Robert Delamar’s Post

The rise of the left-from-social-democrats has brought fantasy-economics to European politics, more than before. The problem is that Social Democrats across Europe have been influenced by the left, as well as their economic proposals. And this will be the challenge for Social democrats: Next years will be about Economy and economic growth. Social Democrat (and Labour, UK) rise or fall will depend on this. And wishful thinking will not be enough; reforms, sometimes painful, are needed. I am concerned about France. The very unrealistic proposals of the left will not take France to a good and sustainable direction. Trouble will follow.

One of the biggest culture shocks I experienced upon arriving in France 15 years ago was discovering that most young people, well-earning urban professionals, and all kinds of artists-influencers were pronouncedly left-wing in their political views. They brandished sanctimonious slogans of equality, genuinely convinced that communist-like practices would lead the country to a bright future where its riches would be equally shared between everyone. And they still do! As a Ukrainian, I saw what communism really looked like. It is a forceful destruction of everything that is good in a country: value creation, innovation, free thought, cultural heritage, entrepreneurship, and of course citizens’ wealth. Because “equality” in communist (or sufficiently far-left) translates as “common misery”. The only beneficiaries of such a system would be bureaucrats and officials who get to allocate the dwindling resources of a country that is bleeding its most talented citizens. Yes, talented, innovative, and hard-working, who do not agree that their personal income exceeding €411,000 per year should be taxed at 90%. Heirs who do not comprehend why they cannot keep their family’s home because of the unaffordable inheritance tax. Bitcoin or stocks investors who would have to give away up to 67% of their capital gains (while noone compensates any losses of course). Businesses that cannot continue operating in France because hiring people becomes too expensive and rising profit taxes deter the investors… To control all this expropriation (let’s drop the sugar-coated terminology and call a spade a spade), these geniuses would launch a “massive recruitment” of public servants (together with a rise to their salaries). And to not let the already significant inflation spiral totally out of control, they would… block the prices. For we all know that businesses just love to produce at a loss. Am I painting too bleak a picture here? Here's the catch: none of the above is an exaggeration. Those are absolutely real proposals of La France Insoumise, the far-left party leading the leftists union, which gathered 28% of yesterday’s legislative votes. And the acting President, whose party gathered 20%, is now calling for a union with these nice communist guys 🤦♀️ Pauvre France.

Contemporary societal and political zeitgeist is increasingly shaped by ideologies that challenge the core values of inclusivity and unity. In a nation renowned for thinkers like Spinoza and artists like Matisse, the rise of factions endorsing divisive and extreme views - such as fascism, misogyny, racism, nationalism, white supremacy, and anti-Muslim and anti-Semitic sentiments - is particularly disconcerting. 🤔 These groups, often anti-establishment and anti-European in nature, not only incite fear and division but also threaten the very fabric of our diverse communities. 🌍 The Netherlands, a country with a rich history of tolerance and intellectual freedom, faces a challenging period. 🇳🇱 Such developments are not just a national concern but also cast a shadow over the future of the European Union. 🇪🇺 It’s a poignant reminder of the need for vigilance and the importance of standing together in support of the values that bind us as a community and a union. 🤝

Alistair Heath writes for #London's Daily #Telegraph that #Europe is finished because it is incapable of recovering from its present #economic, #military and #demographic crises. "It's time to mourn the #demise of old Europe. The rot is too far gone, the decline too pronounced, the #welfarism, #decadence, #pacifism and self-hatred too ingrained, the #doomloop unstoppable." "there is no way back for a European continent that has embraced #nihilism, post-#Christian #paganism, illiberalism and the #politics of #envy, that believes that saving the planet requires shutting down successful #industries and #impoverishing its people, that cannot face down #Islamist #extremism and #anti-#Semitism," and the list goes on. "Welfare states will implode, with #taxes rocketing on the young to pay for #healthcare and #pensions for the old. The Euro-elites' only answer, even more #migration, will #empower potentially dangerous extremists. In #France, #Germany, #Belgium and elsewhere, the failure to #integrate many recent migrants, and the ruling class's answer - to lie that all is well - is paving the way for a cataclysm." "The continent's #hightax, high #regulation model has caused decades of under-#performance, and now #Emmanuel #Macron, the EU and the #Dutch and #German governments are deliberately shutting down swathes of their #agriculture to meet #netzero #targets. The Germans are destroying their car industry, and Europe will import #Chinese #electric #vehicles instead. Decades of "industrial #strategy" and #subsidies have failed to create a world-class European #tech industry. The French "army is a shadow of its former self, and wouldn't last long in a real war.. the German military is a joke, and all the great #promises to #rebuild European armies made in 2022 have meant nothing. The continent is almost completely #demilitarised, lacks #personnel and #hardware, doesn't have the capacity to #produce more of the latter, has zero long-term answers to contain #Putin and has done nothing to prepare for the possibility of a second #Trump #victory. It's a disgrace." He concludes his anti-EU screed with a strongly pro-#Brexit stance. In a subsequent post, we will see how Heath's (and #HMG's) failure to remark #British history will lead the #Kingdom to a dead end alley, and how by the observance of one legislative rule Europeans will be able to turn the continent on a dime and will experience a #rebirth and #renewal the likes of which the world has never seen. https://lnkd.in/dn7MuDdA

