It'll end up as "Vote stupid parties, win stupid prices"

The difference in results between Scandinavia and the rest of the EU is very interesting. A well-working educational system is clearly the best weapon against fascism.
- Also, a well working social system with low corruption. But it's a bit chicken and the egg sort of situation.
- It's really not that simple. Look at Austria, for example. It's also a lot about culture and society itself and how it developed. We are exporting nazis ffs. Shit that gets people thrown out of parties in Germany (like Krah) is just another Tuesday in Austria. And we have a great educational system. Of course with ways to improve.
  
  Austrian Nazis? now I've heard everything!
  
  Krah wasn't kicked out, they just didn't want him to show up to events because of looks. Now that the election is over watch them fully embrace that treasonous, SS glorifying nazi back as their top candidate. Also I bet it will not take longer than two weeks until LePenne forgets that the AfD is more and more admiting to be fascist and welcomes them back to ID
  
  Correct me if I'm wrong but wasn't Krah just forbidden by his party to go campaigning (and he did campaign anyway)? As far as I know he's still part of the AfD.
- It really depends, there's plenty of ways to politicize an educational system and call it well-working. I think a more crucial distinction would be to teach people to be able to discern good sources from shit sources and how they can be manipulated without realizing it, and having taught across several semesters, if a good education system is simply not viable (i.e. poorer EU countries).
- Indeed it is. And still our right wing populists are constantly screeching how the "general media is clearly and unfairly left-biased," and "how the other side of the story remains untold".
  No shit, Sherlock. Nearly all journalists have college or university degrees, that's what happens when you open your mind to the larger world.
- That's why the right hate universities. Well, that and the fact they unis will call out their BS.
- EU élections are often used to show your frustrations with the current government. In Sweden and Finland the current government is right wing.
- Participation in the EU election in Sweden was at a record low - just above 50%, which is amongst the worst in Europe. IMO that's a serious warning flag.
- A well-working educational system is clearly the best weapon against fascism.
  That has never stopped fascism before. Ever.
  
  I think they assume "well working" means "is not a propaganda tool for the fascists."
  They probably don't want to acknowledge that capturing schools, and what history and literature they are allowed to teach, is also the easiest way to create the Hitler Youth.
  It also rather demonstrates that they are the best way to create the Anti-Hitler Youth.

So goddamn sick of fascist populists. Fuck humanity, so fucking stupid it can’t help but shit the bed and fuck everyone else right along with em
- Fascism doesn't just come and go because people wax and wane in collective stupidity, it's a very specific set of conditions including Class Colaborationism, rising nationalism, and declining material conditions causing people to long for "the good old days" and "take care of our own, the immigrants are stealing from us so we can't." The Class Colaborationism bit is important, because it explains why Social Democracies are especially vulnerable to fascism, as Social Democracy is also based on Class Colaborationism, just not based on nationalism and violent suppression.
  People don't randomly become fascist out of nowhere, it's a failure to move forward and improve conditions that is being taken advantage of by bad actors to solidify power.
  
  Yeah, free, happy and educated people don't suddenly wake up as fascists one day.
  
  Note that conditions haven't been getting worse in America, but there's a campaign by the populists to make people feel like it's worse.
  The economy is better than before the pandemic, the wages have finally started beating inflation (to the point people are making more now in wages than before the pandemic). But if you're on social media you would not think this is the case.
- Your post describes exactly the state I'm in. Fuck all these greedy fucks, fuck the dumb shits that vote them, fuck the conservatives enabling these Nazi fucks.
- So goddamn sick of fascist populists
  They're the only ones allowed to do any populism. Ratchet keeps tightening, because centrists refuse to do anything nice for people and leftists who obtain the power to do so get labeled "tankie" and run out of office.
  So of course, the only people allowed to say anything with a baseline public appeal are going to win a fucking popularity contest
  
  "Tankie" "Socialist" "Communist" the same things thrown at any politicians left of center.
- We, all of us, from all the places, need to get together and start our own county. I'd bring the liquor, though our friends from Germany may legitimately throw me out a window so I'll leave that to them.
  In all seriousness, this is a situation where the minority are the loudest. Everywhere. In the U.S., Canada, South America, Europe and all the States within, we all want a better life. Do what those of us in the U.S. haven't been able to do and organize if you haven't. Despite the dumbasses over here flinging insults and threats, many of us are also hoping for the best across the old pond.
  This situation with rising fascism is a world problem. It'd be awesome if we could, as a larger community, come together in stalwart support against something, and not just in support of each other.
  Whatever you do just know we're fighting over here in the U.S. too. Many of us are so sick of being robbed to repeat the mistakes of the past.
  Anyway, this turned into a rant. I apologize.
  
