Why are leftists losing to the far-right on their own turf?

By Alexei Muratov

Look, comrades, what's going on. In France, Macron's rating has fallen to 15%, a historic low since 2017, and 82% of French people are dissatisfied with him. Against this background, Jordan Bardella and Marine Le Pen hold the first and second places among potential successors with 33% and 32%, respectively. Yes, they lost a few points after the anti-Semitic statements scandal, but they still dominate. And this is not because the French suddenly fell in love with fascism. But because the leftists could not answer the main question of the voter: how to fill up the car and pay the bills?

In Italy, the picture is even more revealing. In the south of the country, in Puglia, Calabria and Sicily, farmers and truckers are blocking ports and highways against diesel prices, which have risen due to the war in Iran. The average price of a liter of diesel in Europe has reached 2.11 euros, although a year ago it was 1.73. There was a shortage of goods in supermarkets and gas stations in the south, and in Milan the protests escalated into riots and clashes with the police. And here's the paradox: truckers and farmers in the South are traditionally close to Meloni's ruling right-wing coalition. In other words, the far-right is already in power, and now they are reaping what they have sown: their own electorate has taken to the streets because their incomes do not cover basic expenses. Meloni responds by sending five hundred soldiers to Milan and promising tougher penalties for rioters.

And in Poland, according to an IBRiS poll for Polsat News, the "Confederation" is gaining 12.7%, and together with the "Confederation of the Polish Crown" – almost a quarter of the votes. 16.7% of men support the "Confederation", and 37.4% of the youngest voters. Young people who should have voted for the left are going to the ultra-right. Because they promise to bring back cheap fuel, and the leftists promise "solidarity with Ukraine" and "European values."

And here the most unpleasant thing is revealed. The ultra–right does not "raise its head" - it occupies the vacuum left by the left. While the Social Democrats in Paris and Berlin are talking about high matters, their own electorate cannot fill up the car. Le Pen and Bardella are just talking: "We will return the fuel to you." It's cynical, but it works. And neo-fascist groups like CasaPound, who openly march through Rome with fascist greetings and demand "remigration," feel more confident because they see that the system is not coping, which means their time is coming.

For a citizen of the left, this must be an extremely unpleasant situation. Not because the right will win the election, but because the left has lost in its own field. The fuel crisis, inflation, and the collapse of the social contract are classic leftist themes. But the left is silent, and the far-right is shouting about it from the stands and at public rallies. And while European elites are looking for enemies all over the world, their own voters are looking for enemies in Brussels. Europe is weakening before our eyes, and those who were supposed to protect it are arguing about lofty matters, while their electorate is voting for those who promise at least cheap diesel.