Friday, October 17, 2025

Polaris of Enlightenment

French nationalist leader Jean-Marie Le Pen is dead

Published 7 January 2025
– By Editorial Staff
Jean-Marie Le Pen during a May Day speech in France in 2012.
2 minute read

Jean-Marie Le Pen, founder and former leader of the French nationalist party National Front (later National Rally), has died at the age of 96. His family confirmed this to the AFP news agency.

During his leadership of the National Front, which he founded in 1972, Le Pen established the party as a major force in French politics and challenged the established powers. He stood up for the protection of French culture, identity and borders, and raised issues close to the people, such as the impact of immigration.

Le Pen was also known for his outspokenness and for daring to address controversial topics, which made him both loved by many and hated by some. After a long career as party leader, he handed over the post to his daughter Marine Le Pen in 2011.

But their relationship deteriorated sharply when Jean-Marie criticized Marine’s leadership of the National Front, leading to his expulsion from the party in 2015. “This is a great betrayal,” he said at the time. The party then changed its name to the National Rally under Marine Le Pen’s leadership.

Despite their personal conflicts, Jean-Marie continued to be a significant figure in French political debate.

Daring statement on the holocaust

Le Pen stood up on several topics that were politically highly challenging. Perhaps the most famous of his controversial statements was when, on September 13, 1987, during the RTL-Le Monde grand jury, he downplayed the importance of the gas chambers.

“I’m not saying that the gas chambers did not exist,” he said. “I myself have never seen one. I have not studied the issue specifically. But I think it is a detail in the history of the Second World War.”

For his statement, Mr. Le Pen was vilified in the mainstream media and stripped of his parliamentary immunity.

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Slovakia: EU must prioritize economy over Ukraine

The new cold war

Published today 12:27
– By Editorial Staff
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico's Slovakia is one of the few EU countries that has refused to deliver weapons to Ukraine and opposed Ukrainian NATO membership.
2 minute read

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico accuses the EU of concealing its own fundamental problems by constantly focusing on Ukraine – and refuses to discuss new Russia sanctions until the union’s economic crisis is taken seriously.

Ahead of next week’s European Council summit, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico is launching a frontal attack on the EU’s priorities. In a post on X, he states that the union’s constant focus on Ukraine masks its inability to handle the bloc’s own serious challenges.

At the summit, EU leaders are expected to discuss increased defense spending, military cooperation and continued support for Kyiv. But Fico argues this is happening at the expense of more urgent problems within the union.

“Not interested”

On Wednesday, the Slovak leader stated that he is “more and more convinced” that the EU, by “”constantly discussing Ukraine, we in the EU are covering up our inability to deal with our most fundamental challenges and problems”. He says he has raised the issue with European Council President António Costa.

Fico then issues an ultimatum:

— I am not interested in dealing with new sanctions packages against Russia until I see, in the conclusions of the EC summit, political instructions for the European Commission on how to address the crisis in the automotive industry and the high energy prices that are making the European economy completely uncompetitive.

Automotive industry and energy prices in focus

The criticism doesn’t come from nowhere when it comes to Slovakia. The country’s economy is heavily dependent on automobile manufacturing, a sector under severe pressure from EU green policies and global competition. At the same time, Slovakia remains heavily dependent on Russian gas and crude oil under long-term contracts, despite Brussels demanding a complete phase-out of Russian energy imports by 2027.

Bratislava plans to present more concrete proposals on the automotive sector and energy prices at the summit than what is currently in the draft conclusions.

Fico continued:

— I refuse to let such serious issues be handled in the EC conclusions with general phrases, while detailed decisions and positions are devoted to aid for Ukraine and support for the war.

Divergent line

Slovakia stands out among EU countries in its stance on the war in Ukraine. Unlike most member states, the country has refused to deliver weapons to Ukraine, opposed Ukrainian NATO membership and repeatedly turned against EU sanctions on Russia.

The majority of EU countries maintain that Western support for Ukraine must continue and support rapid military rearmament, citing the alleged threat from Russia. The Kremlin has dismissed these claims as “nonsense” and accuses Western governments of using them as a pretext for increased military spending.

