On Thursday morning, a man on the rampage was shot dead by police officers from the RAID branch in Marseille. He had threatened to set fire to his block of flats and threw a Molotov cocktail at the police officers.
The start of the trial against Mohammad D. The Syrian is alleged to have raped a 22-year-old woman in Max-Reger-Park in Weiden at 4 a.m. in October last year, according to the prosecution. The offence was committed after a visit to the Hashtag discotheque. Outside, the then 33-year-old noticed the woman, whereupon he accompanied her to the park to smoke a cigarette. When the woman wanted to go back into Hashtag, he allegedly kissed her, wrestled her to the ground and raped her.
The victim was found by acquaintances in the park on a park bench. Visibly upset, she admitted to having been raped. It became clear who the perpetrator was when the group found his mobile phone at the scene of the crime. After the 22-year-old recognised him, friends followed him, caught up with him as he fled and handed him over to the police.
After eight months on remand, the trial against Mohammad D. has now started at the first criminal division of Weiden district court. He listened to the reading of the indictment and the rest of the trial with his head bowed, without expression. Defence lawyer Matthias Haberl immediately asked for a legal discussion with public prosecutor Matthias Biehler and the criminal chamber. A deal was then struck: Mohammad D. made a comprehensive confession and thus spared the injured party from having to testify in court, in return for which the chamber offered the prospect of a sentence of six to seven years.
The confession meant that some witnesses could be cancelled. Others, however, were still asked to testify, such as some acquaintances of the injured party, who confirmed what had happened that evening. District court doctor and expert witness Dr Bruno Rieder ruled out a reduction in culpability, even if the accused had consumed alcohol. The trial is scheduled to continue on Thursday. A judgement can then also be expected.
LGBT ‘Pride’ colored crosswalk in Spokane, Washington4 News Now / YouTube
It is June, which means that the LGBT heresy hunters are in full swing. Their favorite game is to plaster some public space with symbols of their hotly contested ideology and then scream âVictim!â and demand a comprehensive crackdown when anyone dares to protest. It is not a âcelebration of Prideâ â it is an assertion of ownership, a declaration of dominance over our public spaces.
The most ludicrous stories are the breathless press reports of the enormous rainbow sidewalks marring our towns and cities getting ⊠wait for it ⊠tire marks on them. It is true that these crosswalks are on the street, and that the street is where cars drive, and that cars have tires. But LGBT activists and their press allies are certain that there is far more to it than that â and most importantly, it gives them an opportunity to flex their muscles and push people around.
On June 10, for example, the CBC reported that âWaterlooâs Pride crosswalk has been vandalized for the 2nd year in a row.â How? âMultiple black, tire-made skid marks can be seen running across the newly painted crosswalk on Willis Way near Waterloo Public Square â an action that Waterlooâs Reconciliation, Equity, Accessibility, Diversity and Inclusion (READI) director Divya Handa said means thereâs still work to be done before the community is fully inclusive.â See what they did there? Bait â and switch.
Lime, a transportation company which rents electric scooters and bikes to pedestrians, is implementing a âno go zoneâ around a crosswalk painted with a large Progress Pride flag mural in Spokane, Wash., the company told The National Desk (TND) Friday. Police in Spokane recently announced the arrests of four suspects accused of defacing the mural. Officers said they received a call Wednesday of suspects on scooters damaging the mural. When they arrived at the scene, officers say they were able to witness the vandalism first-hand.
The vandalism, by the way, was described by the cops as âblack scuff marks consistent with scooter wheels.â As it turns out, the âfour suspectsâ were teenage boys who had also been doing burnouts in other places but didnât realize that they had been doing burnouts on hallowed ground. They know now: One has been charged with first degree malicious mischief, a Class B felony in Washington state, and two other minors are currently in juvenile detention on the same charge. Lime director of government relations Hayden Harvey leaned hard into his 15 minutes of fame, announcing that:
All of us at Lime condemn these vile acts in no uncertain terms. At a time when our teams at Lime are beginning pride celebrations around the globe, it is disturbing to see the hate taking place in Spokane.
