The rise of remigration rhetoric in Europe, notably from figures like Alice Weidel, echoes past atrocities, while mainstream political discourse adopts increasingly extremist views. A surge in racism and antisemitism is reported, reflecting broader societal unrest. The liberal left struggles to counter these trends, facing challenges in forming effective coalitions against the far-right’s rising influence.
Paying the price for net zero
European nations are retreating from climate commitments, exacerbated by rising costs and societal resistance. The new UK government and Scotland have reduced climate targets amid challenges posed by defense spending and economic demands. Both the UK and Europe face crucial decisions about investing significantly in a green transition, requiring a comprehensive strategy beyond current proposals, and fostering a national dialogue on necessary changes.
A new way to govern Scotland: co-opposition
Labour and Plaid Cymru ran Wales pretty successfully for three years (2021-24) without a formal coalition. Could Swinney and Sarwar take a leaf out of the same boat?
Welcome to a dark future under Trump 2.0
Donald Trump said in his White House meeting with Joe Biden “it’s a nice world today” but the incoming 47th US President will preside over a dark world he blackens daily
Eurosclerosis makes an unwelcome return
“Mario Draghi, former central banker turned technocratic premier, is warning the EU of a “slow agony” if it fails to invest in modernisation and catching-up on the US and China. That is no exaggeration. It means renewing its political class and leadership to one that focuses on delivery, not radical surgery. Nor doom and gloom.”
An alarming Alternative for Germany
“There is renewed talk, too, of “Ossifikation” or reasserting a specific east German identity rather than adopting a pan-German One after 34 years of unification. All of these factors but, most notably, xenophobia – the Ausländerfeindlichkeit I reported on from east Germany in the early 1990s and the emergence of a small but ultra-violent neo-Nazi movement today as then – hasten this sense of separatism.”
Is Scotland heading for an early election?
The parlous state of UK public finances and spillover impact of the October 30 Budget could mean Holyrood refuses to pass next year’s Scottish Budget, triggering the government’s resignation
Political posturing over child poverty
Over 4m British children live in relative poverty and they are four times more likely to suffer mental health issues than better-off kids. Ending the two-child benefit cap is just one remedy.
Blowing up the transatlantic bridge
The imminent advent of a Trump 2.0 presidency is concentrating the mind of Europeans as they confront more tumultuous instability at home and abroad. More Europe is, with all its attendant risks, the only preferred option
Just transition is correct response to Europe’s far right
“In the next EU legislative cycle, to 2029, this greening (plus digital transformation) must continue. But it must come with greater sensitivity towards public readiness, with a much bigger emphasis on informing and educating and, above all, on socio-economic justice. The much-heralded just transition should be the Leitmotif of the next five years. This is a much better response than the rowing back on green ambition…”