Far Right Poised to Take Advantage of Eurozone Crisis

 　　The eurozone crisis is feeding far-right, nationalist parties in Europe which have long criticized the single European currency - and the broader idea of a "European project" of closer economic and political unity¹. But will that translate into more votes?

　　Far right presidential candidate Marine² Le Pen has long been calling for France to get out of the euro currency union.

　　And as the eurozone crisis grows and the French economy shrinks, Le Pen's message at rallies of her National Front party appears to be gaining new resonance³ among mainstream⁴ voters. A pair of recent surveys finds nearly one in five supports her. Many of those polled expressed concern about the eurozone turmoil⁵.

　　Less than six months from French presidential elections, Le Pen's anti-European Union message is also getting plenty of media attention - like during this interview a few days ago on French public television.

　　Le Pen says she believes the euro's demise⁶ is inevitable⁷. France should get out of the eurozone now to escape the consequences.

　　Thomas Klau heads the Paris office of the European Council on Foreign Relations.

　　"The eurozone crisis and the fact that eurozone governments have not been so far able to bring it under control gives Marine Le Pen a fantastic opportunity to attack the disfunctionality of the eurozone's existing leadership, but also as she would say the disfunctionality of the eurozone  - and the EU as a whole," said Klau.

　　The National Front is not the only far-right movement gaining currency in Europe. Nationalist groups are expanding from traditional strongholds like France and Italy to capture new territory in the Netherlands, Denmark and Finland. In Greece, the extreme-right Laos party has joined the new coalition⁸ government - a first in nearly 40 years.

　　A new survey of the far right's Internet supporters finds many identify with these parties' anti-immigration, anti-Muslim agendas. But Jonathan Birdwell, one of the authors of the report by London think-tank Demos, says their anti-EU stance is another plus.

　　"The groups we surveyed overwhelmingly identified the EU with a waste of money and a loss of control over external borders, which led to high immigration, which led to more crime, which led to poorer economic conditions - or at least more competition within these depressed⁹ economies," said Birdwell.

　　But analyst¹⁰ Klau says that so far, there is not enough evidence to directly link the eurozone crisis with rising support for the far right.

　　"What of course could easily happen is that if the eurozone slides into a new recession - and there are indications that it is on the verge¹¹ of doing so or has already done so - and unemployment figures increase even more, than that could easily create political fuel for anti-European, populist political parties in many and possibly all member states," he said.

　　Polls put Le Pen third in the French presidential race  - behind Socialist¹² candidate Francois Hollande and French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who has not officially declared his re-election bid.

　　A lawyer by training, the 43-year-old politician has softened¹³ the National Front's bellicose¹⁴ image. Analysts¹⁵ like Birdwell do not rule out Le Pen making it to a second-round runoff vote - like her father, Jean-Marie Le Pen, did in 2002.

　　"I think that is very much a possibility - that you could see that kind of runoff in the French elections," he said. "And I think as well that the eurozone crisis and France's role in the European Union, the euro currency, will be a huge issue in the French elections."

　　But Birdwell believes most French voters ultimately support the euro currency, and the larger EU goals that it reflects. Still, the far right may keep gaining ground in France and in Europe so long as the crisis continues.

1 unity   

n.团结，联合，统一；和睦，协调

参考例句：

• When we speak of unity,we do not mean unprincipled peace.所谓团结，并非一团和气。
• We must strengthen our unity in the face of powerful enemies.大敌当前，我们必须加强团结。

2 marine   

adj.海的；海生的；航海的；海事的；n.水兵

参考例句：

• Marine creatures are those which live in the sea. 海洋生物是生存在海里的生物。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

3 resonance   

n.洪亮；共鸣；共振

参考例句：

• Playing the piano sets up resonance in those glass ornaments.一弹钢琴那些玻璃饰物就会产生共振。
• The areas under the two resonance envelopes are unequal.两个共振峰下面的面积是不相等的。

4 mainstream   

n.（思想或行为的）主流；adj.主流的

参考例句：

• Their views lie outside the mainstream of current medical opinion.他们的观点不属于当今医学界观点的主流。
• Polls are still largely reflects the mainstream sentiment.民调还在很大程度上反映了社会主流情绪。

5 turmoil   

n.骚乱，混乱，动乱

参考例句：

• His mind was in such a turmoil that he couldn't get to sleep.内心的纷扰使他无法入睡。
• The robbery put the village in a turmoil.抢劫使全村陷入混乱。

6 demise   

n.死亡；v.让渡，遗赠，转让

参考例句：

• He praised the union's aims but predicted its early demise.他赞扬协会的目标，但预期这一协会很快会消亡。
• The war brought about the industry's sudden demise.战争道致这个行业就这么突然垮了。

7 inevitable   

adj.不可避免的，必然发生的

参考例句：

• Mary was wearing her inevitable large hat.玛丽戴着她总是戴的那顶大帽子。
• The defeat had inevitable consequences for British policy.战败对英国政策不可避免地产生了影响。

8 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

9 depressed   

adj.沮丧的，抑郁的，不景气的，萧条的

参考例句：

• When he was depressed,he felt utterly divorced from reality.他心情沮丧时就感到完全脱离了现实。
• His mother was depressed by the sad news.这个坏消息使他的母亲意志消沉。

10 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

11 verge   

n.边，边缘；v.接近，濒临

参考例句：

• The country's economy is on the verge of collapse.国家的经济已到了崩溃的边缘。
• She was on the verge of bursting into tears.她快要哭出来了。

12 socialist   

n.社会主义者；adj.社会主义的

参考例句：

• China is a socialist country,and a developing country as well.中国是一个社会主义国家，也是一个发展中国家。
• His father was an ardent socialist.他父亲是一个热情的社会主义者。

13 softened   

（使）变软( soften的过去式和过去分词 )； 缓解打击； 缓和； 安慰

参考例句：

• His smile softened slightly. 他的微笑稍柔和了些。
• The ice cream softened and began to melt. 冰淇淋开始变软并开始融化。

14 bellicose   

adj.好战的；好争吵的

参考例句：

• He expressed alarm about the government's increasingly bellicose statements.他对政府越来越具挑衅性的声明表示担忧。
• Some irresponsible politicians made a bellicose remarks.一些不负责任的政客说出一些好战的话语。

15 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。