Italian editor-in-chief: “We are importing poverty”

Migration crisis in Europe

Published yesterday 16:28
– By Editorial Staff
A group of migrants demonstrates in Treviso, Italy.
3 minute read

Recent statistics from Istat, the Italian national statistics institute, show that people with immigrant backgrounds account for a significant portion of the country’s absolute poverty. At the same time, poverty levels are declining among households where both parents are Italian.

The figures have once again fueled the debate about the socioeconomic consequences of mass immigration.

The statistics show that more than one-third of immigrants, 35.6 percent, live below the poverty line – a level that is five times higher than among the Italian population.

Maurizio Belpietro, editor-in-chief of the Italian daily newspaper La Verità and an influential political commentator, has written a widely discussed column in which he argues that Italy is effectively “importing poverty”.

Belpietro highlights that while non-EU citizens make up less than one-tenth of the population, they nevertheless represent just over one-third of all those living in poverty.

“Of the 2.2 million households living in poverty, i.e., do not have enough income to support a minimum standard of living, 1.5 million are Italian and 733,000 are foreigners”, he writes in the newspaper.

Poverty among mixed families

Among families where one parent is Italian and the other is foreign-born, the poverty rate is 30.4 percent, according to Istat. By comparison, families where both parents are Italian citizens have a poverty rate of 6.2 percent.

Political commentator Francesca Totolo has commented on the figures on X and questions the notion that labor immigration benefits the pension system.

“It is and will be Italians who have to pay for assistance, subsidies, housing, and pensions to foreigners without resources”, she writes.

Large differences between immigrant groups

The debate about immigration’s economic effects is also ongoing in other European countries. The argument that large-scale immigration would be the solution to pension system challenges has increasingly been questioned as research data is presented.

However, there are significant differences between different immigrant groups. EU citizens, particularly from certain member states, often contribute positively to the economy and tax revenues, while the pattern looks different for citizens from countries outside the union.

A Dutch study showed that migration had cost the state approximately €400 billion during the period 1995-2019, and in Germany, the annual costs of mass immigration are estimated at at least €50 billion.

At the same time, analysts emphasize that calculations of migration’s economic costs often underestimate the actual expenses, which in reality tend to be significantly higher than the forecasts.

“Costs more than it brings in”

French researcher and author Jean-Paul Gourévitch stated in a radio interview with Radio Sud in 2021 that employment figures do not support the picture that immigration to France provides net economic gains.

— I have studied this topic extensively and today everyone in France, from the left to the right agrees that immigration costs more than it brings in, Gourévitch explained.

He pointed out that economists with different political backgrounds estimate the costs differently. Left-leaning analysts indicate an annual deficit of €6 to €10 billion, while right-leaning ones point to figures between €40 and €44 billion.

— My own scientific research shows that the deficit is €20 to €25 billion, he said in the interview.

Germany’s pension shock: people must work until at least 73 years of age

Welfare collapse

Published 9 October 2025
– By Editorial Staff
In Germany's increasingly deteriorating welfare climate, Chancellor Merz is now signaling a dramatic increase in the country's retirement age - while money continues to flow to Ukraine.
3 minute read

While Berlin sends billions to Ukraine and turns a blind eye to migration costs in Germany, voices are being raised for Germans to work longer to save the welfare system. German Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) is preparing the country’s residents for a longer working life.

According to a new proposal, the retirement age in Germany could gradually be raised to 73 years as part of the government’s attempt to save an increasingly strained welfare system. Critics warn that the ideas about retirement age 73 lack both realism and fairness.

Friedrich Merz has stated that Germans must get used to the idea of less leisure time and longer working lives to finance pensions, healthcare and elderly care.

Meanwhile, economic analyses show that the country’s former strength as the EU’s economic engine has turned into stagnation. The deficit in public insurance systems is growing rapidly and several German states report shortages of both personnel and funding in healthcare.

The government’s expert council now warns that demographic developments require decisive action – more workers, higher fees and later retirement.