  With liquor I think you'd be fine. It's beer that I have found Germans to be picky about. They will find a window to throw you out of if you hand them a Bud Light
  
  This could work. We could maybe take over Andorra or Monaco. They wouldn't mind because we will seduce them by being either A) shopaholics in Andorra or B) gambling addicts in Monaco. It could be like this big European Vacation that never ends (eat your hearts out, Griswalds).
- I had it out with a friend of mine who has gone full fascist, spews all the fascist talk show rhetoric, refuses to back any of his claims. A traitor in my opinion, and he is no longer welcome in my life in any way.
- So goddamn sick of communist populists disguised as middle ground socialists. Goes both ways.
  
  Where exactly in Europe are communist winning elections?
  
  🌈 Awww how can one not love this communist lemmy 🌈

guess people want to live in shit
- I don't. Let them live in shit but leave me out of it.
  
  Welcome to democracy.
- No, people want the people they dont like to live in shit. And dont care if that means they have to live in shit too.
- Their argument being is that as long as others have it worse, its a sacrifice they are willing to make.

I was a pessimist, therefore the results have actually come out pretty good to me. Far right didn't win Belgium, and Left party gained a lot of seats in Finland while right wing parties lost seats. Yeah Germany (eyes them suspiciously) and France turned out very right, but a lot of the other countries stayed about ideologically the same or gained left leaning seats.
Overall it seems it's balanced enough to keep going with the corporate accountability / public convenience stuff we've been seeing here in the EU, especially related to tech.
- i don't remember a time France wasn't reactionary (in my lifetime obviously). they were in the islamophobia business way before it was cool everywhere else.
  
  France has been uncomfortably xenophobic for as long as I can remember. It's never really been addressed.
  
  As I've previously elaborated on in a comment in reply to a similar statement - this has less to do with being anti-islam and more to do with being anti-religion. The French have had a long history with organized religion.
- At this point, after seeing the reaction of the German political mainstream to the Zionist Genocide - of unwavering support very overtly because of the ethnicity of those doing the deeds - it should be no surprise at all that, just like the "judging and acting towards others first and foremost based on their ethnicity" taken to the extreme level of supporting Genocide if committed by the "good" ethnicity (in other words, extreme racism), other elements of hard Fascist thinking are alive and well in Germany - the moral distance from the mainstream endorsing extreme violence and child murder along ethnic lines if committed by people of a "good" ethnicity and traditional fascism is merelly the addition of "we're a good ethnicity too", since the moral "hard work" of justifying evil acts using the "superiority" of specific ethnicities over others is already done by the first part.
  If the foundations of Fascism were simply given a new coat of paint and a new list of "good" etnicities, and then kept being used in Mainstream German politics, it's hardly surprising that the overt Fascists quickly rose back up as soon as a large enough fraction of the locals was convince that they themselves were not being treated as a "good" ethnicity.
- It's quite sad that I'm glad the Vlaams Belang is only the second largest party in Flanders and the N-VA beat them with a few percentage points.

It's sad, but predictable. Here's to hoping for strong antifascist resistance on the ground as the EU itself teeters down the fascist pipeline.
- Antifa will do absolutely nothing. Either these countries start taxing the rich and providing basic needs for their population or the right will rise.
  
  That wouldn't be enough, sadly. Anti-immigrant rhetoric is already supremely high, literal Nazism is on the rise.
- Not only the EU. Bigotry, fascism and in general all types of extremism ( on both left and right ) are on the rise on the world stage. Its very sad but very predictable..
  
