Frexit 1

Vive la France! That was the cry from a square in Paris last weekend. It's far from a new cry, but it has additional meaning for some of les Francais. They want their country to exercise its own sovereignty, and to remove itself from the domination of the European Union.

Last Saturday was "Europe Day", the celebration of the 1950 declaration that led to the European Union. Supporters of the EU celebrate this integration of European countries which they say led to more peace, cooperation, and prosperity among them. That integration was in the form of a bureaucracy laid over and on top of the sovereignty of each nation.

While Europe Day was going on, French patriots held another rally in Paris, led by a political party dedicated to ending their membership in the EU. They do not like the fact that France cannot choose its own path but must submit to EU policies across a number of issues.

The United Kingdom was the first in Europe to make that very decision. You've heard of the "Brexit" movement which resulted in Britain's exit from the EU in 2020. Now the "Frexit" movement (image) is growing for France. 

(cont'd tomorrow)

Applaud Rubio

U.S. Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, managed to do something surprising. Speaking to a large group of European elites last week in Germany, he told them that they need to change course. The surprising thing is that his audience chose to applaud what he said rather than to take offense.

America hopes to preserve Western Civilization, he says. We would be willing to fight for it alone, if necessary, but would rather do it with our friends and allies in Europe with whom we share a history of culture and Christianity and cooperation.

His appeal to them was framed as a partnership, not a pressure campaign (appropriate for America's top diplomat). To watch it is a good use of 21 minutes.

Welfare Europe 2

(cont'd from yesterday's post)

Why did French voters reject the budget cut proposal last summer? Because they wanted their share of benefits after paying high taxes for years to support benefits for others. They couldn't bring themselves to vote for financial sacrifice. 

France is not the only EU country headed toward economic disaster. 

One-tenth of working-age people in Britain claim payouts at public expense because of sickness/disability. Are they really entitled to the fruits of the labor of their neighbors? A politician says what they need is the old "work ethic" back, where it's the default to get a job so you take care of yourself and your family.

Germany has been "living beyond its means" for years according to the German chancellor. He says they can't go on with their welfare state. Politicians know this, but can they convince the people to make painful budget cuts for the greater good? It will be tough.

What will they do? As the president of European Central Bank warned a year ago, Europe's welfare states are “utterly unsustainable.”

from The Stream

Welfare Europe

Sustainable agriculture (examples in the last two posts) is farming that preserves resources that we depend on. Unsustainable methods would eventually mean that soil or water quality won't be there for future farming.

It's a good word that can be used in other contexts. An unsustainable over-spending habit, for instance, results in a serious lack of money in the future. Some Europeans worry about that very thing on a national scale in their countries.

Over-spending has been the story for decades. Europeans pride themselves on extravagant welfare hand-outs. They consider it a core European value to be very generous. But how long can anyone keep giving away more money than they have? 

Last summer the Prime Minister of France made a serious attempt to reign in his country's spending because he realized they are drowning in debt. "The life of the nation is at stake," he told them (photo).

But the proposed budget cut was bitter medicine for voters, and they rejected it--and him as well. He left office in September.

from The Stream

(cont'd tomorrow)

Europe ≠USA 4

(cont'd from this post)

A Harvard graduate, author, and columnist came to speak on a Hillsdale College stage in April. He came to say that, yes, the U.S. vice president was correct about EU leaders departing from the values they used to share with us . . like democracy. It's not very democratic if Europeans have voted for 50 years to reduce immigration but their leaders keep giving them more.

Regarding the annulled election in Romania, he added information. When the "populist" candidate beat the established elite candidate last November, authorities cancelled the election while claiming Russian disinformation interference. (Sound familiar?) Voters were told they must just believe it, without evidence.

When it was obvious that the populist was going to win the re-scheduled election too, he was arrested and banned from the vote.

Regarding Germany, the leftist establishment say that they had to keep the anti-immigration AfG out of legislative functions to which they are constitutionally entitled as the largest opposition party. Why? If they allowed them into power, they would risk going back to Nazi horrors! 

"Then the federal office of constitutional protection declared that AfD would be placed under heightened surveillance because they're a “threat to human dignity.” 

Troubling signs from the European Union (image).

 

from Imprimis

EU immigration

Immigration (or shall we say invasion) is a monster-sized issue for Europe. Vast numbers have been allowed to overwhelm native populations in Germany, the UK, Ireland, and more. Mainstream political parties like AfD (labeled "far right") tap into very serious concerns.

Only days before the US vice president's address, Munich suffered another attack by an immigrant. The man, who was to have been deported back in 2020, sped up his car and drove into a crowd, injuring at least 30 people. It happened "just after a series of deadly attacks in Germany, all allegedly involving immigrants."

Though the chancellor says the man must be punished and deported, whether that will really happen remains to be seen.

You probably remember immigrant rape gang stories from the UK. Prime Minister Starmer seemed not to care. But maybe he feels a certain political pressure from the "far right" to start limiting the invasion:

Europe≠USA 2

(cont'd from yesterday's post)

It has been our impression that the people of Europe, like we Americans, believe in democracy. That includes the principles of free speech, free and fair elections, the people themselves voting for representatives who will support their wishes. 

