Germany’s declining establishment parties are again undermining the very institutions they pretend to defend in order to limit the capabilities of the rising Alternative for Germany (AfD).
In Rhineland-Palatinate, in the southwest of the country, where the populist party recently secured a record election result, the CDU/CSU, SPD and Greens are teaming up to alter the constitution. They want to change the rules for parliamentary inquiry committees so as to block the AfD from convening investigative committees of their own.
The officials cited potential abuse of the power, saying their move was intended to prevent “the deliberate misuse of this oversight instrument” for “purely destructive purposes.”
But critics said it was them who were abusing the constitution for their own gain. A similar scenario earlier this year played out in Saxony-Anhalt, where the CDU, SPD, and FDP, alongside the Greens and the Left faction, worked on making it more difficult for the AfD to choose the state parliament president, reducing its influence on the membership of the state constitutional court.
Responding to the changes being made in Rhineland-Palatinate, AfD politician Stefan Scheil said it was “regrettable” that “our ruling parties won’t stop until the rule of law lies completely in ruins.”
Daniel Haseloff, who also represents the party, added that “in a truly functioning democracy, such actions against minority rights would be out of the question, and the cartel parties would be torn apart by the media for it.”
Michael Immel noted, however, that while the plans will harm the AfD in the short term, the party appears only to be becoming more popular, meaning that “what the cartel parties allow themselves will come back to haunt them yet!”
German paper Junge Freiheitreports that similar actions are taking place in other states across the country, especially where the AfD looks set to achieve absolute majorities.
When, a month and a half ago, the first Iranian missiles fell on Israeli cities, most European leaders issued only perfunctory statements. The Estonian Foreign Minister, Margus Tsahkna, instead boarded a plane, flew to Tel Aviv, met with Isaac Herzog and Gideon Sa’ar and offered what no one else in Europe had the courage to provide: full support for Israel. Tsahkna then signed new contracts for Israeli air defence systems and military equipment, turning solidarity into concrete action.
Estonia, a democracy of 1.3 million inhabitants threatened by Russia – one of those “small nations that know they can disappear” of which French-Czech novelist Milan Kundera spoke – has openly sided with Jerusalem, together with the other Baltic states, which are among Israel’s closest friends in Europe. Estonian President Alar Karis visited the kibbutzim devastated by Hamas on 7 October, witnessing firsthand the consequences of the massacre in a way that few other Western leaders have done (the leaders of Italy, France, and Britain have yet to set foot in Israel).
Estonian forces, like the Latvian ones, are equipped with Israeli Spike anti-tank missiles and Blue Spear systems capable of turning the Baltic Sea into a killing zone.
Elbit, Israel’s leading defence company, has meanwhile become the highest-valued Israeli company on Wall Street, with a market capitalization of $22.5 billion. Two major contracts have been signed by Elbit in recent months. The first, worth $2.3 billion, is with the United Arab Emirates for the supply of defence systems. The second, for $3.5 billion, is with Germany for the acquisition of the Israeli Arrow 3 anti-missile system, which was used in the war with Tehran.
Italy’s PM Giorgia Meloni just announced the suspension of the automatic defence agreement with Jerusalem. Shame on my country.
The countries that feel genuinely threatened – such as Germany because of the war in Ukraine, and the UAE because of Iran – are instead reinforcing and “bullet-proofing” those agreements. It is no coincidence that the small nations of Eastern Europe are more pro-Israel than the large, decadent nations of the West.
A few days ago, Greece, the country most exposed on the southern flank in the event of Iranian attacks (which have already hit Cyprus), signed a $750 million contract with Elbit for anti-missile systems. Romania has also received Elbit’s unmanned aerial systems.
Even Emmanuel Macron’s plane is equipped with the system developed by the Israeli company Elbit. It is called “DIRCM” (Directional Infrared Counter Measures), one of the most advanced infrared laser countermeasures in the world. Meanwhile, more than one country that talks about “de-escalation” while stockpiling Israeli weapons hopes that Jerusalem, as it has so far, will continue to do the “dirty work” in Iran.
Upon receiving the prestigious Jerusalem Prize, Milan Kundera said: “Israel appears to me as the true heart of Europe, a strange heart placed outside the body”. Kundera said that Europe “had disappointed the Jews” and that Israel, the “reconquered homeland,” was more Europe than Europe itself, the “true heart” of the continent, representing everything good and noble in the European dream. Today most of the European cultural and political class sees in Israel a withered heart or a heart transplant in the Middle East – from the river to the sea.
