Saturday, June 21, 2025

Polaris of Enlightenment

Italian parliament says no to lab-grown meats

Published 22 November 2023
– By Editorial Staff
Italian minister of agriculture Francesco Lollobrigida.
2 minute read

Italy’s parliament became the first country in the world to vote to ban lab-grown meat. The issue sparked much debate in the country, but was passed by a large majority.

Last spring, the Italian government passed a new law stating that lab-grown meat could not be produced or sold in the country. The reason given was to protect both Italian agriculture and the food industry. Agriculture minister Francesco Lollobrigida has been strongly opposed to the use of lab-grown meat from the start, pointing out that lab products threaten the traditional link between food and agriculture.

The debate over the bill has been intense in Italy, and last week protesters from different sides gathered outside the parliament to make their voices heard in connection with the vote. Critics say there is nothing synthetic about lab-grown meat because it is created by growing natural cells without genetic modification. Ettore Prandini, head of the large agricultural organization Coldiretti, once confronted two MPs from the opposition party More Europe, calling them “criminals” for opposing the ban on lab-grown meat with placards denouncing it as “anti-scientific and anti-Italian”. Benedetto Della Vedova, one of the MPs, instead accused Prandini of being a “hooligan”.

Parliament passed the bill by 159 votes to 53.

“We are protecting our food”

Lollobrigida praised MP:s for supporting the new law, saying it would protect Italian citizens.

We are protecting our food, our food system, by maintaining the relationship between food, land and human labor that we have had for millennia, the agriculture minister was quoted as saying by the BBC. Italy is the world’s first country safe from the social and economic risks of synthetic food, Lollobrigida added.

The law specifically bans synthetic foods made from animal cells without killing the animal, and also prevents manufacturers from using meat-related words on labels to describe plant-based protein. Failure to comply with the law could result in a fine of up to 60,000 euros.

At the time of writing, lab-grown meat is only allowed in the US and Singapore, but is expected to be approved by the EU. In Sweden, Ica has begun working with a Swedish lab-grown meat start-up, with plans to develop a ground meat product.

Facts: Laboratory-produced meat

The production of lab-grown meat uses animal stem cells, which means that the final product is real meat (i.e. not vegan). In the past, cells from unborn calves were reportedly used, but it is unclear whether this method is still used and to what extent. Cells can also be taken from living animals. The cells are then 'grown' in nutrient solution in a bioreactor, which causes them to grow.

Source: Wikipedia, Djurens Rätt

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British pupils in minority at one in four schools

Population replacement in the West

Published 9 June 2025
– By Editorial Staff
In 72 schools, there are no longer any white pupils at all - and in hundreds of others, there are only a small number of white pupils.
2 minute read

White British children are now in the minority in a quarter of all schools in England, according to an analysis by The Telegraph based on official school statistics from early 2025.

Of the more than 21,500 schools included in the statistics, 72 have no white pupils at all, while in another 454 schools they make up less than two percent of the student body.

The demographic transformation is most noticeable in the country’s larger cities. At Rockwood Academy in Birmingham, none of the school’s 1,084 pupils were registered as “white British”, according to the newspaper. At Loxford School in Redbridge, east London, only 12 of the school’s 2,779 pupils were white British.

The trend is particularly prominent in areas such as London, Birmingham, Manchester, Bradford, and Leicester. In London, white British children are in the minority in all but one of the 32 boroughs Bromley where they account for 50.3 percent of the population. In Newham and Harrow, the corresponding figures are as low as five and seven percent, respectively.

The school census data demonstrates that the white British share of the young population is in decline in many areas”, writes the newspaper.

“A nation of strangers”

Recently, The Nordic Times drew attention to another British report that predicts that white Britons as a group will be in the minority in the UK as early as the beginning of the 2060s. The forecast is based on analyses of migration, birth rates, and mortality, and indicates that the proportion of white Britons could decline from around 73 percent today to around 33.7 percent by the end of the century.

The study was conducted by Professor Matt Goodwin at Buckingham University. He believes that this development raises “deep questions about Britain’s ability to absorb and manage this scale of demographic change“.

Goodwin also warns that the trend is likely to cause “considerable anxiety, concern and political opposition” among voters – something he believes the country must actively address to avoid “considerable political turbulence and polarisation in the years and decades to come”.

– By the end of this century, most people on these islands will not be able to trace their roots in this country back more than one or two generations. This raises enormous questions about our leaders’ ability to bring people together around a common identity, values and culture, and avoid the risk of becoming what Sir Keir Starmer called in May ‘a nation of strangers’“, he notes.

Thousands rally in London to oppose welfare cuts

Welfare collapse

Published 9 June 2025
– By Editorial Staff
2 minute read

Thousands of people demonstrated in London on Saturday, June 7, against the Labour government’s decision to cut welfare spending while increasing defense spending. The protest challenges the British government’s economic priorities.

The demonstration was organized by the People’s Assembly and the Stop the War Coalition under the slogan “Welfare Not Warfare” and stretched from Portland Place to Whitehall, reports The Independent.

The protests criticize Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s decision to increase defense spending to 2.5 percent of GDP by 2027–2028, with a target of 3 percent in the next term, according to the new Strategic Defense Review.

At the same time, the government has proposed removing the winter fuel allowance, maintaining the two-child limit for benefits, and cutting support for people with disabilities.

The organizers describe these decisions as political rather than necessary economic choices.

Healthcare, housing, and education

Martin Cavanagh, president of the Public and Commercial Services Union, called in his speech for resources to be redirected to healthcare, housing, and education.

The demonstration was lined with union flags and placards bearing slogans such as “Tax the Rich”, “No to Austerity 2.0”, and “Nurses not nukes”.

