Radical Right Parties

There has been increase of support for radical right parties in Europe over the last 20 years. In the United Kingdom the radical right party United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP) has gained support and in the 2015 general election gained the 12.6% of the vote, the third highest vote share. In France’s 2012 legislative election the radical right party Front National won 13.6% of the vote share, also the third highest vote share. In 2014 the election in Sweden with a proportional representation system, saw the Sweden Democrats, the far right party, win 49 seats out of 349, which was the third largest share. To explain the rise of the far right in these countries, this essay will argue that each country has unique conditions however they all
Sweden is no exception, however Sweden is one of the very few countries that actually are taking large numbers of refugees. Sweden is expected to take 180,000 asylum seekers in 2015, over twice the amount of the year before. The Sweden Democrats have surged in the polls, as they have been opposed to the influx of refugees. According to one opinion poll the party has 25% support, which is more than any other party. As the party most appeals to the everyday voters, the rise in support is due to the fact that poorer areas are disproportionally affected compared to richer areas. Some wealthy cities might only have 1 refugee per 1000 residents while in poorer areas the figure is around 100 refugees per 1000 residents. The sudden influx in refugees has lead to the rise of the Sweden Democrats, which is a shock for the left wing, socialist
In the UK, the want to leave the EU for fear of economic crisis from being a member of the EU and the increase in Eastern European migrants which appear to be ‘stealing jobs’ from British nationals have seen the surge of the UK Independence Party. Other fears rising from the 9/11 and 7/7 attacks are a factor for this party’s success. In France, the correlation between spiralling unemployment and an increase of immigration fuels the radical right wing party Front National. Adding in the increase of Muslim migrants, which voters see as a threat to French culture and to their safety, after terror attacks on the West and in Paris itself. In Sweden the support for the Sweden Democrats is not as strong as it is in the UK and France, but with the Stockholm riots and terror attacks, immigrants are given a bad image and with a large influx of Syrian refugees the support for the party has