Similar vehicular crimes unfolded in Grand Bend, Oregon, where their âPride crosswalkâ â painted downtown â soon featured skid marks. In response, the city plans to make the crosswalk permanent, so that it stays there forever. A press story about the sinister happenings in Grand Bend actually claimed that a truck attempted to âspray exhaustâ on the crosswalk, which is an entirely made-up scenario that indicates just how badly the journalist a) has no idea what sheâs talking about with regards to how vehicles work and b) wants to break a fake hate crime story.
A local man found himself facing charges of blasphemy after he was caught walking on the cityâs hallowed rainbow crosswalk without removing his sandals in reverence.
âEveryone knows that our local Rainbow Walk is holy ground,â said City Councilperson Vlim Shmelvo. âWhen cis-males deign to tread upon our sanctified spaces with shodden feet, it makes our community feel unsafe!â
The man, Paul Bradford, had attempted to plead ignorance when he was confronted by a large group of angry pro-LGBTQ activists. âI honestly didnât even realize I did it,â he had said as he was being backed up against a wall. âI donât understand! Itâs just a crosswalk! Arenât we supposed to walk on it?â
The angry mob then gasped audibly before seizing him and taking him to the local authorities. âJUST A CROSSWALK?! JUST A CROSSWALK?!â members of the crowd were heard screaming.
That summarizes the situations unfolding across North America right now quite nicely. The point of rainbow crosswalks isnât âcelebrationâ â itâs colonization, with punishment meted out harshly to those who dare to express their disagreement or discomfort. Â
The offences he is accused of are heinous: the accused Zahed K. (30) is said to have abused six girls ( aged 5 to 9) in Bochum who came to his flat for private Koran lessons! K. has been in custody since the allegations came to light in December 2023. The Syrian from Aleppo had given Arabic and Quran lessons to primary school children for years. He is married under Islamic law and has a son himself. His wife brought two girls into the relationship. The man is said to have assaulted schoolgirls in his flat at least eleven times since 2018. According to the indictment, he sometimes grabbed their buttocks and sometimes kissed them with his tongue. Two girls told the police that they had to kneel down half naked while the teacher touched them indecently. Prosecutor Natalja Silbernagel: “In one case, he carried out the sexual act using force.” Zahed K. initially remained silent in court. His lawyers, Jens Tuschhoff and Fabian Reifer, announced that their client might want to make statements on one of the upcoming trial days. “After his arrest, he denied having done anything to the children,” said Tuschhoff.
The accused is said to have threatened a witness when rumours of disgusting goings-on during religious instruction began to spread. Relatives of the girls angrily confronted the teacher. Strict identity checks were therefore ordered in court at the entrance.
A trans-identified male who was denied membership and access to the womenâs showers at a female-only fitness center in Bavaria is suing the facility for âŹ2,500 in compensation, claiming âpersonal injury suffered.â The suit comes just weeks after the gym was already ordered to pay him âŹ1,000 by the federal anti-discrimination commissioner.
âLaura Hannahâ Holstein, 25 and formerly known as Nicolas, recently came to international notoriety after filing complaints against Ladyâs First Fitness Studio with the Federal Anti-Discrimination Agency. The complaints came after Holstein, who is balding and fully-intact, was denied access to the female-only facilities.
As a result of his report, the owner of Ladyâs First was ordered to pay Holstein âŹ1,000 in compensation.
But Holstein was not satisfied, and is now complaining that he was the victim of a âmedia witch huntâ after the news broke about his report against Ladyâs First. Holstein recently acquired legal representation and is now seeking an even larger payout from the gym.
Laura Holstein
According to Ladyâs First fitness studio owner Doris Lange, one week after being ordered to pay the âŹ1,000 fine, she received communications from Holsteinâs lawyers seeking an additional âŹ2,500 in compensation, followed by another âŹ5,000 as a penalty should she decline him access to the women-only gym in the future.
On March 29, Holstein visited Ladyâs First fitness and attempted to arrange a trial training session requesting the use of the facilities â including the womenâs showers. A young staff member who spoke with Holstein, as reported by NIUS, said that âno ID card identifying [Holstein] as a legal woman was presented,â yet a trial session was arranged.
As a compromise, Holstein said he would wear swimming trunks to cover his genitals while using the showers with undressed female gym members.
