U.K News

Macron Hopes To Contain Far Right In National Elections After It Surged In EU Vote. It’s A Risky Bet

Published

5 months ago

2024-06-10

Kiara Grace

Macron | AP News Image

The extreme right’s surge in France’s European Parliament elections was largely expected. What occurred next was not.

French President Emmanuel Macron announced early parliamentary elections, saying he couldn’t ignore the new political reality after his pro-European party suffered a humiliating defeat and is expected to receive less than half the support of Marine Le Pen’s National Rally.

He expects people to work together to limit the far right in national elections, as in European ones.

However, Sunday’s decision to dissolve parliament and send voters who had recently shown dissatisfaction with Macron’s ideology to the polls was a hazardous move that could result in the French extreme right running a government for the first time since WWII.

Macron | AP News Image

Macron Hopes To Contain Far Right In National Elections After It Surged In EU Vote. It’s A Risky Bet

Macron, who has three years left in his second and final presidential term, would have to find a way to collaborate with a prime minister from a party that strongly rejects most of his programs.

Here are the reasons for the shift.

How did French voters cast their votes?
The far-right National Rally, led by 28-year-old Jordan Bardella, is expected to gain the most French seats in the European Parliament, potentially 30 of France’s 81, according to a provisional count, with more than 30% of the vote.

That would be the culmination of a makeover campaign aimed at appealing to centrist voters in the wake of decades of racist and antisemitic sentiments made by National Front leaders.

According to the most recent projections, Macron’s Renaissance party has fewer than 15% of the vote, only ahead of the Socialists, whom the French president thought he had eliminated from the political landscape when he was elected president in 2017.

The communist France Unbowed party might come in fourth place with roughly 10% of the vote, while the conservative Républicains could get about 7%.

Why did Macron call the French election?
Macron’s centrist party was the largest in the National Assembly, the lower chamber of parliament, but it lost its majority in 2022, forcing parliamentarians to collaborate with politicians from both the left and right to pass legislation.

According to his aides, in the wake of the extreme right’s resounding success in the European elections, Macron called the election because he believed the results would lead to legislative stalemate and render him a lame duck leader three years before the next presidential election in 2027.

Yaël Braun-Pivet, president of the National Assembly, emphasized the president’s desire to demonstrate his responsiveness to voters. “We are told too often that we do not hear, that we are cut off from the people, and there, the president took a decision following a very clear vote by the French,” Braun-Pivet stated on Monday.

What are the risks?
French Foreign Minister Stéphane Séjourné stated that Macron’s decision to call elections is not “a poker move.” However, with a bitterly fragmented left and millions of voters no longer afraid of National Rally’s agenda, counting on a popular uprising against the extreme right three weeks before the election appears to be a high-risk gamble.

Macron | AP News Image

Macron Hopes To Contain Far Right In National Elections After It Surged In EU Vote. It’s A Risky Bet

The National Rally, with its anti-immigrant agenda, has grown to become the largest parliamentary opposition group in the lower chamber. Le Pen has advanced to the second round of the presidential election twice, following in the footsteps of her father, Jean-Marie Le Pen, in 2002. The normalization campaign has paid effectively, and the party has become mainstream, with a solid network of officials throughout France.

The two-round system for general elections has historically made it difficult for extremist parties to gain traction since mainstream parties collaborate to isolate those on the periphery. But that method might not work this time. In the most recent general election, Le Pen’s National Rally gained more than ten times as many seats as it did five years before.

Francois Ruffin, a far-left politician, has called on all left-wing leaders, including the Greens, to unify under a single “Popular Front” banner. “To avoid the worse, to win,” he wrote on social media platform X. Others on the left proposed similar cooperation.

However, Raphaël Glucksmann, the lead Socialist candidate, accused Macron of giving in to the National Rally’s demands for the dissolution of the National Assembly. He stated that the action “will remain a stain on Emmanuel Macron’s five-year term, one more,” and criticized the French president for what he considers an “extremely dangerous” game.

Le Pen is riding high.
Le Pen stated she is “ready to turn the country around” after sending Macron into a tailspin.

“We are ready to exercise power if the French people place their trust in us in these future legislative elections,” she told party supporters in Paris.

For years, Le Pen has been the face of the National Rally. However, she stepped back before the European elections, making space for Bardella. The president of Le Pen’s party has now brought it to the threshold of power.

Macron | AP News Image

Macron Hopes To Contain Far Right In National Elections After It Surged In EU Vote. It’s A Risky Bet

Bardella rose quickly to the top after polishing his political talents as president of the party’s youth branch. Although he has been cautious about eclipsing Le Pen, his popularity is growing rapidly, particularly among young people.