Angela Grant from the DWP group emphasized that many people are suffering from hunger and inadequate healthcare, while the government is increasing military spending.

According to reports, support for the demonstration came from large parts of the UK, with buses bringing activists to London.

The Labour government: Increased security threat

The government justifies its priorities with an increased security threat from Russia, citing, among other things, the planned military aid to Ukraine, which includes large quantities of drones. Critics, including several trade unions, argue that welfare is being sacrificed for military ambitions.

The protest followed earlier demonstrations since Keir Starmer took office as prime minister, and discontent has grown after budget proposals and adjustments that protesters say will worsen welfare for ordinary people.

The protesters ended with a clear demand: the government must reconsider its priorities and provide more support for social needs.

While Labour emphasizes national defense preparedness as a priority, concerns about the future of welfare are growing – which the protests clearly signal.

White Britons will be in the minority in 40 years

Population replacement in the West

Published 6 June 2025
– By Editorial Staff
Pakistani protesters in London - a common sight.
2 minute read

A new report predicts that white Britons will be a minority in Britain within four decades.

By analyzing migration, birth rates and mortality by the end of the century, researchers conclude that the proportion of white Britons could fall from today’s 73% to 57% by 2050 – and fall below 50% by 2063.

The research is led by Professor Matt Goodwin of Buckingham University. According to the analysis, the proportion of white British people could fall as low as 33.7% by the end of the century.

Meanwhile, the proportion of foreign-born and second-generation immigrants is expected to rise from less than 20% to 33.5% within the next 25 years. By 2100, it is estimated that six out of ten UK residents will either have been born abroad or have at least one immigrant parent. The Muslim population, currently around 7%, is expected to grow to 11.2% in 25 years, reaching 19.2% by the turn of the century.

Professor Goodwin, also an honorary professor at Kent University, stresses that the research is based on data from the UK Office for National Statistics and the 2022 census. He says the projections raise “deep questions about Britain’s ability to absorb and manage this scale of demographic change“.

According to him, the development risks raising “considerable anxiety, concern and political opposition” among voters who advocate reducing immigration to preserve “the symbols, traditions, culture and ways of life of the traditional majority group“.

“A nation of strangers”

– Their concerns will need to be acknowledged, respected and addressed if Britain is to avoid considerable political turbulence and polarisation in the years and decades to come, he stresses.

The report is published in the wake of record net migration of 906,000 under the ostensibly Conservative Tory government in 2023. Meanwhile, Labour has unveiled a White Paper in June with proposals to restrict migrants’ rights to live, work and study in the country but many are skeptical that politicians really have the will to stop, or even slow down, mass migration.

– By the end of this century, most people on these islands will not be able to trace their roots in this country back more than one or two generations. This raises enormous questions about our leaders’ ability to bring people together around a common identity, values and culture, and avoid the risk of becoming what Sir Keir Starmer called in May ‘a nation of strangers’, the researcher stresses.

The 2022 census already revealed that whites have become a minority in major British cities such as London and Birmingham. London in particular has been ruled for the past 10 years by the British-Pakistani mayor Sadiq Khan who himself is very much in favor of mass immigration from the Third World.

– Our capital’s diversity is our greatest strength, he said a few years ago, expressing disappointment that this diversity was not celebrated wholeheartedly enough – and that many of London’s streets and public spaces still bore names associated with the colonial era.

EU diplomat accuses von der Leyen of power grab

Published 5 June 2025
– By Editorial Staff
Michel Barnier and Ursula von der Leyen during a meeting last year.
2 minute read

The former EU chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier sharply criticizes Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in a new book. He accuses her of leading the European Commission in an “authoritarian drift” over the past six years.

Barnier argues that von der Leyen strives to “decide everything” herself and warns of a trend whereby power in the Union is slipping further and further away from citizens.

The book, What I Have Learnt from You, was released on Wednesday and chronicles Barnier’s time in Brussels as well as his brief stint as France’s prime minister.

According to the Frenchman, during her time as Commission President, von der Leyen has made great efforts to centralize power within the EU and ensure that she herself has maximum influence.

– There isn’t enough listening. There isn’t enough listening to the people, he said in an interview with Politico.

Barnier says that under von der Leyen’s rule, Commissioners are increasingly acting as “super technocrats” rather than as political representatives. He highlights over-regulation and the slow progress in integrating EU capital markets as examples of what he sees as major failures.

Sidelined

Although both Barnier and von der Leyen belong to the liberal-conservative EPP group, their relationship has been tense, not least during the final phase of Brexit negotiations in 2020. According to Barnier, he was sidelined by von der Leyen as talks with then UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson entered their final stages.

– I thought it would be normal, after the work I’d done, to be by her side in the last hours. But it was not the case, he said.

He also described how von der Leyen was willing to sacrifice the interests of European fishermen to reach a trade agreement with the UK. Fisheries became, according to Barnier, “a secondary, possibly even marginal” issue for her. To protect fishing rights, he says he had to get French President Emmanuel Macron to threaten a veto if a deal was not reached.

Unlikely presidential candidate

Barnier also writes that von der Leyen completely ignored his resignation from the Commission in 2021.

– Decidedly, we do not have the same concept of work and human relationships.

Michel Barnier is best known in Brussels for his work on Brexit and his recurring slogan “the clock is ticking“. He was Prime Minister of France for only three months the shortest term in modern times. With the launch of the book, his name has started to be mentioned in the French press as a possible, albeit unlikely, candidate in the 2027 presidential elections.

A spokesperson for the European Commission has declined to comment on the allegations.

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