Daily Archives: April 8, 2024

Germany's Chancellor Olaf Scholz warns of the rise of right-wing populists ahead of EU elections.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz warned of threats posed by right-wing populists Saturday as he addressed a gathering of centre-left European parties ahead of elections for the European Parliament in June.

Scholz arrived in Romania's capital Bucharest for a conference of the Party of European Socialists, part of the Socialists and Democrats group, the second biggest in the Parliament. Voters in the 27 EU member states go to the polls 6-9.

Right-wing populists are running election campaigns against our united Europe, the German leader said at the Palace of the Parliament, which hosted the conference. They are ready to destroy what we have built for the kids; they stir up sentiment against refugees and minorities."

Opinion polls indicate a significant shift to the right in the upcoming election, with the radical right Identity and Democracy group likely to gain enough seats to become the third largest group in the legislature, mainly at the expense of the Greens and the centrist Renew Europe group.

Scholz said a prosperous EU capable of getting things done is the best response to populism and autocrats. He also pledged continued support for Ukraine, saying its key to restoring peace in Europe.

Scholz leads an unpopular three-party coalition. Recent national polls have shown his centre-left party far behind Germanys main centre-right opposition bloc and at best roughly level with the far-right Alternative for Germany party.

The Socialists and Democrats President Iratxe Garca Prez also addressed the issue of rising populism in the June elections, saying those parties only pose a threat to our European project.

The meeting comes after the EUs largest political party, the centre-right European Peoples Party, also met in Bucharest last month, where representatives endorsed Ursula von der Leyens bid for a second five-year term leading the blocs powerful Commission.

Jobs and Social Rights Commissioner Nicolas Schmit from Luxembourg, was chosen as the Socialists and Democrats lead candidate for Brussels top job. The next Commission chief will require approval from leaders of all EUs member states. Almost half of the EUs 27 national leaders are members of the European Peoples Party.

Read more here:

Scholz warns of the rise of right-wing populists ahead of EU elections - Euronews

Populism in its various forms, be it from the far right or far left, is the greatest danger facing all the European countries, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has told the final day of his New Democracy partys congress.

The populist demagogues want to raise artificial divisions, which as [European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen] pointed out, was something that Greece has paid a high price for in the past. We will never allow the things that happened in the past decade to happen again, he said.

The economic crisis lasted longer in Greece because populism prevented the country from rallying round. Syntagma Square is not far from here. We remember the two sides of the lie uniting in anti-European, supposedly anti-systemic demonstrations, he continued, referencing the Indignant protests that took place there at the height of the crisis.

He said that Greece has progressed from laggard to leader in economic growth, with an increase in investments, a reduction of unemployment and an easing of public debt and higher wages and pensions.

We are closing the gap with Europe and we want to close it everywhere. In this effort, we have the support of the EU, Mitsotakis said, accusing the opposition parties of seeking to stop this progress and of polluting the political dialogue with toxicity.

He said the instrumentalization of pain from the 2023 railway collision which cost 57 people their lives was an example. As if there are some Greeks who are more greatly grieved by this tragedy. On the way to the polls we must turn our backs on division.

He concluded by noting that a vote for ND in the upcoming European elections was a vote for the stability and progress of the country.

Addressing the delegates, von der Leyen described Greece as a pillar of stability and security, a pillar of NATO and the European Union, that has helped Ukraine defend itself. [AMNA]

Go here to see the original:

Greatest threat facing EU is populism, Mitsotakis tells ND faithful - Kathimerini English Edition

Currently, Poland is grieving over the loss of Polish athlete Dayman Sobol, one of the casualties from the incident. Despite Israel taking responsibility for the incident, Polish citizens from the left, right, and center, are using extreme anti-Israeli rhetoric following the accident. Poland's popular "Gazeta" newspaper devoted an extensive amount of articles to honor Sobol's death.

In some of the pieces, Israel is accused of war crimes, where the IDF's mistake is being compared to the Hamas massacre of October 7. The presumptuous comparison of Hamas' atrocities and crimes against humanity with Israel's operational mistake in which one Polish citizen was killed with six others was not made by any other Western media outlets.

For some reason, we didn't see a public outcry from Poland in response to the kidnapping of Alex Dancyg, a 75-year-old Israeli-Polish historian by Hamas.

Meanwhile, Poland's Foreign Minister Radosaw Sikorski's condemnation in his conversation with Foreign Minister Israel Katz was balanced, fair, and accurate, similar to many Polish officials and the "World Central Kitchen" organization. However, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk tweeted that the incident is putting Polish solidarity with Israel to a "hard test."

Does Prime Minister Tusk think that someone in the country intended to harm a Polish volunteer of an international food organization to undermine that solidarity, which seems to be conditional? For some reason, we didn't see a public outcry from Poland in response to the kidnapping of Alex Dancyg, a 75-year-old Israeli-Polish historian by Hamas.

