hands; The government should do more to protect environment; Each city should provide its inhabitants with free internet; Italy is to prioritize public transport and bicycles, and it is intended to promote sustainable, less growth-oriented economic development. Meanwhile, however, it ferments in movement, despite its justified rage on corrupt politicians. For example, five-star politicians claimed that terrorist attacks on September 11 were planned by US government, and y also built up contacts with Kremlin, and increasingly argued xenophobic attitudes on issue of immigration.
As soon as y gain power, ir discourses are equal to
In government negotiations, five-Star Movement was n literally toppled over: no center-left coalition was closed with Partito Democratico, but a pact with Salvinis Lega racists. Media reports have already indicated what populist coalition will first prevail: a harder crackdown on migrants. The political logic also predicts next step: as Lega and five-stars disagree on many points in programme, y will choose ir animosities against European Union as a unifying element.
That is why all those who believe that only right-wing populism are dangerous are those who think that rise of leftist populists is only a harmless consequence of omission of liberal democracies. In book “The Populist Explosion”, US author John Judis argues, for example, that right-wing populism is likely to lead to injustice and violence. He brings this back to a sort of tripartite constellation in right-wing populism: a Populist like Trump would claim to channel voices of ordinary citizens, on one hand, in fight against elites and on or against Muslim and African-American Minorities. Leftist populism, on or hand, is not so dangerous, it has a two-way constellation, because it concentrates on solving conflict between ordinary citizens and political elites. He doesn’t make any outsiders to scapegoats.
Judis, however, overlooks that ideology is not main motivation of populists. Populists shape a political style that is on one hand fixated on hated villains and politically simple solutions and, on or, despises institutions of representative democracies. That explains why leftist populist movements at beginning sound quite different from ir right-wing players. But as soon as y gain power, ir discourses are becoming more and more equal. In Judi’s argument, five-Star Movement as well as Hugo Chávez in Venezuela and movements in many or leftist dictatorships have begun in a two constellation. But ease and speed with which y have trained third, deeply xenophobic side makes distinction in two-and three-constellations rar opaque.
Historical comparisons are always difficult, especially for Hitler-Stalin pact, as Monströseste Alliance of leftist and right ideologues, and for or gloomy moments in human history. But let us not be too comforted by Karl Marx, who said that if history is repeated, tragedy of past will be a farce. Today world works differently from Times of Hitler and Stalin. Neverless, many sinister episodes of twentieth century have shown what can happen if left-wing liberal democracy condemns so much that y enter into alliances with rights. Even if consequences are less tragic than y were n, y will still bring untold suffering and inhumanity into world.
