Thierry Baudet Matt Ridley FIGHTING THE REAL THE DUTCH DANGER TO “PARTY THE PLANET CARTEL” IS SOCIALISM p.19 ACRE senior delegation at CPAC p.31 p.17

Issue #2 | March 2019

A fortnightly Newspaper by the Alliance of Conservatives and Reformists in Europe (ACRE) | theconservative.online

An Interview with ACRE’s Frateli d’Italia Spitzenkandidat Jan Zahradil ACRE GROWS ACROSS EUROPE “Our voice and vision for a reformed EU must be heard.” p.2

Alejo Vidal-Quadras CATALAN NATIONALISM, LIKE ALL NATIONALISM, With only a few months to IS ETHICALLY the European elections, in ABHORRENT Catalan nationalism is one of sep- which the Members of the aration and not of unification, as were the German, British or Italian European Parliament are nationalisms, which managed to chosen and which also – build large-scale nations merging smaller political entities. p.29 indirectly – determine who is to be the next President of the Conservative Environmentalism European Commission, we MARKET INSTITUTIONS talk to Jan Zahradil, the only NEVER EVOLVED Spitzenkandidat who – as a FOR THE matter of principle – opposes ENVIRONMENT by Fred Smith & Iain Murray p.18 the Spitzenkandidat method of choosing the top job. Spitzenkandidat JAN ZAHRADIL Before we discuss the issues, what is a political party that manages to secure the state and national governments – not the lost many opportunities to communicate Campaign Diary Spitzenkandidat and what is the Spit- largest number of seats in the next Euro- European Parliament. our programme and goals to the voters. In music the audience cannot zenkandidat process? pean Parliament will be approved by In 2014, when this process was intro- By refusing to play the game in Brussels, possibly enjoy the performance if The German word “Spitzenkandidat” the Parliament as the new Commission duced, ACRE did not nominate a Spit- we were not on a level playing field with the instruments are out of tune. may sound bizarre, but it literally trans- President. zenkandidat. We did not believe that the establishment parties. And it is the same in politics and lates as “lead candidate”. The Spitzen- the process would encourage a genuine We still stand by our principle and sup- in the EU. p.22 kandidat process is the procedure for But despite being a Spitzenkandidat debate on the future of Europe, but that port the right of the Council to nominate choosing the next President of the Euro- you are decidedly against this pro- it would assist the federalists in their its preferred candidate for the Commis- pean Commission, the post currently cess. Why? attempt to turn the Commission into a sion President. But this year ACRE also Conservative Icons held by Jean-Claude Juncker. It works Because I respect the rules. And the regular government. has nominated a Spitzenkandidat to like this: the European political parties, Treaties clearly state who is in charge of Unfortunately, by not having a lead challenge the establishment. And this is a RAYMOND ARON ahead of the European elections, appoint picking the EC President. It is the Euro- candidate, we were excluded from many serious bid with real resources. by Roger Kimball lead candidates. And the candidate of the pean Council – the summit of heads of media events and debates and thereby FULL INTERVIEW ON p.20 The fact that Aron was hated by the Left does not mean that he was a partisan of the Right. p.24 CONSERVATIVE VOX LEADING THE POPULAR ENVIRONMENTALISM PROSECUTION AGAINST Conservative Music CATALAN SEPARATIST LEADERS SCOTTISH ox has taken up the tradition Popular prosecution, as a legal proce- MUSICAL of using the right Spanish law dure, has gained popularity in the past FASCISTS V grants ordinary citizens and civil decade. For example, the leaders of the by Damian Thompson groups to file criminal complaints and party UPyD, a small centrist party that Supreme Court case in which Catalan I suspect what Shaw means – and become party to legal cases, to get trac- once had local, regional, national and separatist leaders will have to answer wants – is nationalist music. That tion in the media. The legal provision is European representation, pursued popu- for their failed secession bid. Among the describes Bartok’s early symphonic lar prosecution against Bankia, a savings charges brought against them are those known as acusación popular and roughly poem Kossuth, written when Hun- translates as popular prosecution. This bank conglomerate, that was saved from of sedition, rebellion and misappropri- gary was a Habsburg kingdom, but does not replace the formal prosecutorial bankruptcy with a loan of 20 billion euros ation of public funds. State prosecutors it sounds more like gypsified Rich- system but complements it. A citizen or from the Spanish taxpayers. will be joined in the prosecution by Vox, civil group can join in the effort to inves- In recent days, the popular prosecu- the rising conservative party led by San- ard Strauss than mature Bartok. SPECIAL FEATURE tigate whether a crime has been commit- tion procedure has once again become tiago Abascal. Stravinsky wrote none. p.29 ted and assist in its prosecution. relevant, this time in relation to the FULL ARTICLE ON p.11 2 EDITORIAL theconservative.online theconservative.online EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT 3

