The European Union is heading for parliamentary elections this week for 751 seats. The new vote that could redefine the nature and future of the supranational political and trading bloc. With Brexit’s fate hanging in the balance, far-right political groups across Britain and the European heartland are seen likely to do better in the polls than they have done in the past. Immigration is currently the biggest political issue. The spectre of European nations being swamped by waves upon waves of refugees from Asian counties reeling from war and famine has instilled fear amongst many indigenous populations in the EU. For the last couple of years the political spectrum has shown a noticeable shift towards conservatism and populist isolationism if not extreme ultra-nationalism. Migration from the Middle East and South Asia is a hot topic across Europe where diversity and multiculturalism used to be benchmarks for progressive values. The xenophobia sparked by the 9/11 attacks and the subsequent Global War on Terror have apparently changed the political dynamics of the region for a lot longer than was initially hoped. In Britain alone, the likes of Nigel Farage, Boris Johnson and Jacob Rees-Mogg have been pushing the state towards the brink of disaster by making unrealistic promises to the electorate that are nothing short of black lies. Their politics has essentially brought Britain to a standstill. The embattled Prime Minister Theresa May has announced a modified withdrawal agreement that aims to address the concerns of Remainers. Scepticism, however, prevails especially amongst Brexiteers who fear that the agreement is meant to prevent Brexit in the long run. In Germany, Chancellor Angela Merkel’s political clout has weakened owing to her government’s migration policies. In France, President Emmanuel Macron has taken something of a stance to protect ‘European values’. With states like Hungary, Italy and Austria already controlled by far-right populists, it is only a matter of time before other major European powers are overwhelmed by isolationist approaches. Once known for its motto of ‘United in diversity’, the EU’s politics is, sadly, dominated today by hardliners wishing to trample its liberal values. All that remains is hope that better sense would prevail in the elections and the Europe will once again vote for harmony and progressive values and refuse to be swayed by bigotry and hate. *