Europe’s Socialists scramble for ideas to fight far-right surge – POLITICO

“The very soul of Europe is at risk,” warned Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez. During the two-day meeting in Rome, politicians cast around for ideas and strategies to reverse the curve. “We should respond to the worries of our citizens,” Belgian Socialist Party lead candidate Elio Di Rupo told POLITICO, noting that the far right … Read more

How George Galloway harnessed the Middle East to derail an election in forgotten Rochdale – POLITICO

Galloway ran his campaign from a Suzuki car dealership, which is both darkly funny, and a metaphor for the way in which democracy can feel like another glib consumer choice. Do you want a car and a dream? Or just a car? I stood outside the dealership, and looked at the tiny pictures of Galloway … Read more

The center must hold – POLITICO

Look back on the party’s history. The leaders who put the nation’s interests first and governed from the center did so with distinction: Disraeli, Stanley Baldwin, Winston Churchill, Harold Macmillan and, yes, Margaret Thatcher too.  When they went populist, it didn’t work. Who remembers the first Tory populist Andrew Bonar Law, who went full protectionist, upending … Read more

EU conservatives are fueling far right with Green Deal crusade, Spain’s deputy PM warns – POLITICO

“My impression is that the reason why we see this behavior is because they fear getting trapped and overcome by the far right,” Ribera said.  Speaking in the Spanish delegation offices at the European Council building in Brussels, she accused the EPP of a “populist style, connected to what Trump may represent” and said the … Read more