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Telegraph
3 days ago
- Politics
- Telegraph
Trump is telling the truths Europe's leaders won't
The most important skill in European politics is the ability to pretend that all is well. In London, Paris, Berlin and a dozen other capitals, the order of the day is continuing the series of polite lies that exculpate a generation of politicians from bearing responsibility for their failures. Things that intrude on this bubble – videos of protests circulating online, the views of the electorate, writers who draw attention to the catastrophic consequences of a toxic combination of welfarism and open borders – are censored, ignored or threatened with legal action. Donald Trump's occasional forays into European affairs have much the same effect on the political class as a stick of dynamite chucked into a lake does on fish. His comments are followed by floundering, gasping, and goggle-eyed outrage. They are not met with actual rebuttal. With Europe engaged in a project of total self-delusion, it has fallen to the American president to tell us the truths we are unwilling to tell ourselves. For all Mr Trump's failings, he is rarely accused of being insufficiently blunt. And on Europe, he has a regrettable tendency to be correct. While our politicians wring their hands over vast numbers of economic migrants abusing an outdated asylum system, attempting to square the circle of an open borders approach to migration, generous welfare states, and hopelessly outdated laws and treaties, Mr Trump is free to state what he sees: 'You better get your act together or you're not going to have Europe anymore.' It is a view that will resonate with voters across the continent. The great weakening of Europe's borders has been unfolding for a decade now, since German chancellor Angela Merkel crumpled when confronted with a crying child and attempted to reshape her country around the slogan 'wir schaffen das': 'we can do this'. Political will, however, was not sufficient to change reality on its own. The cultural costs have not been negligible. Nor have the economic consequences, particularly alongside other flawed policies. The costs of net zero continue to mount, with politicians seemingly eager to dismantle Europe's industrial base in a fit of moral fervour. When Mr Trump tells Sir Keir Starmer that Britain should go against this consensus and drill for the oil in the North Sea, or objects to the 'detrimental' effect of windfarms on the 'beauty of Scotland', he is articulating the views of millions of British voters. That they are unpopular in Westminster means that these criticisms are frequently ignored or overruled. It does not mean that they are untrue. Indeed, it is often the truth of Mr Trump's statements that triggers the most furious backlash against them. When he says Europeans risk 'losing their wonderful right to freedom of speech', or his vice-president J D Vance criticises 'digital censorship ', the criticisms sting because they are clearly correct, and all the more so contrasted against attempts to rebut them. When the French mission to the UN asserted that 'in Europe, one is free to speak, not free to spread illegal content' – a statement that would have been just as true of the Soviet Union – the official State Department account responded by pointing out the only true effect was to protect Europe's 'leaders from their own people'. It is hard to disagree with this sentiment. It is difficult, too, to disagree with Trump's blunt statement that recognising a Palestinian state 'doesn't matter '. French president Emmanuel Macron has declared that France will join Spain and Ireland in this policy. As Mr Trump says, however, it is a statement that 'doesn't carry weight', and is 'not going to change anything'. In this, it is a perfect summary of Europe's travails. Political leaders who have squandered the legacies they were handed still behave as if the world hangs upon their word, even as events overtake them. Gesture policies like state recognition are thrown out without any thought as to their actual effect or practicality. What does it mean to recognise a Palestinian state in an area controlled by Hamas? How is this policy meant to assist in quelling the fanatical opposition amongst Palestinian elites to any Jewish state in the Middle East, or for that matter the presence of any other minority? In what sense is rewarding Hamas's butchering and raping of Israeli civilians meant to have any effect other than prolonging this bloody conflict? Mr Trump is not always right. His protectionist trade policy is a catastrophic misstep. He was similarly disastrously wrong on Ukraine, and it is by good fortune rather than design that his ham-fisted attempts to force Kyiv into a terrible deal failed. There, Europe's leaders were for once in the right. The difference is that Mr Trump appears to have realised the error of his ways, and shifted his policies accordingly. To date, this has only once occurred in the other direction. It is clearly for the good that Europe is coming round to Mr Trump's views on defence, with Nato pledging to raise defence spending to 5 per cent of GDP after pressure from the White House, implicitly affirming the truth of his statement that the continent had been 'freeloading'. This was not cheap but it was necessary. We must now hope that similar reversals will follow in other fields, before irreparable damage is done.
