World Politics

[Lou]

Wow. We can start this thread with some good news.

“If we want to reduce the climate footprint within the agricultural sector, then we all have to eat more plant-based foods,” he said at the plan’s launch in October 2023, and since then the scheme has gone from strength to strength. Backed by a €170m government fund, it is now supporting plant-based food from farm to fork, from making tempeh from broad beans and a chicken substitute from fungi to on-site tastings at kebab and burger shops and the first vegan chef degree.​

‘Insanely tasty green food’: how the meaty Danes embraced a world-first plant-based plan

Agreement between farmers, politicians and environmental groups led to a €170m action fund for plant based food

www.theguardian.com

 

[Second Summer]

Here in the UK, Nigel Farage's Reform party has overtaken Labour in a national poll by YouGov. (Reform: 25%, Labour: 24%, Tories: 21%.) That is the first time a YouGov poll shows this, although it apparently happened last week with a less reputable pollster as well.

I fear the same thing will happen here as happened in the US at the next election: Voters will be offered a choice between the incumbent party's unpopular neo-liberal "more of the same" policies or the opposition party's populist post-truth "something different" policies. And given the state of the country, it wouldn't be surprising if many voters wanted to try "something different".

Thankfully, the next election is still a long way away ....

 

[Andy_T]

Yeah, we just had our election here in Germany, and it went as was expected.

There were a few positive signs, though, e.g. the “Left” party making a strong showing, and the “Liberals”, who were responsible for the demise of the last coalition, getting eviscerated.

 

[Second Summer]

Yeah, we just had our election here in Germany, and it went as was expected.

There were a few positive signs, though, e.g. the “Left” party making a strong showing, and the “Liberals”, who were responsible for the demise of the last coalition, getting eviscerated.

Is your Left party still opposed to support for Ukraine? And how did it go with Sarah Wagenknecht's party in the end, did she get a seat?

 

[Andy_T]

That was the other good news, Sahra Wagenknecht’s party got 4.9 % of the votes, so very closely not inside.

That’s the one thing I don’t like about the left, they are still against military aid for Ukraine.

 

[Andy_T]

Other, not so good news from today:

https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2025/feb/28/volodymyr-zelenskyy-donald-trump-us-minerals-deal-russia-ukraine-live-news?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

 

[PTree15]

Other, not so good news from today:

https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2025/feb/28/volodymyr-zelenskyy-donald-trump-us-minerals-deal-russia-ukraine-live-news?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

I heard the audio of this on the news. Normally, I turn down the volume because I don't want to hear his voice. It so angered me. He is just a vile excuse for a human being. I just can't with him.

 

[silva]

I had to look up the transcript. It's so god awful that we now are run by the mob.

What they said: Trump, Zelenskyy and Vance's heated argument in the Oval Office

President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance had a heated exchange with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the Oval Office over the war in Ukraine, accusing him of not showing gratitude after he challenged Vance on the question of diplomacy with Russia’s Vladimir Putin.

apnews.com

 

[KLS52]

The European Union just issued a dire warning to its 450 million citizens: Stockpile supplies and prepare for disaster

Citizens across the continent should stockpile food, water, and other essentials to last at least 72 hours, the EU says.

fortune.com

 

[Second Summer]

The ongoing genocide against Palestinians continues to be a contentious issue in major European countries. Germany is historically a strong supporter of Israel, so this news story should probably not come as a surprise:

Two Irish citizens ordered to leave Germany over pro-Palestinian protests despite no convictions

Lawyers say the move undermines civil liberties for EU citizens

www.irishtimes.com

 

[Second Summer]

And now, the UK has also (again) demonstrated its increasingly oppressive attitude to dissent, using anti-protest laws originally put in place under the catastrophic Tory governments to curb COVID protest. Was it coincidence that the chosen targets were attendees at a political meeting against the genocide and climate breakdown? George Monbiot doesn't think so:

Vilified, arrested, held incommunicado: that's the price of protest in Britain today | George Monbiot

It seems to me that whatever the charges facing the activists at the Quaker meeting house raid, their fundamental crime is dissent, says Guardian columnist George Monbiot

www.theguardian.com

 

[Second Summer]

I've just seen a headline saying Mark Carney has declared victory in the Canadian parliament elections. Not that I have a great understanding of Canadian politics, but that's probably better than it could have been, although I question whether a banker necessarily understands the role as politician and PM, no less. And whether his background is necessarily helpful in understanding the challenges of ordinary people. What's his agenda? Just business as usual? Is Canada truly a sovereign nation these days? Or might they just as well be that 51st state? What does it mean to be Canadian?

