Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2013-10-09-Speech-3-458-000"
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"en.20131009.42.3-458-000"2
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"Madam President, I would question the title of this debate about the Rise of right-wing extremism in Europe. Surely it should be about ‘extremism’. Commissioner Reding, I know your desire for equality, maybe you can tell us when we are going to debate ‘left-wing’ extremism, just in the name of equality.
A key dynamic in politics is the relationship between the centre and the periphery. The centre, where power lies, in a truly democratic society is in a constant state of flux as opinion, debate and events filter to the centre and shift our values and priorities; this is very healthy. However, if those in power at the centre refuse to listen to the people whose concerns may be inconvenient, then by ignoring them they push them further out towards the periphery. They push them towards the extremes. Extreme thought, extreme speech and, ultimately, extreme acts.
It is no surprise to political observers in Britain that the far right only ever takes seats from the left: our Labour party, not the Conservative party. When Prime Minister Gordon Brown infamously labelled the respectable Labour voter, Gillian Duffy, as a bigot – simply for expressing genuine concerns about immigration and economic policy that differed to his own – he became a recruiting sergeant for extremists.
The blame for the rise of extremism lies at the feet of the political class that refuses to take account of the opinions and concerns of the electorate and the people to whom they should be accountable."@en1
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