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Friday, September 12, 2025

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https://nordictimes.com/europe/french-government-collapses/

Europe

French government collapses

Published 6 December 2024
– By Editorial Staff
The French National Assembly Plenary Hall.
2 minute read
Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

For the first time in over 60 years, a French government has fallen through a vote of no confidence. Prime Minister Michel Barnier’s government was dismissed after the left and right-wing opposition united in protest against a controversial austerity budget.

– They chose chaos, Macron commented on the developments.

The French government, led by Prime Minister Michel Barnier, fell on December 4, 2024 after a vote of no confidence in the National Assembly. This makes Barnier the shortest-serving prime minister in modern French history, with only three months in office. The vote was the result of sharp disagreements over a proposed austerity budget aimed at reducing the budget deficit through €60 billion in cuts and tax increases.

Barnier used Article 49.3 of the French Constitution to push through the social security budget without parliamentary approval. This measure, which allows the government to pass laws without a vote, also opens the door to no-confidence votes – and that’s exactly what happened. The decision drew strong criticism from both the left and right-wing opposition.

A motion of censure was tabled by a coalition of left-wing parties and received decisive support from Marine Le Pen’s National Rally party. The collaboration, which spanned the entire political spectrum, resulted in 331 out of 577 MPs voting to dismiss the government. This was the first successful vote of no confidence in France since 1962.

The crisis stems from a politically divided parliament after President Emmanuel Macron dissolved the National Assembly in June 2024 and called new elections. The election results split the parliament into three blocs – left, center and right – with none of them gaining a majority. Macron appointed Michel Barnier, a seasoned politician and former EU negotiator, as prime minister to try to bring stability, but the government’s attempts at compromise failed to unite the political factions.

The political uncertainty also has economic consequences. France’s borrowing costs have risen and investor confidence in its economy has weakened. As the budget for 2025 is still not set, the situation risks deteriorating further.

President Macron has rejected calls for his resignation and announced that he will shortly appoint a new prime minister. In the meantime, the new government is expected to face the same challenges in a parliament marked by deep political divisions.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

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https://nordictimes.com/europe/von-der-leyens-media-plans-spark-anger-pure-george-orwells-1984/

Europe

Von der Leyen’s media plans spark anger: “Pure George Orwell’s 1984”

Totalitarianism

Published today 15:02
– By Editorial Staff
Swedish EU parliamentarian Dick Erixon from the Sweden Democrats is not impressed by von der Leyen's speech about the EU needing to "protect" establishment media.
3 minute read
Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

Ursula von der Leyen presented plans in the European Parliament for a new media support program and increased EU funding for traditional establishment media.

Sweden Democrats’ EU parliamentarian Dick Erixon calls the EU Commission President’s speech “pure George Orwell’s 1984” and accuses von der Leyen of wanting to stifle freedom of expression.

In her speech to the European Parliament, the heavily criticized EU Commission President complained about how traditional establishment media are struggling for survival and spoke about rural areas where the local newspaper has become “a nostalgic memory” while warning that this has created “news deserts where disinformation thrives”.

As a solution, von der Leyen presented a “Media Resilience Programme” that will actively support what she and other EU power holders consider to be independent journalism and media literacy.

She also announced that the EU Commission proposes to “significantly boost funding for media” in the next EU budget, but only certain media will be able to access EU citizens’ tax money.

“Wants to protect legacy media”

Dick Erixon, the Sweden Democrats’ representative in the European Parliament, is among several who are directing very harsh criticism at the proposals.

“Deplorable speech by Ursula von der Leyen: Wants state authorities to protect legacy media from source criticism. It was a particularly divisive speech we heard in the European Parliament today. Ursula spoke about freedom but wants to stifle freedom of expression”, he states.

He is particularly critical of von der Leyen’s statement that the EU should “protect” traditional media.

“The EU will protect (yes, ‘protect’) legacy media in a new media program. Since paper newspapers are just a memory, ‘news deserts where disinformation thrives’ are created. Therefore, citizens need journalism they can ‘trust'”, Erixon writes sarcastically.

Warned about autocrats

In her speech, von der Leyen also claimed that independent media are under attack from “autocrats” who want to take control of them.

“The first step in an autocrat’s playbook is always to capture independent media. Because this enables backsliding and corruption to happen in the dark”, she proclaimed dramatically.

“A free press is the backbone of any democracy”, she then claimed and promised that the EU will “support Europe’s press to remain free”.

Dick Erixon points out, however, that von der Leyen and her allies hardly have any interest in a truly independent media landscape and that her rhetoric is rather about citizens blindly trusting what establishment media say and write – while forums that EU leaders don’t control should be made suspicious and censored.

