The Spanish daily La Vanguardia comments on the British Prime Minister's dwindling popularity: "The crisis that the UK is facing is depriving Gordon Brown of his political capital. The economic downturn - with rising fuel prices, higher food costs, the mortgage crisis, problems with banks, to mention just a few of the problems - has eaten away at his reputation as a good manager of money, which up to now has compensated for his lack of charisma and leadership qualities. It is an imported crisis but the British blame him for it, as the recent elections ... and opinion polls have shown. He is already seen as the most unpopular prime minister since the Second World War. ... Paradoxically, it is the economy that could enable him to remain at the head of the party, because getting rid of him would mean new elections that in the current crisis would no doubt end in a debacle." (04/08/2008)

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The daily Dnevnik speculates that the publishing of the letter written by former Prime Minister Tony Blair in the midst of the current inner-party struggle is no mere coincidence: "This civil war was triggered on the one hand by the fear of losing the next elections and on the other by the conviction that David Cameron and the Conservative Party can indeed be defeated if the Labour Party can only get rid of Gordon Brown. Now former Prime Minister Tony Blair has intervened in this war. He is angry because Brown rejected his strategy yet failed to replace it with a new one. ... Although yesterday three members of the Brown government reiterated their support, Blair's criticism has dealt him a harsh blow. ... Is it just a coincidence that Blair's criticism has come to light now that it has become obvious that David Miliband is aiming for the leadership?" (04/08/2008)

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All available articles from » Brane Kastelic

For Der Tagesspiegel, the current woes of the Labour Party are also due to mistakes committed by former British Prime Minister Tony Blair: "Even if Blair and his cronies would like to see history written that way, Brown is not solely responsible for the desperate plight of the Labour Party which has almost no prospect of winning the upcoming elections. Blair accomplished much in his day. He overcame rigid ideology and led his party into the political centre. But in his high-handedness the man who described Britain as the 'best country in the world' also contributed to Labour's downfall. He favoured external advisors over his cabinet, and failed to encourage new blood in his party. This could only result in a bumbling successor." (04/08/2008)

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The former conservative cabinet minister Michael Portillo warns in The Sunday Times against deposing Gordon Brown: "David Miliband's egotistical bid to oust the prime minister could destroy the government's remaining credibility, which will hardly help Britain or Labour through the economic crisis. If Brown is dumped, it could lead to divisions in the Labour party deep enough to exclude it from office for a decade or more. Whether Brown survives or is knifed by his colleagues, the Tories stand to gain. ... By not sacking him, the prime minister appears weak and vacillating. Had Blair dared to dismiss his ever-troublesome chancellor he might still be in power today and Brown would never have had to prove his inadequacy. ... if Miliband succeeds in toppling Brown, Labour can anticipate almost a generation of feuding. ... if Labour ruptures once more, then the Conservatives could look forward not just to an election win but also to another era of political supremacy." (04/08/2008)

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On the online portal of the daily Dnevnik, journalist Andrej Mrevlje comments on the Italian government's decision to station a deterrent force of 3,000 soldiers in several major Italian cities as of today: "Soldiers on the street are never a good sign for the progress of democracy, above all when they are accompanied by additional measures adopted at lightning speed by Berlusconi's government to eliminate overnight the chaos that has been rampant in Italy for decades. True, military uniforms suit the current political atmosphere in Italy. ... But it remains to be seen whether the 3,000 soldiers will improve life in the cities. The government's main argument for the deployment is that if thieves, swindlers, violent criminals and above all immigrants are indifferent to the many police officers stationed on Italy's streets, perhaps soldiers will put fear in their hearts." Official statements stipulate that the troops are primarily to protect government sites. However "it has unfortunately become clear that this includes Roma settlements and immigration centres." (04/08/2008)

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Daniel Ducarme, the former prime minister of the Brussels Capital Region analyses in the French daily Le Figaro the possibility of closer ties between Wallonia and France following Belgium's government crisis: "Around half of the Walloons - 49 percent - support unification with France. ... No one knows what tomorrow will bring but one thing is becoming increasingly certain: nothing will be the same as it was. ... A chapter has come to an end. The next page has yet to be written. French-speaking Belgians have four obligations for the future: clarity, solidarity, diligence and far-sightedness. ... Clarity is imperative in asserting our identity. First name: Belgium. ... Surname: France. We are more than just French-speaking, we belong to the French culture by virtue of our values, [our belief in] the pre-eminence of the rights of the individual and a certain concept of the role and mission of the state. ... I am convinced that Belgium must plan its future ... together with France." (01/08/2008)

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In the recent past Russian fighter jets have repeatedly approached Danish territory and set off air raid alarms. The daily Berlingske Tidende is reminded of the Cold War: "The new Russian imperialism is a fact. Reactions to it should be two-fold, just as in the days of the Soviet Union. On the one hand we should calmly yet decisively reject Russia's long-standing attempt to dominate its surroundings by means of power politics. On the other, we should continue promoting cooperation within the framework of NATO, the EU and other organisations. However even in the foreseeable future Russia will never become a true cooperation partner." (04/08/2008)

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In Latvia a referendum on changing the constitution has failed owing to low voter turnout. Had it been successful it would have been possible to dissolve the parliament by referendum. The Estonian news portal Delfi argues that the result is nonetheless a blow to Latvian politicians: "In Latvia distrust of politicians is even greater than in Estonia and there has been ample justification for this. ... Had the referendum been successful, the Latvians would have been able to give their politicians the boot at will and thus take their revenge. But the new system would have become more unstable and it is questionable how successful it would be in the long term. In a European context it would certainly have been a rare experiment." (04/08/2008)

