- 11 Dec 2014 21:35
#14497545
The FN's roots are anti-elitism, conservative-authoritarian libertarianism (1), colonialism, antisemitism. Their electors were mostly small businesses, settlers, policemen, soldiers, ultra-catholics.
The FN's values nowadays are anti-elitism, social-conservative-authoritarian libertarianism (2), anti-europeanism, anti-immigration, anti-islamism. Their electors are mostly small workers (40%-50% of them), young unemployed white people, small businesses, policemen, ultra-catholics.
All in all the FN today is less "fascist" (whatever that means) than most of U.S. republicans and as racist and intolerant as most of those (3). Marine Le Pen herself is very close from Sarkozy: Sarkozy favors rich people more (he wants to lower their taxes), he is a convinced pro-European and he leans more on Christians and Jews, but aside of that they are ideologically close. She will end up in an UMP-FN (4) coalition and it will look a lot like the 2007-2012 years under Sarkozy. Of course we will not leave the EU or the eurozone, she will bargain for a referendum and the vote will be in favor of the euro after six months of pro-euro propaganda. However Le Pen and the UMP could together renegotiate the Schengen agreement.
As for me I hated Sarkozy's mandate, I would hate a Le Pen's mandate. But she's not "fascist", only in the mouths of some propagandists.
(1) The FN used to favor small and flat taxes, and they were opposed to most regulations and norms. Yet they were strongly in favor of moral regulations (anti-abortion), of a strong police, of death penalty.
(2) Given the rise of poor electors among the FN's supporters they now favor social programs and no longer advocate for a flat tax. Yet they still emphasize speeches against taxes. They also insist on social frauds, they want less police on roads, and they still lean on small businesses (less norms and laws). They more or less discarded Christian themes (abortion) but they still want a strong police and death penalty.
(3) Both parties are anti-muslim, the republicans are anti-latinos but will ally with them, the FN still has some antisemitism but will ally with Israel's supporters against Muslims.
(4) UMP is the main right-wing party (Sarkozy).