Europinion

Fewer than a hundred spare prison places remain for a prison population now larger than the British army. The state of law and order itself depends on addressing this shocking, decades-long failure of government. Zoe Wreford details the deluge of slapdash policies initiated by both parties, each little more than "a flimsy plaster" for the "blistering wound" in British justice that is our crowded and crumbling prisons system. Neither party - nor the longer sentences and de-prioritisation of rehabilitation to which they seem so unthinkingly devoted - emerges unscathed from Wreford's critique. Ultimately, through forensic analysis of British policy and comparative analysis of Norwegian policy, Wreford establishes that the crowding crisis is not an insoluble problem, though no government in recent memory appears to have noticed. https://lnkd.in/essZuQYx #UnitedKingdom #Norway #Prison #Justice #Law #Rehabilitation #Criminal

The American election psychodrama has, at the least, two more riotous months left to run. If the attempted assassinations and last-minute candidate depositions don't continue, any number of Trumpian bigotries and Democratic gaffes will certainly continue to dominate the headlines. Andrés De Miguel takes us beneath the media churn and into the profound paradigm shifts going on at the heart of American politics: the theft, by the Democrats, of the 'normal' and 'patriotic' party mantles from the Republicans, and the Democratic return to being the party of hope. De Miguel's whistle-stop tour of the seismic political shifts which would have been unthinkable earlier this year leaves one wondering how on earth Kamala & co can be stopped, whilst reminding us that it could all change in the blink of an eye. https://lnkd.in/eKRhAbvq #US #Politics #KamalaHarris #DonaldTrump #Election

🚀 We are thrilled to announce the launch of the first article by the Europinion Institute for Research (EIR)! 🔍 Explore our debut piece: "EU enlargement and rule of law promotion in the Western Balkans" by Adrian Waters. This comprehensive analysis delves into the pivotal role of EU enlargement in advancing the rule of law in the Western Balkans, highlighting the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead. 👉 Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/eu-5vgPT Join us as we embark on this journey to provide in-depth research and insightful perspectives on European policy and governance. #EU #WesternBalkans #RuleOfLaw #Enlargement #EIR #EuropeanPolicy #Governance

Israel-Palestine, and most of all the ever-suffering Gaza, have resolutely rebuffed each and every attempt at a resolution to hostilities. No matter how wall to wall the press coverage, fervent the protesters, and patient the politicians, Gaza in particular continues to present a seemingly intractable problem. Rafael Holmberg - marshalling an eclectic mix of Vietnam War history, a Foucauldian deconstruction of Greek sexuality's oddities, and a probing socio-theoretical analysis of the figures purportedly attempting to fix Gaza - believes he can explain why generations of practical solutions have ended up being anything but solutions or indeed practical. He charges the policymakers, academics, and journalists of the world with a complex myopia which, created by an overfocus on practicality, leaves them blind to the sort of discourse and arguments which actually comprise and produce practical solutions. Ultimately, Holmberg's singularly demystifying inversion of the Gaza problem leaves both author and reader wondering whether this paralysis of action through over-practicality is entirely accidental. #Israel #Palestine #Gaza #IDF #Hamas #Geopolitics #InternationalRelations https://lnkd.in/e4DxB76u

All across Europe the far-right wave has surged, flooding the continent's political systems and coursing through her veins like raw alcohol - cleansing to some, corroding to others. European political elites' responses have been mixed, with some rising to the challenge as in Spain, some floundering as in Italy, and some tearing themselves asunder in the process as France's grand old Gaulliste party has done. Andrés De Miguel deplores the inadequacy of the old continent's response to an old evil, and cogently puts forth an alternative found in East London's political history. Drawing on New Labour's remarkable late 2000s fightback against the British National Party, De Miguel constructs a model for breaking the far-right wave across Europe. De Miguel presents a local reconnection strategy whose efficiency, adaptability, and simplicity make it a must-read for any opponent of the far-right. #UnitedKingdom #Farright #Europe #AltRight #BNP https://lnkd.in/egk2VtXm