Great article to enjoy on Canada Day and make us consider who we are and what we stand for. 🇨🇦 “There is, one place that anyone aspiring to a functional nationalism, in Britain or elsewhere, can take notes from: a forgotten corner of its former empire, where the people happen to do a decent job of maintaining themselves both as a nation and a state, even if it isn’t actually a state in the Westphalian sense. I’m talking about Quebec, a Canadian province that is also a nation unto itself, and one with its own fraught history of holding referendums. Today is Quebec’s own Fête nationale: Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day. And what better occasion to survey the trajectory of nationalism there? All of which means that Quebec politics now appears to be a contest between two vigorous but antagonistic nationalisms; a fact highlighted by the decline of the federalist Quebec Liberals. Though the tension is genuine, these two variants of nationalism are nonetheless united both in their recognition of the Quebec nation as a civic-collective entity, as illustrated by their common resistance to the minoritarian social liberalism that’s taken hold in the rest of Canada; and in their shared readiness to deploy the powers of the Quebec state as a means of safeguarding that nation (leaving aside whether that state should be sovereign), as shown by the activist policies of the nationalist parties, Left and Right. As a result, for instance, Quebec’s language regime may seem absurd or even vindictive to outsiders and non-Francophones, but it starts to make a bit more sense when viewed as part of a larger historical project, that of ensuring national survivance.” https://lnkd.in/g92X-VwK

The flags of the European Union and Italy next to the castle of St Angelo used by the popes as a fortress and which is now a museum. During a visit to Rome, I witnessed the European elections (June 8-9, 2024). The electoral outcome demonstrates the rise of the Far Right. The face of Europe is likely to change in the coming decade. The failure of mainstream politics and political parties have led to a surge in right wing populism. With the rise of the Far Right, the stability of Europe is at risk. The Far Right won France’s European elections and came second in Germany. Marine Le Pen, Emmanuel Macron's political nemesis, declared on June 9, 2024 that her party was ready to govern. After his party received less than 7% of the vote in Belgium, its liberal Prime Minister Alexander De Croo resigned. Vlaams Belang’s arch rival the nationalist party N-VA (New Flemish Alliance) is on course to remain the largest party in Belgium’s parliament. Far Right parties have also made gains in Italy and Austria as liberal and green parties witnessed losses. The Netherlands far-right PVV Freedom Party leader Geert Wilders is spearheading the fight against immigration. Nationalist and conservative, the Far Right is against immigration especially from Muslim countries. Anti-Islamic and anti-semitic, the Far Right oppose multiculturalism and the LGBTQ community. Stating that there is no scientific truth behind global warming, they oppose environmentalism. They blame China and India as the main contributors to global warming. They oppose the traditional European Union institutions and seek reforms from within. The next French President will belong to a Far Right Party. The Far Right threat is likely to rise in the coming months and years. Radicalisation and reciprocal radicalisation will threaten Europe and will have far reaching consequences beyond Europe. For governments, politicians and community leaders to address these challenges, Katalin Petho-Kiss and I have recommended approaches and strategies to mitigate the rising threat of the Far Right, together with a brilliant team of scholars and practitioners, in the book titled, “A Research Agenda for Far-Right Violence and Extremism.” Visit: https://lnkd.in/gvTmgm_7

The vision of a Left-wing #Europe that excites “#Re_joiners” is collapsing, according to leading #eurosceptics across the continent. The ideal of a federalist, Left-wing union pushed forward by successive Franco / German governments has now been challenged by right wing parties. Polish-born Tory MP Daniel Kawczynski claimed the only people left “enthusiastic about the #EU_project” were Labour leader Sir Keir #Starmer and his supporters. Mr Kawczynski says post-Brexit Britain has shown Europeans it was possible to strike major trade agreements outside the EU without the help of Brussels. “We are seeing the rise of eurosceptic parties across the whole continent,” he said. “The Polish economy is on course to overtake France in the next 15 to 20 years, and there’s a huge eurosceptic movement now building up in Poland, because they are starting to wake up to the dead hand of the ineptitude of the European Union. “We’ve entered the world’s largest and fastest growing #trading bloc in the #Far_East so #Britain has exposed that the emperor has no clothes. Many other European countries are looking at Britain and potentially leaving themselves, so the only people left on the continent who are enthusiastic about the EU project are Sir Keir and his acolytes.” He said: “Europe is changing fast. It’s swinging against this #socialist core which is increasingly remote and authoritarian. That’s what’s driving this, and it drove Brexit too. For Starmer to snuggle up to the EU again is going totally against the public mood right across Europe now.” Former security minister Sir John Hayes said he thinks the EU is even in its “death throes” and will go the way of the Holy Roman Empire. He said: “There are periodically either well-intentioned or badly-intentioned plans to snuff out nation states. “I think we’ll see the EU enter its death throes and its demise can’t come too soon in my opinion. We should have inter-governmental co-operation – good relationships formed between free sovereign peoples. A healthy connection between nations, rather than the snuffing out of accountable democratic government.” https://lnkd.in/eKfxcTJ2

