Frank Furedi, head of MCC Brussels, a think tank supported by the government of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, has begun to worry about the ability of right-wing populists to lead countries if they manage to seize power, writes Politico.
The think tank MCC Brussels is designed to counter what Furedi calls the European Union’s liberal consensus and is helping to hone the ideas of the increasingly popular far-right. Furedi, a 78-year-old professional provocateur, has both praised what he sees as the inevitable collapse of Europe’s political center and expressed concern about whether the political groups that stand to gain from it have enough internal discipline to take the lead if they win. In a two-hour interview with Politico, he said that you can win an election, but if you’re not prepared for what comes next, power becomes your own worst enemy.
The movements Furedi talks about are already testing the major political forces. Nigel Farage’s Reform Party is gaining popularity in Britain, Marine Le Pen’s National Alliance (RN) has a very real chance of winning the French presidential election, and The Alternative for Germany (AfD) regularly leads or is close to leading the polls. In Italy and Hungary, the right-wing leadership is already visible.
While Furedi is not worried about the return of totalitarianism in Europe, he even thinks that the current regime is the one that suppresses freedom of thought and speech. What really worries him is the possibility that the European right will not be well-prepared when it comes to power. The sociologist and politician said that there is a real demand for different policies, and the collapse of the old order is truly exciting. However, while Furedi would like to see the machine burn, he is not convinced that right-wing parties should carry the torch. He pointed out that everything is in the negative for now, and
in only two countries have the right been able to steady run the governments – Italy and Hungary.
Like many right-wing politicians, Furedi is currently enjoying his return to the forefront after many years spent on the fringes of political space. He has since He was an agitator for obscure political forces in the 1960s, initially as a leftist and founder of the Revolutionary Communist Party. The party published the magazine Living Marxism, in which he also made a point of verbally attacking the British Labour Party for its centrist leanings. He later wrote for the online magazine Spiked, attacking Labour from a right-wing perspective.
Furedi was in favor of Brexit, but believes that the EU should remain united, albeit with less influence over its member states. He despises the doctrine of multiculturalism, defends women’s rights to abortion, and believes that the pandemic and climate change highlight an undesirable timidity in the face of danger. Although Furedi is a staunch supporter of Israel, he believes that freedom of expression should also extend to highly controversial topics, such as Holocaust denial. “I don’t see myself as right-wing. So even though other people might call me far-right, right, fascist or whatever, I identify myself in a very different kind of way,” Furedi said.
Under Furedi’s unconventional leadership, MCC Brussels has gained influence, and in a way, recognition in the wider community, as a far-right counterpoint to the overtly centrist institutions that have saturated Brussels’ European Quarter. The think tank promotes Hungarian right-wing nationalism, and the accompanying denial of European federalism, immigration policy and LGBT inclusion. Furedi stresses that
the think tank is not a mouthpiece for Budapest, but rather a place to test and strengthen right-wing ideas.
The think tank is fully funded by Hungary’s largest private university, Matthias Corvinus University. The university, in turn, enjoys significant support from the Hungarian government. Furedi acknowledges that the think tank’s publications often echo Budapest’s views, but he denied that Orbán dictates what must write. There is no reason to believe that the upcoming elections in Hungary, which could also force Orbán to leave the prime minister’s chair, will affect the think tank’s funding.
Furedi, who has reached a respectable age, also worries that he will not be able to see “something nice happen.” At the same time, he is convinced that the political order he has fought against all his life is ready to break down.
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