Euroskepticism and its Discontents | Global Research
The idea that “right-wing populism” or even neo-fascism is on the march
due to the results of the European elections is never so nonsensical as
when it is applied to Italy, where Beppe Grillo’s “Five Star” movement
came in with 21 percent of the vote, an astounding total given the
party’s brief history and scant resources. The Five Starists are a
unique combination of Euro-skepticism, populism (they favor direct
democracy via the Internet), and outright cynicism, Italian-style. And
while the 40 percent garnered by the pro-EU Democratic party is being
hailed by the media and the Eurocrats (or do I repeat myself?) as a
great victory, that the Five Stars managed to even approximate their
last vote total without much institutional backing was in itself a major
accomplishment. My point, however, is that Italy has real fascist
parties, none of which registered above a few percent in the recent
election.
