Why are nontraditional political parties and factions, many of them on the extreme, gaining strength in Europe and elsewhere? Local elections in Britain last week were stunning. They underscored a trend that has been building for years, not only in the UK but also in almost all other well-established democracies. Radicalism is on the rise.
The two traditional ruling parties—Labour and Conservative—were smashed. Labour suffered its lowest percentage of the popular vote in over a century. The Conservatives, who had had their worst electoral performance in the national election of 2024, failed to make a comeback. In fact, they lost ground.
In the U.S. a significant portion of the public regards both parties with disdain. Most voters think the country is going in the wrong direction.
In Germany the approval rating of Chancellor Friedrich Merz is the worst since democracy was reestablished after WWII. France’s floundering President Emmanuel Macron isn’t doing much better.
In Japan, a country never noted for its feminist sensitivities, the long-ruling party turned to a woman, Sanae Takaichi. Promising a radical break from the past and stoutly resisting bullying from Beijing, she won a landslide electoral victory. But can she pull her country out of its longtime economic rut? The early signs are not encouraging, despite a buoying stock market.
More and more, dissatisfied voters are turning to extremes. Antisemitism is increasing. Britain’s surging Green Party is making the bashing of Israel a centerpiece of its platform. The Democratic Party in the U.S. is open in its antipathy toward Israel, an ugliness imitated by some fringe figures on the right.
The growth of extremes, if unchecked, could lead to the kind of politics that disastrously poisoned the 1930s. The root cause of this discontent is obvious: Established political leaders have not only failed to deliver a vibrant, opportunity-rich economic environment but also persistently pursued policies that arrogantly disdained traditional values, topped off by encouraging a massive, uncontrolled immigration. These elites have generally had no decent respect for public sentiment.
Common sense has also gone by the boards. Take one of the most extraordinary delusions in history: the idea that the world was nearing an end if we failed to abolish fossil fuels. Nearly $20 trillion has been spent in this century on so-called renewables that have sharply raised energy costs and severely hampered economic growth. Just think of how much better off we’d be today if those resources had instead been applied to creating new products and services, new medical devices and cures for diseases—not to mention providing clean water for everyone.
Taxes have risen out of control. In Japan, for instance, social payroll taxes are over 30%; in France, over 40%. In the U.S., by contrast, they’re a little over 15%. These exactions are applied before stiff income taxes.
Needless to say, regulations are suffocating, as are obstacles to getting anything done commercially. Time is money.
Obviously, we need to return to the time-tested approaches that work. The economic ones are plain: Cut tax rates, cut those strangling rules and procedures, and recognize the need for stable currencies. Others are equally clear, such as getting immigration under control, allowing free speech and ditching the teaching of distorted histories of the past.
We also need to revive the cooperation among Free World countries that enabled us the win the Cold War.