The loss of the political center

In Germany, during Angela Merkel’s 16-year tenure, we witnessed a strategic shift of the Christian Democrats towards socialism to capture voters from the left. Ms. Merkel masterfully marketed her politics of stagnation as stability. The result was steady decline, culminating in the dysfunctional coalition between the Social Democrats, Greens and Liberals. Infrastructure is now widely outdated, trains are running late, bureaucracy and taxes are crushing, and crime is on the rise. Ideologically driven and utopian energy policies are devastating the industrial base, with the country poised on the brink of elections.

France faces similar challenges. Under the ridiculous guise of a socially liberal agenda, President Emmanuel Macron has steered his country through short-term, opportunistic and expedient measures. In the last elections, his controversial scheming resulted in the extreme left securing the strongest position in Parliament, despite the majority of votes favoring the right.

In both countries, this failing system is preventing governments from passing budgets.

The fragmentation of European politics

Historically, European democratic governments were mainly influenced by two major parties: the Conservatives (or Christian Democrats), with strongholds in the middle class and rural areas, and the Social Democrats, primarily representing workers. The smaller Liberal parties often played a decisive role in forming majorities. Until the 1970s, communists were influential in Italy and France. The ecological parties of the 1980s were quickly co-opted by leftist groups and urban intellectuals – a faction that eventually became known as “woke.”

The loss of the center reflects a broad abdication of responsibility. Realpolitik, aimed at serving the country and its people, has been replaced by ideological pursuits and sheer power grabs or personal ambitions on the other. Long-term needs have been sacrificed for short-term, cynical gains focused on acquiring more voter support. Both politics and media are now reluctant to endorse the sound foundational principles of European culture, tradition and Christian heritage, which form the continent’s identity.

The loss of the center reflects a broad abdication of responsibility.

 

Movements are labeled center-right, center-left, social liberal and so forth, yet all have abandoned principled governance for expediency. Most media continue to support utopian and irresponsible narratives. The so-called center has shifted toward opportunistic socialism, which transfers power from the people to the state and its political class.

A dubious redistribution scheme has seen voters bought with taxpayer money. The welfare state, with its ever-increasing laws and regulations, has inflated the administration and led citizens to trade freedom for the illusion of social security. Alongside this, realism and constructive pragmatism have been sacrificed at the altar of bizarre ideologies – if such stubborn and moralistic beliefs, resistant to change even in the face of contradicting facts, can be called ideologies.

Governments have neglected their core functions of ensuring internal and external security and prosperity. Mass immigration, driven by the broad appeal of an unchecked welfare state, was permitted.

The consequences of abandoning the center are severe: massive debt accumulation (a global issue), stagnant or negative economic growth, jeopardized internal security in urban areas and a disastrous lack of external defense. Technocratic interventions in the economy, excessive regulations and an extortionist tax regime are eroding the industrial and economic bases. The continent is in decline.

The political center was lost when traditional parties abandoned their foundational principles. Now, they are united only in their intolerance toward new movements on the so-called right. But these new parties are a logical answer to the gap that was created as the Christian Democrats and Conservatives moved away from their Christian roots and middle-class interests, the Social Democrats overlooked the needs of workers (now middle-class themselves) and the Greens focused on socialism and woke ideologies.

The way forward will require transformative change. The so-called pariahs of the right hold several legitimate points in their programs, which are attractive to Conservatives, Christians and classical Social Democrats. Ideologically, many of their positions are at the center of the political spectrum. Moreover, they serve as a catalyst for necessary change. The firewalls erected against them only serve to strengthen their popularity.

It is grotesque when mainstream parties, like the Christian Democrats in Germany, propose sensible measures to control immigration and are criticized if the populist right supports them. More troubling even, members of their own party support this criticism. Instead of committing to the right course of action, leaders like Friedrich Merz may waver, reinforcing the “firewall” against the right, potentially winning elections without securing a majority. Forming a new coalition with the Social Democrats and Greens would only perpetuate the paralysis.

Unless the Conservatives and Christian Democrats firmly adhere to conservative, Christian-based policies and the Social Democrats abandon their woke utopias, Europe’s decline in global economic and political competitiveness will persist, shifting from a path of responsibility to one of expediency.

This comment was originally published here: https://www.gisreportsonline.com/r/political-center/