Is the West Experiencing a Right-Wing Drift?

the "Is" in this thread title needs moving two places to the right, funnily enough

that's not very funny

Security and foreign policy have always been the go-to for easy gains in electoral points

Citation needed, this strategy appears to be a failure when it's tried. Even the glorious centrist revolutions in the west of the past decades (Blair, Clinton, 2017 Macron) were riding on an economic message first and foremost.

If you're a reactionary/racist voter and have the choice of a gleefully reactionary/racist candidate and a candidate that's open to a little bit of reaction/racism for a treat - what, exactly, is supposed to be the draw of the latter?

you won't convince me it's ideological.

Being open to a little strategic racism is itself ideological.

otm

I don’t think Nah, bozo will be responding, somehow.

Seriously doesn’t matter whether those enacting racist policy do so out of conviction or cynicism, but also the whole “I know they don’t believe it in their secret heart of hearts” bit is — at best — naive credulity masquerading as realpolitik. At worst, well.

Reading this thread with Gustavo Petro's quote from last year on the back of my mind: "Many in Europe have already welcomed Hitler into their homes", something like that

The West has been experiencing a right wing drift since about 1979.

Weird string of physical attacks on various politicians the last few months

(in Germany)

Fico/SMER wins as expected (though exit polls got it wrong, polls in the run in were correct)

Fico shot, "life threatening injuries".

That definitely constitutes a physical attack.

he's taken 4 bullets in the stomach apparently, that's some serious shit.

Finally some good news

Finally something happened

Is there any indication as to what the motivation was or who (if anyone) was behind it? Fico is such a murky guy there could be any number of reasons

unconfirmed reports are that the perpetrator is a 71-year old activist who opposes the government's attempts to impose political control over the public broadcaster?

I saw it was a 71 year old but not what the reason was.

Occam's razor seems applicable here, even though there could be a range of possibilities, it looks very lone wolf