On the campaign road, Bardella was frequently greeted like a rock star, with crowds of shouting admirers vying to kiss him or take a selfie.

What happens next?
If another party or alliance wins a majority of seats in the general election, Macron must select a prime minister from that new majority.

In this circumstance, known as “cohabitation” in France, the administration would enact domestic policies that differed from the president’s strategy. However, the French president would significantly influence the country’s foreign and defense policies. Such an arrangement may render France ungoverned.

SOURCE – AP

U.K News

London Hit With Heavy Snow as Temperatures Plummet

Published

2 days ago

2024-11-19

Geoff Brown

London, England, has been gripped by an Arctic freeze, with temperatures dipping well below zero, snow forcing trains to stop, and over 200 schools closing in and across the UK.

Commuters faced traffic mayhem as Braemar in Aberdeenshire recorded the coldest temperature in the UK this early in the season since 1998, at -11.2C (12.2F).

Today, the Met Office issued three yellow weather warnings for snow and ice across the Midlands and North of England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland.

The UK Health Security Agency issued the season’s first amber cold weather health advisory, warning that circumstances could be hazardous to vulnerable people.

Poor weather hampered rail travel, with no trains running between Nottingham and Worksop or between Llandudno and Blaenau Ffestiniog in North Wales.

A couple walks on the snow-covered ground at Pavillion Gardens in Buxton, Derbyshire.

Northern services in Yorkshire between Bradford and Huddersfield, Hebden Bridge to Halifax, and Halifax to Hull were all disrupted while flooding at Ulverston in Cumbria caused delays between Barrow-in-Furness and Lancaster.

Around 130 Welsh schools closed in Wrexham, Powys, Denbighshire, and Flintshire, with closures also reported in Birmingham, Nottinghamshire, and Derbyshire.

Nearly 5 inches (12 cm) of snow fell at Watnall in Nottinghamshire, with 3 inches (8 cm) at Cranwell in Lincolnshire and 2 inches (5 cm) at Lake Vyrnwy in Powys, Wales.

The Met Office issued warnings that vehicles might become trapped, power outages could occur, remote communities could be shut off, and falling on ice could cause injury.

England has a yellow warning until 11 a.m., while Scotland has a warning until 10 a.m. tomorrow. Another warning for Northern Ireland expired at 10 a.m.

The UK Health Security Agency issued an amber cold weather health notice for the East and North of England, the Midlands, Yorkshire, and the Humber.

Yellow health alerts went into effect for the South East, South West, and London at 8 a.m. today and will run until 6 p.m. on Saturday.

National Rail warned that the cold weather would impair several routes on northern rail services until at least 2 p.m. today.

Merseyrail issued a notice informing passengers that due to the possibility of snow and ice covering tracks, the first train on each line in North West England would run without passengers to allow conditions to be examined.

National Highways also issued a strong amber weather advisory for snow, indicating that the M1 in Leeds and Sheffield, the M56 in Manchester, junction 39 of the M6, and junctions 21-23 of the M62 may see interruption.

WEATHER WARNING 1: The Met Office snow warning in Northern Ireland terminated at 10 a.m. today.

WEATHER WARNING 2: A separate snow and ice warning for Northern England until 11 a.m. today.

WEATHER WARNING 3: Scotland’s snow and ice warning is live until 10 a.m. tomorrow.

The Met Office, which characterized the weather as ‘the first taste of winter,’ said heavy snow will cause problems in England, with Derbyshire being the most vulnerable.

According to Dan Suri, the Met Office’s chief meteorologist, a low-pressure system will move eastward on Monday night.

The related frontal system, which marks the border between cold air in the north and milder weather in the south, may deliver disruptive snow to certain locations between Monday evening and Tuesday morning.

Dr. Agostinho Sousa of the UK Health Security Agency stated, “This is the first amber Cold Weather Health Alert of the season, but we can expect more as winter approaches. It is critical to check in on vulnerable friends, family, and neighbors to ensure they are well prepared for the onset of cold weather.”

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U.K News

Windsor Castle Robbed While Royal Family Slept

Published

3 days ago

2024-11-19

Geoff Brown

UK police report two men broke into the Windsor Castle estate, home to Prince William and Catherine and their three children and stole two vehicles.

According to the Sun newspaper, the robbers broke into a farm building on the Windsor estate and stole a black Isuzu pick-up truck and a red quad bike stashed in a barn.

