Hands
across
the water

Jean-Marie and John Winston: Pre-Nazi Precursors
Harold Hark
3 May 2002

Jean-Marie Le Pen's priorities:

• Introduction of the death penalty and a ban on abortion.
• Expulsion of illegal immigrants.
• Stopping family immigrant reunions.
• Zero tolerance to crime.
• Increased border policing to keep asylum seekers out.
• Mandatory detention of illegal migrants, followed by expulsion.
• Family friendly policies, including increased benefits for stay-at-home parents.

(culled from Peter Fray, "Le Pen writes new political agenda", The Age, 24/4/02)

Alas, politics being what it is (the puppet wing of corporate hegemony concealed behind a façade of concern "for all of us"), John Howard is prevented from sending congratulations to Jean-Marie Le Pen for ousting their mutual enemy, the Socialists, from presidential run-offs in France. Instead, the little bigot must confine his admiration to Janette and a few close sycophants.

But that hasn't stopped Le Pen from congratulating Howard, claiming that Australia "was heading in the right direction" with its policy of detaining illegal immigrants in special centres. (Peter Wilson, The Australian, 29/4/02)

Le Pen's victory may signal a wake up call for a rapidly fascist-leaning Europe, but it vindicates Howard's own brand of pre-Nazi fascism here in the country that once called itself proud.

As for Le Pen's Australian counterpart Pauline Hanson, she may never have heard of him. Worse, she may still be unaware that her policies have been adopted by the Illiberal Party. As a hand puppet for the Devil, she was always kind of stupid. Indeed, His Right Wing Nibs must often bemoan the intellectual incapacity of his disseminators of evil.

Alors, does Le Pen's resurrection signal the rise to political power of the descendants of Vichy? This possibility must be especially galling (pun intended) to the French, who have seen the major left parties debase themselves through gradual collaboration with corporatism. It is for this reason Le Pen was able to oust Jospin.

Many are of the opinion that Le Pen will fall back to semi-obscurity after being trounced on 5 May. They point to the weakening of popular support for the Haider Government in Austria, and the transparency of Silvio Berlusconi's self-immolating connection to the Mafia in Italy. But the fact remains that Portugal and Denmark have just elected Howard-like governments, and Holland--heretofore the world's most liberal country--is poised to do so in May.

In a continent-wide European condemnation of Le Pen's victory, it is worth noting that the enemy of democracy is always regarded as right wing extremism. "I hope that all democratic powers will unite against rightwing extremism and xenophobia," said Sweden's Social Democrat prime minister, Goran Persson. Germany's chancellor, Gerhard Schröder, said that democrats throughout Europe must strive to ensure that Le Pen did not gain any degree of power in France. "It's most regrettable that the far right has become so strong. That must be prevented."

Of course they are talking about the far right. But where is the near right these days? There is certainly no evidence of it here in Australia. Can there be any better example of far right evil than John Howard's concentration camps for hapless refugees whose skin colour doesn't match his preferences? Make no mistake, we are living in Le Penville already.

European countries have been confronted with the fruits of colonialism for decades, but instead of pursuing policies of welcome and integration, they have swept the influx under the carpet, leaving self-interested, fearful citizens to deal with the problem. Compassionate leadership from each of the European nations involved could have solved immigration by and large, but that is not the way of modern corporate politics and its desertion of social policies. The fact is, Europe, like Australia, like America, needs immigrants in order to prosper and evolve. But the idea that "things change" is anathema to the conservative mentality which, by definition is frightened of change.

The street protests in France are a good omen. The innate goodness of human nature can only be swayed by hate for so long. Sooner or later a slim majority recognizes that the necessity of cooperation far outweighs the divisions of competition. Le Pen's present triumph may finally alert enough people to the futility of what amounts to a reversion to the childish wish for stasis.

Related Articles:
Ian Black: Europe braces for continental drift to right
AFP: European governments, media shocked