I was puzzled that Martin Kettle, in the broad sweep of his analysis of the dangers of the rise of far-right populist parties in Europe (Europe has entered a new age of anxiety – and it’s dragging Britain along too, 30 November), did not mention the one piece of significant recent good news: the result of the general election in Poland on 15 October. The liberal leader Donald Tusk, with his political allies, was able to form a coalition to defeat the incumbent rightwing nationalist party.
This was achieved by enthusing thousands of young voters to turn out and to vote for the progressive ticket. The turnout increased by 13% on the previous election and was the highest since free elections recommenced in Poland. It showed what can be achieved if progressive parties are forthright, determined and attractive. The success in Poland is a demonstration that the rise of reactionary parties is not inevitable.
Michael Meadowcroft
Leeds
• One thing that often seems to be missed out in the rise of the populist far right is the role of economics (Cas Mudde, 30 November). How much effect has the crash of 2008-09 and the resulting austerity had? The parallels with the decade from 1929 to 1939 cannot be taken too far, but people are far less concerned with immigration when they feel secure and well off. The “free market” (neoliberalism, ordoliberalism etc) leaves too many in the chains of poverty and disillusionment.
Jess Deacon
Amsterdam, Netherlands
• Your article (Why are younger voters flocking to the far right in parts of Europe?, 1 December) does not consider one very important factor. The generation in question is now ignorant of the lessons of the second world war. Anybody born from the 1970s to the 1990s had a good chance of having older relatives who had lived through the conflict and told stories about it. There was an unspoken acceptance that voting for the far right was beyond the pale. We’ve lost, and quickly need to return to, that understanding before we find ourselves in a very dark place indeed.
Chris Dickenson
Burum, Netherlands
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