But do they really share our values? Our vice president spoke in Munich two months ago on that very question. There's evidence that they don't. 

An election was just held in Germany. During the political campaign leading up to it, one of the parties, Alternative for Germany (AfD), was "shut out of governing coalitions" and "denied committee chairmanships in the national parliament in Berlin that its numbers would otherwise entitle it to." Media "kept AfD officials off the airwaves."

"While other political leaders, including far leftists, are regularly quoted in the press and interviewed, AfD are rarely heard or seen on broadcasts or given space in publications." Why? Because, according to leftist power-holders, they are "far right." 

But the tide may be turning. AfD won more seats in the government a week ago. AfD is not an extremist group, though it's convenient for the establishment to call them names.

from City Journal

(cont'd tomorrow)

Europe≠USA 1

"Extremist," "far right,"--terms meant to scare the public--are used by the left both in the USA and in Europe. 

In France, the second biggest political party (RN) and its leader Marine Le Pen are labeled "far right" in every headline listed on the first page of a google search I did. But can that be accurate when so many citizens vote for it?

In Germany, the first or second biggest political party (AfD) has been labeled an "extremist" organization. The federal parliament may ban it from future elections. But it represents nearly half of the German voters (photo).

 

Changing the meaning of words is one way to manipulate the perceptions of the public. Legacy media still has some credibility with some people, and the left uses it to scare and confuse.

You may have heard the terms "literal nazi" and "far right" used by the left in our presidential campaign last year, but they didn't entirely work. The right American political party won that election and became the current administration.

from "Killing Democracy to Save It"

(cont'd tomorrow)

Europe's farms 3

(cont'd from yesterday's post)

(?Kerry's remark is curious, since more CO2 means more green plants to feed people.)

European Union has a plan to severely cut down greenhouse gas emissions by 90% by the year 2040. It includes policies to limit what farmers can do, how they run their business, including both livestock and crops.

Farmers all over Europe have been dramatically protesting to tell them that the plan must change. They have won over various groups. One of them wrote to the EU saying, “The root of the problem is clear: the majority of farmers simply cannot make a living from their work. They are trapped in a system that is killing them.”

photo

Worried that a lot of voters are going to express their anger in the election coming next summer, the president of the EU made some changes to the plan this week:

• a recommendation to citizens to eat less meat was dropped
• a requirement to cut pesticide use by half was dropped
• a requirement to cut nitrogen, methane, and other emissions by a third was dropped

Apparently the farmers made enough noise.

from The Telegraph

Europe's farms 2

(cont'd from yesterday's post)

Last week farmers took their protest to the EU itself: 

"Demonstrators rolled into Brussels in their tractors in the early morning hours before gathering outside the European Parliament where the summit was being held, blaring horns, hurling eggs and sparking fires."

photo

Rising costs, declining profits, government threats against farms, declining government support for farmers, all contribute to fear for their future. These pressures come from the European Union's passion to fight climate change by reducing carbon emissions. Globally,  agriculture produces 12% of CO2 emissions.

As American John Kerry, "presidential envoy for climate," says, "We can't get to net zero, we can't get this job done, unless agriculture is front and center as part of the solution . . . You can't continue to warm the planet while also expecting to feed it."

(cont'd tomorrow)

Europe's farms 1

Farmers in Europe are really upset. 

Angry farmers are protesting in Germany, Romania, France, Greece, Bulgaria and other countries. Thousands used tractors, fire, manure to get the attention of their governments because they have the impression that nobody is listening.

photo

Rising taxes and regulations are part of the problem, but there may be an agenda for farms that's bigger than taxes and regulations. Dutch farmers were told that the government plans to seize 2000-3000 farms. In Ireland, the government wants to "eliminate" 200,000 cows. 

(cont'd tomorrow)

Europe burns 3

(cont'd from yesterday's post)

Overwhelming waves of immigrants/refugees have been crashing into Europe for years. 

In a report from 2015, five times the normal limit were daily coming over the borders between Slovenia (map) and Croatia. Slovenian interior secretary of state said, "If this continues we will have extreme problems. Slovenia is already in dire straits, an impossible situation."

European countries were still trying to handle the crisis in 2018, combining humanitarian aid with new border laws, all strategies provoking controversy and argument.

Illegal immigrants still flood into Germany, which expects more of them in 2024 than in any year since 2016. Citizens who object (called "far right") are gaining political success, to the point that the establishment government is paying attention. 

They hope to speed up deportation of failed asylum seekers, and to enlist the help of other countries (like Turkey or Nigeria) in restraining them from making the journey across the Mediterranean.

from BBC

Sustainable 4

(cont'd from last Friday's post)

Global fast food brand McDonald's says that they want to do what's best for people, for our shared planet, and for animals. So they have been working with a "regenerative" farming business in the United Kingdom, working to produce the kind of outcomes that Will Harris had on his farm (see posts last Wednesday-Friday).

