Varoufakis: Europe's centrists face electoral collapse from austerity legacy
The former Greek finance minister argues centrist policies have devastated societies and fueled far-right surges across Germany, France, and Britain.
What to know
- Varoufakis argues that three decades of centrist austerity policies across Europe—not sudden fascist appeals—have driven far-right electoral surges by creating mass economic insecurity and loss of status.
- German Chancellor Merz's CDU faces record-low approval ratings and electoral collapse after recent state election losses; Macron's centrism is pushing France toward far-right leadership; UK's Tory-Labour duopoly continues austerity consensus.
- The analyst frames centrist politicians as ideological "zealots" whose failed policies have gutted public goods, deindustrialized economies, and devastated working populations—contradicting their self-image as moderate technocrats.
“The AfD did not surge because, overnight, millions of Germans had an epiphany that made them more susceptible to fascist tropes. Its ranks swelled because years of austerity made the German people stare in the face of a loss of status and a high probability of real poverty.”
Yanis Varoufakis, Economist and political analyst · Al Jazeera ↗ · Sep 22
Yanis Varoufakis Economist and political analyst
Friedrich Merz German Chancellor
Emmanuel Macron French President
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Varoufakis publishes essay blaming centrist austerity for far-right rise
Yanis Varoufakis posts an Al Jazeera opinion piece arguing that European centrist politicians have pursued failed austerity policies that devastated societies, enabling far-right electoral surges. He specifically cites Friedrich Merz's collapsing approval ratings in Germany, Emmanuel Macron's policies in France, and Britain's Tory-Labour consensus on austerity.
“What is actually dying in Germany is not just a hitherto dominant party, but the image of centrist politicians as moderate technocrats.”
— Yanis Varoufakis -
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# democRats # Mittenazis # Neoliberalism : "Alas, first gradually, then suddenly, the masks are falling to the ground, and now the majority can see them for what they have always been: Zealots ruthlessly pursuing dead-end, misanthropic policies..." https://www. aljazeera.com/opinions/2026/9/…
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[Al Jazeera] - Europe’s centrists are finally paying the price of their extremism https://www. aljazeera.com/opinions/2026/9/ 23/europes-centrists-are-finally-paying-the-price-of-their-extremism?traffic_source=rss # PressReview # Politics
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