ACRE welcomes a new member to the Conservative family Morten Messerschmidt MEP ECR Group Voters turning their backs on EU yet MEPs Debout la France and Frateli d’Italia call for further integration Forum for Democracy Fratelli d’Italia (FDI, Brothers of Italy) has become the newest member Brussels is refusing to listen to the certain countries, such as Denmark’s set to join ECR of the Alliance of European Conservatives and Reformists in Europe. real concerns of voters, warned opt-out of the Euro, purely as a vehi- Carbon ECR MEP Morten Messerschmidt cle to allow others to integrate before after a series of votes in the all Member States eventually sign up European Parliament during the and believes a country should not be last plenary session in February. able to block such cooperation initia- tives in the Council if they are not tak- EPs were voting on pro- ing part. Also included are calls for the “EU opt-outs exist for a reason. Some posals put forward by the removal of national vetoes over taxa- countries, and their citizens, were not CAPTURE Constitutional Affairs Com- tion and foreign policy, both ideas that willing to integrate in certain areas but CONSERVATIVE CLIMATE CONSERVATION M mittee that repeated a number of pre- have been rejected on multiple occa- they were at the same time prepared vious, and already rejected, calls such as sions in Member State capitals. to allow others to do so, as long as they by Richard Milsom the removal of Member State opt-outs, Speaking after the vote, Messer- weren’t part of it. It is unacceptable that the creation of transnational election schmidt said: MEPs want to break these long estab- lists and an EU-wide ‘Europe Day’ bank “There is nothing new in these pro- lished constitutional settlements, which holiday. posals and they have already been would in turn break the trust of their t is not the role of the political system to and more inventive than regulators with lim- The overall objective of the reports, rejected time and time again. Recent voters. adjudicate science. Politicians will nat- ited imaginations. It will seek to safeguard the one of which included a wider ‘Future elections and referendums have shown “The EU needs to reform and work urally favour the science that gives their future through the example of the past and the of Europe’ paper, were supposedly that voters are increasingly turn- for, rather than against its Member preferred outcome. In the climate change energies of the present. Conservatives should aimed at ‘reinforcing the integra- ing their backs on ever more creep- States. Setting your own foreign pol- Idebate, green progressives claim that the sky argue for policies that reduce the harms of cli- tion process’ and sees the community ing centralisation at EU level. Yet the icy is an essential part of being a sover- is falling and urge immediate drastic socie- mate change by fostering a system of legal cer- method of governance as superior response from Brussels always seems eign country and no country risk being tal change by citing the most improbable cli- tainty, property rights and modest regulation. to the intergovernmental approach to be ‘more of the same’ and all it does undermined by giving up their veto mate scenarios. Prominent progressives have It is through these institutions that society will favoured by the ECR Group. It views is show people that politicians aren’t to allow international relations to be icolas Dupont-Aignan, who the strongest voice for securing real compared global warming to an “asteroid col- create the environment most conducive to the the current opt-outs that exist for listening. directed from Brussels.” ■ leads French party Debout change and genuine reform in Europe.” liding with the earth”. creation of breakthrough N la France, and Thierry Bau- Nicolas Dupont-Aignan said: “This Similarly, some con- energy technologies, by det, who leads Dutch party Forum for is the first time that a French sovreign- servatives quote fringe enabling would-be inno- Democracy, announced their inten- tist movement brings together all the science to claim that cli- Fighting climate vators to learn through tion at a press conference in Paris euro-realist partners to Paris. We have mate change is a “hoax”. trial and error. to join the ECR Group following the never been against Europe and cooper- Where