World News and Trends: Parts of Europe lurch to the right
Switzerland is the latest European nation to move right.
Christopher Blocher's far-right freedom party (SVP) won an unexpected victory in recent general elections. The SVP garnered 27 percent of the overall vote, outdistancing any other political party.
Switzerland's recent rightward move highlights a gradual trend in Europe. Recent years have seen Austria, Holland, France, Denmark and Germany take a turn to the right in varying degrees. "According to official estimates there are more than 10,000 neo-Nazis active in Germany and about 45,000 members of extreme right-wing organizations" (The Guardian, Sept. 16).
Italy could be next. Interesting indicators of an Italian move to the right are already present. Allesandra Mussolini (the photogenic granddaughter of the fascist dictator who ruled Italy from 1922 to 1945) recently formed a new breakaway party she called "Freedom of Action" or Liberta d'Azione. Used in a political context, the word "action" in Italian is traditionally associated with right-wing movements.
Another party leader, Gianfranco Fini, recently praised Benito Mussolini as "the greatest statesman of the 20th century." Yet on a visit to Israel he also labeled his fascist rule as an "absolute evil." These words apparently motivated Ms. Mussolini to opt out of Mr. Fini's political party.
Reporting from Rome, correspondent Richard Owen simply stated that "Mussolini has been 'rehabilitated' as the country is caught up in a wave of nostalgia" (The Times, Nov. 21). One Italian citizen said: "You just cannot cancel out history. I still remember my parents singing fascist songs." Writing some two weeks later, Mr. Owen related that "there is a growing tendency to 'rehabilitate' Mussolini, with historians offering revisionist accounts of his rule" (The Times, Dec. 1, emphasis added).
On a more practical level, this winter the Italian government infuriated Britain "by proposing that foreign policy powers be ceded to Brussels" (The Guardian). These European political movements bear watching not just due to the massive tragedies of the 20th century, but also because of what the Bible foretells for much of Europe. Please request our free booklet You Can Understand Bible Prophecy. (Sources: The Guardian, The Times [both London].)
An Article from:
Good News Magazine: January - February 2004
Course Content
Jerold Aust
Jerold Aust has served in the ministry for 52 years, as a public speaker for 58 years, a published writer for 38 years, and is employed by UCG’s Media and Communications Services. He is a Senior Writer, interviewer, and editor for Beyond Today Magazine and has taught Speech Communication for UCG’s ministerial online program and the Book of Revelation for ABC.
Jerold holds a BA in theology from Ambassador College, Pasadena (1968), an MA in Communication from California State University, Fullerton (1995), a distance-learning Ph.D (2006), and a Famous Writers School diploma in non-fiction writing (1973). Additionally, he studied post-grad communication at University of Southern California (1995), radio, TV, voice-overs, and Public Relations at Fullerton College (1995-1996), and graduate communication at Wichita State University (1978). Jerold has taught communication at the University of South Alabama (7 years) and ABC (17 years). His published works include, Ronald Reagan’s Rhetoric: Metaphor as Persuasion and EZSpeakers: Public Speaking Made Easy in 7 Steps. Jerold's overarching goal is to share with humankind its incredible destiny!
John Ross Schroeder
John died on March 8, 2014, in Oxford, England, four days after suffering cardiac arrest while returning home from a press event in London. John was 77 and still going strong.
Some of John's work for The Good News appeared under his byline, but much didn't. He wrote more than a thousand articles over the years, but also wrote the Questions and Answers section of the magazine, compiled our Letters From Our Readers, and wrote many of the items in the Current Events and Trends section. He also contributed greatly to a number of our study guides and Bible Study Course lessons. His writing has touched the lives of literally millions of people over the years.
John traveled widely over the years as an accredited journalist, especially in Europe. His knowledge of European and Middle East history added a great deal to his articles on history and Bible prophecy.
In his later years he also pastored congregations in Northern Ireland and East Sussex, and that experience added another dimension to his writing. He and his wife Jan were an effective team in our British Isles office near their home.
John was a humble servant who dedicated his life to sharing the gospel—the good news—of Jesus Christ and the Kingdom of God to all the world, and his work was known to readers in nearly every country of the world.