On Friday, there was also an official Polish demand for compensation to the family of the killed Polish volunteer. The demands are coming in supposedly since the IDF has yet to publish the findings of the investigation. When politicians are swayed by populist rhetoric, they adopt an extreme stance to appease the masses.

Read the original post:

The Polish response to the WCK incident exposes the dangers of populism - Ynetnews

(Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)

Donald Trump has given populism a bad name.

Populism is okay, even if Trump isnt.

I can imagine a successful political party in the United States that advocated populist positions. Some of those positions would mirror policies that Trump is advocating; some would not.

My populist party would favor high tariffs, to protect American businesses and middle-class jobs. Im not sure this analysis is correct. For example, some economists say that by increasing the cost of raw materials, such as steel, tariffs actually hurt automobile manufacturers, ultimately reducing jobs. But high tariffs feel as though they protect domestic jobs, so my populist party would favor them.

Trump, of course, favors high tariffs, so he is, in that sense, a populist.

My populist party would restrict immigration, so that foreign workers werent competing with domestic ones for jobs. Again, Im not sure this is correct, since many open jobs arent being filled by Americans, so maybe we could use immigrants to fill those jobs. But low immigration feels as though it protects domestic jobs, so my party would favor them.

Trump, of course, favors restricting immigration, so he is, in that sense, a populist.

My populist party would want to raise the minimum wage, so that low-income workers could support themselves. On this issue, too, the policy could be misguided. Some economists say that raising the minimum wage increases unemployment: If the economics of a job justifies paying $10 an hour, but the minimum wage is $15 an hour, then there will be no $10-an-hour job. Thats increased unemployment. But I dont think people focus on this. I think the average person earning the minimum wage thinks, Thank God for the minimum wage! Without it, Id be earning even less! The average unemployed person does not think, If the government only lowered the minimum wage, then more jobs would exist, and I might land one of them. Damn the high minimum wage! So my populist party would favor a high minimum wage.

Most recently, Trump has opposed raising the minimum wage. In that sense, hes not a populist.

My populist party would be pro-union, so that unions could advocate for better pay and working conditions for middle-income workers. Again, this might be the wrong policy: Some economists say that raising wages makes domestic industries noncompetitive, actually harming American manufacturing. Im not passing judgment on whos right about this. Im just saying that people are more likely to think, The union raised my wages than The union decreases employment in the United States, and thats why Im unemployed. My populist party would be pro-union.

Trump is generally anti-union.

My populist party would support lowering taxes on the poor and middle-class and raising taxes on the rich. This probably helps the poor and middle-class, which is what my partys trying to do. And this is great politics: This country has many more poor and middle-class people than rich ones; if you win the votes of the poor and middle-class, and you lose the votes of the rich, youve been elected. Im once again agnostic on the merits of this: Perhaps raising taxes on the rich creates some disincentives to working hard or maybe trickle-down economics really works. My populist party doesnt care; it would favor low taxes on the poor and high taxes on the rich.

Trump generally favors tax cuts for everyone. (I guess I do, too, but I recognize the need to pay for government services and control the deficit.)

My populist party can take whatever position it likes on social issues. Just look at the polls and pick the positions the public prefers on abortion, gun control, transgender rights, and the like. Im thinking only about economics here; beyond that, lets take whatever position will win the most votes.

So, too, on foreign policy. If the majority of the voting public thinks that NATOs a waste of money, then my party should want to pull out. If the majority likes NATO, then stay in. The same with supporting Ukraine, or Israel, or any of the rest of the hot-button issues. I dont think theres a populist position on those subjects, so my party can do as it likes.

I think my hypothetical party could do pretty well at the ballot box. My party would support economic issues that favor the majority (the little guy) and would hold positions with majority support on social issues and foreign policy (because Im insisting that my party stake out positions favored by the majority on those issues).

My party would differ from the Trumpian Republican Party in one other way: My party wont be nasty. My party wont make up insulting nicknames for our opponents; we wont call anyone vermin; we wont say that the country wont exist in four years if you dont vote for the populist candidate. Well just lay out the issues, garner majority support, and take over the country. (I sure hope that Trumps nastiness reflects simply the character of the candidate and is not the reason why people support him. If being a jerk is now the preferred quality in a candidate, well be walking a long and ugly road.)

I wouldnt necessarily vote for a candidate that espoused populist positions; indeed, I havent said a word about where I come down on the issues. Im just saying that an intelligent populist party, led by a pleasant and engaging candidate, could succeed in the United States.

Trump, of course, is not that candidate.

MarkHerrmann spent 17 years as a partner at a leading international law firm and later oversaw litigation, compliance and employment matters at a large international company. He is the author of The Curmudgeons Guide to Practicing LawandDrug and Device Product Liability Litigation Strategy(affiliate links). You can reach him by email atinhouse@abovethelaw.com.

