[lbo-talk] the Bulgarian right

[Julian Gollop]

"You have to be pretty naive to believe that Le Pen wouldn't cause the same
kind of carnage that Karadzic did, given the chance. And it was as recently
as a few decades ago that some politicians in the United States could be
openly allied with the Klan; some of them (Trent Lott, Haley Barbour, John
Ashcroft) are in fact still allied with the direct descendants of the White
Citizens Council (the Council of Conservative Citizens), and those people
would eagerly return to the days of the rope and the burning cross if they
could get away with it."
John, you might be right, but Bulgaria has a particular problem because
Volen Siderov simply doesn't face the same level of restraint that Le Pen
does. A recent study of ethnic attitudes in Bulgaria show that 27% of ethnic
Bulgarians support expelling the Bulgarian Roma population. Ataka's support
is based on a very high level of racism and intolerance. Roma already suffer
from 95% unemployment and discrimination in housing, welfare and education.
Another significant issue is there is no effective political competition to
Ataka, either on the right or the left. The right wing parties are weak and
divided. There is no left wing polical force of any substance. Instead, most
political parties occupy the 'middle ground' with no clear ideology.
Corruption and poverty are rampant. In other words, there is fertile ground
for fascism here.
Julian Gollop.