 

[silva]

I've just seen a headline saying Mark Carney has declared victory in the Canadian parliament elections. Not that I have a great understanding of Canadian politics, but that's probably better than it could have been, although I question whether a banker necessarily understands the role as politician and PM, no less. And whether his background is necessarily helpful in understanding the challenges of ordinary people. What's his agenda? Just business as usual? Is Canada truly a sovereign nation these days? Or might they just as well be that 51st state? What does it mean to be Canadian?

It is a sovereign nation, and yes, it could, and probably would, have been a worse pick if not for rump! I was glad to hear he won
@Emma JC ?

 

[Emma JC]

yes, very pleased that he won, just wish it had been a majority instead of a minority government, however, MAYBE just maybe, some will learn to work together from the right - we have always been a 3 (4) party government which has been very good for us and this time our third party, New Democratic Party NDP, was devasted and they are further left than the Liberals so you would have thought that the former NDPers would have supported the Liberals and instead many went to the Conservatives which is sad as the NDP was responsible for us now have dental and pharmicals covered under our health care - YES we are sovereign nation and wish to remain that way and Mark Carney has been a leader in banking (@Second Summer he was the Governor of the Bank of England as well as the Bank of Canada) and so he has a good grasp of international politics and has also stayed in touch with his roots and so I do believe he is best as our leader in these times - tRump should shut his mouth about us being another state as even Quebec, who can be separatist by nature, supported the Liberals and have become nationalists these days as they also have no interest in becoming part of the USA

the lies about the USA supporting Canada are vicious and the small amount of the trade deficit ($70 billion not over $200 billion) are because we are a 10th of the size of the USA population and so it only makes sense that they would buy more from us than we buy from them and tRumps own trade deal integrated our trade even more and now he is trying to destroy our economy in order to try to steal our minerals, water, oil and lumber - little known fact... our oil is different from the American oil and their refineries are set up for our oil, not their own so they do need our oil and our lumber - we have set in motion deals with other countries and we not visiting or travelling to the USA nor are we buying their products, if we can help it - our liquor stores do not have American wine or liquor or beer, our citrus is now coming from Spain, Mexico and other countries and although we know that all of this is going to be challening and hurtful we know that it is, unfortunately, going to hurt the USA even more - one other important item we export is potash which is a fertilizer that 90% of it is used by American farmers and to tariff that is very hurtful for these farmers

tRump did us a favour by attacking us, otherwise we would definitely have had a Maple Maga Conservative government right now and then the future would definitely have been more unstable

It means a lot to be Canadian - we are respected and loved worldwide, we are polite and kind, we believe in helping our neighbour, we are resilient and understand that paying our fair share in taxes brings enormous benefits like free health care, good infrastructure and an amazing lifestyle. I am a bit hurt, on behalf of all Canadians that you (a Brit) would even question our sovereignty.

Emma JC
Find your vegan soulmate or just a friend. www.spiritualmatchmaking.com

 

[Second Summer]

Thank you, @Emma JC, I was hoping you'd reply (even before Silva tagged you), as I value your opinion, and you're one of few Canadians on this forum.

I'm sorry about the sovereignty bit, perhaps I should have phrased that better. The reason I was asking is because presumably the Canadian economy has become quite integrated with the larger US economy at this point, so I was thinking maybe this had implications on Canadian positions on politics as well.

Canada reminds me of the northern US states minus some of the crazy parts (mass shootings, religious nuttery in politics, a political system that's not as broken, none of the bad nationalism, less racism, etc).

