Irregular migration and the electoral success of far-right political parties in the EU

Abstract

The inspiration behind the topic chosen for this thesis lies in the author’s interest in the way in which the topic of irregular migration is approached by far-right parties. Their recent success in Europe must reveal a growing appreciation for this rhetoric amongst European citizens, and this warrants further investigation. This dissertation explores the relationship between the increase in irregular migration in Europe since the 2015 migration crisis, and the electoral success of far-right parties in the European Union. By observing the case studies of the AfD’s electoral success in the 2017 German Bundestag election, and the Brexit referendum, the author seeks to find an answer to the question on whether irregular migration is indeed one of the deciding factors that led to the success of the far-right in Europe, and as a result, support for these parties would be higher in constituencies that are more heavily affected by irregular immigration. Special attention is given to how the political parties being studied (mainly AfD and UKIP) approach the issue of irregular migration, and how they use growing concerns about the matter amongst the citizens of their respective countries to their advantage, thereby furthering their political agenda. This will be done through the study of primary sources originating from these parties, namely their manifestos. The Literature Review starts with a brief discussion on politics and identity, before moving on to the origins of the left-right political spectrum. Three key characteristics of right-wing parties are then studied, these being populism, nationalism and Euroscepticism. The following section deals with the history of the far-right in Germany and the UK, as this builds the necessary historical context to observe how the public’s relationship with the far-right changes over time in the respective countries. The 2015 migration crisis is then examined, which leads to a in which the topic of irregular migration is approached by far-right parties. Their recent success in Europe must reveal a growing appreciation for this rhetoric amongst European citizens, and this warrants further investigation. discussion on how irregular migration became a key right-wing issue in the European Union since then. The methodology outlines the qualitative research method used in the development of this study. The resources used include party manifestos as primary resources and all other literature as secondary resources. The possible outcomes of this study are then discussed, as well as the limitations of the qualitative evaluation of the literature used. In the analysis section of this dissertation, the two case studies of irregular migration and the rise of the far-right in the UK and Germany are evaluated. The findings are analysed in a comprehensive manner, in an attempt to prove the hypothesis that there is indeed a direct cause-and-effect relationship between irregular immigration and the electoral success of the far-right parties AfD and UKIP. Finally, the conclusion summarises the findings of this study, and reflects on the implications that these findings may have on the future of the European Union