When The Glove Fits – Voter’s Response to Strategic Positioning of Radical Left Parties on Nationalism

Extensive research has analysed how the radical right has prospered due to the increasing salience of nationalism, conversely we know very little about how this increasing salience has affected radical left parties in Western Europe. This research paper examines why the radical left party family only became popular sporadically, and in limited regions after the financial crash of 2008. It does so by understanding how the parties’ positions on cultural values, EU integration, and immigration have affected their performances at the ballot box. It has been argued that radical left parties have urban, well-educated voters but also appeal to working class voters. Interestingly, the working class also votes, in part, for the nationalist policies of radical right parties. This paper asks the question: does the strategy of radical left parties on nationalist issues make a difference in elections? This paper combines CHES data on party positions with ESS survey data in order to understand the electoral significance of radical left party strategy towards nationalist issues. The research design analyses different voter groups and how different socio-economic groups are responding to these strategies. Furthermore, the research also includes party competition as a party’s strategy on positioning does not exist in isolation. The results from this research are therefore also compared to the results for social democratic parties from the literature to evaluate party competition on second dimension issues. The findings of this research show that more Eurosceptic radical left party positions are significantly associated with higher support at the ballot box. This paper also finds that higher migration and unemployment does not lead to greater support for anti-immigration sentiment from radical left parties, in contrast to radical right parties. This paper is a vital contribution to the study of radical left parties as it; properly examines radical left electorate in context of their support for nationalist policies; explores the impact policy strategy has on radical left party electoral success; and in doing so addresses significant gaps in the literature. Further, the broader implications of this paper’s findings suggest that a substantial understanding beyond left-right is necessary to explain party success or lack thereof.