The European Union transformed from an economic alliance into a bureaucratic overlord micromanaging all facets of every European’s life. Europeans meekly accepted its dictates about the size of vegetables and the minutiae of household remodeling. In 2015, when Angela Merkel forced the EU to accept millions of anti-Western Muslim migrants, Europeans virtuously sucked it up. Now, though, with the economy collapsing and a long, cold winter on the way, Europeans are pushing back. Italy may even elect a conservative—and that has caused the EU to drop the benevolent mask and reveal the tyranny behind it.
As a predicate to this discussion, you need to keep in mind that European conservativism is not the same as American conservativism. The latter reflects the liberal tradition that once controlled the Anglosphere: It centers on individual liberty, small government, and the free market. That notion of liberty has never really caught on in Europe. In Europe, it’s always a matter of who will rule: the Marxists or the anti-Marxists; the transnationalists or the nationalists.
In the case of Italy, Giorgia Meloni, who seems poised to become Italy’s first female prime minister, is a classic example of the European right wing. She opposes Marxism and all that comes with it: unlimited abortion, euthanasia, gay marriage, and multiculturalism. Her values represent traditional Italian values and, indeed, track with traditional values across the West, including in America. American conservatives could readily support her candidacy. (Funnily enough, although a traditionalist, she’s not married to her child’s father.)
