Europinion

Rachel Reeves delivered a veritable budget bombshell this week when she took Britain’s record-breaking modern tax take and slapped £40 billion on top. National Insurance levies and capital gains fiddling dominated the headlines. It is the bus fare cap increase, however, which may well turn out to impact most heavily upon the poorest on Albion’s shores. Abhay Venkitaraman meticulously undoes the web of half-truths spun to justify the cap increase, stressing how this latest blow to the long-suffering bus services of Britain saves not a tenth of what is being spent subsidising motorists via the Fuel Duty freeze. Though acknowledging that many of the purported carbon emissions benefits of the fare cap stood on shaky economic ground at best, Venkitaraman nevertheless reveals the increase to be political and environmental self-indulgence. Ultimately, Venkitaraman laments this thoughtless step backwards by a government often overly keen to pledge publicly its fealty to green policymaking and working people. #Labour #RachelReeves #Budget #UnitedKingdom https://lnkd.in/ep7TT9Qr

BREAKING NEWS: Kemi Badenoch elected as Conservative Party Leader #ConservativeParty #KemiBadenoch #BritishPolitics https://lnkd.in/ej9XStBh

The Nordic countries have long been integral to the fabric of European security, and with NATO's evolving role, their contributions have become more critical than ever. Europinion invites you to join us in an in-depth discussion on how Norway, Denmark, and Iceland, shape, support, and challenge the Alliance's priorities. 🗓 Date: 6 November 2024 📍 Location: Online 🗣️ Panellists: Prof. Marianne Riddervold, Dr. Jamie Shea CMG, Kristmundur Þór Ólafsson, Dr. Hans Mouritzen 🎙️ Moderator: Samuel C. Join leading experts and policy analysts as they explore: 🔹 The strategic interests of Norway, Denmark, and Iceland within NATO 🔹 Regional cooperation in light of recent global tensions 🔹 The future of Nordic countries' defence strategies amidst shifting security landscapes Whether you’re a policy professional, student, or simply interested in Nordic security dynamics, this event offers a unique opportunity to gain insights into the contributions and challenges facing these NATO members. Don’t miss out on this chance to delve into the evolving role of the Nordics in NATO! #NordicsInNATO #EuropeanSecurity #NATOSummit #Europinion #NordicRegion

The rules-based international order is fraying at its edges and bursting at the seams, ravaged to breaking point by ascendant power and value systems like BRICS and rapid erosion of the West’s moral ‘high ground’ primarily by US bellicosity and Israeli atrocities. Devin O'Sullivan views the recent BRICS summit in Kazan, Russia, as a pivotal moment in shaping this emerging multipolar landscape. Through this fine-grained analysis, O’Sullivan sheds light on how BRICS countries, each with unique yet oddly compatible interests, are moving beyond historical disputes to fortify alliances in areas like economic integration and regional security. O’Sullivan’s comprehensive analysis ultimately emphasises the transformative potential of BRICS within the global order, contextualising these developments within the broader implications for U.S. foreign policy, concludes by suggesting that we truly are listening to the unipolar age’s death rattle. #BRICS #Multipolarity #Geopolitics #UnitedStates #Russia #China https://lnkd.in/eFgJYUgA

🌎 Just in time for November 5th, The Ballot Brief has you covered on the pivotal US Election 2024! 🎙️ In this episode, we dive into the dynamics between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump, examining where they stand on key issues like the economy, healthcare, foreign policy, and the future of democracy itself. From battleground state strategies to how character shapes campaigns, we unpack it all. Is the US headed for change or continuity? Tune in to get the full breakdown and make sense of what’s at stake! Presented by: Adélie Aubin https://lnkd.in/e8Esk3z5 #USElections2024 #TheBallotBrief #KamalaHarris #DonaldTrump #SwingStates #GlobalPolitics #Economy #Healthcare #ElectionCountdown #PodcastEpisode

