Is the West built ‘over the centuries with genius and sacrifice’ really lost?
Last week, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz declared the West was over. “What we once called the normative West no longer exists in this form,” he explained.
Democracy
Latest reporting and analysis on democracy.
Top Polish lawyer warns EU court seizes power over Constitutional Tribunal
The judgment of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) of December 18 constitutes one of the most far-reaching examples of a European Union institution…
Epstein saga pulls in Spanish actress Obregón
The saga of the late US paedophile Jeffery Epstein now has a Spanish chapter about the relationship between Epstein and Spanish actress and socialite Ana Obregón.
The elite are selling a lie and the people know it now
It is a supreme irony that the nations we once celebrated as the cradles of liberal democracy—the United Kingdom, the "mother of parliaments"—are now the very…
EU’s top court rules that Polish Constitutional Court is illegitimate
The European Court of Justice (ECJ) has sided with the European Commission and the Polish Government in ruling that Poland's Constitutional Court (TK) does not meet…
The only way out may be revolutionary thinking
Amid all the public discourse about the threat of political extremism – especially of the Right but also of the Left – and the constant fretting about “division”…
Macron says fine on drug use to rise to €500
President Emmanuel Macron announced that the fixed penalty fine for drug use in France will increase from €200 to €500.
Constitutional watchdog warns of ‘hard-right codes’ on German licence plates
Germany’s secret service is concerned about seemingly innocent letters on vehicle licence plates that may convey covert right-wing extremist messages.
General strike hits planes, trains and services in Portugal
Widespread disruption hit Portuguese air travel and trains, hospitals and schools today as the unions called the biggest nationwide strike action for more than a…
Ex-PMs Verhofstadt and Renzi call for regime change in Iran
Former Belgian prime minister Guy Verhofstadt and former Italian prime minister Matteo Renzi said they support regime change in Iran, endorsing the National Council…
Most German welfare recipients ‘not looking for work’, study finds
Most recipients of the German Bürgergeld (citizen’s stipend) are not actively looking for work.
Poland’s Supreme Court rejects EU attempts to regulate judicial system
A joint session of two chambers of the Polish Supreme Court has adopted a resolution that rejects the right of the European Union to regulate Poland’s judicial…
Dutch ‘green transition hurts working class while rich reap subsidies’
In the Netherlands, low-income and vulnerable citizens are disproportionately shouldering the financial and health burdens of climate policies, whilst wealthier…
Macron proposes ‘labelling’ for ‘reliable’ news outlets
French President Emmanuel Macron has floated the idea of creating an official media “label”, claiming it would identify "trustworthy" journalism and help fight…
German firms leave business association after it ends AfD ‘contact ban’
The decision of a major business association to drop its “no contact” policy with right-wing opposition party Alternative for Germany (AfD) is making waves in…
Musk’s X causes waves worldwide with new location feature
US billionaire Elon Musk's X erupted in uproar after the rollout of a feature revealing an account's location.
What Britain and Ireland do is mimic the US to delude themselves they are modern
“Black Friday Sale!” yodelled the advertisement, with equal measures of mercantilist ecstasy and calendral imprecision. “From November 20-November 30!
Eurovision Song Contest voting rules change after Israeli success
The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) has unveiled a series of reforms to the voting and promotional rules for the Eurovision Song Contest, a move widely seen as…
Croatia’s EU lesson: Reforms slow to a crawl after accession
What happened after Croatia finally joined the European Union shows how fast countries are left on their own once the European spotlight fades, according to a Croatian…
Not the Russians? Belgian journalists arrested allegedly with drone near airport
Arrests by Belgian police might indicate that the country's drone scare may be less connected to Russia than initially feared.
Postal industry warns e-commerce and rural deliveries at risk without EU support
Europe’s public postal operators have warned they can no longer guarantee e-commerce delivery or rural connectivity without stronger political and financial support.
Franco dead since 1975, but Spain still feels the hate, the honour, even the nostalgia
Spain is gearing up for a long year commemorating the death of dictator Francisco Franco and the beginning of democracy in the country.
Eight Albanian suspects arrested over alleged plot to kill Brussels prosecutor
In a series of co-ordinated dawn raids across Brussels and Leuven this morning, Belgian federal police arrested eight men suspected of plotting an attack against…
Germany’s Antifa among groups US sets sights on – but why?
When the US Government designated four left-wing European groups as Foreign Terrorist Organisations, many observers questioned whether they genuinely posed a threat…
British defence: Fraudulent, weak and strikes terror into no one
Jonathan Carley, 64, is the latest addition to the UK’s impressive national armoury, doubtless intended to inspire terror amongst Putin’s myrmidons.
Von der Leyen’s (Anti-)Democracy Shield is an attempt at silencing dissent
It’s the European Commission’s latest dystopian invention—the so-called European Democracy Shield.
Norway public TV ‘sorry’ for calling Polish Independence parade ‘Nazi march’
Norway’s public broadcaster NRK has apologised after describing Poland’s annual Independence Day parade as a “Nazi march” during a morning TV segment, according…
Polish fans stop international football match over removal of national flag
The Poland football match against Netherlands in their World Cup Qualifier was interrupted by flares thrown onto the pitch by Polish supporters.
Polish President petitions for Communist party to be banned
Poland’s President Karol Nawrocki has submitted a request to the Constitutional Court (TK) for the delegalisation of the Communist Party of Poland (KPP).
EU’s top court backs but trims bloc’s minimum wages law
The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) has backed most of the bloc’s law on minimum wages, but clipped Brussels’ wings on how far it can go.