But there are small countries that understand Israel’s existential threats in a way that Western European nations – including Italy — which have enjoyed decades of post-war peace and prosperity – seem unable to grasp. Italian politician Ugo La Malfa was right: the West defends itself at the walls of Jerusalem. Many, however, cling to the illusion that it can be defended with UN resolutions from Guterres.
History, merciless as always, will eventually prove them wrong.
Large crowds of migrants, including many from African countries, have formed outside Spanish consulates and foreign embassies across Spain as the government’s new mass regularisation programme gets underway.
The Spanish Cabinet approved the extraordinary regularisation decree on April 14, opening a six-month window for undocumented migrants already living in the country to apply for a one-year renewable residence and work permit.
In recent weeks and days, long queues have formed outside consulates of countries of origin, especially Moroccan, Algerian, Senegalese and Pakistani missions in cities such as Madrid, Barcelona, Alicante and Bilbao.
Migrants are rushing to obtain criminal record certificates and other required documents, which many consulates are struggling to process quickly.
Some sites have reported overcrowding, with people arriving early in the morning and waiting for hours.
Online, several videos were shared of large crowds massing in front of embassies and consulates.
🚨 El Consulado de Marruecos en Almería está saturado tras el anuncio del Gobierno marroquí de facilitar la documentación para que sus ciudadanos en situación ilegal en España puedan ser regularizados. pic.twitter.com/YSLZGd5Qt4
There is reportedly also a notable increase in illegal entries through Algeria’s southern border.
A steady flow of sub-Saharan migrants from the Sahel and the Horn of Africa is travelling thousands of kilometres to gather in southern Algeria, particularly around Tamanrasset and surrounding areas.
Their stated objective is to reach the northern Algerian coast and attempt sea crossings toward the Andalusian coast, the Levant or the Balearic Islands.
This news was spread via different Telegram and WhatsApp groups reportedly controlled by people-smuggling networks.
Algerian officials confirmed the increase of illegal migrants and said they did not have the capacity to stop it.
Security forces estimate that about 14,000 illegal immigrants have left Algeria for Spain.
Applications for regularisation in Spain began online today, with in-person processing starting from April 20 and closing on June 30.
Eligible applicants must prove they were in Spain before January 1, 2026, have resided continuously there for at least five months and have no criminal record.
The measure is expected to benefit around 500,000 people, according to official estimates, although analyses by the police suggest the number could be three times as high.
While the largest groups of undocumented migrants in Spain are from Latin America, significant numbers of African nationals, particularly from Morocco, Algeria, Senegal and other sub-Saharan countries, are also seeking to qualify.
🇪🇸 Massive queues of illegal migrants have formed at consulates of Morocco, Algeria, and other countries across Spain, following the launch of an extraordinary immigrant regularization process.
The programme, promoted by Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s government as a way to acknowledge the economic contribution of long-term irregular residents and ease labour shortages in sectors such as agriculture, care and services, contrasts with tightening immigration policies elsewhere in Europe.
The huge waves of migrants appearing at Spain’s doorsteps appear to vindicate critics from the Right, who have warned that the regularisation could act as a pull factor for further irregular migration and place additional strain on public services.
Spain’s mass regularisation also runs counter to the new European consensus on migration, which emphasises stricter border controls, faster returns and the full implementation of the European Union Pact on Migration and Asylum from June 2026.
During a Special Joint Committee meeting related to Canada’s euthanasia laws, a psychiatrist told MPs that those with eating disorders or depression should be allowed to die by assisted suicide.
Last week, Dr. Mona Gupta, who works as a psychiatrist and professor at the University of Montreal, was asked directly by pro-life Conservative MP Andrew Lawton if those with depression or eating disorders should be allowed to die by “MAiD” (Medical Assistance in Dying).
Gupta seemed to suggest that this could be OK.
“It depends on the circumstances of the person,” she responded to Lawton.
In reply, Lawton asked, “So it could?”
“Potentially,” Gupta replied.
Lawton then asked Gupta if there is a consensus on how many times a person would have to be treated for disorders before it became enough for them to be considered “treatment resistant.”
In reply, Gupta said that the term “treatment resistant” is not used in MAiD laws.