Time of India
21-07-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
‘German Leaders S**k': Tucker Carlson's Putin Reality Check Stuns Russia's Enemy No. 1
In a provocative interview with German outlet Bild, US journalist Tucker Carlson urged Germans to direct their anger at their own government instead of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Carlson praised Putin's leadership, criticized Angela Merkel for her migration policies, and accused German leaders of scapegoating Russia to distract from domestic failures. His remarks come amid rising tensions between Germany and Russia, as economic strain mounts and Berlin adopts a more assertive stance on the Ukraine conflict.#TuckerCarlson #GermanyPolitics #PutinPraise #MerkelCriticism #MassMigrationDebate#GermanyVsRussia #UkraineWar #BerlinRecession #BlameGame #EuropeanPolitics Read More
Irish Times
10-07-2025
- Politics
- Irish Times
Fine Gael's Seán Kelly rules himself out of presidential election race
Fine Gael MEP Seán Kelly has said he will not seek his party's nomination to run in the forthcoming election for the presidency. The move leaves former European commissioner Mairead McGuinness as the only widely tipped potential candidate from the party to contest the election to succeed President Michael D Higgins , which is likely to take place in late October or early November. Mr Kelly said it was a crucial time for European politics and he wanted to influence affairs in Brussels on behalf of Ireland. The Ireland South MEP did not explicitly endorse Ms McGuinness but said she would be a good candidate and if selected, he would support her. READ MORE He said the party members would have welcomed a contest and noted nominations were open for another week. 'I think the members would like to have a contest, but ultimately you have to have more than one candidate ... so let's see how it pans out,' the former GAA president told RTÉ's Morning Ireland. He said that it had been 'one of the biggest decisions' of his life. The opportunity was once in a lifetime and he was disappointed, but he had decided he wanted to continue his work in the European Parliament, he said. 'I asked myself one question. I said, am I happy with what I'm doing at the moment? And I said I am. Would I be happier spending seven years in the Áras considering John B Keane said a day out of Kerry Is a day wasted? 'And I'd said, perhaps not. So I looked at all the pros and cons and I'm very disappointed in some respects because it's only something that comes along once in a lifetime. 'An awful lot of TDs and supporters within Fine Gael and outside Fine Gael were anxious for me to run and to support me but ultimately I had to make up my own mind having consulted with my family who were 100 per cent behind whatever decision I was willing to take. 'I think the best thing is at this point in time to continue the work I've been doing in Europe.' When asked why he had changed his mind about running, Mr Kelly said he had never made his mind up. 'I was thinking seriously about it. And some days I would say yes, and other days I would say no. It's obviously you're head of state. It's the highest political honour you can get in Ireland. 'But when I looked at it deeply. It's largely a ceremonial role. You don't have that much power or influence even though you can dress it up whatever way you like and I like to be involved politically.' Meanwhile, left-leaning parties in the Dáil are likely to nominate their own preferred candidates to stand in the presidential election rather than gather around an agreed candidate. Opposition leaders met on Wednesday evening in Leinster House to discuss their approach to the election.