See more here:

Thinking About A Truly Populist Party - Above the Law

Ken Buck.MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images

Ex-Colorado Rep. Ken Buck said many conservatives have compromised their values over populism.

"The Constitution is just a thing of the past to the very same people who were Tea Party patriots," he told WaPo.

Buck retired from the House in March, leaving months before his term was set to end.

During his nearly decadelong tenure in the US House of Representatives, Ken Buck was well-known for his conservatism.

But the former Colorado congressman recently told The Washington Post that over the years, some of his fellow conservatives shifted their focus from curtailing government spending to shielding former President Donald Trump from criticism while becoming more partisan in the process.

"I think that the populist wave has eroded the conservative values that I had when I came to this place," the former lawmaker told the newspaper. "Now we're impeaching people like it's some kind of carnival and the Constitution is just a thing of the past to the very same people who were Tea Party patriots 10 to 12 years ago."

In February, Buck was one of just three House Republicans to reject the impeachment of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, whom GOP leaders have tussled with over the Biden administration's immigration policies.

Last month, shortly before he left Congress, the House Freedom Caucus voted to remove Buck from the group for "nonattendance," according to Axios.

During his interview with the Post, Buck also stressed that the desire for ideologically pure pieces of legislation has been detrimental to the GOP's ability to secure conservative victories, adding that "you have to have consensus" to find success on Capitol Hill.

Read the original article on Business Insider

Here is the original post:

An ex-GOP congressman blasts the 'populist wave' that he says has corroded conservatism: 'Now we're impeaching ... - Yahoo Canada

Polands ruling pro-European coalition parties are hoping Sundays (7 September) local election will put an end to an age of populism represented by the previous nationalist government.

The vote is seen as a first test for the ruling centre-left coalition of Prime Minister Donald Tusk, which emerged from the October general election.

Voters in the EU and NATO member of 38 million people will choose mayors and local and regional government members from among almost 200,000 candidates.

On the national scale, the vote will be tantamount to a referendum on the political parties, Stanislaw Mocek, a professor at the Collegium Civitas university in Warsaw, told AFP.

Opinion polls show Tusks centrist Civic Coalition (KO) neck and neck with the nationalist Law and Justice party (PiS) which ruled the country until last year, with both scoring just under 30% backing.

The election could serve as a litmus test for the two parties on a national scale, but the vote will be crucial for the countrys 16 regional councils.

Members of the ruling coalition, running separately, are hoping to win in all but one of them.

The KO will be counting on its allies, the Christian-Democratic party Third Way and the Left party, to help the pro-European camp prevail.

The PiS, which currently rules in five regions, may team up with the far-right Confederation or minor regional groupings after the vote.

Anna Materska-Sosnowska, an analyst at the Stefan Batory Foundation, said that if the pro-EU alliance wins, it will confirm a rejection of undemocratic tendencies among the countrys voters.

Tusk, who served as the European Council head in 2014-2019, highlighted this during the campaign, saying the country was rebuilding the rule of law these days after the PiS rule.

His ally Rafal Trzaskowski, the mayor of Warsaw who is seeking to extend his term in the vote, said Friday that a second stage is needed in this march to end the age of populism represented by the PiS.

The pro-Western parties need a big win also because the Tusk government is facing criticism from some voters for a slow pace of reforms after the first 100 days in office.

For the PiS, which is still the largest party in parliament, the election is a chance to see what degree of support they can count on, said Materska-Sosnowska.

On the national level, the PiS is hoping to remain the countrys biggest party, fuelling its hopes of returning to power some day.

Its loss to KO could in turn result in a collapse of the party led by Jaroslaw Kaczynski in the longer term, analysts said.

Former PiS Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki has recently warned that his party should get ready for a tough race ahead.

The PiS can count on its faithful voters in smaller towns and the countryside, especially in Polands rural east and southeast.

The ruling coalition is all but certain to prevail in large cities.

In Warsaw, Trzaskowski is tipped to win the mayors seat in the first round.

A second-round decider two weeks later would be perceived as a major surprise.

The election campaign was focused largely on local issues, such as transport, housing and the reinforcement of local and regional governments after years of centralisation pushed by the PiS.

The campaign was marked by farmers rallies in protest against the EUs Green Deal and cheap grain imports from Ukraine.

Protesters were also angry about financial scandals linked to the previous government and a rift in the ruling coalition over bids to liberalise the abortion law in the strongly Catholic country.

Turnout is expected to trail the record-high 74.4% from last years general election, which propelled the Tusk-led coalition to power.

Polling stations will open at 0500 GMT and close at 1900 GMT on Sunday, with exit polls to be published shortly afterwards.

See original here:

Polish pro-EU wing wants local vote to end 'age of populism' - EURACTIV