Last month, the Canadian government created the Special Joint Parliamentary Committee for MAiD. It is filled with euthanasia advocates, but Lawton is one of the few pro-life members of the committee.
The committee will determine whether or not Canada should expand assisted suicide to those with mental illness, but a few Members of Parliament on the committee promise to advocate for life.
Canada’s current MAiD laws state that a person who has a grievous and irremediable sickness must have “enduring and intolerable physical or psychological suffering that cannot be alleviated under conditions the person considers acceptable” before being allowed to request it.
Lawton questioned Gupta as to whether it was reasonable for a person to have to go through all treatments before MAiD would be considered.
“It is difficult to make rules for diagnosis – we have to look at the individual person,” she said.
“Ordinary clinical practice would be pursuing all of the usual standard accepted treatments for conditions – and then some,” added Gupta, noting, “but there may be reasons an individual has that they can’t take advantage of those treatments.”
Lawton asked Gupta if sick people who did not want treatment could just then go ahead with MAiD.
In reply, Gupta said if a patient did not want treatment, it would then not be “appropriate to consider MAiD in that circumstance.”
Instances of Canadians being pressured into MAiD over medical treatment have been on the rise in recent months.
As reported by LifeSiteNews, an 84-year-old Canadian Catholic woman who was offered euthanasia while at a hospital despite not being deathly sick has spoken out, saying there was “no way” she was going to “take measures to end” her life.
Indeed, as reported by LifeSiteNews, a Canadian man was euthanized just because he had partial blindness.
Some provinces such as Alberta are doing what they can to limit the availability of MAiD, which is federally mandated.
As reported by LifeSiteNews, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith’s United Conservative Party (UCP) government was the first in Canada to introduce a bill that would severely limit who can get euthanasia and ban it for minors. The UCP said that the bill is to “strengthen protections for vulnerable Albertans” as well as allow doctors and hospitals to refuse to offer assisted suicide.
In February 2024, the federal government delayed the mental illness expansion until 2027 after pushback from pro-life, medical, and mental health groups as well as most of Canada’s provinces.
The Liberal government under Trudeau and current Prime Minister Mark Carney, however, has worked to expand euthanasia 13-fold since it was legalized in 2016. Canada now has the fastest-growing assisted-suicide program in the world. Meanwhile, Health Canada released a series of studies on advanced requests for assisted suicide.
Euthanasia is now the sixth-leading cause of death in Canada after it was not listed in Statistics Canada’s top 10 leading causes of death from 2019 to 2022.
At the “L’Espinette” cemetery in Quaregnon, the daily visits by Samir Benbouali’s family took an unexpected turn on Friday.
Next to the grave of this man, who had died at the age of 46, his relatives report that they discovered a Christian grave in an area they believed to be reserved for Muslims. The family is now awaiting a statement from the local council.
Quaregnon (B) : la famille de Samir Benbouali conteste la présence d’une tombe chrétienne voisine dans une parcelle supposée musulmane du cimetière de l’Espinette.
— Fdesouche.com est une revue de presse (@F_Desouche) April 16, 2026
Translation: Quaregnon (B): Samir Benbouali’s family has objected to the presence of a neighbouring Christian grave in what they claim is the Muslim section of the “L’Espinette” cemetery. “According to our faith, such a thing should not exist.”
Translation: In Quaregnon, Abdelkader and his family feel cheated. Almost every day, they visit the grave of their loved one, who passed away a year ago. They thought he had been buried in a Muslim section of the cemetery, but a few days ago they were stunned to see a Christian cross on the neighbouring grave. Abdelkader explains in the newspaper Sudinfo that this juxtaposition is a problem because the prayers do not reach his relative when a…
A transgender politician in Japan is suing a social media user for referring to him as a male. Risa Kawakami, a town councilor in Shimamoto-cho, Osaka Prefecture, is seeking 2 million yen in compensation for suffering “mental pain” as a result of the comments.
Kawakami, a representative with Japan’s Communist Party, first announced his lawsuit on last week in a series of social media posts where he denounced “trans hate” and claimed to be taking on the suit in order to defend the collective reputation of transgender individuals.
“I, Risa Kawakami, have resolved to fight in court against the defamation directed at me and the malice spread through it to numerous transgender people and others. Trans hate is not needed in a society where everyone can live as themselves,” he wrote on April 9.