Kundin Antje, a young woman who trains in Langeâs studio, told NIUS: âHis body is that of a man. If he really became a member here, I would quit.â She added: âThe argument that he wants to train with swimwear is absolutely unacceptable to me. You have to imagine it: he is standing in swimming trunks and the women are naked in the shower.â
A women's gym in Bavaria has been ordered to pay a balding trans-identified male âŹ1000 in compensation after refusing to allow him in the showers.
The Federal Commissioner for Anti-Discrimination ruled that Laura Holstein had suffered "personal injury."https://t.co/2XRmMRGjTC
When Lange was informed about the situation, she instructed her employees to refuse him access to the gym as well as the showers. An email exchange occurred, wherein Holstein was told he was not permitted to use the womenâs fitness center. He again attempted to negotiate, this time telling staff that he would not use the showers at all if he was permitted to use the gym.
After his requests were denied, Holstein posted a negative review of Ladyâs First on Google under the full female name that he has adopted. Despite this, German media have avoided revealing his identity out of concern for the possibility of litigation and being ordered to pay fines.
âAs a trans woman in particular, I had high hopes for the studio, as they are a studio for women and I therefore hoped to have a respectful atmosphere,â wrote Holstein in his 1-star review.
âSo I arranged a trial training session and my first impression was very positive. But then I was told on the phone that they couldnât accept me. When asked what the exact reasons were, there was only an unfriendly answer. Apparently they categorically reject women who donât fit the concept. I find it very unfortunate,â he continued. âAbsolutely not recommended for trans people and their allies.â
Holstein then contacted the Federal Anti-Discrimination Commissioner Ferda Ataman. The agency, headed by the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, sent Lange a letter ordering her to pay âŹ1,000 to him in compensation, which she received on May 16.
âThe AGG characteristic of gender also protects trans* women. This applies regardless of whether the person concerned has already officially undergone a change of name and civil status and/or gender reassignment measures,â read the letter.
âWe would ask you to consider what options and starting points there are for an amicable solution to the matter on your part. For example, we would suggest that you pay Ms [Holstein] appropriate compensation of 1000 euros for the personal injury she suffered.â
Speaking to NIUS, Lange noted that a significant number of her clients were Muslim females who required a sex-exclusive place to train away from males.
âWith all understanding for the ladyâs situation, we only have one large training room, one changing room and one shower. 20% of our members are Muslim women. The women come to our studio specifically to train in an environment that is safe for them,â Lange said.
âIt looks to my female customers as if Iâm letting a man train there â at least as long as this lady is still equipped with male sexual organs.â
On May 22, Lange was contacted by Holsteinâs lawyers. Lange described the situation in a description for her fundraiser: âa law firm wrote to me asking me to let the person they called âwomanâ into my company or pay a fine of âŹ5,000. I should also pay the person âŹ2,500 in damages. Added to this are the âŹ1,000 that the anti-discrimination officer says I should pay.â
Additionally, womenâs rights non-profit Frauenheldinnen eV, which is handling the financial support for Lange, was sent a press release from Holsteinâs legal representatives on June 6.
Two law firms have partnered together to defend Holstein, with his case being overseen by Friederike Boll of geRechtsanwÀltinnen, and Katrin Giere of Dunkel Richter.
The joint statement, reviewed by Reduxx, presents many claims which contradict the personal testimonies of Lange and Ladyâs First staff, and which even conflict with Holsteinâs own account.
In the âstatement to representatives of the press,â the lawyers assert that Holstein had undergone a âchange of civil statusâ three years prior, by which they seem to imply that he has had his identification altered to designate him as a âfemaleâ â though this is not explicitly expressed. Such a claim would directly oppose the reported testimonies of Ladyâs First staff.
The law firms also argue that false information about Holstein has spread in media reports, including the claim that Holstein had attempted to access the womenâs showers.
However, a personal statement from Holstein himself is attached to the statement. In it, he says, âI was looking for open discussion and made suggestions for compromises ⊠for example, I would shower with my swimming trunks on.â
Auch WeltTV war bei Frau Doris Lange in Erlangen.
