Do You Wanna Be in My Gang?

Austrian populist Jörg Haider's plans to build a right-wing pan-European club could attract some surprising supporters, says Kate Connolly.

Just as Austria's Jörg Haider thought his star was being overshadowed by the recent success of other far-right politicians in Europe, he has cunningly come up with a plan that could eclipse them all.

The success of Jean-Marie Le Pen's National Front in France's elections prompted the far-rightist to unveil his plans to establish a pan-European anti-Europe platform. Several European elections later, his ideas have developed considerably.

In a recent interview with Italy's conservative daily Corriere della Sera, he announced that European parliament elections in 2004 might be an appropriate occasion for the new political grouping to show its mettle. His aim is to establish a "common platform for all populist parties in Europe" as an antidote to the "Europe of bureaucrats".

There are many indications that such a grouping could garner significant support across the continent, bringing together bedfellows as diverse as anti-abortionists, environmentalists and anti-globalisationists, as well as far rightists.

"A gap has developed between the people and the political establishment," Mr Haider told the paper, singling out criminality, immigration, traditional family values and corruption as particular themes of concern. "There has been no response as to how Europe will react to these concerns and now people are rebelling all over the place."

Those who can expect to receive an invitation from the Austrian soon are Italy's president and head of Forza Italia, Silvio Berlusconi, head of the Lega Nord, Umberto Bossi, Gianfranco Fini's party Alleanza Nazionale, the late Pim Fortuyn's party in Holland and a host of other groups in Scandinavia, Germany, Spain and possibly even Ireland.

The head of the southern Austrian province of Carinthia is revelling in the success of the right, which in many ways has increased his political weight at home. Recent rumours that Mr Haider's Freedom party was on the verge of splitting have been virtually forgotten, since being strengthened by the surge of the right, and the perceived collapse of the left.

A surprising boost for Mr Haider has come from Germany's liberal party the FDP, whose deputy leader, Jürgen Möllemann welcomed his success and that of other right wingers, saying it represented "the emancipation of the democrats" and marked an "awakening self-confidence" among Europeans.

Grateful for the hefty pat on the back, Mr Haider said Mr Möllemann "had to be congratulated". Mr Möllemann was publicly none too pleased with the compliment. Mr Haider, he said, can "go to the devil".

The liberal electorate might yet provide Mr Haider with the boost his right-wing pan-European club needs to succeed. In Austria's 1999 elections, Mr Haider's FPO succeeded in wiping Austria's liberals off the map. It argued that it had made the liberal party irrelevant by embracing the concerns of liberal voters. The same fate may yet befall Germany's FDP - unless of course, it too becomes another FPO.

Germany's chancellor Gerhard Schr¨oder for his part has let it be known he will not tolerate sharing power with the FDP if it continues to air such views. Furthermore, he said this week he would not "let Europe fall into the hands of people like Berlusconi, Haider or Le Pen". But the fact is, Mr Berlusconi already has his hands on a fair chunk of it, and wasn't Mr Schroder seen shaking hands with him at a Nato summit on Tuesday?

The lines haven't been blurred like this for years. The times are like the softest putty in the hands of people like Mr Haider.