The Mainstreaming of the Extreme Right in France and Australia

’Aurélien Mondon has written a brilliant and original book. It involves a comparative history of the French and Australian right in the longue durée and shows how the post-war extreme right parties - the Front National in France and One Nation in Australia - absorbed the inner-spirit of both nations’ very different right-wing traditions and were then able to transform the rhetoric and the tone of politics, especially on questions connected to ethnicity and race, under Sarkozy in France and Howard in Australia. This work will change the way scholars view the significance of the resurgence of the populist right in Europe and beyond.’ Robert Manne, La Trobe University, Australia ’In spite of their different histories and political cultures, France and Australia have been prime examples of a broader trend: the ’mainstreaming’ of far right discourses and previously taboo issues associated with them. Mondon’s fascinating but also sobering book shows why the far right’s electoral performance is a misleading indicator of its political influence; behind it lies a more complex dynamic of ideological normalisation, which may easily serve the far right in the longer term.’ Aristotle Kallis, Lancaster University, UK ’This book provides an original and informed study of the nature and narratives of the extreme right in two developed countries where questions of identity, immigration and the negotiation of change figure prominently in public debate. It makes a valuable contribution to comparative political analysis and will appeal to readers interested in how key populist extremist parties impact on contemporary politics and society.’ Paul Hainsworth, University of Ulster, UK 'The comparison of two historically and economically diverse cases is well made and the reader is left with the strong impression that the socio-politico-cultural hegemony of the extreme and radical right, if not yet achieved, remains an eventuality to be feared by those who suppor