Kawakami is seeking 2 million yen (approx. $12,500 USD) from the unnamed social media user, who he claims defamed him on 17 separate occasions by making comments on Facebook and X. The comments included referring to Kawakami as a “fake legislator who disguises [himself] as a woman even though he is a man” and “a man [who] took a woman’s seat.”
At a press conference held today, Kawakami claimed the comments were part of “an intensive attack on transgender candidates” adding that they were “malicious and illegal in that they infringe on the right to run for public office. I want to demonstrate through this trial that unacceptable behavior is unacceptable.”
Japan has no law explicitly banning “misgendering,” but disputes over it can surface in court through the country’s extremely broad defamation framework, which centers on whether speech harms a person’s “social reputation.” Under this framework, a statement does not have to be false or overtly abusive to be actionable.
Transgender plaintiffs who pursue such claims typically argue that being misgendered or deadnamed misrepresents their identity in a way that damages their credibility, dignity, or social legitimacy. As a result, truth is not a defense, and the threshold for succeeding in these cases is exceeding low when compared to many western jurisdictions.
Kawakami has previously produced videos that ridicule women who express discomfort about sharing intimate spaces with men. In one such video, he dances over on-screen text listing concerns commonly raised by women—including references to biological distinctions and disparities in criminal offending between males and females—while a persistent banner reads “知らんがな,” a Japanese phrase often used to dismiss an issue as “not my problem.”
The song Kawakami uses in the video also repeats “not my problem” and “so what?” as part of its lyrics.
After news of Kawakami’s lawsuit began to circulate, people began recirculating the video to criticize him, which prompted Kawakami to target those posting stills from the clip. He also suggested that the video was made with the blessing of the Japanese Communist Party.
Kawakami’s conduct has resulted in some female Japanese Communist Party (JCP) members pledging not to vote for the party in coming elections, with many signaling that the JCP’s female vote turnout has been declining in recent years as a result of its vocal support for gender ideology.
“I’s the Communist Party’s massive blunder,” one female voter said on X. “Voters have the right to say no to that. The Communist Party lost women’s votes because of this person’s misogynistic words and actions. I can no longer vote for the Communist Party that promotes misogyny.”
“I’m disappointed in the Japanese Communist Party. They’ve not only tolerated but actively promoted the idea of these self-identified male women casually invading women’s spaces, abandoning any effort to protect the safety of those spaces. The reason the Communist Party’s female votes have dropped is because they’ve become utterly immersed in trans ideology. And yet, half the population is women,” another female voter wrote.
The JCP has faced criticism for the conduct of its pro-trans representatives in the past. In 2023, a Japanese Communist Party member pleaded guilty to a number of disturbing sex crimes, including entering a women’s restroom to film non-consensual images while dressed as a woman. Wataru Onishi, 42, had previously acted as the Committee Secretary for Japan’s Communist Party (JCP) in Chiba Prefecture. Onishi is known for having vocally supported Japan’s controversial gender identity bill.
Kawakami is also not the first trans-identified male in Japan to launch a lawsuit claiming those who have misgendered him have “defamed” him.
Li Kotomi, a trans-identified male originally from Taiwan, has filed multiple lawsuits against lesbians and women’s rights advocates after they refused to validate his identity as a “woman” and “lesbian.”
Li has filed defamation claims against at least nine individuals within the past two years for making comments and social media posts referring to him as a male. The majority of those targeted for litigation have been women, while three have been men who are critical of gender ideology.
One of Li’s current targets is Taro Takimoto, an attorney who represented a women’s rights group critical of gender ideology after they were labeled a “hate group.”
A shocking trial is currently rocking Baden-Württemberg: a 35-year-old Islamic religious education teacher is standing trial at Ellwangen Regional Court on serious charges. According to the prosecution, the man is alleged to have committed a total of 27 offences between 2021 and 2024. Eight boys aged between 12 and 17 are affected. As reported by several media outlets, many of the alleged offences took place in an Islamic boarding school in Giengen an der Brenz. The defendant worked there as a so-called ‘hoca’ – a religious authority who teaches children the Koran and the Arabic language, among other things. According to broadcaster SWR, no formal academic training is required for this role.
According to the prosecution, the 35-year-old is alleged to have deliberately exploited his position. As reported by Spiegel magazine, he is said to have lured boys into his office by inviting them to film nights. There, he is alleged to have forced them to undergo massages and engage in sexual acts – including oral sex.
