Developed economies across the globe are abandoning progressive policies
by Merrill Matthews, opinion contributor - 01/07/25 10:30 AM ET
Since November, Democrats have been trying to understand how they could possibly have lost an election to the likes of Donald Trump. But it’s not just Trump and the United States. Several key elements of the progressive-liberal policy agenda are in retreat in developed economies as voters and elected officials turn to more reasonable, practical and financially sustainable policies.
Here are three key components of the progressive agenda that are now being spurned.
Open borders. Illegal immigration has roiled U.S. politics for years, but in the election it “surged to the top of the most important problem list,” according to Gallup, even as Democrats both defended the illegal immigrant surge and went to extremes to argue it wasn’t happening. But the U.S. wasn’t alone.
A recent report from the Center for Migration Studies says, “The European Union (EU), as well as individual European countries, have in the last several years launched several initiatives to prevent asylum-seekers from reaching their shores.” Those candidates campaigning for immigration clampdowns gained seats in this year’s European Parliament elections.
Reuters says concerns over immigration and asylum policies were high on the list of the EU’s five biggest countries by population: “Germany, France, Italy, Spain and Poland — plus Sweden.” As a result, political parties pushing immigration reform made gains in several EU countries:
Austria’s Freedom Party won the largest share of votes in the country’s last election;
In France, Marine Le Pen’s National Rally almost won a majority of seats;
In 2023, Dutch politician Geert Wilders’ Party of Freedom won the largest share of seats in the country’s House of Representatives;
Germany’s the Alternative for Germany party has been winning more elections — a notable change since the country has for decades been very open to immigration as a type of penance for its World War II atrocities; and
Giorgia Meloni and her Brothers of Italy party shifted Italy to the right in 2022.
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https://thehill.com/opinion/5070646-progressive-agenda-progress/
