Fianna Fáil MEPs have expressed their fears about a shift to the right in June’s European Parliament elections.
Billy Kelleher, one of Fianna Fail’s four MEPs, said last week that there was “apprehension” that some Irish politicians will affiliate with what he called “far-right” groups if they are elected to the European Parliament in June.
“If we vote right, we will now have a number of MEPs advocating from the ID [Identity and Democracy group] benches, which are excessively extreme,” Kelleher said in Brussels last week.
He also referenced a ‘drag to the right” which he said would likely see an increase in right-wing candidates winning seats across Europe.
“As part of Renew, we are going to have to defend our positions and explain the importance of the Europe we agree with,” he said.
Kelleher has previously condemned the “far right,” tweeting in May of last year about “hateful hysteria coming from far right groups.”
In October, during a speech in the European Parliament, Kelleher called on people to “oppose far right attacks.”
Kelleher’s party colleague, Barry Andrews MEP, also claims there has been a shift to the right, as reported by The Sunday Times: “It’s not just an issue that we will see the likes of ID growing, we will see some of the larger parties becoming more right wing, too.”
Last week, Andrews made headlines when he said that the EU migration pact “isn’t perfect” but that a change in the handling of an increase in asylum numbers was needed. Andrews, one of Ireland’s 13 MEPs, said that he “wrested with my conscience” on parts of the agreement.
“We are in dire need of a robust, efficient, and streamlined system of processing international protection applicants,” Andrews said.
“In recent years we have seen significant increases in the number of migrants seeking asylum in Ireland,” the MEP added.
His comments came as it emerged that there has been a 72 per cent increase in the number of people seeking asylum here in the first three months of this year, compared to the same period last year – a rise of more than 2,000 people.
Andrews, Kelleher, along with Fianna Fail and Fine Gael MEPs Diredre Clune, Sean Kelly and Colm Markey, all supported the EU migration pact when it was voted through parliament last week.
There has been a growing focus on Europe’s perceived shift to the right over the last 12 months, with Italy, Sweden, Finland and Greece all having seen their governments become more right-wing.
Portugal also made headlines last month over its general election results, which saw its centre-right Democratic Alliance Party claim victory by a slim margin in the country’s general election, concluding eight years of Socialist Party rule.
It is a development which commentators say will ultimately reshape Europe, on everything from green policies to migration across the continent.
Recent polling has consistently shown immigration to be a priority high of the lists of Irish voters. In January, one in four Irish people listed migration as their number one issue for politicians heading into 2024 as per a poll in The Irish Independent, while polling in February from The Irish Times reported that almost six in ten voters (59 oer cent) favoured a “more closed policy” on immigration.
While the last European elections, held in 2019, were characterised by a so-called Green Wave which saw climate action prioritised on the political agenda, climate activists have expressed fear that this will take a back seat, amid a backlash to green policies.
Right-wing politicians are among those who have argued that green policies adopted by the EU have gone too far, too fast, and that the costs are too high.
Anger has been seen in farmers protests right across Europe, with Irish farmers protesting such policies across the country in February in solidarity with their European counterparts.
Loading ...
By todays standards of indoctrination, far right is actually center right by everyone elses standards. But whatever the case may be, all these career meps who have been backing up this tyranny such as the two clowns above, need to go. They are not serving the interests of the irish people especially when they want the plantation to stop and all these clowns did was vote for more plantation in a migration pact. Their land is being destroyed as well as their people but how would they see or care for this behind their 6ft walls and the 500 euro notes over their eye lids.These lads are bought and paid for, dont vote for them or any other of the existing parties, they are only there to vote for the communist policies and and vote for them is a vote for your own destruction, your kids destruction and the destruction of our own beautiful country. Only these criminals benefit for your vote, not you.
Brazenly true.
The men and woman of Davos will be p!ss3d if their 2030 agenda is disrupted aye.
The men and women of davos have moved on because they know what they were planning was unachievable. Lady rothschild said as much a few months ago. You see what most do not realize is this has all been written and we win, not them. 2030 was once 2021, then it was moved, now it is gone so while alot are only waking up, they fail to see that 2030 is now done as well. They made one fatal flaw, they had a fake pandemic and exposed themselves for what they are and now we all see them to the point where the difference between a conspiracy theory and reality is about 6 months. I was posting online about a war that would start between the muslims and the jews two years ago and what do we have today, a war between the muslims and the jews. You see there is one thing that weakens them and its a simple rule they have to stick to. They have to tell people in some form what they will do and the people need to go along with it willingly. That is their rule they have to obey. The issue was originally that what they were telling people was so nuts that nobody believed them and went along their merry way following it without even knowing they were doing it, that was until the plandemic and they accidently woke the people up. They know 2030 wont happen because their golden rule of the people must go along with it cant be attained. Very few people know this golden rule and know that they have to follow it. That is why they are screwed so what they have to do is come up with a new plan which they are doing right now. They cant destroy the land in nukes because they wont be able to use it then. Few people see their weaknesses and choose to live in fear but that hold on people is loosening too. You overestimate 2030, that was only one plan that was first conceived in 1952 in harvard university. This is also not about what you think its about either, this is a very old war that has been constantly going since the very beginning of man.
I think 21 referred to the century, not the decade
You could also say the ‘far right’ takes in what was once understood as liberal, I have always considered myself liberal – where free speech, a free press and robust debate were markers of a free society. The current ‘left’ seems like fascism to me….
