Matthew Goodwin: Why the Eurozone Crisis Doesn't Spell a Return to the Well of Nazism
Matthew Goodwin is a lecturer at the University of Nottingham whose forthcoming book, The New British Fascism: Rise of the BNP is published by Routledge.
"History repeats itself, first as tragedy, second as farce", said Marx. And so, amid the crisis in Greece, there emerges an openly neo-Nazi party that polls sufficient support to enter parliament, before denying that gas chambers ever existed and ejecting journalists from its press conference for showing its leader insufficient respect.
But putting Greece to one side, there is a broader school of thought that views recent political developments in Europe as anything but a farce. Yesterday the deputy prime minister, Nick Clegg, attracted attention after suggesting that the combination of economic insecurity and political paralysis that has accompanied the eurozone crisis is providing "an ideal recipe for an increase in extremism and xenophobia". Like others, Clegg has linked the post-2008 global financial and eurozone crises with rising public support for extremists.
The argument goes something like this: the withdrawal of Greece from the euro may spark a "domino effect", pushing Italy and Spain toward a similar exit and – as resources become increasingly scarce – cultivate a fertile breeding ground for charismatic extremists who claim mainstream politicians are to blame for the crisis, and that immigrant and minority groups are taking all of the jobs and social housing. Before too long – some fear – the European political landscape will be littered with neo-Nazi and anti-system parties. Seemingly forgetting the past 60 years, Europe will slide back into the well of nazism and xenophobia.
But there are three reasons why this argument needs modifying...