The mainstream media have framed Italy’s general election as a victory of the anti-establishment populists. However, there seems to be something even worse than pure populism: fraud.

Ein Meinungsbeitrag von Dominic Schwickert und Fedor Ruhose

Only a few months ago the Myth Martin Schulz seemed to have pulled the Social Democratic Party out of their ongoing plight. A glance at the outcomes of the most recent state elections in North Rhine-Westphalia however, seem to indicate otherwise. Yet, how significant are the outcomes of the state elections for the future of the party on a national level? Or has the proclaimed “Schulz-Effekt” already worn off?

The Länder election in the Saarland is a dampener for the SPD. Nevertheless, Martin Schulz is bringing hope to the center-left all over Europe. The former president of the European Parliament is benefitting from the fact that the EU is seen as an increasingly positive issue in Germany. To remain successful, he must make tough policy choices and answer questions on how the SPD will finance its promises. 

Recent change of government in Poland mobilised many people, the spectrum of civil engagement is however polarised: from defenders of liberal values and adherents of conservative agenda to followers of nationalist resentments.

Brendan Simms in the New Statesman Magazine about possible trajectories of the European Union after the Brexit.

The negative implications of inequality are manifold. While devastating for individuals at the bottom of the ladder, evidence also shows that an unequal society causes the economy as a whole to suffer.

In summarizing the results of last year’s parliamentary elections in Poland I briefly mentioned that “the rule of Catholic conservatives might stand in opposition to respecting the rights of women “. It took less than a year for this prophecy to come true. Thousands of women in Poland are joining Black Protests to demonstrate against the newest radical anti-abortion law proposal.

Right wing parties offer solid ground in the vertigo of change. If the Left fails to define identity in progressive terms, the Right will do it in nativist terms, and that will be the end of Europe.

How can a successful party of the future look like? Guillaume Liegey presents his ideas, that are workable within the existing party infrastructure and can provide a powerful source for inspiration for existing and future members as well as they can all be implemented in a reasonable amount of time.

As the dust caused by the explosion on 23. June is beginning to settle, we can start picking up the debris to see what may possibly be salvaged from the disaster. It is still much too soon to tell what the final outcome of the referendum will be, which was directed at Westminster, not at Brussels. Probably, Britain will leave the EU. The following thoughts reflect the author’s ongoing despair over the outcome of the referendum of June 23rd and his hope that there is a chance that the UK government will find a way never to send the letter required by article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty.

In October 2015 the Civic Platform (PO) lost the parliamentary elections in Poland, after having been in power for 8 continuous years. The tables have turned, allowing the national-conservative Law and Justice party (PiS) to form a majority government. Ever since, the PiS – which has president Andrzej Duda already on their side – keeps on petrifying its power while promising “good change”.

The state parliamentary elections in Rhineland-Palatinate, Baden-Wuerttemberg and Saxony-Anhalt have well and truly shaken the party system. Old coalition truths no longer work. The AfD has stormed ahead in all three state parliaments. It is for the established parties to work out their responsibility for this development.

European politics has become dominated both by new populist actors and the refugee crisis. If the left is to live up to these two challenges in the coming months and years, it needs to re-establish its capacity to set the political agenda away from questions of immigration and security

Germany’s CDU are in disarray over the refugee crisis, but the SPD cannot presume to become the automatic beneficiaries

Having experienced a resounding defeat in the recent German election, the SPD have maneuvered into a position whereby they can strongly challenge Angela Merkel from within the Bundestag.

Despite suspicion, the nudge theory may have a place in the process of party reform

Coal is Poland’s „black gold,” this is a common belief in the country. From the Polish perspective, coal as a source of energy has two major advantages: it is cheap and it is located within country borders, which crucially connects to national security. After all, coal seemed to be gold in the past, but there is reasonable doubt about its status in the future. Can green energy become the new Polish „green gold”?

Struggling in the polls, the social democrats still need to learn the lessons of their defeat in 2013. A new focus on those the party failed to persuade last time may help them to do so.