Journalisten fördern mit ihrer Wortakrobatik diese Gaslighting-Kampagne, einer auf LĂŒgen basierenden rein linguistischen Bewegung.
As there have been several articles on the case within Germany, the lawyers further threatened journalists reporting on the situation with possible litigation. Boll and Giere demand that the press neither âwrongly call the trans woman a manâ nor âmisgenderâ Holstein.
âMisgendering constitutes an inadmissible expression of opinion⊠as a result of which our clientâs personal rights are violated,â reads the statement. âOur client is a woman.â
This is not the first attempt made by Holstein to enter a women-only atmosphere.
As previously reported by Reduxx, Holstein was the first trans-identified male to be approved by the Bavarian Football Association (BFA) to play in a womenâs football league. Currently, Holstein has reportedly begun participating in training sessions, and is sharing the female locker room with the women and girls on the Effeltrich/Hetzles Football Syndicate.
As some players are underage, concerns were raised about Holstein exposing his penis during shower times â an issue the coach attempted to address by providing Holstein a shower schedule.
The coach, Christian Wagner, is also preempting âtransphobicâ remarks from other players or spectators, and says that anyone who is discriminatory towards Holstein will be immediately banned from the arena.
Holstein reportedly began identifying as a woman after watching The Danish Girl in 2015. The film is based on the life story of Lili Elbe, a trans-identified male who died of complications after his body rejected a uterus implanted into him in 1931. Following the movie, Holstein says he was âtouched extremely internally. I questioned what I really feel deep inside.â He then says he âdiscovered the womanâ within himself.
A balding trans-identified will be allowed to play in a women's football league in Germany, months before he is set to change his legal sex to "female."
Players have been warned that they may be punished for "transphobic" remarks about Laura Holstein.https://t.co/eReYRlKBJA
Lange has received an outpouring of support since launching her fundraiser for her legal fees, meeting her target within 24 hours. Additional funds raised through the womenâs rights organization Frauenheldinnen eV will be used towards future lawsuits, which the group already anticipates will occur in the future due to Germanyâs recent adoption of sex self-identification policies.
âApparently I am â unintentionally â setting a precedent here,â said Lange. âWhat is certain is that I will not let myself get down and will continue to stand up for my safe space for women, which I have been offering for 32 years. I will not allow my business model to become absurd and will do everything to ensure that there is still a safe space for women.â
Born as Ămer K., trans woman Lara K. (27) patrolled the capital for months – as a fake police officer: she helped real “colleagues”, travelled in patrol cars and even went to the shooting range. Until she was caught in 2019 – wearing full police gear, carrying handcuffs, a special baton and a blank-firing weapon. Now, four years (!) later, the trial takes place at the Berlin district court. Why are the proceedings just happening now? There was probably a lack of urgency because Lara K. is currently serving a seven-year prison sentence anyway. She was sentenced in 2021 for robbing bank customers at ATMs. Sentenced as Ămer at the time, she is now in a women’s prison.
The indictment charges her with thirteen offences, including usurpation of authority, misuse of titles and violation of the Weapons Act. From April to August 2019, she is said to have repeatedly appeared as a policewoman in uniform: On Hardenbergplatz, where she assisted “colleagues” with an arrest. At Neukölln underground station, where she pointed out the smoking ban to passengers with a baton. When Lara K. was caught by a patrol in Berlin’s PrinzenstraĂe on August 1, 2019, the check revealed that she was under supervision after serving a juvenile sentence (2014: 3 years, 3 months) for a sexual offence, among other things. Was also not allowed to wear uniforms outside the home ⊠“You prefer the female form of address?” asks the judge, looking at the file – still against “the defendant Ămer K”. Lara K. nods: “Yes, please.” And then: “I admit everything.” She only denies possession of child pornography. The trial continues on the 13th of June.
The main suspect in an ongoing fraud investigation in Germany has incriminated several local politicians from the mainstream parties in the town of DĂŒren, accusing key players in the district administration of taking bribes to approve bogus residence permits for wealthy Chinese nationals.
Claus B., a lawyer suspected of leading a criminal enterprise that advertised its services to foreign nationals and registered fake companies in Germany to assist with work permits, says local politicians were complicit in the scheme and received incentives to look the other way.
