In the book “How Democracies Die”, by Steven Levisky and Daniel Ziblatt, it is explained that there is a less dramatic way than usual, but equally destructive, to destroy democracies: at the hands of elected political leaders. Democracies are being eroded little by little, in barely visible steps.
This comes in relation to what has already taken place in Portugal and which was reflected in the local elections. Since Luís Montenegro’s victory, with the country traumatized by the ignoble paragraph that led Marcelo to destroy an absolute majority, this thesis has come to fruition: the election legitimizes the action and even cures possible illegalities. To this democratic deviation was added the very clear option of the democratic right to disguise itself as something else, in a surrender to the national and international airs favorable to the extreme right. Compromise is in itself an erosion of democracy. The word “ideology” was demonized and the strategy of trashing social democracy and Christian democracy, added to the moneyed force and having a “disaster on the road” effect for social communication, changed collective rationality.
Against all official data, against your electoral program, a monothematic Government emerged, falsely alarmed by immigrationannouncing in the AR humiliating operations against specific immigrants, bringing immigration and nationality to a summary and simultaneous debate, contributing to insecurity, hatred, and anguish of those who have less. The CDS assumes that it does not recognize the country, adopting the chromatic criterion as a presumption of nationality. Chega applauds the weakness of the AD and television stations spend thousands of hours debating crime, immigration, nationality, bathrooms and now burqas: that is, mills, when one in five elderly people lives in poverty, when housing is a collective drama, when there are dramatic problems in the SNS. Those mills swallowed by the democratic right make a profit, so Ventura, defeated in the local elections, is once again the first on screen in “big interview” mode and the invented causes of national problems lose their voice and find themselves portrayed as “invaders”, “parasites” and even, in prime time, by a deputy, as “rats”.
None of this, Nothing described here, that is, the right-wing giving in to this horror, is considered “radical”. Chega and its accomplices changed the meanings of words, so Passos Coelho can appear to give a speech in the tone of 1936, Montenegro can defend first and second nationalities, Moedas can invent violations and say that Alexandra Leitão would change “our way of life”, the PSD and CDS can defend, as in Porto, that perception is worth more than reality, but the word “frentism” applies to the left that allies and “Radicals” are mainly women, like the social democrat Alexandra Leitão, with a program and CV that make half the world blush and the united right is called “alliance” (there is no right-wing frontism). A few years ago, not many, all the populist, lying and anti-liberal drift described here would have been called radical, unacceptable and would make people run into the streets.
It turns out that historical time is favorable to non-compliance with the elementary rules of the democratic game: (1) lying: not being accountable, assuming that voting legitimizes everything; (2) discredit political opponents: fake newsmisogeny, defamation; (3) breaking the national fabric: incitement to hatred and adherence to legislative proposals that restrict the bond of belonging to the community.
In local authorities, Chega wanted 30 nuptial chambers and won three. But Anyone who thinks that it didn’t have a great implementation would be mistaken. There was and it has already been explained. The worst of them all was the victory of the PSD in dragthe PSD that wins in Lisbon by lying and inventing numbers about the crime of rape. I repeat: Alexandra Leitão, the social democrat with a program that defies any illogical epithet is “radical”, her broad alliance that in Sampaio’s time made him a “Lord” is “left-wing frentism”. In the national and global context we live in, Alexandra Leitão was an example of non-compromise. She was faithful to an essentially social-democratic project and in this context she had a strong result that will make her write future pages as she sees fit.
The PS had notable victories, such as Bragança and Viseu, without giving in to reactionary agendas.
The frightening victory of this right wing challenges us not to give in. It is important to realize that victories inspired by Chega’s recipe are not school. We have to think and act, because we are losing voters. The math is done. We have to think and act with an eye on the long term. We cannot fall into easy and posthumous speeches. Are left-wing coalitions bad? Who said? We were joined in eight municipalities out of 308. Maybe think more and do less favors to the right that is busy destroying housing and the world of work, while filling parliamentary afternoons with Chega’s themes.
We have to reorganize ourselves without ceasing to be who we are for a day. Even if for one day we become weaker. Our dilution will be our death.
One thing I know for sure. It is not the way to follow what has achieved victory here and there. Why the victory of Leviathan, that is, the victory of the “eternal struggle of all against all” has an end, and that end is certainly not democracy as we know it.
Our decisive hour has begun.