🎉 It's out! 📖 My first book, written together with Viktoriia Muliavka, PhD, Marius S. Ostrowski, and Lukáš Siegel, has been published by Rowman & Littlefield / Bloomsbury Publishing Plc. 🇪🇺 Interested in #SocialEurope, basic income, and #democracy? This is the book for you. ✍ In "A Radical Bargain for Europe", we sketch out different ways a universal basic income may be designed by progressive political ideologies. We demonstrate how many fundamentally different ways there are to design the vague proposal of #UBI in practice. 🗳 We argue that as parliaments are increasingly fractured, e.g. after the #EUelections2024, stable coalitions will become less common. Parties might react by finding compromises on individual policies rather than fully-fledged coalition agreements. To achieve this, compromises on policy design must be achieved. 💰 We illustrate this with the example of #BasicIncome in the #EU and ask how different progressive ideologies would design it, and what compromises might look like. 🔧 Our book links political theory with policy practice. We illustrate how theoretical ideological arguments can be consulted to shape concrete current policy proposals. 📢 It is our great privilege to have received endorsements by the fantastic Philippe Van Parijs, Scott Santens, and Malcolm Torry. We wholeheartedly thank FEPS Europe, Ania Skrzypek, Angelika Striedinger, Elena Gil, and Céline Guedes for bringing our research group together through #FEPSYAN. https://lnkd.in/g4hvbU8Y.

After a short break, I'm back with a request for support! Normally, I don't think that politics should take up much space on platforms like #LinkedIn. But times have changed! We must use every possible opportunity to remind people of the values we have in #Europe and how important freedom, peace, economic, sustainable thinking, which we have worked for over decades now. Together and for each other, we have gone through long and peaceful times, through years in which the economy in Europe has continued to grow and economic prosperity has progressed as a result. Of course, there are always minor setbacks, but don't they make us smarter and better every day? So please let us continue on this path: It is important that we realize what we Europeans can achieve together if we really want it. Extremist views and related political groups must have no place in our peaceful and united Europe. They belong on the egde. And, as we all know, the fringe is the minority! That is why I am asking everyone here to go to the elections next week and place the votes. And it is clear that these votes must not go to extreme parties that jeopardize our values and what we have achieved so far. Economic development, education, peace, freedom, equality, solidarity and social justice are incompatible with extreme political views and related parties having such elements as programs! Above all, I call for all “right-wing views” to be driven out of our societies by voting in elections! I ask everyone I am connected with here to comment on, share and forward this post and call! Let us courageously stand up for freedom, peace, openness and equality and thus promote economic and sustainable growth without excluding anyone or leaving anyone behind us. I am not always convinced by current politics either, but nothing gets better by complaining and badmouthing. Unfortunately, this also gives rise to negative attitudes and negative sentiments of wrong political movements we need as an united Europe. Therefore: June 9th, 2024! Go and vote! Democracy is a Privilege! Don´t waist it! Looking forward to your help! P.S. And then let's have another football party in June “at home with friends” where we have a deja vu on a story happened a few years ago! #freedom #solidarity #peace #unrechts #europeanelection #topmotivefamiliy

French Revolution 2 The Ancien Régime and Social Inequities: France, in the decades preceding the revolution, was shackled by an archaic social structure, known as the Ancien Régime, which entrenched privilege and power among the clergy and nobility. The monarchy, backed by a feudal system, imposed heavy taxes on the commoners, burdening them with the weight of an inequitable economic order. The monarchy, under the rule of Louis XVI, struggled with financial crises exacerbated by costly wars, extravagant court expenditures, and a regressive tax system that burdened the common people while exempting the nobility and clergy. These pre-revolutionary conditions painted a stark picture of a nation in the grip of systemic inequality. While the commoners, comprising the Third Estate, bore the brunt of heavy taxation, the nobility and clergy enjoyed exemptions and privileges. As if burdened by the weight of economic inequality was not enough, France faced agricultural challenges that further strained the populace. Crop failures, exacerbated by harsh weather conditions, resulted in soaring food prices and widespread famine. The commoners, already weighed down by oppressive taxation, found themselves struggling for the basic sustenance of life. The socio-economic gap between the privileged few and the disenfranchised many, sowed the seeds of discontent that would later fuel the revolutionary fire. #StateAffairs #PoliticsAndPower