“For Ursula, critical source examination of power holders and the establishment is of no value. ‘Trust traditional media’ was her message, while she believes that social media serves the purposes of darkness and corruption. It’s pure George Orwell’s 1984”, he says.

Wants to limit social media for children

Von der Leyen also wants to introduce restrictions on children’s use of social media. She accused the platforms of using “algorithms that prey on children’s vulnerabilities with the explicit purpose of creating addictions” and announced that an expert panel will develop proposals for EU restrictions before the end of the year.

“Our friends in Australia are pioneering a social media restriction. I am watching the implementation of their policy closely to see what next steps we can take here in Europe”, von der Leyen said.

Von der Leyen gave no further details in her speech about how the media support program will work, what criteria will be used to distribute support, or how large a budget is planned for the program. She also did not specify who will define what counts as “disinformation” or “independent media”.

The EU Commission has also proposed using private capital to support certain media, without further explaining how this will work.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

https://nordictimes.com/europe/six-afd-politicians-dead-in-short-time-raises-questions-ahead-of-german-election/

Europe

Six AfD politicians dead in short time – raises questions ahead of German election

Published 4 September 2025
– By Editorial Staff
German police claim there is nothing to suggest that any of the deceased AfD politicians were victims of crimes.
2 minute read
Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

Six politicians from the national-conservative party Alternative for Germany (AfD) have died within the span of a few weeks in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. The deaths occurred just weeks before the regional election on September 14.

Four candidates and two substitutes from AfD reportedly died during an extremely short time period, which has sparked speculation within the party. The deceased are Ralph Lange, 66, Wolfgang Klinger, 71, Stefan Berendes, 59, and Wolfgang Seitz, 59, as well as two substitutes who have not yet been named.

German police claim they are investigating all deaths, but that no crime is suspected at present. Authorities state that two of the deaths were due to natural causes and information about other causes of death has not been released out of consideration for the relatives.

AfD’s deputy leader in North Rhine-Westphalia, Kay Gottschalk, spoke out on Tuesday about the rumors circulating within the party that the politicians had been murdered or otherwise died unnaturally.

— What I have in front of me – but that’s just partial information – that doesn’t back up these suspicions at the moment, Gottschalk told Politico’s Berlin Playbook Podcast.

He emphasized that the party wants the cases investigated “without immediately getting into conspiracy-theory territory” and pointed out the importance of showing consideration for the affected families.

“Almost statistically impossible”

AfD party leader Alice Weidel has also drawn attention in connection with sharing a post from economist Stefan Homburg, who argued that the number of deaths was “almost statistically impossible”.

 

Practical problems have also arisen following the deaths – ballot papers have had to be reprinted several times and some early votes have been declared invalid.

AfD has made significant progress in North Rhine-Westphalia since the last state election in 2022. According to opinion polls, the party has increased from 5.4 percent to nearly 17 percent of voter support.

North Rhine-Westphalia is Germany’s most populous state with 18 million inhabitants. In total, around 20,000 candidates are running in the September 14 election.

Despite the polling successes, AfD is still expected to be shut out from influence when other established parties join together to stop the EU- and immigration-critical party.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

https://nordictimes.com/europe/former-german-vice-chancellor-the-era-of-establishment-parties-may-soon-be-over/

Europe

Former German vice chancellor: The era of establishment parties may soon be over

Published 29 August 2025
– By Editorial Staff
German politician Robert Habeck believes that the traditional "system parties" in Germany will continue to lose voters going forward and slowly collapse.
3 minute read
Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

Germany’s former Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck and co-leader of the Green Party explicitly warns of the impending collapse of establishment parties in Germany. He also states that he cannot see any realistic solutions within the political system he himself helped build.

Habeck, who also has a background as finance minister, announces that he is leaving active politics with a grim prognosis for the country’s established political parties. In an interview with German newspaper Taz, he warns that the dominance of established parties is approaching its end.

— If the legislative period continues as it has so far, CDU/CSU and SPD will not have their own majority after the next Bundestag election. More likely is that they lose one to two percentage points per year. Then it’s over for the people’s parties, and then forever.

He paints a picture of parties in free fall where “CDU/CSU is not fighting for 30 percent, but to get over 20. And SPD is not fighting to catch up with CDU/CSU, but to maintain ten percent”.

Habeck, who was previously co-leader of the Green Party, will submit his Bundestag mandate next week, and he is ruthless in his criticism of the current government.

— That this government represents any consensus in Germany, they don’t even believe that themselves, he argues.