The Prince and Princess of Wales reportedly arrived at their estate home during the nighttime burglary.

Thames Valley Police stated the individuals ran to the Old Windsor/Datchet area, but no arrests have been made.

“Offenders entered a farm building and stole vehicles,” the police added. An investigation is underway regarding the incident.

There have been previous security incidents at Windsor. On Christmas Day in 2021, an intruder was apprehended on the grounds of Windsor Castle. Jaswant Singh Chail, who was equipped with a crossbow, received a nine-year prison sentence.

The Windsor estate, located west of London, spans 15,800 acres and contains functioning farms, conservation areas, Windsor Great Park, and well-known royal attractions, including Windsor Castle.

Windsor Castle received 1.4 million visitors last year, making it the UK’s most popular royal tourist site.

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U.K News

Britain’s Conservative Party Elects Kemi Badenoch as Leader

Published

3 weeks ago

2024-11-02

Ana Wong

Conservatives pick Kemi Badenoch as party leader

U.K. Conservatives pick Kemi Badenoch as their party's new leader

Britain’s Conservative Party elected outspoken MP Kemi Badenoch as its new leader on Saturday, making her the first woman of color to lead a major British political party.

She has promised to give the right-of-center Tories “renewal” by advocating for a smaller state and rejecting identity politics.

The new leader faces a daunting challenge in restoring the party’s reputation after years of division, scandal, and economic turbulence, hammering Labour Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s policies on key issues such as the economy and immigration and returning the Conservatives to power in the 2029 election.

“The task that stands before us is tough but simple,” Kemi Badenoch said in a victory address to a room full of Conservative legislators, staff, and journalists in London. She stated that the party’s role was to hold the Labour administration accountable while developing commitments and a government strategy.

Addressing the party’s electoral defeat, she stated, “We have to be honest — honest about the fact that we made mistakes, honest about the fact that we let standards slip.”

“The time has come to tell the truth, to stand up for our principles, to plan for our future, to reset our politics and our thinking, and to give our party, and our country, the new start that they deserve,” according to Badenoch.

Kemi Badenoch was Born in London

Kemi Badenoch, a business secretary in Sunak’s cabinet, was born in London to Nigerian parents and grew up in West Africa.

The former software engineer positions herself as a disruptor, advocating for a low-tax, free-market economy and promising to “rewire, reboot, and reprogram” the British state. Like her adversary Jenrick, she has opposed multiculturalism and advocated for decreased immigration, but unlike him, she has not asked that Britain abandon the European Convention on Human Rights.

Kemi Badenoch, a self-proclaimed hater of wokeness, opposes identity politics, gender-neutral toilets, and government initiatives to reduce carbon emissions in the United Kingdom. During the leadership race, she was chastised for claiming that “not all cultures are equally valid” and implying that maternity pay was excessive.

Tim Bale, a politics professor at Queen Mary University of London, predicted that under Badenoch, the Conservative Party would “swing to the right both in terms of its economic and social policies.”

He foretold that Badenoch will follow “what you might call the boats, boilers and bathrooms strategy …. focusing very much on the trans issue, the immigration issue and skepticism about progress towards net zero.”

Conservative Party Becoming More Diverse

While the Conservative Party is unrepresentative of the country as a whole, with a decreasing membership of 132,000 mostly affluent, elderly white men, its higher echelons have become significantly more diverse.

Badenoch is the Tories’ fourth female leader, following Margaret Thatcher, Theresa May, and Liz Truss, who became prime ministers.

She is the second Conservative leader of color, following Sunak, and the first with African heritage. The center-left Labour Party has a more diversified membership, but its leaders have always been white men.

In a more than three-month leadership contest, Conservative MPs narrowed the field from six to two in a series of votes before presenting the last two to a vote of the party’s membership.

Both finalists were from the party’s right-wing and claimed they could reclaim votes from Reform U.K., the hard-right, anti-immigrant group led by populist leader Nigel Farage that has eroded Conservative support.

However, the party lost many votes to the winning party, Labour, and the centrist Liberal Democrats, and some Conservatives are concerned that tacking right may move the party away from popular sentiment.

Kier Starmer’s Labor government has had a difficult first few months in power, plagued by unfavorable headlines, fiscal woes, and a sinking approval rating.

However, Bale stated that the historical record implies Badenoch’s chances of leading the Conservatives back to power in 2029 are slim.

“It’s quite unusual for someone to take over when a party gets very badly beaten and manage to lead it to election victory,” according to him. “However, Keir Starmer did just that after 2019. So there are records to break.”

Source: AP