This was aptly demonstrated in the recently inconclusive Greek elections, which saw the far-right Golden Dawn party gain seven per cent of the vote after winning a mere 0.2 per cent in 2009. The Greek political system is in turmoil for the same reasons that all the rest of the Eurozone is in trouble - bad banks and big debts as a result of loose policies following the introduction of the Euro. And now the spotlight shines on a party that had previously existed on the fringes, consistently accused of anti-semitism.
EU Council President Herman Van Rompuy gave an articulate warning to the Union at the end of 2010 when in Berlin he spoke out against growing nationalism and populism in Europe. 'Fear leads to egoism, egoism leads to nationalism, and nationalism leads to war,' he said. 'Today's nationalism is often not a positive feeling of pride of one's own identity, but a negative feeling of apprehension of the others. Fear of 'enemies' within our borders and beyond our borders.'
Here is a snapshot of Europe's nationalist political parties, many of whom combine nationalism with anti-immigration policies. Much has changed in the past four years. In France, Marine Le Pen's National Front won a record 18 percent of the vote in the recent presidential election. It is predicted that the National Front will gain further traction in June's parliamentary elections. In Austria, the Freedom Party currently controls 34 of 183 seats in parliament and is the second most popular party according to opinion polls. In Sweden, a county renowned for fair policies and good governance, a far-right nationalist party won parliamentary seats for the first time in the 2010 elections. The Sweden Democrats, known for its anti-immigrantion and anti-Islamic stance, received 6 per cent of the vote. In the June 2010 Dutch elections, Geert Wilders’ nationalist party more than doubled its share. It is now the third largest party in The Netherlands. In Finland the True Finns received 19.1 per cent of the vote in last year’s election compared to 4.1 per cent in 2007.
I won't harangue you with more statistics but the list goes on. In some countries there is mass public suspicion of the most extreme nationalist parties, as with the BNP in Britain or the NDP in Germany, but overall it cannot be denied that this brand of politics is gaining support across the Europe.
The same has happened at home. In the last four years Sinn Féin has built a strong campaign against further European integration and as a result has gained ground at an unprecedented pace. Every day as I drive to work I pass more Sinn Féin 'NIL to the Fiscal Compact Treaty' posters than the 'Yes' posters erected by all of the other major parties. I don't mean to create links between Sinn Féin and parties like the BNP, but Sinn Féin is undeniably Ireland's most prominent nationalist party. It is also the fastest growing party in Ireland. February 2011 saw its best ever result in a Dáil election in modern times and more than trebled its number of representatives over the 2007 election. An Irish Times poll taken at the end of April showed that Sinn Féin is now the second most popular party in the state with 21 per cent of the public now behind the party.
After World War Two, European integration was seen as an escape from the extreme nationalism which had devastated the continent. One of the stated aims of the European Coal and Steel Community, the predecessor to the European Union and the first step in the federation of Europe, was to eliminate the possibility of further wars between its member states by pooling national heavy industries and thus preventing domestic protectionism. For fifty years this aim was successfully and peacefully achieved, and the strength of many nationalist parties ebbed and died across Europe. Few would have predicted that the backlash created by the instability of the Euro, that shiny, happy currency marketed as a crucial tool in breaking down national borders, would allow for their resurgence.
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