A “vast conservative shift is well under way” in Europe according a survey which found voters are rejecting the globalist agenda of Brussels, which they blame for the degradation of their countries.
In the lead up to the European Parliament elections next week, a survey conducted by the Tyson Group on behalf of the EU-US Forum has found that European citizens are growing tired of the high-tax, high-regulation, open borders, and censorious agendas pushed by Brussels and their national governments.
This has correlated with a growing trend of people believing the EU is on the wrong track under its current left-wing leadership, with just 24 per cent of Dutch respondents saying that they thought the EU was headed in the right direction, followed by 29 per cent of Italians and 32 per cent of the French.
In light of the economic crisis throughout Europe, the survey found that there has been a “noticeable shift towards more conservative political leanings” among the populations surveyed, with large segments believing that their personal financial situation has gotten worse over the past year, including 59 per cent in both France and Portugal, 54 per cent in Italy, 49 per cent in Germany, and 48 per cent in The Netherlands.
The poll found that a commonly held view on why this has occurred is “excessive taxation”, with 73 per cent of Italians saying they feel overtaxed, followed by Portugal at 69 per cent, 52 per cent in The Netherlands, 51 per cent in Germany, and 44 per cent in France.
Another major factor in the rightward shift of the polity has been illegal immigration, which the EU-US Forum said “underscores a pervasive apprehension about illegal migration and its effects on national security, economic stability, and social cohesion.”
EU-US Forum
Over three-quarters of respondents in France, Germany, the Netherlands, and Portugal and 63 per cent of Italians agreed with the statement: “Countries should impose harsher border controls to reduce the flood of illegal migrants coming into Europe.” This, the report found, came as support for populist parties advocating for stricter immigration policies have seen a surge in support and are expected to make significant gains in the European Parliament elections between June 6th and 9th.
Commenting on the findings, Tyson Group Vice President Alex Alvarado said: “The surveys fielded earlier this month make clear that EU citizens are yearning for changes in their governments and the policies they pursue. There is a strong negative sentiment towards the direction the EU is headed and the leadership in various countries. This phenomenon is driving the uptick in support conservative parties saw in each of our surveys.
“EU citizens are struggling financially and blame the high taxes and excessive energy regulations that are being pursued by their home governments and in Brussels. The backlash in Europe, however, is not just limited to the economy. Respondents are also worried about the expansion of government censorship and the inability of their leaders to secure their borders. Our data suggests a vast conservative shift is well under way in some of the largest countries in the European Union.”
In addition to immigration and economic policy, the survey also found a “strong sentiment” for the need to “reinvigorate domestic agriculture”, which has been stifled by the green agenda Brussels imposing onerous regulations on farmers in conjunction with the free trade agenda, which allows foreign produce to undercut the prices of domestic agriculture, often because they do not need to meet the same level of environmental or labour standards as farmers do in the EU.
EU-US Forum
However, with growing recognition of the need for national self-sufficiency, an overwhelming proportion of those polled backed the statement: “We must reestablish domestic food production and encourage farming within our borders.”
According to the poll, 89 per cent in Portugal agreed with the statement, followed by 85 per cent in both France and Germany, 74 per cent in Italy, and 72 per cent in The Netherlands.
The pushback against the globalist green agenda has been led in Europe by farmers, who have staged large-scale and disruptive tractor protests from Portugal to Poland. The pro-farmer movement looks to be one of the most successful populist protest campaigns in modern European history, having already played a critical role in establishing one of the most conservative governments in The Netherlands and is likely set to have a large impact on the upcoming EU Parliament elections.
On top of concerns over the self-destructive and often authoritarian green agenda, there are also growing concerns over the increased levels of government censorship throughout Europe, with the EU and national governments pushing ever more restrictions on the internet to police supposed misinformation and so-called “hate speech”.
The survey found that 65 per cent of respondents in France were concerned about increasing government censorship, with 33 per cent strongly concerned. This was nearly mirrored in Italy, where 63 per cent were concerned over government censorship, including 32 per cent strongly agreeing with the statement: “I am more worried today than I was a decade ago about government censorship of my ideas.”
The increasingly censorious situation in Europe was notoriously demonstrated last month when a local socialist district mayor in Brussels ordered police to shut down a National Conservatism conference, arguing that the “far-right” should not be able to voice their opinions in the EU capital.
One of those barred by police from entering the conference, French National Rally MEP Patricia Changon told Breitbart following the incident that the “authoritarian” actions seemed to her a “last desperate attempt by those in power to stay there” because they know what is “around the corner… the people taking back control and defending their rights.”
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