The outcomes of Brexit may have deterred further European Referendums' on the subject, however, some of Europe's far-right is singing to a tune similar to that of the Brexit campaign.
Brexit and Europe
In 2016, Farage wrote an article for The Independent as a final call to those on the fence, writing: “Leaving would mean that we would be taking back control. […] Leaving the European Union would revitalise our democracy and mean that the big decisions were made by us instead of for us. I believe we're big enough and good enough to govern our own country”.
Control, democracy, and independence; the holy trifecta of the Brexit campaign, has rather predictably turned to chaos, tyranny (unelected leaders), and isolation. Europe watched as we gradually spiralled into the fractured nation we are today with the value of the pound plummeting, the disparity between rich and poor widening, refugees being shipped off to Rwanda, and that small matter of Scotland holding its second independence referendum in 2023. This may have been enough to put words like Frexit back in their boxes, but possibly also paved the way for Le Pen’s 41.5% share of the vote earlier this year and voices like Giorgia Meloni’s from the far-right group Brothers of Italy to grow stronger, offering a terrifying glimpse into the future of Europe.
Who is Giorgia Meloni?
A name that has only recently made its way into the headlines, Meloni is the face of Italy’s far-right group Fratelli d’Italia (Brothers of Italy) and is set to become Italy’s first female Prime Minister. Her anti-immigration and anti-LGBTQ+ views have certainly made her a popular voice within the party, but she fervently rejects the term “Far-Right” and believes fascism, too, no longer exists.
In 2020 Meloni wrote “Today, Fratelli d’Italia is fighting for a Europe of free and sovereign nations as a serious alternative to the bureaucratic super-state that has been gradually foisted on us. […] There is always someone who claims the right to take decisions in place of the sovereign peoples and the national governments”. In other words, she strives to take back control from a globalist Europe, which gives too many rights to refugees and not enough to its own ethnic Europeans. If you are thinking this sounds familiar, it does. The only difference between Meloni’s arguments and Farage’s is the desire to stay in Europe and as we have learned over the past few years; you can’t have your cake and eat it too.
What does this mean for Italy and Europe?
With Meloni set to become Italy’s most far-right leader since World War II, the country may be taking a step back rather than into the future. A vote for Meloni is a vote for nationalism, euroscepticism and anti-immigration. In addition to this, her desire to create more stable ties with Russia is reminiscent of a certain Republican President in recent American history. With the party’s criticism of the EU, Italy could be drawn into a new constitution that allows Italian law to prevail over European law as well as a reconsideration of their place in the Eurozone, further threatening Europe’s sustainability.
Who knows the effect the Italian election will have on Europe’s future; for now, human rights of immigrants are under threat and Europe has a tenuous path to tread.
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