Tbf, I think these days whatever they say is far right , very 1984 times we live in right now. I used to be liberal too but that was based off people actually following the laws of the land. I soon woke up when this rubbish started and realised the whole thing is just a construct of control and indoctrination for divide and conquer. My issue is that they are letting in absolutely horrible people with impunity and trying to normalize their insanity. The vm immigration program had a turkish dude wanted by interpol and tried to portray him as an angel, rte had a man who thinks mutilating women is ok…etc… i could go on but you probably already know this. My concern right now is for the safety of the people of this country which is in dire danger right now because the terrorists coming into the country is the least of our worries compared to the terrorists in every office of our government. Whats going on is state sanctioned terrorism and a plantation to wipe us out. Even that vm doc played everything down so much because it was calm when the whole country is furious. The truth is that there is no left or right there are just people with opinions and certain opinions no matter how they are formed are being pitted against each other to divide and conquer but its not working because we all know who is responsible and it is our duty as citizens to remove them.
That’s because they are fascist killdozer
Why is it that these numpties always prefix right with far- or extreme? I’ve seen nothing of that sort in Ireland or elsewhere in EU, not in the political spheres at least.
We never hear them talk about the left in the same way. Did these MEPs talk about Merkel being far-left or extreme when she opened Germany’s borders to millions of welfare seekers? Did they call the EU parliament far-left or extreme for their inaction on the invasion we’re seeing? Do they consider the EU far-left or extreme for pumping billions into NGOs that openly preach far-left doctrine?
If they can’t be balanced they should stfu, they can be biased after they’ve been voted out.
Correction: IRISH MEPS APPREHENSIVE OF SHIFT TO
RIGHTSENSIBLE POLICIES IN JUNE EUROPEAN ELECTIONSAndrews and Kelleher are both far right themselves. They are MEPs for NATO, not for Ireland. Andrews actually fronted a NATO think tank, after making a mess of NATO NGO Goal, and having lost his TD seat in the FF wipe out. A vote for them is a vote against Ireland and the Irish.
There is no ‘far right’ in Ireland only fed up middle of the Road people. They have decided to stand up and defend their country.
Well, I can assure you those anti Irish MEPs will not get my vote
A shift to the right? The right is pretty much where it’s always been. The real problem is the government shifted way to the left – unilaterally… and expect everyone to go along with them.
they are either too stupid to realize this or too clever to admit it.
And now they attempt to demonise those who don’t agree with them by labeling them far right.
Good
I would be more worried by the hysteria coming from FF and FG candidates.They are worried that the Irish Electorate will come to their senses and being at last. fed up with their elitist arrogance in Government will defeat them soundly at the three elections during the next 12 months
So they should be apprehensive . In fact they should be very afraid , their days are numbered.
Up to & including 4 years ago I would have loyally voted FF.
not any more , Irish freedom party , independents & Aontú all the way , with no transfer votes given to the traitorous uniparties.
I am only one person of course , however all my family , friends most of whom have no interest in politics have all awoken to the fact that something is very wrong with the government , mainstream media & EU & they are all freaked out by the direction that things are going in , Hence , they are voting like me.
Same as that,people who hoped Sein Fein could change things have ditched them too.How much more damage can these clowns do before leaving.Ukrainians have a right to stay until april 2025 with their free insurance,housing etc.They will extend that before they hopefully get wiped out at next election.I believe they are spiteful and i actually believe that we are second class citizens here in our own country.If they think they are going down they will do even more damage.Snakes
I suppose after a few years in Brussels it is easy to forget that democracy still exists … and then one day the startling thought occurs to you that elections are imminent and MEP’s have to be chosen by the electorate back home. And you suddenly develop an uneasy feeling that the electorate back home might not understand why the destruction of their country , their heritage , their way of life , their values and their sovereignty is all in their best interests . And you start to entertain the horrible thought that those unenlightened proles back home might not vote in the proper , globalist world view , way.
The only reason they’re ‘apprehensive’ is because they’ve been groomed by the media (like pretty much everyone else) to be suspicious of anything on the Right politically, i.e. they’re not necessarily ‘apprehensive’ because it will mean objectively worse governance or policy — it’s just a rather mindless reaction on their part — Pavlovian — most politicians are little better than trained seals at this point — they respond to signals from, and do the bidding of, the media — just envision them standing on their knees and clapping their flippers, err hands — that’s approximately the situation today.
Good comment. They live in deadly fear of the disapproval of the meejah-commentariat nexus – but not realising how fragile that precious, self-absorbed little bubble-world actually is, entirely divorced from the real concerns and actual experience of those of us who have to live in the dysfunctional world of their “new ireland” (lower case intentional). We see the sand running through the glass but we revert to the stereotypical “ah shure, ’twill be all right”. No, it won’t.
Because we don’t want to become a minority in our own country, we are far-right? How dare these scumbag politicians even suggest such a thing?
In their view, everyone who is not like them must be “far right”. Even if that was the case and we all voted extreme right wing, that’s how democracy works. Regardless of how unpalatable it would be for him and his ilk, would he have a problem accepting the result of the electorate?
Make sure their fears are realised. Hammer them at the ballot box.
Get off the EU gravy train for a while folks.
Talk to the people you are supposed to serve.
Stop talking down to them.
That might be a useful start.
“Far-right” is a pejorative term. Code for Protest against the prevailing authoritarianism e.g. immigration, climate change, rebellion against the EU’s “big boys e.g. Germany, France, cry to give the “little people” a voice in their destiny!