"The break-up of Austria's [government] coalition ... was caused by a ruthless purge of moderates from the ranks of Jörg Haider's right-wing Freedom Party and their replacement with hardline ideologues, The Sunday Telegraph has learned."
Our readers may remember the emergence of this Austrian rightist politician just a few years ago. Although he was forced to step down as the leader of the party, Mr. Haider has remained a significant and influential figure both in his country and among the members of the far right in Europe.
Now we read that "Europe's far-right parties have held secret talks at the mountain lair of the Austrian populist politician Jörg Haider to forge a pan-European movement." Prominent among those in attendance were right-wing politicians from Belgium and Italy. Apparently another conference is to occur in Belgium at the end of the year to forge a joint manifesto.
According to The Sunday Telegraph, Mr. Haider "has a clear political agenda to put together a diverse coalition of far-right parties to exert pressure on the European Union."
Unnerving political forces continue to stir on the Continent. This is nothing new; Europe has been restless for 150 years. Twice in the first half of the 20th century extreme movements led to world wars. (Sources: The Sunday Telegraph, The Daily Telegraph, The Guardian. )