The prosecution also accuses him of exerting pressure and silencing the children. His position as a religious authority is said to have played a central role in this.
Physical violence is also among the allegations: according to German news programme Tagesschau 24, some victims were allegedly strangled until they lost consciousness. The prosecution reported that the defendant deliberately inflicted pain on the children and even took pleasure in doing so. The German national has been in pre-trial detention since mid-January. At the start of the trial, his defence team announced, according to reports, that he would comment on the allegations – though not in public.
The statements from the children involved are also to be heard behind closed doors. A total of eight trial days have been scheduled. A verdict is expected in May.
On Wednesday afternoon, a group of protesters gathered in the town demanding the descriptions of the men from the police.
However, Surrey Police have advised they “do not have sufficient information” to release descriptions of the suspects.
East Surrey Chief Superintendent Mark Chapman said: “I understand the distress and concern that this incident has caused, both for the victim herself and amongst our local communities, and I want you to reassure you that we are working hard to progress this investigation.
“While we have already carried out extensive enquiries, we do not have sufficient information at this time to update you with the descriptions of the suspects.
The rape is believed to have taken place outside Epsom Methodist Church, Ashley Road between 2 to 4am, which is roughly 100 yards from the nightclub.
It is not yet known how many men were involved in the assault.
Videos posted on social media show protesters confronting the riot police, demanding they give descriptions of the suspected rapists.
One individual was filmed with a loudspeaker saying: “They [the Police] are not communicating with you, they are not telling you what is going on and that is the reason your women and your girls are scared.
He also referenced Epsom and Ewell’s Borough Commander Inspector, Tommy Pearson, demanding where he was during the protests.
“Why don’t they send Tommy Pearson? Where’s Tommy Pearson, the Borough Commander of this town?”
“They know exactly who it is. They know exactly who did this to that girl down that road.”
Mr Thomas, or online known as Danny Tommo and associate of Tommy Robinson, live streamed the event on YouTube.
He is heard saying to the crowd: “Like I said, no one commit any violence against these officers because that is what they want.
“Do not give them what they want, this is a long game.”
He continued later on in the video confronting a police officer saying: “We want to know who raped the girl.”
It is not yet known if any arrests were made during the protest.
Chief Supt. Chapman urged people “not to speculate” while the police carry out their investigation.
“In the meantime, I would urge people not to speculate about the descriptions of these suspects as this may lead to additional tensions within our local communities”, he said.
“I would also like to reassure you that we have stepped up patrols in the area, and this increased police presence will continue over the weekend.
“While we continue to progress our investigation, we would urge anyone with any information who has not already come forward to do so as a matter of urgency.”
In a press release, Epsom and Ewell Beat (Surrey Police) said: “Many of you will be aware that there has been a significant police presence, including specially trained public order officers, in Epsom town centre this evening (15 April) dealing with a protest which started just before 5pm.
“Officers were deployed to the scene to assess the situation and engage with the protesters.
“During the protest the group blocked the road, causing disruption to motorists in the town centre.
“The protesters left the scene around 8pm.A number of officers will remain in the town centre this evening to provide reassurance.”
The police have asked anyone with information to come forward, especially if you were in the area around the time of the crime.
They have also asked for CCTV, dashcam or helmet cam footage of the area during the same timeframe
If you have this, contact them quoting PR/45260041426 or using their online form.
Demonstration of Kabyle Christians. Photo: Facebook
In 1955, Algeria had over 1 million Catholics and 140,000 Jews. Today, as Pope Leo visits Algeria, there are some 8,000 Catholics in Algeria and there are fewer than 200 Jews.
99% of the population of what was one of the old territories of Christianity are Sunni Muslims.
Was Islam so popular that all the Christians and Jews decided to convert? Not at all. They were persecuted, murdered, tortured and driven out by Islamic violence that occurred in our lifetimes.
Christians and Jews had lived in Algeria since Roman times. Now they’re gone.
This Christian genocide was endorsed by major world powers, aided and abetted by the French government and celebrated in movies, books and classroom lessons. And by Pope Leo XIV.
