Immigration, asylum and extremist politics - Europe and Australia

The States of Europe and Australasia share democratic institutions and political party traditions in many respects. They also share a concern with influxes of immigrants and refugees which are changing the ethnic composition of what were previously regarded as ‘nation states’. However there are considerable differences between them in their political reaction to these changes. Some European states have racist or fascist traditions which have been entrenched for many years and were previously directed against long-resident minorities. Others have been relatively homogenous and ethnic variety is a new experience. The immigration policies of the states vary, with Australia and to a lesser extent New Zealand having a long history of carefully planned and controlled intakes, designed to enhance the economy and avoid ethnic conflict. Others can scarcely be said to have immigration policies at all and see the control of entry largely in law enforcement terms. This variety is reflected in different political responses, which range all the way from mass support for anti-immigration parties at the ballot box to anti- democratic street violence. The established parties may attempt to pre-empt new movements by adopting some of their platform. Resisting this temptation is a particular dilemma for parties of the ‘Left’ which rely on working class support. Traditional ‘left-right’ divisions may become confused. However many of the new movements are very unstable and this may help to contain their impact, especially if the established parties agree to resist them