Sweden’s general election finished on Sunday with the center-right Sweden Democrats taking the house advantage with 20 seats. Some Swedes have seen this as a turning point in the political climate of Sweden for the Sweden Democrats are known for their tough stance in immigration and social welfare. They believe that multiculturalism in Sweden has failed and immigrants need to assimilate into Swedish society, or be denied citizenship. Jimmie Akesson, the leader of the party, denies any sentiment of racism and that immigration has caused a strain on Swedish welfare.
My friends say I am right-winged. I consider myself to be centrist. I guess that’s a nice way of saying I am very divided on issues and am indecisive, but it also gives me the chance to evaluate issues from both sides of the coin. But even I have noticed the rise of right-winged governments over the world in the past decade or so, particularly in Europe. Denmark’s government currently is also right-winged and wishes to impose strong regulations on welfare and immigration. Same has been with the Dutch since 2002 and now anti-immigration issues are in every political election. There has been momentum building up behind the far-right British National party pushing for capital punishment and contempt at various racial groups, especially Muslims, that can be seen as racism. Hitler’s Mein Kampt has seen rising sales over the world, even in countries such as India and Poland. I have already written an article about the banning of the burqa in France. Right across the border, the Tea Party in America has been getting attention left and right from winning senate seats by Rand Paul and Christine O’Donnell.
Whether these events are related to each other or not is uncertain; obviously some of these groups are more extreme than others. I don’t think the Tea Party is open to racial “debate” like the British National Party is. But what is certain is in the past decade we have seen slightly further right-winged parties, previously dismissed as extremists, to have a real political impact in countries. Generally these parties have an strict or anti-immigration and pro-assimilation policy. They believe in less social welfare and stronger motives for people do well by themselves.
There are many reasons why there may be an emergence of right-winged governments. The ones I believe are the most influential are those with a weaker-than-normal economy and a weak and apathetic leader. In times of tough economic downturns, people may question their decrease in wage or loss of jobs to immigrants or foreign companies and why they, as the citizens, are not protected from this. Economic hardship also leads to lots of people eating off of social welfare, which puts a strain on the government budget. And a weak leader who puts forward little to no changes to better the life of the citizens only force the citizens of a nation to turn to more radical political leaders and factions.
By no means am I saying these parties will rise to become fascist states or legally violate the rights of man. In fact, lower immigration rates can help countries in terms of their economics as there are now less people to care for. But there is a fine line between simply helping the economy, or sinking back into the days of racism and segregation and the concept of a master race. How far can a political party push the issue of national identity and assimilation until the country fissures? Whether this will be a rise to the challenge, or a turn for the worst, it is clear that further right-winged political factions are starting to have more influence in the world of politics. But I guess with voter apathy as high as it is in Canada, Stephen Harper can probably sit tight for just a few more years.
For more information, keep an eye on major news media. The information used for this article comes from MSNBC, BBC, The Guardian, this is Staffordshire, and Maclean’s Magazine.