The far right in power, what does that mean? An expert from Rennes answers us

Ahead of this 2nd round of legislative elections in France (Sunday July 7), the National Rally and its allies are in a favorable position to take control of the country. The extreme right in power is an experience recently experienced by some of our European neighbors like Italy, Hungary or Poland… What are the most symbolic measures taken by these governments to be sure? Estelle Delaine, lecturer in Sociology at the University of Rennes 2, answers us.

LGBT people, refugees

“In Hungary and Poland, measures to increase control over civil society, to connect and strengthen ties with Hungarian minorities in other parts of the world, and to slightly revise the boundaries of “Greater Hungary” are significant. Denationalization, control of the media, control of social security, control of higher education, and public policies that significantly undermine the rights of LGBTQ people or asylum seekers, refugees… And then freedom of expression and especially academic freedom.”

“Minorities are being targeted like political enemies”

In Poland or Italy, the consequences were swift in many areas, such as abortion. “Increasingly, minorities are targeted: sexual minorities, ethnic minorities through public policies, Step forward Estelle Deline. Minorities are targeted like political enemies. In Poland, we are categorically redefining what women’s right to abortion is and access to certain basic rights for women. Regulation of media and regulation of social security. In Italy we are also witnessing a form of resurgence of racism that happens when a far right party comes to power! It symbolically authorizes certain groups to express their preferences against immigrants or racist people.”

Corrupt practices?

In recent decades many cities in the south of France, such as Orange, Freges, Perpignan and Toulon, have experienced the far right in power at the local level.

What are the consequences of corruption in particular? As the RN has held positions of power in municipalities for 80 years, it is good to question the surrounding discourse that this is a party that has not tested us to the end. Estelle underlines the deline. There were networks of corruption in Fréjus, which they did not create, but they did not prevent them. Instead, they deepened them a little The ruling mayor R.N. This is something we have already noticed in Toulon in Orange. The far right is not a bulwark against corruption. As the RN candidates speak, in the alternative they can propose, at least in these three examples, it shows a continuum of illegal and reprehensible practices.

“The most dominant administrators of RN are always social elites.”

Significant support from working-class voters for the RN was seen at the polls. But do far-right party leaders really represent the “victimized people” they claim to represent?

Estelle Delaine has worked on this subject and the answer is clear: “No, no: the most dominant executives of the RN have always been social elites. This has been proven for a long time. Once in power, policies (….) There are never policies that protect the working class. These are policies that destroy public services and cut taxes.. And we know it’s not for the people who pay the highest taxes, the rich, not the working class.”

This analysis can be found in Estelle Delaine’s book, “On the Right of the Hemicycle, the National Rally at the Center of European Democracy”Published by Editions “Causes of Action”.