The Guardian
23-06-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
‘We are waking from a long sleep': France's ex-PM Gabriel Attal on revitalising relations with the UK
In the conference room of a hotel in Kensington, the man who would be France's next head of state is sharing his views about Brexit. Microphone in hand, Gabriel Attal is here to meet activists and expatriates. Once 270,000 strong, London's French community has dwindled in recent years. The 36-year-old leader of Emmanuel Macron's Renaissance party is doing his best to gee them up. 'We are waking at the moment from a long sleep when we talk about relations between France and the UK,' he says. In the face of war in Ukraine and turmoil in the US, old alliances are reforming. 'Many thought the channel would become an ocean. And that all the ties that bound us had to be cut. But we are emerging from this sleep because in some measure we are forced to.' In two years, when the term of his mentor, Macron, comes to an end, Attal is positioning himself to lead their centrist party into battle against Marine Le Pen's populists. If he succeeds, he would take not only Macron's crown but also his record as France's youngest-ever president. For now, he is launching himself on the international stage, with visits to Ukraine, Israel and later this year to Africa. In London last week, he was accompanied by his bodyguards and a team of smartly dressed young men, staffers and parliamentarians, graduates like him of France's elite Sciences Po university. During his visit he called on the former UK prime minister Tony Blair and laid a wreath at the statue of the French wartime leader Charles de Gaulle. On Wednesday evening in Kensington, in the heart of London's French quarter, he addressed his audience with the confidence and lyrical flow that have earned him the nickname of 'le snipeur des mots' – the word sniper. 'Liberty was given by the proponents of Brexit as a reason why they had to leave the European Union. But being free is not being able to choose the colour of your passport. It is about being able to choose the face of your destiny.' Attal's rise through the ranks has been a succession of firsts. At 29, he became the country's youngest postwar minister after being put in charge of education. At 34, in January 2024, he became prime minister, another record. He was cheered in the national assembly when he spoke of his pride at being the first out gay man to hold the office. It was a short-lived success – Attal's term came to a premature end last September after Macron called a snap election in a bungled attempt to see off the hard right. Dusted off and back in the saddle, he has not officially declared his candidacy for the presidential race in 2027, but he is fairly open about his intentions. Asked whether he would stand during an interview with the Guardian, Attal replied: 'J'y travaille.' (I'm working on it). The interview was supposed to be in person but London traffic intervened, and Attal, after a polite apology, spoke by phone from a car as he raced to catch the Eurostar train back home. His focus for now, he said, was on policy and party renewal. Renaissance has been churning out papers, with proposals to curb immigration and tackle teenage screen addiction. The party wants a social media ban for under-15s, and an internet curfew between 10pm and 8am for those under 18. Videos would switch to black and white after half an hour's viewing. 'I'm working with my party, Renaissance. I want us to have a project and a candidate. Many candidates for the presidency today don't have a project.' Gabriel Attal de Couriss followed a well-worn path through elite schools into the ranks of the political class. The son of Yves Attal, a lawyer and film producer, and Marie de Couriss, a film production worker from a family of traders who settled in Russia then Ukraine following the Bolshevik Revolution. He thrived despite the disruptions of divorce and his father's early death from cancer. After attending the exclusive École alsacienne private school, he studied public affairs at Sciences Po, the Paris university whose graduates include Macron and and a long list of presidents and prime ministers before him. His social politics are a mix of liberal and authoritarian. He voted to make access to abortion a constitutional right, but has legislated to curb the wearing of clothes associated with Islam. As education minister he banned the abaya for girls and the qamis for boys in schools. Last month, Attal proposed to go a step further, by outlawing headscarves in public for girls under 15. The reaction was swift and negative, with accusations he was just looking to grab headlines, and members of his own party distanced themselves. The Renaissance education minister expressed 'the most serious doubts' about asking police to question or even caution children in the street. Attal rejects the notion that designating the clothing worn by children as the latest culture-war battleground puts them at risk. 'I think that what puts a little girl in danger is to impose on her an outfit that consists in inculcating to her the idea that she is inferior to man and that it is impure for her to discover her face.' On immigration, he wants closer cooperation with the UK. He says Macron's state visit to Britain next month, during which the president will stay at Windsor Castle, will be an opportunity for bilateral talks. 'I think there are several subjects which are absolutely major on which we must move forward,' he said. He listed defence – 'the United Kingdom is part of the European continent and with France is one of the two countries that has a complete army' – the economy, energy and immigration. On the vexed question of access for UK arms firms to a new €150bn EU armaments fund, he was diplomatic. 