In recent years, the popularity of new radical right-wing parties with anti-immigrant platforms has increased across Europe. This paper outlines the complex set of factors that account for this trend and offers a critical evaluation of the way mainstream parties are responding. Far from reflecting a short term trend triggered by the current economic downturn, the rise of the new radical right indicates a deep economic and social malaise affecting western European societies. The paper warns political parties and the wider public not to dismiss the new radical right as fanatical parties operating on the fringe of politics, but rather to embark on careful examination of their political discourse. By combining strong anti-establishment rhetoric with potent demands for democratic reform and identity politics, the radical right is managing to overcome the traditional split between left and right, with potentially serious consequences for the future of our body politic.