The Far Right is Here to Stay

“Keep politics out of it” seems to be a popular approach to life and relationships, but as we all come back to university, we would be remiss if we did not acknowledge the elephant in the room. Donald Trump’s re-election was the final puzzle piece in the global resurgence of the far-right — and we’re feeling the consequences. 

The far-right has asserted its growing influence. But precisely what affords them this political success is the ominous fact that they appear, more than ever, to succeed in the democratic regimes that characterise contemporary global politics. The shock registered by so many at the time of his election was intensified by the fact that those who voted against him, generally speaking, vehemently opposed everything Trump stands for.

‘Radical’ is a word we hear a lot these days, and regrettably, I think that’s because it represents so much of the current political landscape.

Politics in our times seems to be made up of a series of dichotomies, of which the radical right and left wings are the most apparent manifestation. Throughout history, hardship has consolidated the appeal of the far-right.The decades preceding the Second World War, which were permeated by economic hardship, boosted these sentiments. But we’re increasingly seeing that fascism isn’t just a phenomenon belonging to our dismaying past — it’s becoming a fast-approaching future.

It feels as though the well-established standards of modernity — constitutional rights, progressive tax, and globalisation — are no longer something we can take for granted. What defines a liberal democracy, a system that has been replicated around the world as the standard of modernity, has now, once again, become the fight of the left-wing.

What has, I think, radicalised the right in recent times has been the growth of the left and its push toward progressivism — at a rate that was simply too rapid for many. The left has recently mobilised for many socio-political movements, such as the resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement in 2020 following the unjust murder of George Floyd, which inspired worldwide outrage. This sparked a number of increasingly ‘radical’ movements that sought to further embolden minority and disadvantaged members of society.

Conversely, it has become increasingly clear that the modus operandi of the right appears to be the isolation of minorities and disadvantaged groups of society. These groups pose a disproportionately smaller ‘threat’ than far-right policies warrant, and the policies themselves are largely irrelevant to real issues.

How have we found ourselves in a position where the rights of those who participated in the January 6 storming of the Capitol are more protected than those of women? Where the protection granted to immigrants, whose labour and culture contribute boundlessly to society, is seen as a bigger threat than 

widespread inaccessibility to healthcare and the skyrocketing cost of living?

I suppose the hardest pill to swallow is that the United States, for so long, was a global champion of liberal values, which was postured as having such a commitment to human rights — even if it didn’t always act that way.

Of course, to maintain this United States-centric expression of outrage would be remiss. The far-right is everywhere. Its popularity has been increasing across Europe and Asia. In India, the far-right has been in power for the last decade, and it continues to exploit social divisions and minority groups — in a country filled with more pressing, and frankly, real issues. In absolutely no world should the existence of religious minorities be more politically debated than abject poverty and access to water and sanitation.

Our current politics has positioned us to debate the extent to which a concept as novel as gender identity should be taught in schools, coexisting with the debate as to whether women should retain their basic constitutional reproductive rights. 

I understand that it’s easy to criticise governments and difficult to provide viable solutions. But populism, an unfortunate outcome of democracy, allows governments to prioritise marketability over service. Populism empowers, grows, and exploits prejudice and intolerance, rather than managing it.

The increasing radicality of politics grows on both sides of the spectrum simultaneously. A toxicity has developed in our politics, and the regressive nature of the far-right, as it gains power globally, is potentially apocalyptic. We cannot respond with the radical left, and it’s on our basic commitment to progressivism to enact the moderate stances and politics we need to rebuild a functional society and democracy. With hopefully more than a ‘concept of a plan’.

Illustration by Magdalena Yiacoumi