An unacceptable situation (Jesús Cacho in Vozpópuli)

The Welfare State is crumbling

Current social policy is generating unsustainable situations that fuel citizen discontent and the rise of the far right in Europe.

The social protection system, designed to help those most in need, seems to have created a breeding ground for discontent across Europe. Public benefits, intended to alleviate poverty and guarantee a minimum of dignity, in some cases reach figures that far exceed the incomes of workers with stable jobs. This disparity, combined with the perception of a political left increasingly detached from the concerns of the working class, is feeding a resentment that is translating into the rise of parties such as Vox in Spain or the AfD in Germany.

## The Navarre case: public income without work

In a municipality near Pamplona, a **46-year-old** Segarro woman has taken charge of two nephews aged **6 and 9** under a foster care arrangement. This situation, which keeps the children from ending up in state care, generates public income for the family unit exceeding **4,000 euros per month**. Most of this sum comes from various benefits and social assistance, including **850 euros** for the first child, **635 euros** for the second, and an additional **1,120 euros** for "specialized foster care". Added to this are **1,321 euros** from the Minimum Vital Income (IMV, Spain's minimum income scheme) and **132 euros** from the Child Assistance Supplement (CAPI). In total, the household receives **2,607 euros** from the child protection system, plus the **1,453 euros** from the IMV and CAPI. It is important to note that these amounts are received as net money, with no withholdings or Social Security contributions, unlike a regular paycheck.

The woman, who does not work, acknowledges that Navarre "treats her very well", referring to the policies of the government of **María Chivite**. In addition to financial aid, the family lives in public housing for which they pay a rent of **500 euros per month**, subsidized at **75%**. They also enjoy discounts on electricity consumption (up to **80%**), help from the Thermal Social Bonus, and subsidies for school meals, textbooks and supplies. The assistance extends to aid from organizations such as the Food Bank and the Red Cross, as well as reduced fares on public transport.

This scenario contrasts drastically with the reality of many working families. A married couple with two children in Fuenlabrada, for example, who work to earn net incomes that barely exceed **4,000 euros** after taxes, must cope with expenses such as mortgage payments, food, schools, clothing and transport. The difference between the two scenarios is, as described, "chilling".

## European discontent and the rise of the radical right

The situation described in Navarre is not an isolated case, but a reflection of a widespread malaise across Europe. Social policies, often criticized for their generosity at the expense of fiscal sustainability and fairness, appear to be feeding citizen discontent. This discontent has translated into major electoral victories for radical right parties in several countries.

In Germany, the **AfD** (Alternative for Germany) has experienced spectacular growth, winning almost **44%** of the vote in the state elections of Saxony-Anhalt, while Chancellor **Friedrich Merz**'s **CDU** (Christian Democratic Union) plummeted to **17%**. This phenomenon is explained, in part, by the perception that the traditional European right has merely managed the "prevailing statism" without offering a political project of its own. **Angela Merkel** is singled out as responsible for opening the borders to "uncontrolled" immigration and for adopting left-wing policies during her **16 years** in power, which eroded Germany's social cohesion and economic strength.

In France, **Marine Le Pen**'s **National Rally** has established itself as the country's largest political party. These parties, often labeled "far right", are gaining ground not because their voters have become "fascists", but because the traditional parties have failed to address the problems the population considers priorities. The "triad of cultural insecurity, economic decline and democratic dispossession", the product of a defective globalization, are the ills feeding populism in the West, according to recent analyses.

## The betrayal of the right and the blurred left

The root of the problem, as set out, lies in the "betrayal" of the political right of its voters and in a left that has abandoned its principles. In Spain, the birth of **Vox** is attributed to the wasted absolute majority of the **PP** under **Mariano Rajoy** in **2011**. The party's inability to carry out the necessary reforms, combined with the expulsion of critical voices, created a vacuum that **Santiago Abascal** and his party tried to fill. However, Vox, which was born with the aim of forcing reforms, seems to have become a party more interested in "divvying up the partitocratic pie".

The political left, for its part, stands accused of having stopped representing the "working class" in order to embrace "proge" agendas, climate change and minorities, often to the detriment of Western humanist values. Immigration, especially irregular immigration, is presented as a direct competitor for public resources (housing, benefits, school places, healthcare) against native workers. The case of Ceuta, with the installation of free wifi for migrants and the provision of new mattresses, is cited as an example of a government that, as described, "pampers" migrants while Spanish workers struggle to make ends meet.

The current situation is described as "unacceptable", with a State that, in the view of some, has suffered a "victorious assault by a incivil organization" and lacks an effective government. Faced with this outlook, the need for a "PP-Vox coalition government" is raised, one capable of "sweeping away in the first hundred days every trace of the vile social communism we are suffering". The urgency of the situation, compared to a patient in a "deep coma", demands a government program that rebuilds a country "capable of sheltering left and right alike under the rule of a law equal for all".

* The child protection system provides **2,607 euros** per month to a household in Navarre.
* The family unit in Navarre receives a total of more than **4,000 euros** per month in public benefits.
* The **AfD** won almost **44%** of the vote in Saxony-Anhalt in September **2026**.
* The German **CDU** plummeted to **17%** in the Saxony-Anhalt elections.
* **Vox** was born after the **PP**'s absolute majority under **Mariano Rajoy** in November **2011**.