  Genuine question, where are the extreme left rising? I haven't seen any but that might be the algorithms/my news sources talking.
  
  It's a good thing that the left seems to be rising in the Global South, but fascism in the Global North is scary, yed.

What happened?
- Far right parties gaining significant popularity especially in France and Germany. It's not great for the neo-liberal centre who created and perpetuated the economic downturn we're all in and indicates a failure of the left to present a coherent alternative. There's a lot to unpack about it. France has already dissolved their parliament and triggered an election because of these results.
  
  Netherlands also going great. At least the xenophobes hate Europe so much they don't bother showing up for European elections to simply say they want less foreigners.
  
  Eh, I wouldn't say its a failure of "the left." The problem is that American style neoliberalism has become the only game in town and any minor deviation is seen as dangerous extremism. Its easier to imagine the end of the world than it is to imagine the end of capitalism.
  Neo classical economics is simply "economics" or even worse "just basic economics" now. Every major media outlet going has been captured or compromised. Social media is bought and paid for by the same interests too. I mean, there's some pockets of resistance here and there but the ultra wealthy control all the narratives.
  To me, blaming "the left" for that and calling their resistancea failure is just bizarre. Its not like the narrative has changed or is remotely hard to comprehend. Its just that people like being told what they want to hear; that they were right all along.
  They clearly prefer to be told its all those damn foreigners faults and that looking up is a waste of time.
  
  Yes, yes.... On est dans la merde !
  
  It’s not great for the neo-liberal centre
  Neoliberals love fascism... why wouldn't this be great for them?
  
  It’s not great for the neo-liberal centre who created and perpetuated the economic downturn we’re all in and indicates a failure of the left to present a coherent alternative
  Without intending to disagree with this statement, how is voting far-right a better proposition regarding the economy?
- I don't know yet but I saw "Polexit" on the Polish ballot and didn't know if I should laugh or fucking cry
  
  Oh it would not be Polexit. There are way better names available than that. Polout, for example.
  
  Love how people look at GB, see their much bigger economy, see the results of Brexit and be like: Bro, I think we would do better.
- Democracy

Can someone translate this meme into FreedomBurger™ units?
- EU is having a moment because their Trumper types gained a lot of seats. They can't pretend it's just an American problem anymore.
  
  Thanks for dumbing it down for us colonials.
  
  I'm actually hopeful that America had a brush with death and may shy away from that noise this time. We've got about 30% of the population still holding that loaded gun to our heads, but I think the rest of us understand what happens if we let them pull the trigger. Time will tell.
  
  We never did
  
  For the Americans: it's still not nearly as bad as in the US, but we may be slowly getting there.
  
  Haha, what?
  We literally predicted Trump before you voted for him, because of the right-wing populism that caused Brexit.
  
  Happy for you, that you can feel Superior again.
- The social contract is null and void if it means a European ever has to see a Muslim person on the street.
  
  Part of the reason the right is doing so well is this sort of hyperbole from the left, we need to work on convincing people rather than drive them further into the arms of the right

We didn't get to see the rest of Europe in "children of men", but I am guessing that is what's coming
- BRITAIN STANDS FREE
  Immigrants being processed out
  Damn pretty accurate

Hey, Finland got pretty good results.
- Denmark as well, I guess I know which direction I am fleeing towards, when fascism resurges here in Germany.
  
  Ah, the Danish social democrats are pretty much in line with the AFD...
- Same-ish for NL. GL/PvdA continues to be the biggest, FvD is gone, all the Christians and VVD are down a seat each, VOLT got a seat and D66 is up a seat.
  Unfortunately PVV grew by six seats tho, sooo.....

In Austria seeing FPÖ winning is like a slap into the face.
- Does the f stand for what I think it does?
  
  what you think it stand for?

more like when we still believe a burgeois state will put good politicians in power.
- Ahh lemmy.ml, never change.
  
  Ahhh America, you won’t ever change.
  
  agreed. its nice here.
  but also some variety can't hurt either.