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The conservative daily La Razón writes about the crisis facing Europe's Left: "The parties of Europe's Left have hit rock bottom. ... Of the five major powers in the EU only Great Britain and Spain have socialist governments and they are not doing well. British Prime Minister Gordon Brown is plummeting ... in the opinion polls. ... And nor can [Spanish head of government] José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero present himself as the Messiah of Europe's socialists. Barely five months have passed since his second election victory, yet his mistakes in dealing with the economic crisis ... have lowered his poll ratings to the same level as those of opposition leader Mariano Rajoy. ... By contrast Nicolas Sarkozy and Angela Merkel are examples of how to do good right-wing politics. ... The European engine is in full swing and the citizens are putting their trust in the centre-right to steer it." (04/08/2008)

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Political scientist Daniel Bell argues in The Malta Independent that Communism could be replaced in China not by liberal democracy but by left-wing Confucianism: "[Ancient] Confucianism was combined with legalism, China's other main political tradition, to justify practices like blind obedience, the oppression of women and harsh punishment. The 'official' Confucianism being revived today may be less dangerous - it stresses social harmony and peaceful conflict resolution - but it remains morally conservative. However there is another interpretation of Confucianism, let us call it 'leftist Confucianism'. This stresses the duty of intellectuals to criticise poor governance, obliges governments to promote the people's welfare and helps care for those with no family ties. In addition it calls on governments ... to prefer moral fortitude over military strength in pursuing political ends. ... Today left-wing Confucianism is the most viable alternative to China's political status quo." (04/08/2008)

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The liberal left-wing daily Népszabadság argues that in view of soaring transport costs many companies could decide to move their production facilities back to their countries of origin. "When transport costs go up it is in the interest of multinationals to move production closer to buyers and consumers. If oil prices remain high many economic sectors which after a short detour to Central Europe moved on to Asia could decide to return to Europe: for example the furniture and clothing industries and part of machine production. ... But a fresh wind is blowing in (economic) policy: protectionism is on the rise. Even in the US presidential election campaign free trade is being called into question. ... Nevertheless, the era of globalisation is not coming to an end. We are, however, entering a new phase that will last until transport costs go down again. The global economy needs a little time to adjust to the new situation." (04/08/2008)

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All available articles from » Gabor Horvath

According to the daily To Vima those investigating the affair in which Siemens stands accused of paying bribes for government contracts, namely Germany's public prosecutors and the US stock exchange supervisory board, are pursuing their own interests: "The official version is common knowledge. Siemens ... was caught red-handed. ... Following the revelations the German public prosecutors have opened their own inquiry. ... But this news should be given a different interpretation, say those who believe the conspiracy theories. The US was dismayed by the success of European multinationals, which have been snatching away contracts from its own firms that work abroad as well as trying to make inroads into its 'home' territory. ... So the empire's administrative supervision system has been put into operation - and sometimes also that of the US Congress - to make clear who's the boss. ... But Siemens is not suicidal and refuses to confess all. The German authorities ... know what the deal is and are trying to keep things under control. They are much more interested in saving German companies than revealing the truth. The wishes of the Americans only interest them in so far as they represent a threat that cannot be ignored." (03/08/2008)

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The Lambeth Conference, the world summit of the Anglican Church which takes place every ten years, has ended inconclusively. Despite weeks of deliberations, the bishops were not able to agree on the divisive topic of homosexuality. The Guardian comments on the efforts of Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury, to avoid a schism: "It does not look as if he has had much success in reconciling the two versions of Anglicanism, the evangelical and the liberal, that are straining to breaking point the Communion. ... The extremes of both sides are beyond agreement. With good reason: in many parts of Africa, there is a pretence that homosexuality does not exist and to be known as the 'gay church' is a short road to oblivion. In many parts of Europe and America, gay men and women are also subject to violent discrimination and the church naturally believes its role is to reach out to them as to all the oppressed. ... The archbishop believes time might bring enlightenment, and his job is to stop the confrontationists of both sides forcing a division first. ... His Lambeth Conference - only a decennial event - was not a complete failure. The liberals may feel the price was too high, but sometimes for peacekeepers, a fudge is as good as a success." (04/08/2008)

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The Europride Festival which ended last Saturday in Stockholm prompts the daily Svenska Dagbladet to criticise the increasing social power of the gay movement: "Gay has become an institution, a PR machine, a strong and growing power factor in Swedish ideology production, which is backed by powerful groups. The economy is giving it momentum. The powerful establishment of the Swedish Church eagerly took part in the Pride Parade. ... Normally such a phenomenon would have drawn criticism. But the opposite has been the case: many journalists and important media have devoutly gone down on their knees. The reason for this? Could it be a sense of guilt? Are we trying to atone for the past? I do not think so. Are certain parts of the media becoming more superficial? This is no doubt a factor. Is it down to the typical Swedish yearning to look better and more kind-hearted than everyone else? Yep, there can be no doubt about that." (03/08/2008)

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All available articles from » Göran Skytte

The Russian Nobel prizewinner Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn died yesterday in Moscow. La Repubblica looks back on the writer's eventful life: "Solzhenitsyn lived five lives: first his career as a patriot, then as a prisoner in Stalin's camps, then as an illustrious dissident, then as an exile, and finally as a prophet returning home." Yet his work was not universally praised, the paper writes: "Solzhenitsyn was a great polemicist who swam against the tide. That won him fervent admirers. But it also won him fervent enemies, in the state apparatus and among intellectuals, who looked askance at his ideology and his behaviour and had doubts about the artistic depth of his works. Solzhenitsyn viewed his country without blinkers, but his statements were often contradictory, not infrequently superficial, and increasingly dealt with the distinctiveness of the Russian character, aligning with the Slavophile tradition. In his religious conversion he would have nothing of modern theology, contenting himself with an elegiac retreat into ancient orthodoxy." (04/08/2008)

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