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Brexit is a populist fantasy, and people know it

Slowly but surely, the growing number of British people realise that they have been conned. Brexit is not working, and it never could.

Now, a sizeable majority believe that “the economy, the UK’s global influence and the ability to control our own borders have all got worse”.

A new referendum should therefore take place, as soon as politically viable. British people should have a say, and the opportunity to confirm the decision from 2016, or to reconsider.

If Russia invades Ukraine, it should feel the full brunt of sanctions

There is very little to no chance of NATO troops fighting in Ukraine if President Putin decides to invade. Everyone knows this. What remains unclear is how the rest of the world should respond. Doing nothing would be inconceivable and morally unacceptable. International community simply cannot sit and do nothing if Ukraine disappears as an independent nation, or if it is invaded and a puppet regime is installed. What is particularly chilling in this context is the shoddy pretext which is being discussed and which, if true, is so reminiscent of Hitler’s invasion of Poland.

Facts are sacred, especially when aiming for a momentuous change

It was in 2017 that the pro-independence movememt in Catalonia went on a serious offensive. This has created an enormous amount of problems, headache, and resentment on both sides.

Beware extreme populists on all sides

People like Donald Trump and his right-wing populist ilk are easy to condemn, as they should be. They are so utterly at odds with the modern world, and it is obvious than sooner or later they will become irrelevant.

The same should go for their left-wing counterparts; for every Trump and Bolsonaro, there are extremists at the other end of the political spectrum.

Liberalism must reinvent itself and conquer extremism

For years, extremists and populists of every ilk have enjoyed quite unprecedented levels of power and influence, at least in traditional liberal democracies.

Joe Biden’s victory in the US is a step in the right direction, but lessons must be learned. Otherwise, free societies will struggle.

Below is a timely intervention and some prescient advice. Anyone with even a passing interest in politics should read this article.

Climate emergency – more good news

“The French parliament on Saturday, April 11th, voted to abolish certain domestic air routes that can also be made by train in less than 2.5 hours. This is just one of the many propositions in the government’s flagship climate bill currently under scrutiny by lawmakers”.

Step by step, people are beginning to act. Of course, we need much more of the same.

You can read the rest of the news here.

The EU has no bite. Negotiate a new treaty, eliminate the Veto and get it back

The EU has lost its bite. The facts are overwhelmingly pointing to this reality, in the form of a failed attempt at controlling its access to vaccines, and putting itself at the top of the receiver’s list. The UK sailed ahead of its former diplomatic partner, partly due to a need for recovering from a crippling public health situation, but more simply because as the UK was making important unilateral decisions, the EU was still in the boardroom trying to convince the renegade governments of Poland and Hungary to side with it. They enacted veto powers to block crucial funding at a time the EU was negotiating a budget.

Good news in the struggle against climate emergency

“Sleeper trains in Europe are poised to make a huge comeback after four national railway companies announced new routes that will link up 13 cities across the continent. The announcement marks the biggest extension of the European night train network in years – it was just four years ago that Deutsche Bahn, Germany’s state railway, sold off all its sleeper cars, declaring them unprofitable because of low passenger numbers”.

This is truly excellent news, and we need much more of the same.

Make America sane again

It is not easy to say something new about this presidential race, given how much has been written and commented upon. However, it is important to make a stand.

Most Americans have by now either decided who they are going to support, of have already voted in what is likely to be a record turnout.

We believe that the choice is rather obvious this time. Anyone who believes in democracy and international order, who cares about human rights, environment and racial equality should do their duty and vote for Joe Biden. The choice is now beyond mere party politics.

We are playing with our future and this has to change

Although all the focus is rightly on the coronavirus pandemic at the moment, we should not disregard our long-term challenges.

Food production and food security are crucial for our future. As societies, we should know more and pay far more attention. The bad news is that if we continue to mistreat and abuse the environment, and if the temperatures continue to rise as a result, the consequences are likely to be unimaginably dire.