Former CDU district administrator Werner Stump was accused of having knowledge of the racket and has maintained a long-running relationship with Claus B., hosting his law firmâs parties at a hotel he runs and meeting regularly with the suspect to discuss real estate deals. Stump has denied violating any laws relating to the granting of residence permits and insists he has done everything necessary to cooperate with the investigating authorities.
Another politician, Jens Bröker, a former SPD district administrator candidate who is now the department head for change and development in the DĂŒren district, has been accused of being a major partner in the scheme, allegedly receiving up to âŹ300,000 to use his influence and ensure the smooth approval of residence permit applications when landing on his desk.
Bröker is also in custody and has been dismissed from his posts. His defense attorney did not respond to requests for comment by German media.
Other politicians named in the scandal include former head of the immigration department and current treasurer Dirk HĂŒrtgen (CDU) and his successor Sybille HauĂmann (Greens) who allegedly facilitated the permit approvals, and District Administrator Wolfgang Spelthahn (CDU), president of the local football team FC DĂŒren, which received substantial sponsorship and funding from companies owned by Claus B.
Spelthahn has denied that he âreceived any monetary payments or other benefitsâ and insists the sponsorship contracts with FC DĂŒren were âdocumented transparently, properly taxed and processed and supported by the entire board,â according to news outlet Junge Freiheit.
He also denied any knowledge that Chinese nationals were entering Germany on residence permits with supporting documentation that âonly existed on paper.â
While in France observing the 80th anniversary of D-Day and honoring the thousands of brave soldiers who gave their lives fighting the existential threat that was Nazi Germany, President Joe Biden could not help himself from descending into crass political talking points by comparing the most destructive and deadly war in human history to climate change.
âThe only existential threat to humanity, including nuclear weapons, is if we do nothing on climate change,â Biden declared. Due to the âexistential threat of climate change, which is just growing greater, weâre working together to accelerate the global transition to net-zero. It is the existential threat to humanity,â Biden reiterated.
In reality, climate change is nowhere near an existential threat. In fact, in many ways, the slight warming that has occurred over the past half century or so has made life better for humanity. For instance, NASA satellite data show a significant rise in global plant growth in recent decades — what some call global greening. A slightly warmer planet is also beneficial because it produces greater crop yields.
However, one can make a compelling argument that climate alarmism, and the policies that climate alarmists support, actually comprise an existential threat to humanity.
First and foremost, climate alarmists are hellbent on ending the use of affordable and reliable energy in the form of fossil fuels. This alone is a horrendous stance that puts millions of lives at risk.
Like it or not, the advent of fossil fuels, namely oil, coal, and natural gas, has been the biggest boon for humanity in all of history. The harnessing of these resources to supply virtually unlimited energy in cost-effective terms has raised billions of people from abject poverty.
Without ample access to fossil fuels, our modern way of life would literally cease to exist. Not only do fossil fuels provide abundant and affordable energy. As the U.S. Department of Energy notes, âPetrochemicals derived from oil and natural gas make the manufacturing of over 6,000 everyday products and high-tech devices possible.â
Second, climate alarmists demand that the world immediately transitions to so-called renewable energy and achieve net-zero carbon dioxide emissions. The problem is that renewable energy from solar panels and wind farms is too expensive, unreliable, and not nearly scalable. If the world were to shun fossil fuels in favor of wind and solar, the amount of energy available to use would plummet. This would result in devastation across many fronts.
Third, climate alarmists constantly call for degrowth, both in terms of the economy and in terms of population. Somehow, the climate alarmists have convinced themselves that the solution to the nonexistent problem of a slightly warming planet is for humanity to cull its population growth. This is extremely short-sighted and fails to consider that many developed countries are currently experiencing a stark population decline. If this is not reversed, and soon, many of these once-thriving nations will experience severe demographic problems.
Fourth and finally, climate alarmists, whether they realize it or not, are akin to modern-day Luddites because they excoriate innovations and technological breakthroughs. In many ways, climate alarmists are the opposite of progressives because they seek to regress humanity back to a time when creature comforts and access to the latest and greatest technologies were limited to a select few rather than accessible to the masses. Even worse, by hindering the development of new technologies that could solve some of the worldâs most vexing problems simply because it does not align with their worldview, climate alarmists are essentially preventing the betterment of the human experience.