 

[Emma JC]

this is who Canada is.... written by a Ukranian (substack)(you can just click on the X to read the whole thing)

The Nation That Trump Could Never Break

Canada didn’t just resist, they reminded the rest of us how to endure

viktorkravchuk.substack.com

(I wrote this yesterday and see I forgot to push submit)

(thank you @Second Summer - yes, our economies are integrated in order to make a strong North America, including Mexico and 'you know who' is trying to tear it all apart despite the fact that he helped put it together - the people that we all need to watch are Peter Thiel, Stephen Miller, JD Vance and the rest of that cohort as they are determined to wreck the world for some unknown reason that somehow is of benefit to them - the rest of the world needs to join with Canada in resisting this attempt)

Emma JC
Find your vegan soulmate or just a friend. www.spiritualmatchmaking.com

 

[Second Summer]

(thank you @Second Summer - yes, our economies are integrated in order to make a strong North America, including Mexico and 'you know who' is trying to tear it all apart despite the fact that he helped put it together - the people that we all need to watch are Peter Thiel, Stephen Miller, JD Vance and the rest of that cohort as they are determined to wreck the world for some unknown reason that somehow is of benefit to them - the rest of the world needs to join with Canada in resisting this attempt)

I agree that those are definite bogeymen that ought never, ever be elected to any public office anywhere in the world, nor have the puppet master power to influence those officially in office.

I will give Carney the benefit of doubt because he's almost completely new in the job, and at least he's made some of the right noises for now.

However, I have a darker view of what I consider his political "family" around the world - Starmer in the UK, Macron in France, Biden and Harris in the US, Scholz in Germany etc. Despite their different official political labels, and their otherwise mostly democratic and liberal credentials, the shared ideology between these leaders is neoliberalism. And neoliberal policies will, inevitably, after cutting taxes for the wealthy, and cutting public services again and again and again, and de-regulating markets, and removing worker's rights, and privatising everything, and merging schools, hospitals and administrative districts into ever larger units - end up with a country not so unlike the USA. While the wealthy are laughing their heads off on their way to the bank, the general population is left to fend for themselves with little or no security nets beyond what little funds they might have been able to scrape together themselves.

Here in the UK they called it austerity: The idea that it was ordinary people, not the wealthy, who should bear the burden of getting the country back from the brink of economic collapse after the global financial crisis of 2008. There's a strong fear that if the wealthy had to pay their fair share, then they would pack their bags and fly off to another country with more favourable tax laws.

And the next generation of politicians who thrive under such conditions and feed on the public's anger are exactly Trump in the US, Farage and the Reform party in the UK, AfD in Germany, National Rally in France etc. So one ideology leads to its own downfall and the success of another.

 

[Emma JC]

I am thinking of just hiding my head in the sand as I have become so entrenched in all of this that I feel very down about it in general and I am not someone who suffers from depression, however this is depressing and I have a feeling that it is going to get darker before the joy filters back in.

Carney may be a question mark however I don't think that Poilievre was a question mark, he said many right things however I believe he would have caved to Trump in a heartbeat.

Emma JC
Find your vegan soulmate or just a friend. www.spiritualmatchmaking.com

 

[KLS52]

I am thinking of just hiding my head in the sand as I have become so entrenched in all of this that I feel very down about it in general and I am not someone who suffers from depression

Emma JC
Find your vegan soulmate or just a friend. www.spiritualmatchmaking.com

I feel the same way. Then I get guilt because I am privileged enough where I can do that (for now). So far nothing has really affected me, personally. So I have the choice of being depressed/feeling despair over what is happening or ignoring it and feeling guilty. Neither option feels good.

 

[Second Summer]

We just had local elections here in England, and a UK MP by-election for a single seat as well.

Nigel Farage's Reform UK did very well. They won the MP by-election and several mayoral elections as well.

I feel like my dark prediction is coming true, that neoliberal governments are creating the conditions for their own downfalls and paving the way for a new generation of far-right post-truth demagogues and charlatans.

I guess neolibralism is a race to the bottom and as such not sustainable in the long run. Of course, neither is the far-right post-truth ideology, but voters are still generally too uneducated about these kinds of politicians.