Alongside paying tribute to the 19 Martyrs of Algeria, beatified in 2018, priests, monks and nuns, including 7 beheaded monks and 2 nuns murdered on the way to mass, by Islamic terrorists who later received amnesty for their crimes, Pope Leo also paid tribute to Muslim Jihadists.
Pope Leo visited Algeria’s so-called Martyrs’ Monument, “Maqam Echahid,” (pictured above) located above the El Mujahid or Jihadi Museum, erected by former Islamic-Socialist terrorist dictator Houari Boumédiène who had headed the ALN, one of whose specialties was the “Smile of Kabylie” in which the tongue was pulled through a slit throat, and which was responsible for the Oran Massacre of Christians and Jews thereby ethnically cleansing a formerly non-Muslim city.
Women and children had their throats cut by Muslim mobs bent on slaughter. 250,000 non-Muslims had lived in Oran. After the massacres, over 200,000 survivors fled.
Pope Leo XIV visited the Jihadi site and in his remarks claimed that “our presence here at this monument pays tribute to this history of Algeria and to the very spirit of a people who fought for the independence, dignity and sovereignty of this nation.”
Praising the Arab Muslim Jihadis who had set out to eliminate Christianity from Algeria, the pontiff declared that “they lost their lives but in doing so, they gave them up for the love of their own people. May their example sustain the people of Algeria and all of us on our journey, for true freedom is not merely inherited, it is chosen anew every day.”
The “love of their own people” was based on a fervent hatred of all non-Muslims, acted out through horrible atrocities, including the deliberate murder of non-Muslim children by Muslims.
The ‘martyrs’ of the Jihadi Museum under the monument at which Pope Leo made his remarks include Mohammed Larbi Ben M’Hidi, the Muslim terrorist leader responsible for bombings and shootings against non-Muslim civilians including the Milk-Bar bombing during which a Muslim woman planted a bomb in a shop filled with mothers and children having milkshakes.
Mothers were killed and children lost arms and legs.
Danielle Michel-Chich, a 5-year-old girl, had gone to have ice cream with her grandmother. Danielle lost her leg, while her grandmother lost her life. Nicole Guiraud, a 10-year-old girl, lost her arm. Some young women were killed in the brutal Islamic terrorist attacks.
Zohra Drif, the monster who planted the bomb targeting mothers and children, is an honored figure in Algeria, and was the wife of Rabah Bitat, Algeria’s former president who succeeded Boumediene. The terrorist also served as the vice president of Algeria’s parliament.
This is what Pope Leo XIV decided to honor and praise as the “example” for Algeria.
On his visit, Pope Leo repeatedly invoked St. Augustine of Hippo who had been from Algeria. Hippo was sacked and destroyed by the Islamic invaders. The city later known as Bône (known as Anaba under Muslim occupation) was one of the cities where non-Muslims fled Muslim violence.
Rather than address what had actually happened, Pope Leo insisted on pretending that there was nothing religious about Christian clergy being massacred by Muslim terrorists, contending that “In the face of hatred and violence, they remained faithful to charity even to the point of sacrificing themselves alongside many other men and women, Christians and Muslims.”
Visiting the Great Mosque of Algiers, erected by former terrorist dictator Abdelaziz Bouteflika, who had provided amnesty to all members of the Armed Islamic Group, the Jihadist group responsible for the murder of Christian clergy, including nuns and a bishop, Pope Leo praised the gargantuan monstrosity as a “place of prayer” from which “we can learn to respect one another, live in harmony and build a world of peace.”
Algeria has closed dozens of churches, prosecuted Christians for giving away or even selling copies of the bible and non-registered church services have been banned.
The Algerian constitution declares that “Islam shall be the religion of the State” and demands that the president “swear by Allah” and “glorify the Islamic religion”. So much for coexistence.
The Catholic Church is vanishing from Islamized Algeria. What was once a community of over a million had shrunk to 100,000 by 1965, 45,000 by 1980, and 8,000 now. Few of the clergy are local. Rather than standing up for local persecuted Christians or warning about the consequences of spreading the same kind of Jihadist Islamization into the heartlands of Europe, Pope Leo continues to treat fellow Christians like President Trump as foes while embracing Islamic terrorist regimes as brethren. That policy will do to the Christians of Europe what it already did to the Christians of Algeria.
Rather than defend the bastions of Christianity, Pope Leo cheers on Christian genocide.