'When it comes to EU financial instruments, they come first to support the European defence industry, and it will depend on financial participation, but I know this is being negotiated right now. I hope we can find a way to deepen the military cooperation with the UK.' He said the next big step would be discussion on how the UK can align with a new pact for asylum and immigration that will enter into force across the EU next summer. The agreement allows faster processing and triage of migrants at designated entry hubs. Importantly, each member state will take an agreed share of new arrivals, or pay countries of reception €20,000 to keep them. 'It is very important that we can identify the way in which this pact will be implemented in connection with the United Kingdom,' said Attal. 'I remind you that there is an estimate of 30% of immigrants who come to the European continent who do so to go to the United Kingdom.' For Ukraine, Attal wants an accelerated path to membership of the European Union. Hungary is threatening to use its veto, and farmers are worried about the continent's largest food-producing nation flooding the tariff-free single market with cheap agricultural produce. The pushback has delayed the accession talks, which were due to begin this month. In March, Attal hosted a summit in Paris with allies from the European parliament, and members of opposition parties in Hungary and Slovakia. They agreed to campaign for Ukrainian lawmakers to attend the parliament as observers, starting no later than 2026. Other measures included seizing the €200bn of Russian assets frozen in Europe to finance Ukrainian resistance and increasing defence budgets to 3% of domestic product. 'We have a situation that is obviously unprecedented, with a country attacked, at war, which wants to join the European Union. And therefore the procedure itself must be adapted.' Is he in favour of the parallel negotiation solution, which would allow progress without needing Hungary's approval, being suggested by some officials in Brussels? It seems so. 'I think all channels must be used,' Attal said. He spoke with the confidence of a man adept at finding his way around obstacles. The interview came to an end as his car approached St Pancras station. A call to the French embassy, and Attal and his bodyguards were whisked through security, making the 11.30am back to Paris with minutes to spare.
Al Arabiya
09-06-2025
- Politics
- Al Arabiya
France's Le Pen hosts Europe allies in show of far-right unity
French far-right leader Marine Le Pen was Monday hosting key allies from across Europe, including Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, in a bid to flaunt the unity and strength of the anti-immigration wing of European politics. The get-together in the bucolic countryside of Mormant-sur-Vernisson in the Loiret region south of Paris is ostensibly aimed at marking one year since Le Pen's National Rally (RN) crushed opponents to win their best-ever vote share in European elections. But the meeting is also a show of force from political factions that are increasingly buoyant in the wake of Donald Trump's return to the White House earlier this year and strong election results across the continent. Others attending as well as Orban include Italy's Deputy Prime Minister and leader of the League party Matteo Salvini, the leader of Spain's Vox party Santiago Abascal and former Czech premier Andrej Babis. They are all part of the Patriots for Europe faction in the European parliament, one of no less than three competing far-right factions in the chamber. 'The winds of change are gathering,' Orban wrote on X late Sunday after the leaders met in the Chateau of Fontainebleau nearby to coordinate their positions. 'Different Europe' The meeting also comes less than two years ahead of watershed presidential elections in France where President Emmanuel Macron, who has long promoted himself as a bulwark against the far right, cannot stand again and the RN sees its best ever chance of taking power. But it is far from certain if Le Pen will stand for a fourth time after her conviction earlier this year in a fake jobs scandal disqualifies her from standing from public office. She has appealed. But waiting in the wings is her protege and RN party leader Jordan Bardella, 29, who would stand if Le Pen was ineligible. Asked whether he hoped Le Pen would be elected president in two years, Orban reaffirmed his famous vow to drink champagne if Trump was elected: 'Oh yes, I think it would be a magnum, more, more, more champagne that I could drink!' Orban told France's LCI TV in an interview broadcast late Sunday. Bardella, who polls have shown would still be set to win the first round of presidential elections if he stands, is taking care to project his image including a long TV interview with star anchor Karine Le Marchand aimed at showing his softer side. He hailed the meeting saying it was for a 'Europe of Nations, of peoples, of freedoms, of protections, of identities, of production and innovation, of farmers and entrepreneurs!' Writing on X, Italy's Salvini added they were 'working for a Europe different from the current one, of the people and not of bureaucrats, a friend and not an enemy of businesses, which does not invest in weapons but is committed to peace.' As well as Le Pen's legal limbo the contours of the French 2027 presidential election remain largely unclear, with center-right former prime minister Edouard Philippe the only major player to clearly state he will stand.
