France's headscarf war: 'It's an attack on freedom' | World news | The Guardian

France's headscarf war: 'It's an attack on freedom' | World news | The Guardian

France 'runs vast electronic spying operation using NSA-style methods' | World news | guardian.co.uk

France 'runs vast electronic spying operation using NSA-style methods' | World news | guardian.co.uk

Marine Le Pen's success reveals populists' appeal to European voters

The Front National is the big winner in the French elections as 'far right' parties capitalise on immigration and eurozone fears
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/apr/23/marine-le-pen-populist-appeal

• what the assorted leaders and parties have in common is a deep rightwing cultural conservatism suffused with nostalgia for an always better and often imaginary national past – the era before mass immigration, globalisation, Europe, and international finance destroyed, they believe, the old, white, illiberal, homogeneous nation states of Europe.On economics, however, the populists tend to be anything but rightwing. They are further to the left of European social democracy in supporting generous welfare states, early retirement ages, pensions – a strong state munificent in its public spending. 
• Islamophobia has become the new antisemitism for the current generation of rebels, while the age of austerity decided by Europe's leaders as the answer to runaway debt, soaring deficits, and a failing euro supplies fertile ground for the populist campaigners.
• Although they do not achieve their maximalist demands, these campaigns are successful in setting the agendas in national politics and forcing the mainstream parties to accommodate the extremists by meeting them halfway. 

Whatever about the US "right", the European one is much more worrying

Enthralling as the GOP primary race is, even the most ultra conservative republican isn't as scary as some of the European far right parties..and worryingly popular at the moment...

"Poll after poll places Le Pen third with 21.5%, hovering just behind Sarkozy at 23.5%, and with the Socialist party's François Hollande well in the lead for the first round of the presidential vote in April. If the opinion polls are accurate, it is perfectly feasible, allowing for the accepted margin of error, for Le Pen to reach the second-round run-off a fortnight later. Some surveys show support for the FN candidate to be considerably higher, topping 30%"

Marine Le Pen and France's Front National sense their time has come | World news | The Observer