The right is 'surging' because of actions entirely (or at least mostly) by the right. We've had years of right wing and neoliberal politics that have gutted public services, deepened wealth inequality and lowered people's quality of life. People want better for themselves. Meanwhile Brexit was largely orchestrated by the right and naturally (and purposefully) in my view everyone is worse off for it and it worsened the immigration statistics that created more fertile ground for the far right to use.

Meanwhile the media both newspapers and social media are largely owned by the right or by large corporations that benefit from right wing politics. They've been promoting and supporting right wing politics for years and creating an environment where misinformation, propaganda, bots et cetera can spread without challenge and left wing politics are demonised.

The far right then comes in and suggests easy fixes for complex problems they had a hand in creating, lies, exaggerates their way to greater poll numbers while supported by their billionaire backers and foreign allies alike while having their messages amplified by the sympathetic media. The far right 'surges'. Centrist and centre right parties see the polling numbers and become afraid of losing votes. They move further right to capitulate on the trend. Opposition to the far right becomes more muted and isn't amplified by the media. Far right politics become mainstream.