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Policy influence matters, sure. But so does electoral success. A centre left party on 25% with strict immigration policies is not the same thing as a radical right party on 25%. Particularly if said centre-left party relies on liberal/green/radical left parties for a majority
The difference is clear in the graph linked to in Matt's tweet - centre left parties more socially conservative than thirty years ago, on average, yes, but *much* more liberal on imm/ID issues than rad rt. So if rad rt vote falls and centre left rises, that's consequential too.
In addition, it seems this critique is to some extent misdirected. "The Narrative" that I criticise is the argument that radical right authoritarians are on an unstoppable upward march, and threaten democracy. Not the arg that they are important/have policy influence.
The problem with "The Narrative" is not the arg "radical right parties matter". Of course they do! The problem is the simplistic beliefs that only radical right parties matter, and that they matter in the same way or to the same extent everywhere.