CAFO, contained animal feeding operation, is still the system used by most farms. It's cheaper -  but less humane and not considered sustainable. In regenerative systems, the animals are freer while the soil holds more water and is full of microbial life and CO2. (And . . er, meat will be more expensive, but I think global elites already want that.)

McDonald's is under pressure to comply with the UN's IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change). 

Pressure may be coming from the European Union, too. Remember that Ireland and The Netherlands are moving to kill off cattle, ostensibly in response to the same climate change mandates. Could regenerative farming save European beef and farmers? I hope so.

from The Cattle Site

New deposit 2

(cont'd from yesterday's post)

About 50 million tonnes of phosphorus are used globally per year. At this point, Europe gets almost all they need from other countries with whom they have some tension. Consistent supply of critical raw materials can always be weaponized.

Now Norge Mining has discovered what they think is the biggest reserve in the world, at least 70  billion tonnes, in Norway. Worry over potentially unreliable foreign sources of these elements is in the past. They expect this find could meet demand for 50-100 years.

The massive deposit also contains vanadium and titanium. Altogether, it affects the steel, battery and chip industries, as well as agricultural fertilizer.

Environmental permits will take some time, but the government gives this project a high priority.

photo

from Economist

New deposit 1

Electric vehicles (EV) need it for their batteries. Solar panels need it, and so do computer chips. As the world develops new/green technologies, phosphorus is needed in greater amounts and for more applications.

It's important for man-made fertilizer, which enables high agricultural productivity, which is one reason why fewer people on earth today go hungry compared to the rest of human history. China is the biggest consumer of phosphate fertilizer in the world, followed by India in second place. China also is the biggest producer of phosphate fertilizer, making nearly 4x as much as is made in second-place U.S. (2018 statistics).

image

Europe has been nervous about its supply of phosphorus since it's almost entirely dependent on imports, and the countries exporting it are not great friends of the EU: Russia, China, Iraq, and Syria. Politics could easily threaten their supply chain.

So, a recently discovered huge new deposit of phosphorus rock may give the EU some peace of mind about supply . . because it's located right in Europe--in Norway.

from Independent

(cont'd tomorrow)

Going nuclear

Sweden is taking a different path to its future in energy than some other European Union members. They decided last week to return to nuclear energy, in contrast for example to Germany's complete shut-down of nuclear. 

According to Sweden's Finance Minister, “We need more electricity production, we need clean electricity and we need a stable energy system.” They seem to share this approach with their neighboring country, Finland.

image

from Western Standard

Irish farmers 2

(cont'd from yesterday's post)

By 2050, the European Union wants to be the first continent to achieve net-zero greenhouses gases. It's a legally binding goal, so member nations have to comply.

Up til recently, dairy farmers were urged to produce more for the common good. Many of them did that, like Donald Scully, who increased his herd by 5x. He loves the lifestyle, though it's long days of hard work. "The work is 24/7, Scully says. “You have to love it otherwise you wouldn’t do it.” 

He hopes his teenage son will become the fourth generation Scully to raise cows. But that's less likely when some in the government talk about reducing the number of cattle in the country by a million.

According to the head of the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers Association, the widespread mood is frustration. Many farms could go into bankruptcy.

from The Guardian

Irish farmers 1

Like the farmers in The Netherlands, Irish farmers feel threatened by their government, and for the same reason - climate change. Ireland's government is talking about eliminating 200,000 cows over three years.

“Our #1 priority is to make cattle farmers profitable by helping them consistently produce the best tasting and most eco-friendly meat and dairy products on the market,” says the Irish Cattle Breeding Federation.

Farmers feel the pressure to be "eco-friendly" because Ireland is trying hard to reduce carbon emissions per the goal set by the European Union, and cows do belch methane. A month ago the Irish minister of agriculture announced that the government would increase their investment in "climate-smart" food systems by a huge 60% from 2021-2025.

(cont'd tomorrow)

Green Finland

Nuclear plants are expensive to build. Once they're built, they require a long time to test and certify. There haven't been many new ones lately, but Europe has one that just went into daily production of energy. 

Finland's new nuclear (very low carbon emissions) power plant started up just last month, while Germany was shutting down its last three and increasing their coal mining. 

map

Europe's "most powerful reactor" will help Finland reach the European Union's goals toward  renewable energy. Back in 2021, renewable sources provided only 22% of the 27-member EU's power consumption. They are talking about setting a new, ambitious goal 0f 42.5% by the year 2030.

Fossil fuels (oil and natural gas) have long been imported from Russia, which became even more of a problem for the EU when Russia started its war with Ukraine. They would very much like to eliminate that energy source, and hope to do so by 2027.

Dutch farms 4

Follow-up to these posts

Farmers made their point with public opinion over the past two years in The Netherlands. They stood up to their government and won over voters, to the point that just last week they won 15 seats in parliament for their new political party, the BBB. 

In a democracy, you take your complaint to the public. If many of them agree with you, they will vote in people with different policies. That's how it works. That's what happened. 

photo

from Reuters