Europe - Socialist Action

German election again confirms increasing Western political turbulence

3rd October 2017 Socialist Action 0

By John Ross

The outcome of the 24 September German elections was dramatic itself. The Christian Democratic Union/Christian Social Union’s (CDU/CSU’s) 33 per cent was its lowest per centage of the vote since the first election in West Germany in 1949. The German Social Democratic Party (SPD) result was even worse – at 20.5 per cent it was the lowest vote ever recorded by the SPD in any election in West Germany or the reunited Germany. The extreme rightest Alliance for Germany (AfD) received 13.5 per cent of the vote – the highest for an extreme rightest party in Germany since World War II. The radical left Left Party received 9.2 per cent of the vote.

There can be no return to the status quo

11th July 2017 Socialist Action 0

The following piece on why the power sharing talks have halted, by Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams, was originally published here on his regular Léargas blog.

North Down UDA commander Dee Stitt with DUP Leader Arlene Foster

Grubby details of CON/DUP will undermine Good Friday Agreement

29th June 2017 Socialist Action 0

By Ian Richardson

Most of the reaction to the agreement between the Tories and the DUP has been anger. Critics are fully justified as an effective bribe has been made to keep Theresa May in office, at a time when public services across Britain continue to be cut.

Uniting Ireland – an agreed future

29th June 2017 Socialist Action 0

The following speech by Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams, with preceding extracts from the speech, sets out an agenda for Irish unity, which was previously published here by Sinn Féin.

DUP dawdles behind Tories into cul-de-sac

16th June 2017 Socialist Action 0

By Stephen Bell

At the time of writing, the leader of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), Arlene Foster, has stated that: ‘Discussions are going well with the government and we hope soon to be able to bring this work to a successful conclusion’. Providing the essential number of MPs to maintain a minority Tory government gives a degree influence which the DUP probably did not anticipate.

Macron may have won, but he will fail

13th May 2017 Socialist Action 0

By Jane West

The French presidential elections ended with Macron sweeping into the Élysée Palace on 66 per cent of the vote, and Le Pen roundly defeated. But this is the beginning, not the end. Macron has no alternative to the politics of austerity that have destroyed the Socialist Party, and therefore he will fail. His popularity will be short-lived and the fight between the left and the far right as to which will succeed in hegemonising the increasing alienated French electorate will break out with renewed force.