Fortunately, it seems like the climate alarmists are losing ground. Polls show that more and more people are skeptical of the constant fearmongering and are becoming aware of the failed doomsday predictions. This is great news, but it is just the start. Unless and until there is a general consensus that climate alarmism is the problem and that the misguided policies supported by climate alarmists are outright rejected by an overwhelming majority, climate alarmism will remain a grave threat to the future of humanity.
Amid the protracted battle by leading members of the EU Parliament to wrest more powers from the Council and Commission, few anticipated they would also acquire the power to transform national leaders into lame ducks over a single weekend.
Yet here we are. After the dire results recorded by their parties in the parliamentary elections, both Chancellor Scholz and President Macron carry the aroma of failure. European voters brought a variety of motivations to the ballot box, but boiled down many of them into a desire to stick it to their ruling parties.
Macronâs Renaissance tallied half the votes of Marine Le Penâs National Rally, while Scholzâs Social Democrats fell to third place behind the AfD and the CDU/CSU. Neither leader is likely to leave office before the end of their formal terms, but these elections cripple their ability to launch the sort of bold programmes needed by their domestic constituents and EU institutions.
The hyperkinetic French President responded by calling new National Assembly elections in a high-risk gamble to save his political mandate. Chancellor Scholz responded with his signature move when faced with a knotty problem: solemn words and little appreciable action.
Like Hemingwayâs description of how families go broke âgradually, then suddenly,â the sudden drop in support for the mass parties of the Left happened after a long period of secular decline. The gradual process began after the European Left achieved its historic objective, the creation of the social welfare state, which was then embraced and defended by parties across the political spectrum.
The âthen suddenlyâ commenced when the Left abandoned its traditional working-class support for the eco-nostrums of the Greens and the mass migration lunacy pushed by the âmulticulturalâ Left.
Germanyâs Social Democrats and Franceâs Renaissance became the parties of the educated urban elites and state employees. The traditional base of the centre Left, those industrial workers out in the provinces, were abandoned as energy prices surged, factories closed and migrants drained social welfare budgets across Europe. The populist right eagerly scooped them up.
When the previous leader of Franceâs centre Left, Francois Hollande, visited the Socialist stronghold of Hayange in 2012 as part of his successful presidential campaign, he promised to protect the steel mill there from the nefarious plans of its owner ArcelorMittal.
But after his election, Hollande cut a deal with CEO Lakshmi Mittal that allowed him to close the works in Hayange in exchange for greater investments in other French mills. Hayange is now a bastion of support for Marine Le Pen.
Judging by the results of last weekendâs elections, Macronâs Renaissance cannot convince these French workers that it will defend their interests better than Le Penâs National Rally can.
Chancellor Scholz suffered for his apparent inability to manage an increasingly dysfunctional coalition at odds with itself over a range of sensitive issues. Germans like their politicians boring, and Scholz certainly is that, but they like competence even more, and by this measure, the Chancellor is failing and pulling the Social Democrats down with him.
Both the SPD and Renaissance are poised at the cusp of a dramatic shift in global politics away from free trade and toward protectionist regional blocs.
China has spent decades pursuing national mercantilism, but now the United States is catching up, with vast subsidies directed to domestic industries and punitive measures aimed at inducing foreign companies to move production to American shores.
Whatever the economic merits of the protectionist proposals endorsed by Marine Le Pen and Donald Trump, they will only exacerbate a political trend already well underway. Workers in both the EU and the US are waking up to the price they have paid for cheap imports and now look to their governments to defend their economic interests.
Europeâs traditional left has long been in the thrall of the EUâs free trade liberalism, and must now weigh the damage imposed by this orthodoxy on their electoral prospects.
Can Macron and Scholz use this moment to reclaim the working class for their parties?
Macron may have the dirigiste instincts of a (French) economic nationalist, but he still has the bearing of a Parisian elite, and has probably lost his chance to sway French workers.
Scholz simply does not possess the personal charisma needed to sell a programme of national industrial revival behind trade walls, especially one that risks Germanyâs lucrative exports to China.
