June 14, 2019

Help! I think my parliament might be... racist!

located:	United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Turkey
editor:	Gurmeet Singh

Dear Agony Aunt, 

Please help me. I don't know what to do. I don't know where to turn. I thought the EU was supposed to be a project of peace, but I'm beginning to get quite worried about the state of its current make-up. I have the nagging suspicion that actually, the EU Parliament might be a little racist. Maybe I'm being crazy, but one of the largest parties voted in recently is the 'Brexit Party'. Now, I'm not saying Brexit is in itself racist, but I agree with Will Self when he says that all British racists would have voted for it, and also, for this party. But that's not all. A range of far-right MEPs from across EU countries have clubbed together to form a new power bloc: the Identity and Democracy movement. Am I being overly worried, or are my fears justified? Is the EU in some sense, racist?

Yours faithfully, 

A worried citizen

Dear worrier,

Thank you for your letter. Let me say, first and foremost, yes your worries are a little overblown. But also, they're completely justified. I think it's best to take a moderated approach. Allow me to explain. 

The European Parliament is made up of 751 MEPs. 73 of these from far-right parties across Europe, now form a power bloc they call "Identity and Democracy". Now, this isn't exactly what anyone would call 'good news', but it is far less terrible than was feared before the election.

There was a sense that the support for far-right parties would translate into seriously disruptive voting power in the EU, even if this was not born out in the pre-election poll projections. Instead, for all the pomp and celebration of the parties and participants which make up this bloc, 73 MEPs does not make up enough clout to change the system in any serious way. And you can bet your bottom dollar none of these MEPs will be elected to any major position of influence; not only would all other MEPs view such a move as a dereliction of duty, let's be perfectly clear, they obviously also want those positions for themselves. 

The real power of the ID bloc lies in what it can appear to do. Like the Brexit Party, the ID will play at politics, using the media and the EU's own televised broadcasts to make it seem as though they're challenging established politics. It's been obvious for a while that Nigel Farage, for example, doesn't actually do very much – he simply goes to Parliamentary sittings, berates the EU for the cameras, and leaves – regardless of what the motion is.

The point is to get a video on social media which shows him 'standing up to the big, mean EU bully'. The ID will do the same and play the victim at every possible turn. They'll make it seem that the EU, with every dull bit of technocratic legislation designed to protect food hygiene, is destroying some sacred part of their national culture. Look out for reddened faces, angry with passion, fighting the EU on a screen near you!

In this sense, you have little to worry about – the ID won't necessarily achieve much of any real political value. But the EU isn't itself simply an apparatus for policy formation and delivery; it is in its composition a reflection of what Europe wants for its future, and also, designed to benefit insiders, and keep outsiders out. In terms of the former, it matters who is elected to the European Parliament; only about 5 percent of the newly elected MEPs are people of colour. So, adding racists to that already very monochrome milieu is an issue.

Secondly, the EU is designed to benefit EU countries – this is the peace-keeping part. Its mission is not to benefit the entirety of humanity, but to preserve peace amongst itself. As such, it's willing to do deals with Turkey to not deal with humanitarian crises, like the refugee one. As such, in practice, the EU can be characterised as racist. 

But it's also a balancing act, dear Worrier. We're saddled with the Nation State as a concept and reality, and thinking supra-nationally is basically all we have to counter the all-too-easy narratives of nationalism and xenophobia. That is, until we're able to think and love and will ourselves outside the confines of nation, and grow into a concept of humanity. So for now, this thing, this unwieldy, quasi-racist, neoliberal thing called the EU is still better than the alternative. 

In other words, worry less and push for greater representation and awareness of strategies to counter neoliberalism. 

Photo: Pietro Naj-Oleari, Creative Commons © European Union 2014 - European Parliament

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