— Politically desirable democratic alternatives are not on offer. A new approach must be found. And I can’t find that within the confines of the system I helped build over the last 20 years, he admits.

Will teach in Sweden

The so-called traffic light coalition – consisting of the Greens, the social democratic SPD, and the liberal FDP – collapsed in November 2024 after the parties could not agree on how to handle a budget deficit of several billion euros for 2025.

Habeck himself belongs to the circle that has been identified as personally responsible for Germany’s prolonged economic decline. In Monday’s interview, the politician explains that he needs distance and “moves forward by going abroad next year”.

— I need to distance myself from the overly restrictive corset of Berlin’s political system.

The politician reveals that he will research and teach at institutions in Denmark, Sweden, and the USA. He simultaneously denies that the move would mean he is withdrawing from political debate.

Merz wants to abolish the welfare state

In the new election on February 23, his party received about 12 percent of the votes, while SPD ended up at 16.5 percent – their worst result since World War II. The FDP barely cleared the four percent threshold.

Under the new government, economic problems have continued. Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced on Saturday that Germany finds itself in a deep structural crisis and declared that the country will no longer be able to afford to finance the current welfare system.

Critics and opposition argue that Germany’s establishment parties have actively driven the country into the ground through, among other things, costly political experiments such as the mass immigration of millions of people from the Third World and unreasonably prioritizing the military project in Ukraine over citizens’ welfare.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

https://nordictimes.com/europe/merz-germany-can-no-longer-afford-welfare/

Europe

Merz: “Germany can no longer afford welfare”

The destruction of the European economy

Published 26 August 2025
– By Editorial Staff
For several decades, regime critics warned that Germany's destructive policies would crush the welfare state – under Merz, it appears this is becoming reality.
3 minute read
Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

German Chancellor and former BlackRock executive Friedrich Merz now states that the country can no longer afford to finance its current welfare system. At the same time, he rules out tax increases for medium-sized companies and promises to defend their interests.

— The welfare state that we have today can no longer be financed with what we produce in the economy, Merz said at a party conference for the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) in Osnabrück on Saturday.

The statement comes as Germany has sent nearly 40 billion euros in aid to Ukraine since the war began in 2022. The country has also received millions of migrants since the turn of the millennium, which has resulted in very high costs for the public sector.

Merz’s message aligns with what several European actors have argued for in recent years – that Europe must cut welfare spending in order to invest in military rearmament instead. The Chancellor himself has previously made clear that continued support for Ukraine is something he prioritizes very highly.

Already 40-50 years ago, immigration critics warned that mass immigration would eventually lead to overburdened welfare systems. They predicted that ordinary people in general, and particularly vulnerable groups, would in practice be forced to pay the highest price for the consequences and enormous costs of mass immigration.

Demands reforms – but no corporate taxes

Merz’s demands for comprehensive welfare reforms are expected to lead to increased tensions with coalition partner the Social Democrats (SPD). The Chancellor acknowledged that welfare cuts will be difficult for the center-left party to swallow, but still called for cooperation.

At the same time, he made clear that companies should be protected from tax increases.

— There will not be any increase in income tax on medium-sized companies in Germany with this federal government under my leadership.

This despite the fact that SPD deputy party leader Lars Klingbeil previously opened the door to tax increases on middle and high earners to finance welfare.

SPD warns against cuts

The Social Democrats signal resistance to pure cuts in the welfare system, and Klingbeil emphasizes that any reforms must contain “imaginative solutions” rather than just savings that affect workers.

— We will remain a country that helps people who have fallen onto hard times, who have gotten sick and need help, it states.

Philipp Türmer, leader of the SPD’s youth organization Jusos, is even more categorical. If the purpose of the reforms is just to cut benefits, “the SPD cannot give an inch”, he tells the daily newspaper Stuttgarter Zeitung.

Pressure from AfD

The coalition parties have already agreed on the need to drastically cut the social insurance system – which includes health insurance, pensions and unemployment benefits. This is due to rising costs and budget deficits.

Merz’s comments on Saturday can be seen as an attempt to win back voters who have switched to the immigration- and EU-critical party Alternative for Germany (AfD), and the Chancellor himself admitted that he is not satisfied with the government’s results so far.

— I’m not satisfied with what we have achieved thus far. It has to be more. he told the audience in Osnabrück.

The SPD, which has traditionally seen itself as the defender of the welfare state, finds itself in a difficult position after the party’s voter support collapsed in the latest election. The party is therefore expected to be reluctant to back overly large cuts that could further alienate their core voters.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

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