If approved, the digital euro would replace cash with a programmable, government-issued currency that can be tracked, limited, and even shut off remotely. This isn’t just about digital convenience—it’s about control.Pic: Medforth AI
After a surprise victory in Sunday’s Hungarian election, the opposition party Tisza is bound to hit the ground running. When they take over governing, possibly as early as May 5th, they will make euro zone accession for Hungary one of their top priorities.
one of the most important goals of the Tisza Party is the introduction of the euro as soon as possible depending on the country’s economic performance, plans are already being prepared for the date of this.
Their widelypublicized ambition to bring Hungary into the euro fold aligns well with ambitions in Brussels to extend currency zone membership to all EU member states. Adding another country to the ECB’s domain would be a welcome victory for the EU at a time when tensions are high between the Eurocracy and some EU states. Those tensions span from the EU’s gradually expanding tax collection ambitions to the questions of funds and even union membership for Ukraine.
By solidifying the euro as the common currency for all members, the EU can at least give the perception of strength on one of the key issues for its own existence. With 21 of its 27 member states already in the euro zone, Brussels has indeed come close to its goal of a unionwide common currency area.
So far, Hungary has steered clear of euro membership, and for good reasons. The common currency is a major reason why the European economy is in poor shape and is unlikely to regain any strength in the foreseeable future. It would be a hard blow to the Hungarian economy if it were forced into the same one-size-fits-all monetary fold where most of the EU is currently trapped.
There are a host of reasons why Hungary should not join the euro, one being the inevitable drift into economic stagnation. The reason for this stagnation is found in something called asymmetric business cycles. It is a technical term that carries enormous practical weight in any evaluation of the gains and losses from a Hungarian euro accession.
It is perfectly normal for two neighboring countries to be in different phases of a business cycle. For example, Hungary can be in the growth phase of the cycle, with declining unemployment and accelerating GDP growth. At the same time, Austria can be on its way into a recession with rising unemployment.
The difference between Hungary and Austria in terms of where their economies are is referred to as a business cycle asymmetry.
If Austria and Hungary have different currencies, the business cycle difference will be neutralized by a change in the exchange rate between the currencies. All other things equal, the Austrian currency will depreciate—get weaker—against the Hungarian currency. That way, trade between the two countries will shift in such a way that the business cycle differences are smoothened out and eventually disappear.
If the two countries have the same currency, some other variable has to neutralize the differences. Economists have proposed that fluctuations in wages—the price of labor—can serve this purpose. The problem is that unlike exchange rates, wages tend to be rigid, i.e., they do not change easily.
Without some kind of price mechanism to harmonize asymmetric business cycles, a currency union is subjected to increasingly destabilizing forces of disintegration. We have already seen one such major event in the euro zone: the Greek crisis 15 years ago. Greece paid an enormous price for its deviation from the macroeconomic ‘norm’ in the euro zone: in an effort to keep Greece from breaking away from the common currency area, the EU and the ECB fought the macroeconomic asymmetries with fiscal austerity.
By mandating that all members minimize budget deficits and government debts, the EU has effectively turned austerity-oriented fiscal policy into a non-negotiable norm for the member states. Hungary, wisely remaining outside the euro zone under Fidesz, has thus far been able to use expansionary fiscal policy to help generate economic growth; within the euro zone, on the other hand, economic growth has slowed down universally precisely because austerity is the fiscal-policy norm.
When austerity reigns, economic activity gradually cools off. The business-cycle asymmetries between euro zone members disappear as economic growth tends toward zero.
Economic stagnation is a formidable price to pay for joining a club that brings no real advantages. Hungary should remain outside; given Tisza’s declared ambition to bring Hungary into the currency union, euro skeptics had better get ready to fight for the forint.
It may seem tempting to simply say that ‘we can always leave the euro again’ if membership does not work out. However, exiting the euro zone is almost as risky, as complex, and as unprecedented as the British exit from the EU. Nobody has ever left a currency area of the euro zone’s dignity and economic prominence; in addition to the lack of empirical precedent, there is also a gaping hole in the economics literature on the macroeconomic side of a return- toa national currency.
In other words, although the forint is always preferable to the euro, institutional complexities and macroeconomic risks put an enormous price of genuine uncertainty on reversing a currency area membership. Therefore, the best way forward for Hungary under Péter Magyar’s government will be to keep the forint and maintain the monetary independence that has served Hungary so well under Fidesz.
