Why EU's Right Turn Points to Stalingrad-Style Shutdown
After a strong showing by Eurosceptic parties in last week's elections, European leaders are now worried about their future, fighting over who will lead Europe's Parliament.
Leaders met in Brussels Tuesday to survey the wreckage from what they consider to be a disastrous shift. Right-wing parties are poised to become the second biggest bloc in parliament as the big three of France, Germany and the UK all took hits.
French President Emmanuel Macron's party lost to Marine Le Pen, a woman the French media treats like a public menace. In Germany, Angela Merkel reportedly is canceling her plan to retire rather than risk seeing her ruling coalition fall apart.
And British Prime Minister Theresa May announced she's stepping down in June after her mishandling of the UK's exit from the European Union dragged the Conservative Party to a historic, crushing defeat at the hands of by Nigel Farage's Brexit Party.
This election result could change everything because it could set Brussels on a new course that is much less centralized and much more anti-migrant.
But above everything else, political gridlock is coming.
Former Trump advisor Steve Bannon said, "You certainly have a critical mass that can start to block things. And as I say, I think every day's going to be in Brussels, is going to be Stalingrad." For non-history buffs, Stalingrad was a turning point where the Germans were stopped in WWII.
Bannon, now working in Europe, says to have maximum impact, right-wing groups will need to form a super party, and that will be difficult.
The ruling establishment in Europe is understandably scared.
Macron said, "Everywhere the extremes are rising and what are they thriving on? On fear, on lies, the help of foreign powers who want to destroy the European project."
In Britain, where many expect the Trump-like Boris Johnson to take over from Theresa May, Farage is warning against any further delay on Brexit.
"If we do not leave the European Union on October 31st, then just as we've surprised people in these European elections we will go forward and absolutely stun them in the next general election. There's a big wake-up call here to Westminster. Let's see whether they listen," Farage said.
On the continent, where this election was supposed to be a referendum on "Europe's destiny," it's clear that the old status quo in Brussels is over.