Today, Rachel Reeves delivered her first Budget - Labour's first Budget in 14 years. After significant speculation, Reeves increased Employers' National Insurance as predicted as part of a £40 billion tax hike, but backed out of other rumoured policy changes - including raising fuel duty, which had been met with backlash. Daniel Sillett unapologetically condemns Reeves' Budget. Sillett argues that Labour have increased taxes on working people by stealth, claiming raising taxes on businesses will harm job creation, especially impacting young people. Sillett paints a picture of national disaster following no Winter Fuel Payments for pensioners, increased bus travel costs, and VAT on private schools flooding the state sector with students in January. Ultimately, Sillett concludes that Reeves' Budget is about the state's shackles weighing down on British people and businesses, harming the country's prospects. Consequently, Sillett argues that today was a dark day for Britain. Read the full article below. https://lnkd.in/e4ere5g5 #Reeves #Budget #Labour #UK #Politics #News #Budget2024 #Starmer

The US Presidential election has been justifiably sold as a knife’s edge affair closer than any election since 2000, and in the eyes of many commentators the closest in living memory. Latinos command this balance, particularly in the swing states of Arizona and Nevada, where they comprise a quarter and a fifth of the electorate respectively. Víctor Elizondo Lomelí takes us on a whistlestop tour of where the Latino vote sits today and how it has carved out its bellwether role over the decades. Illuminating his analysis with a number of comparative infographics to reconcile the Latino vote’s consistently Democratic lean with its nonetheless pivotal role, Elizondo explores the oddity of rising Latino support for Trump notwithstanding the contempt he and the broader Republican party exhibit towards them. Ultimately, it is the unmistakably unique heterogeneity and dynamism of the Latino vote which sets it apart, and makes its kingmaking role so fantastically unpredictable. #UnitedStates #USElection #US2024 #Latinos #Latinos4Trump https://lnkd.in/eKQW_Jxd

The European Parliament elections have now had months to bed in. Any hopes that the acrimony will fade, the fault lines between and within intractably opposed parties will dissipate, have been sorely disappointed. Víctor Elizondo Lomelí leaves us in no doubt that the fractured European Parliament is emblematic of the divisions between member states at large, and therefore begs the question of whether the European Union remains worthy of its name. Readers will be struck by quite how political Elizondo’s analysis is. His reading of Europe’s malaise, of the terribly difficult choices it must face up to, attributes these challenges to a clash of democratic wills, rather than more economic or material considerations. Ultimately the instability, the gap between a united past and an uncertain future which Europe presently occupies so unsteadily, is what gives Elizondo’s account of Europe’s political direction its indeterminacy, and thus its quality of hope. #EuropeanUnion #Brussels #Democracy #Politics https://lnkd.in/eFXsMjjD

Few peoples would not leap for joy were they to discover rivers of gold criss-crossing much of the country beneath their feet. For Ghana, however, it is a curse, one that seeps poison into its people and the nation’s forests and savannas, often through small-scale illegal gold mining known as Galamsey. Arsima B. explores Ghanaian gold mining’s troubled history and contemporary horrors, stressing how Galamsey’s ever-accelerating expansion is happening with what amounts to tacit governmental consent. Having outlined the gauntlet Ghana must now run to rescue its water supply by 2030, Arsima explores the cost to human health and indeed human life Galamsey inflicts, whilst acknowledging that millions of Ghanaians depend on Galamsey to put food on the table. Ultimately, with domestic politicians reluctant to tackle a practice which is at once catastrophic and lucrative, Arsima argues that only jerking the international media out of its apathy can give domestic activists and protestors the means to wean Ghana off of its golden poison. #Ghana #Galamsey #GoldMining #Africa https://lnkd.in/e5sPfB5Z

As Georgia prepares for its 2024 parliamentary elections, the country faces a crossroads between pro-European aspirations and closer ties with Russia and China. This election, conducted under a new proportional representation system, is seen as a test of Georgia’s democratic integrity. Patrick René Haasler argues that the Georgian Dream’s recent “Law on Transparency of Foreign Influence” is emblematic of its push to curb the influence of Western-funded NGOs, framing it as essential for national sovereignty. He analyses how the ruling party presents this as a defence against foreign agendas, while critics warn it restricts civic freedoms, potentially jeopardising Georgia’s EU accession. Ultimately, Hassler suggests that this election will determine whether Georgia’s future lies with the EU or a more Eastern-aligned path, impacting both its identity and regional role. #Georgia #EuropeanUnion #Russia #Elections #Tbilisi https://lnkd.in/exCqGX-W