Extremist parties are nothing new

The liberal Gazeta Wyborcza considers that the seats in the European Parliament won by Euro-sceptics and extremists do not yet pose too great a threat: "In the new European Parliament, extremist groups and politicians will be represented who used populist and often anti-European slogans in their campaigns. The so-called traditional [centrist] parties are finding it increasingly difficult to reach people, and are becoming distanced as a result. In addition, the programmes of the European Social Democrats are very similar to those of the Christian Democrats, and simple people aren't able to see the dissimilarities. For this reason a growing number of people vote for people who stand out, because they talk plainly, use populist language and reach the masses with their message. ... Extremist parties are no novelty in the European Parliament - they were also present in previous legislative periods. ... But if the traditional parties start to match their programmes to the anti-European trends a real threat will emerge."

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