THE VICTORY OF THE FAR RIGHT IS NOT INEVITABLE IN THE LONG TERM: LET'S NOT DESPAIR.

This is an improvised reflection, my first piece written here on LinkedIn. I was thinking to write something about the EU elections but then I opted not to do so.

So please forgive me for the writing and for some very possible mistakes...after all, this piece written "impromptu" piece is quite emotional.

As a proud citizen of the EU, I have been following very closely the ongoing elections for the European Parliament.

This time, comparatively with previous elections, is really a big DEAL. All major international newspapers and news portals have been covering the elections with great details and a variety of analyses.

This because the EU matters and counts more and more, despite being an unique and extremely complex system of governance.

I would say, on this regard, that the EU is a sort of hybrid confederation, sort of because well, we are still not fully there...

But still from AI to detestation to due diligence to the fight against disinformation and misinformation to climate action, the EU in the last five years did matter and set global standards...

And now the entire world is taking notice of what's happening in the EU....

We should be proud of this even though we could do much better on many fronts.

Apparently the far right and hard right will make important gains in this cycle of elections.

Perhaps you are you wondering the difference between far right and hard right?

This is a good question as the two terms have been using interchangeably but my interpretation is the following:

It is easy to scream and raise the voice. It is easy to say NO to everything instead of being constructive because policy making is a hard stuff and rarely there are either white or black solutions.

But this is what the far right does: it exploits people's fears and come up with simplistic solutions.

In this way, it gains popularity and consensus. The best case study is the rise of Giorgia Meloni in Italy.

Then when someone like her wins the elections, she pivoted to more acceptable, moderate views (at least at European/international level) and this is how the far right becomes "hard right", more acceptable, more mainstream but without losing the core values and principles of the far right.

As I was saying, probably the far right/hard right will WIN BIG.

Should we despair? Should the more progressive forces give up?

My answer is simply NO.

I considered myself on the center right spectrum for many years and then slowly I shifted more and more to the center and then further on the left.

I define myself now as a progressive independent who appreciates and endorses a lot of policies being brought forward by social democrats and greens.

In the USA I would be Biden guy. In Canada, i would be between Liberals and NDP...

So, along the years, I made quite a big shift and I do believe that many others can shift as well from the more extremist views embraced by the far/hard right.

How did it happen?

By listening to a friend who was more progressive than me, by analyzing more what was going on, by rethinking many of my convictions and assumptions and by realizing that my work for social justice was not really aligned with center right policies.

Change in people' perspectives is possible.

If it happened to me, it can happen to others as well.

People should not necessarily become progressive, not at all. People can remain conservative but embrace moderation and common sense rather than the easy formula proposed by the far and hard right.

People need to educate themselves more and listen more those who think differently from us.

And I am fully aware that in the era of social media this is more and more complex.

We need to accept that people can have different positions and that the problems that the far/hard right magisterially leverages and exploits are REAL.

The difference lays in the solutions.

On the one hand, let's target the usual scapegoats, the EU, the immigrants, EVs and "false" alarms of our climate. This is what the far/hard right does extremely well and effectively.

On the other hand, instead, there are more difficult, less sellable ideas and propositions because well, the problems we face are so HUGE that there are not easy solutions.

The same problems can be addressed in different ways and as long as common sense and a willingness to listen to others, prevail, we should always be OK with the final decisions even if they are not what we really prefer.

So tonight we probably discover that the exit polls were right and the hard/far right will, indeed gain a lot of seats in the European Parliament.

I might be wrong and overtly optimistic but perhaps, I want to believe, the people will realize that the far/hard rights' propositions won't really solve the problems we face...

Can something like what happened in India also happen in the EU? Mr. Modi got bruised and who knows, maybe also the far/hard right will lose some consensus.

Again I can be wrong and yet even If I will be wrong, let's not despair.

The achievements of the EU are so big and its foundations so strong that they cannot be dismantled easily even if the far/hard right will win BIG tonight.

Look at Brexit.

In a scenario where the progressive and moderate forces will lose ground, let's not despair but rather let's get organized and have a better strategy and narrative.

We cannot counter attack at personal level but our battle will be won through ideas and discussion.

Giorgia Meloni is a determined, smart and a well prepared politician.

On many ways she looks invincible and unattackable. She is popular, she is charismatic and she connects with the common people.

I am sure she is a good person, someone who loves her country. All these elements/factors should be appreciated and I do mean it.

The way forward is different.

Instead, we need to show that her playbook is based on hypocrisy because now that she is in power, she is willing to constructively engage with the EU Institutions without renouncing her core approach to politics.

The problem is not her ideas even if I dislike them quite a lot.

The problem is on how these ideas were spread around and how populism was used to convinced people on their effectiveness.

Let's counter-propose new ideas and let's do it humbly, let's be humble, folks!!!

Let's engage the people, those who are on the grounds and do feel the pains of these days, where anxiety reigns and where disinformation and misinformation dominate.

The far/hard right has solutions that captivate people' attention.

The more moderate and progressive forces should be able to learn the formula from it but propose a completely different narrative.

A narrative that recognizes the challenges faced by the people but this, unlike the other, is a narrative founded on reality rather than generalizations and easy solutions.

This is what can win people's heart and help them understand the real and difficult solutions to our era's problems.

Extreme views and positions from the far/hard right do appeal a lot but they can't offer long term solutions.

People, one day, will realize it but it will take a massive, concerted effort to show what it really takes to achieve the common good.

GO EUROPE, ITS YELLOW STARS IN A BLUE SEA AND SKY ARE BEUTIFUL