“This could lead to the dissolution of the European Union!” The “this” in Josep Borrell’s jeremiad is the issue of immigration, which the man in charge of the EU’s foreign policy identifies as an existential threat. Immigration is one of those wedge issues designed to split the electorate into conflictual constituencies while diverting attention from the here-and-now problems for which an increasingly clueless ruling elite seems to have no solutions.
Wedge issues work well in most Western democracies, of which many have adopted the proportional representation system that allows political parties and pressure groups to gain a toehold in parliaments with five percent of the votes cast. Since turnout in most elections is around 50 percent, in practice a wedge issue program could win a hearing with as little as two or three percent of the votes.
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The deficit in actual public support is compensated by the enthusiasm of those who fight for wedge issues with something like religious zeal. Last year in London, the “save the planet” movement provided a dramatic example. Hundreds of men and women from all over England converged on the capital to block bridges and roads and prevent millions of people from going about their normal lives, costing the economy over a billion pounds within days.
Wedge issues could be counterproductive for those who use them to mobilize a small number of ardent supporters.
Continue here: Gatestone Institute
