Dr Oliver Hartwich: Voters will decide whether to punch holes in Europe’s nuclear umbrella

While American and Israeli jets were bombing Tehran last Monday, French President Emmanuel Macron stood before nuclear submarines at the Île Longue naval base in Brittany. He announced that France would extend its nuclear umbrella across Europe.

America had launched a major war without consulting its NATO allies. British bases in Bahrain, Qatar and Cyprus were hit by Iranian retaliation, even though London had refused to support the operation.

David Farrar: The changing face of Europe

I’m going to quote from UK’s Matt Goodwin. I do so as someone who is pro-immigration. I think moderate, controlled immigration is good for a country, and specifically has been good for New Zealand. But a good thing can become a bad thing is if it too large, or uncontrolled. If NZ took in 1 million immigrants a year (for example), it would be bad. Our infrastructure would not cope, and new migrants would not integrate as well as they currently do in NZ.

Goodwin writes:

Dr Will Jones: Industry is Being Sacrificed to Net Zero Ideology, Says Siemens Energy Boss

Europe is sacrificing industry to Net Zero ideology, the Chairman of Siemens Energy has warned, with strict emission targets crippling manufacturing in Germany. The Telegraph has more.

Joe Bastardi: The weather proving to European climate warriors that stupid is as stupid does

The leaders of Europe have put their people in jeopardy with their insane climate policies. They remain heavily dependent on Russia for natural gas. The Russian winter is turning punishing, as I feared it would when I wrote about its possible impact on the war back in August. Natural gas storage is at 52% of capacity. There is no reason for such a low level except for the nonsensical climate policies these leaders have pursued. You may think they have a suicide pact with their other policies, but it’s nothing compared to what could happen in the coming weeks.

James Alexander: America’s National Security Warning to Europe

There is value in following Trump’s comments. I wanted to see the recent interview in which he said “Europe is weak”, and this led me to something more serious, more apparently serious, I should say (since they are related): the recent publication of the ‘National Security Strategy of the United States of America‘. A primary document. I found it, and printed it out: 30 pages. And it is a good read: well-written, lacking the sort of matron-in-the-asylum-in-denial tone that afflicts the style in which HM Government documents are written.

Clive Pinder:

History, we are told, is written by the victors. Yet in Ukraine, the story may end up being written by those clever enough to redefine what ‘victory’ looks like.

Two tribes have been shouting across Western commentary trenches since 2022. On one side sit the realists, like John Mearsheimer, shrugging that Russia was provoked and that Ukraine must accept the grim realpolitik of geography. On the other side perch the idealists, like Matthew Syed, wagging fingers that anything short of total victory is appeasement.

Dr Oliver Hartwich: Europe’s capitulation to Trump

When NATO was founded in 1949, Europe and America worked as genuine partners. Sure, the Europeans needed American security guarantees more than Washington needed another military commitment. But there was mutual respect and shared purpose. Both sides knew the transatlantic relationship meant give and take.

How times have changed.

DTNZ: Immigration is ‘killing’ Europe – Trump

The US president has called on European leaders to stop the “horrible” invasion of migrants that has gone on for over a decade.

US President Donald Trump has ramped up his rhetoric on immigration, claiming it is “killing” Europe and warning that European leaders must act immediately or risk losing control. The warning comes as the continent continues to grapple with a protracted migration crisis that has spanned more than a decade.

Dr Oliver Hartwich: Europe’s far-right dominoes knock down democracy

Democracy rarely dies suddenly. It often erodes slowly as previously unthinkable developments become normalised, one bit at a time. It is a domino effect.

Across Europe, this process is playing out exactly in this manner, and the latest instance is Austria.

Point of Order: Buzz from the Beehive - 22/11/24

More young offenders will get boot camp, bus drivers will get some protection – and there’s relief for southern farmers

The Government has struck more blows to show it is tough on law and order.

One announcement advised us of a bill introduced to Parliament to deal with young offenders and introduce more boot camps.

Ron Smith: On being 'fracked'

The London Times, quoting NATO Secretary-General, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, reports that, “Russian agents are secretly working with environmental groups campaigning against fracking to try to maintain Europe’s dependence on gas imports from Moscow.

It should be no surprise to us.  This sort of manipulation of left-leaning activists was a characteristic and quite successful ploy during the Cold War period, when, for example, western anti-nuclear groups were exploited to protest against the dispositions of NATO forces in Europe in the 1980s.  The successful resistance to these pressures by (in particular) President Reagan and Prime-Minister Thatcher, led to the ultimate collapse of the ‘evil empire’ that was holding a substantial part of Eastern Europe in what then seemed perpetual political subservience.