Why the Cordon Sanitaire cannot hold

MCC Brussels

Join MCC Brussels to assess whether the quarantine around democracy is beginning to break down.

Stanhope Hotel Brussels by Thon Hotels

Why the cordon sanitaire cannot holdFor years, mainstream EU parties have desperately attempted to cement their stranglehold on EU politics in the face of growing opposition. Across the continent, challenger, populist parties have been gaining ground. Rather than looking in the mirror and re-examining their failed policies, they have used every political trick to exclude populists from power.This is the infamous cordon sanitaire. As the name suggests, mainstream EU elites see democracy as something like a virus, that needs to be quarantined.But ordinary people have refused to be silenced, and challenger parties have been gaining ground. In fact, many are now asking whether the era of the cordon sanitaire is actually coming to an end. Austria’s FPÖ have been invited to form a government, the Patriots for Europe group in the European Parliament has become the 3rd largest group, and France, home of the cordon sanitaire, sees the Rassemblement National being predicted by many to win the Presidency.Still, the mainstream parties will not be giving up without a fight. Indeed, some are claiming to have taken to heart the concerns that drove voters to populism. Centre-right parties in Germany, France, Spain and beyond are claiming to have a new focus on controlling immigration, reviving the economy, and tackling the excesses of environmentalism. And parties of the centre-left have committed themselves to re-enforcing the cordon sanitaire. But can they hold back the populist, patriotic tide?Join MCC Brussels to assess whether the quarantine around democracy is beginning to break down, and how we can lend our support to ensure that mainstream parties are forced to confront the wishes of ordinary people. Simply dismissing alternatives as far-right or fascist no longer seems to work. What should be the response instead?Speakers:Elisabeth Dieringer MEP, Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ), Patriots for Europe (PfE)Jacob Reynolds, Head of Policy, MCC BrusselsTom Vandendriessche MEP, Vlaams Belang, Patriots for Europe (PfE)

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Why the Cordon Sanitaire cannot hold

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