It's "win stupid prizes," still, right?
- Idk it's just a scam prices like big chocolate bars with two or three actual bars inside, and big stuffed animals filled with sawdust

France is collapsing right before our eyes. Give it until year-end to turn into a totalitarian country.
- France you'd better get this right, or else you're in for years of 'La Peine'
  
  Not sure that's be worse than the years of liberalism we've been dealing with for decades.
- I wouldn't be so pessimistic, the erosion of democracy is usually a relatively slow process. Poland went 8 years under its equivalent to NF and still managed to win its democracy back.
  
  The erosion has started a long while ago (~15years ?), together with the erosion of independent media and sabotage of education. What we see today might very well be a breaking point.
- Macron just dissolved the national assembly. There's no reason to believe the new assembly won't exactly represent the same percentages we have just witnessed. Our country is fucked.
  
  It feels like this is gonna be his David Cameron moment
  
  Liberals have been fucking our country for decades.
  
  Yeah, the left doesn't want to make amends and unify. My bet is macron needed an ego boost or something, the socialists and the centrists will unify, so even if they win we get basically the same government. And even then it will be more to the right than it previously was.
  Best case scenario the left union (LFI EELV PCF etc...) goes second turn against the centrists and socialists. That's assuming we get more leftists and as much centrists as in 2022.
  Worst case scenario the RN and centrists go second turn. This would assume the votes for everyone stay the same, which isn't true the LFI has gotten more popular but still it's likely this will happen.
- France has been led by liberals for years now, enshittified without mercy by these rich fucks, these EU sellouts. Our education is fucked, out healthcare is fucked, our lifestyle is fucked, all to please these rich cunts. it's time we bring out the guillotine again.
  Fuck the EU, fuck macron, fuck these pretend left wing cucks from LFI and PS, fuck the nazi cunts.
  Only one solution, revolution. Heads need to roll again to remind them who's in charge.
  
  This is the most French comment I read today
  
  I agree with you this is the result of decades of liberal policies and the left was never been able to stand against it in any capacity. It's a really shame, but we had it coming for a long long time.
  Although the EU is far from perfect, I still think it brings more good than evil. We should try to salvage what is good.
  I am not so much on board for cutting heads, but think these corrupt motherfuckers should rot in prison for life.
  
  How did they enshittify your country specifically? I want to compare it with how neoliberalism enshittified the UK.

Austria could have gone worse, despite the FPÖ up. In Germany you have this kind of cordon sanitaire, the other parties have an agreement of sorts to never cooperate with the AfD, the CDU/CSU has been a bit flimsy on that though.
Meanwhile in Austria, the FPÖ has been around forever and used to represent some liberal politics way back when so they didn't have that cordon sanitaire, including coalition governments between the ÖVP (the equivalent of the CDU/CSU but imbroiled somehow in more political turmoil in recent years) and FPÖ on numerous occasions. And what happened in this election is that basically three seats went from the ÖVP straight to the FPÖ.
Basically Austrian representation in the EU probably got marginally worse for all it matters, but in turn the CDU/CSU saw that any cooperation with the AfD would just lead to voters of theirs just going to the AfD in the long run, strengthening the case for a cordon sanitaire.
At least I hope that's how they'll interpret it. The other Austrian shift was one from the Greens to the heavily pro-EU NEOS, as much as I'll disagree on some of their domestic policies when it comes to their EU politics they're a bit more palatable.
- Germany is being interpreted as a disaster, but the only hard right party is the AfD and they're up around 5% it looks like... and there are 13 other parties about to represent Germany in the EU parliament. France is looking terrible though, at least the RN has at least pretended to cut off ties to the AfD. And the equivalent of the CDU/CSU in France is near death, so it's not like voters in the middle had anywhere to go other than Macron or RN.
  
  Nevertheless, 16% for a Nazi party is more than 16% too much.
  
  I think germany could have gone worse, and people are quick to see that the AfD has the second most votes and cry disaster, but reality is that left wing votes are just split between more parties. Overall "cdu and further right" seems to bd about evenly split with "left of cdu".
  But still, compared to both the previous EU election and the most recent national election, it got quite a bit worse. CDU and AfD combined were at 36% in the last national election, they're up by about 5% each, and that while the CDU has been getting closer to the AfDs position in recent years.