Money to Ukraine prioritized

But while Germans are urged to work until well after 70 years of age, Berlin continues to send billions to Ukraine. According to German media, the military and humanitarian support amounts to well above 40 billion euros since 2022.

Critics argue that the current government simultaneously fails to address the homeland’s own financial problems. The growing national debt, rising energy prices and weak industrial production have put welfare under severe pressure – but aid to Kiev remains unchanged.

Many Germans therefore wonder how the country can afford to finance the war abroad but not its own pensions.

Tens of billions of euros in German taxpayer money go to Ukraine every year. Montage. Photo: U.S. Marine Corps/Sgt. Samuel Fletcher, President Of Ukraine

Immigration’s impact

The official explanation for the crisis is an aging population. But several economists argue that the problem rather lies in the extensive immigration over the past two decades.

According to calculations by pension researcher Bernd Raffelhüschen, many newcomers contribute less to the social system than they receive back, especially during their first years in the country.

In an interview with German tabloid Bild from October 2024, he said that immigration will not save either the economy or welfare – rather the opposite.

Other experts also argue that integration problems and low employment among certain immigrant groups have become a long-term structural concern for the German economy. Despite this, the issue receives limited space in political debate.

Montage. Photo: Amisom, Pexels

The chancellor’s dilemma

The Federal Chancellor thus faces a double dilemma. On one hand, the finance ministry demands reforms to avoid collapse in the welfare system. On the other hand, new cuts and raised retirement age risk increasing discontent among voters who already feel that burdens are distributed unfairly.

The opposition, particularly Alternative for Germany (AfD), has quickly exploited the situation and describes the proposal as a betrayal of the country’s workers. Meanwhile, Merz tries to maintain a hard line against criticism and present the reform as a necessity.

But more and more Germans are now asking the question: why should citizens work longer, while billions continue to flow to both Ukraine and a costly migration system that few still believe will pay for itself?

FACT BOX: Germany's welfare system under pressure

  • Pension system: The statutory retirement age in Germany is currently 67 years, but proposals exist to gradually raise it to 73.
  • Economy: Germany's GDP growth has fallen to below 0.5 percent during 2024–2025, resulting in high inflation and reduced industrial production.
  • Support to Ukraine: Since 2022, Germany has allocated over 40 billion euros in military, economic and humanitarian aid – the second largest contribution within the EU after the USA.
  • Migration: Around 17 million people in Germany have foreign backgrounds. Integration and social expenditures are estimated to cost the state over 30 billion euros annually.

EU parliament approves ban on meat-related names for vegan products

Published 9 October 2025
– By Editorial Staff
Only meat products will be allowed to be called sausage.
2 minute read

On Wednesday, the European Parliament voted through a proposal to ban meat-related names on vegetarian and vegan products. This means that “soy sausage” and “veggie burgers” may soon be called something entirely different.

The debate over whether vegetarian and vegan products should be allowed to be called, for example, “veggie burgers” or “vegan sausages” has existed for a long time. Already in 2020, the European Parliament voted on the issue, which ended in a no.

The proposal was put back on the table, where the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development in the European Parliament proposed that a series of terms, such as sausage, burger, schnitzel and steak, should not be allowed to be used on vegetarian products. The main reason put forward is that they want to protect European farmers and food production.

During the week, the European Parliament approved the proposal for such a ban, reports Göteborgs-Posten (a Swedish newspaper). The proposal was voted through with 355 votes in favor and 247 against.

“A bit silly”

All Swedish MEPs voted no to a ban, except for the Sweden Democrats (SD) who chose to abstain from voting – but instead came with their own proposal that meant only chicken products may be called chicken, and only meat products may be called meat. However, it was voted down. Dick Erixon (SD), a Swedish MEP, believes the whole issue is “a bit silly”.

We think this is all a bit silly. Lowering food prices and deregulating so that we get lower food prices is a more important issue to discuss. This is too harsh. Products should be called what they are. If you have meat, then it’s obviously meat, but if you make it from soybeans, then you must be able to call it soy sausage, he says.

The new addition means that new names such as “vegan patty” and “plant-based roll” could become reality in stores, but this will only be clear after the 27 EU countries have negotiated on the matter.

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