The Labour government is considering cracking down on outdoor smoking by, amongst other things, banning smoking at pubs. Reducing preventable deaths and the burden on the NHS are touted as commanding reasons for doing so. Will Kingston-Cox finds this latest sin tax guilty of political, economic, and social sins itself. Channelling Daniel Sillett’s usual polemical Friday fervour, Kingston-Cox lays bare the economic incoherence and mindlessly nanny state instincts of this Labour regime. The Starmer that emerges from Kingston-Cox’s vivisection is one slavishly devoted to the bean counting proposals put in front of him, and entirely disconnected from the everyday pleasures that help many get up in the morning and smile going to bed. #Labour #Starmer #UnitedKingdom #smoking #economics #tax https://lnkd.in/ekpXw6VZ

Russian intervention in western political, social, and civil life is a tale as old as time. Inexorably drawn to intervening in every corner of the countries they anoint as foes, Russia has only been emboldened by the advent of social media and now AI. Beatrice Learmouth laments how quickly we forget such uncomfortable truths in times of crisis. Through the prism of the Southport attack and riots, Learmouth details the spider's web of misinformation and downright aggression spun by Russian intelligence at every opportunity. In outlining Russia's fevered campaigns against the West Learmouth reaches an uneasy conclusion, that for every propaganda campaign just about uncovered, there may well be one that beds into our public and media narratives unseen. #Russia #West #Intelligence #Misinformation #AI #Politics https://lnkd.in/edhwv3jV

Now entering its fourth decade, the Israeli-Hezbollah relationship has lost none of its vicious and mutually visceral sheen. The latest exchange of missiles, drones, and fighting words has only reaffirmed quite how intractable and volatile hostilities remain. Sam Moorhouse sifts through the bluster and bullets to reveal the knife's edge game of international politics being played. Deciphering the pronouncements of Israeli and Hezbollah officials, whilst divining the unspoken intentions of interested parties Iran and Hamas, Moorhouse outlines the hidden equilibrium carefully maintained by all sides. Ultimately, Moorhouse contends that the inconclusive nature of this latest violence could just as easily be cause for concern, as for relief. #Israel #Palestine #Hezbollah #Lebanon #Geopolitics https://lnkd.in/eUFDQj75

Catalonia has long infuriated Spain and charmed the world. The latter has never quite been able to grasp why the jewel of Spain presents its government in Madrid with such a perennial headache. Víctor Elizondo Lomelí takes us into the bowels and deep histories of Catalonian politics, going beneath the referendums and abortive secessions intermittently splashed across the world's papers. Starting with the recent August elections, when Salvador Illa became the latest to accept the poisoned chalice and be sworn in as Catalonia's president, Elizondo traces the independence struggle back to the early 2000s and beyond. The extraordinarily vibrant political history Elizondo paints - replete with dramatic rises and falls, comeback kids and wily old kingmakers - cannot fail to fascinate even the most casual observers of Spanish politics. #Spain #Catalan #Catalonia #Barcelona #Europe #Politics #Independence https://lnkd.in/eUJnEpK7

Russia's newest visa scheme proffers sanctuary for those wishing to escape the alleged excesses of Western (neo)liberalism. Even the most casual observers of today's Russia will be unsurprised by this latest grasp at the mantle of defender of all things Christian and traditional. Nikita Triandafillidis argues brushing off Putin's latest snipe at the West's dominant ideologies would be a fateful mistake. Far from being mindlessly anti-Occidental, Triandafillidis’ Putin is one who has correctly traced horrors - in everything from Starmer's handling of anti-immigrant protesters to the Paris Olympics opening ceremony - back to a cultural and spiritual rot in the heart of Western society. Ultimately, Triandafillidis finds much truth in contentions, championed by the Kremlin, that the West has lost its way, and cautions us that we continue to embrace modernity and immorality at our peril. #Russia #West #East #Occident #Putin #Paris #Olympics https://lnkd.in/e866tdYT