THE TELEGRAPH 13 MAY 2013 - EU Elections 2014: THE RISE OF THE NEW EUROPEAN FAR-RIGHT, 44 MPs TO INSTALL

As the 2014 European elections draw near, far-Right parties such as France's Front National are planning a new political bloc that could have a lasting impact on the continent. Some parties, like Golden Dawn, are too extreme to join. Others, like Ukip, are reluctant to be associated with the radical right. As the European elections draw near, polls show that radical Right parties from 12 out of the 28 European Union countries are expected to win representation. Such an outcome has the potential to install 44 far-Right MEPs – an increase of almost 20 per cent since the last elections in 2009 – in the European Parliament. Golden Dawn – the Greek grassroots party that refers to Hitler as “a great personality” – is expected to win two seats; Jobbik, the notorious Hungarian ultranationalist party, is likely to win four. But the real threat comes from a subtler force: a burgeoning European phenomenon known as the “new far Right”, of which the Sweden Democrats is a part. These parties, the most prominent of which is the Front National of Marine le Pen, have gone to great pains to sanitise both their message and the manner in which it is delivered. The jackboots, skinheads and slogans have been consigned to the past. Instead, in their sharp suits and ties, their politicians look almost respectable. This is the far-Right 2.0, and it is poised to have a deep effect on Europe. After the 22 May elections, it will almost certainly change the political landscape of the EU. The French Front National, which is expected to win a massive 18 seats – a sixfold increase on its last European performance – is planning to form an axis with Geert Wilders’ Dutch Freedom Party (PVV) and create a new far-Right, Eurosceptic political bloc. This would receive more than £2 million a year in public funding, be allocated speaking time in the European Parliament, and be allowed to play a more significant role in influencing legislation. Geert Wilders has said that Ukip will be tempted to join, forming a grand alliance of Eurosceptics in the European Parliament (which has long been Mr Wilders' dream). But given Nigel Farage’s insistence that the Front National has “anti-Semitism and general prejudice in its DNA”, and his promise never to join forces, this seems highly unlikely. Currently there are seven parliamentary blocs in the European Parliament, spanning the political spectrum; Ukip are part of Europe of Freedom and Democracy, a right-wing Eurosceptic group that is further to the Right than the Tories' group (the European Conservatives and Reformists) but would not be classed as far-Right. The advent of an eighth on the far-Right is likely to shake up the existing status quo. In order to achieve this goal, Ms le Pen and Mr Wilders would need to muster at least 25 MEPs from seven different countries. The first criterion is not a problem; the Front National and the PVV along are expected to achieve 23. But in order to satisfy the second criterion, they need to persuade at least five other parties to rally under their banner. The Austrian Freedom Party, Belgium’s Vlaams Beland, Italy’s Lega Nord and the Slovak National Party have all been mooted as possible members. There have also been talks between the Front National and the Sweden Democrats. Mr Åkesson has played down the significance of these discussions, as the Front National is deeply unpopular in Sweden. But come 22 May, he may yet decide to play kingmaker. For now, he is keeping his powder dry. “We are looking into what’s going on in Europe right now,” he says. “We haven’t decided who we will join yet. We are friends with the Front National, but we also feel a very close connection with the (anti-immigration) Danish People’s Party, which is not close to the Front National. It is quite complex.” READ MORE AT: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/eu/10828567/EU-Elections-2014-the-rise-of-the-new-European-Right.html#source=refresh