The coming conflict over imports of cheap Chinese EVs looms as a telling moment for both leaders. BYD is poised to flood Europe with cheap EVs, swamping German and French carmakers and thwarting their ability to produce EVs at a profit.
Yet Scholz will not defend the European car market if it prompts Chinese restrictions on Volkswagenâs sales in China. Dire budgetary realities will deter Macron from taking a page out of President Bidenâs playbook and proposing massive subsidies for EVs made in the EU.
Any real help in the face of Chinese EV imports will need to come from the EU, which has the power to protect the Single Market with tariffs after a finding of dumping by Chinese manufacturers.
But the new EU Parliament is unlikely to save the Renaissance or the SPD from their economic populists at home by urging the Commission to undertake a radical reformulation of Single Market trade policies. For all the hue and cry over the votes for the far Right, the new EU Parliament will remain dominated by the same âunipartyâ of S&D and the EPP who together with the centrist Renew Europe will have 400 votes in the 720 seat chamber.
As the preferred candidate of the dominant EPP, Ursula von der Leyen will likely return as Commission President and will continue her support for the Green New Deal, albeit with some tactical delays on particularly controversial policies. Stasis rather than reform will mark her second term. An EU Parliament unable to initiate legislation is unlikely to challenge her programme.
In addition to the lack of the powers enjoyed by legislative assemblies elsewhere, the EU Parliament suffers from the absence of directly elected legislators. In all but a few member states, voters select a party, who in turn sends their allocation of representatives to Strasbourg based on their individual rank in the party list. Which means that the average EU constituent does not vote directly for his representative, and often does not know how to register his concerns with one of his elected Parliamentarians.
Your average German farmer is not going to scrutinize the list of 96 German Parliamentarians for someone he hopes might take his concerns over the EUâs Green New Deal seriously. Tractor convoys are more effective.
Anyone who has endured a job with the US House of Representatives knows how responsive directly-elected Congressmen are. They are never more than two years away from an election that can end their careers, and tend to be highly sensitive to their constituents, who know exactly who they are.
Imagine if Germany were divided into 96 EU constituencies with parties fielding candidates in each. These Parliamentarians would arrive in Strasbourg (or more often Brussels) with a direct electoral mandate and constituents who expect them to deliver on their campaign promises.
Rather than the diffuse anger at ruling parties that motivated last weekendâs elections, voters would pick from specific electoral platforms and expect victorious candidates to push them at the European level. Directly elected representatives would have greater standing to demand enhanced powers for the EU Parliament.
Unfortunately, the big beasts in the EU Parliament prefer things the way they are. Parliamentarians today are less concerned with their voters than their status in their party, which determines their positions on the party list and thus their chances of re-election. Leaders of the major party groupings do not want to broker complex compromises between dozens or hundreds of directly elected Parliamentarians, each with constituents at home to satisfy.
Far easier to keep power up at the party group level, nicely insulated from angry farmers and laid-off workers at home. Individual parliamentarians are not much more likely to embrace single-member constituencies. They now enjoy all the perks of life as an elected legislator, but few of the burdens of constituent service. A sweet deal, but one that beggars the democratic legitimacy of the assembly.
Meaning Europeâs centre Left cannot expect the help of the EU in its struggle to reclaim its traditional voters. The SPD and Renaissance will remain torn between a demand for economic populism from their domestic constituents and an EU leadership still committed to free trade abroad and economically ruinous Green policies at home.
âMore Europeâ has been the slogan of the centre Left for decades now, but loyalty to the EUâs preferred policies has pitted centre Left parties against the interests of their traditional base.
While the âresponsibleâ Right in the form of the CDU/CSU will likely reap the rewards of working-class support in next yearâs Bundestag elections, France is increasingly likely to see a true economic populist in the form of Marine Le Pen as the next president. Le Pen will not only call for new tariff walls around the Single Market, but will seek to return many of the powers exercised by Brussels back to the member states.
The effective abandonment of the working class by the centre Left in France has opened the door for a ferocious economic nationalism likely to accelerate the decline of the global free trade regime and the emergence of regional trading blocs. After last weekâs elections, no one on the traditional Left can say they werenât warned.