there is a widely change through In the last decade the European elections in May 2019. Both ation, we support a Europe of indepen- held scientific opinion, piecemeal innovation development of new he Italian national-conservative party presented declarations with ECR dent nations. Times are changing, the we should acknowledge technology has done officially joined the conservative alliance FRATELLI D’ ITALIA co-chair professor Ryszard Legutko bureaucrats and federalists are losing and respect that opinion. will never be as sexy more than anything else during its La Convenzione Blu Council that outlined their shared views on their monopoly in Brussels. We offer a T nd BROTHERS OF ITALY The most authorita- as self-flagellation. to substantially reduce Meeting & Summit held in Rome on 22 Febru- Europe. different path, that respects national tive predictions fore- carbon emissions. We are ary 2019. Fratelli d’ Italia is a national-conservative Speaking after the announcement, democracies and offers flexible coop- cast serious and undesirable changes over the starting to see the next wave of carbon reduction Speaking to a packed gathered for the Sum- political party founded in 2012 and with a Prof Legutko said: eration among European states.” course of the next couple of generations. Mod- technologies; this time centred around methods mit, the leader of Fratelli d’Italia Georgia Mel- national representation of 32 out of 630 in “I am delighted that Debout La Thierry Baudet added: “The ECR erate IPCC scenarios predict that global tem- to remove carbon from the atmosphere. Such oni said: Parliament and 18 out of 315 in the Senate. France and Forum for Democracy have Group have proven themselves to peratures will rise two degrees and reduce the technologies are game-changers, in the same “We have a clear vision for the type of the Fratelli d’ Italia is a Movement that aims to announced their intention to join the be the only credible voice for a turn- world’s annual economic GDP by 0.2 to 2.0 per way that fracking technology has substantially Europe we want. A Europe that is not based implement a political program that, based ECR after the elections. They share our around in Brussels and for a Europe cent by the end of the century (relative to what it reduced US carbon emissions in the last decade on ideology or utopia but realism. A Europe of on the principles of popular sovereignty, belief that the EU has overreached and that respects its Member States. We otherwise would have been). The expected tem- without any intervention from Washington. homelands. A confederation of free and sover- freedom, democracy, justice, social soli- that the days of ever more centralisa- cannot continue to ignore voters who perature increase in the least optimistic scenario The fundamental question is how to bring eign states.” darity, merit and fiscal equity, is inspired tion in Brussels must end. in election after election have called would be closer to four degrees. The median about more technological game-changers. The Meloni touched upon the fact that it will be by a spiritual vision of life and values of​​ “The ECR Group will continue for change but yet continue to see more IPCC estimate is that three to five degrees of three core elements of the evolution of US frack- the Polish Law and Justice Party who are set to the national tradition, liberal and popular, to grow into and beyond the Euro- and more powers transferred to the warming would reduce yearly global GDP by ing technology were: free markets and strong become the largest force in the post Brexit and and participates in the construction of the pean elections in May and will be EU. This has to stop.” ■ approximately 3.6 per cent by the end of the cen- property rights; innovative start-ups with inde- post European election ECR Group. Europe of Peoples. In November 2018 the tury. None of these outcomes can be classified as pendent financing; and government support for “We want to build a privileged relationship party agreed to join the European Conser- an economic disaster, especially given that the research in the development of speculative tech- with our friends from the Visegrad Group who vatives and Reformists (ECR) group in the Syed Kamall MEP world at the end of the century will be very much nology. Government fulfilled the role of catalyst are a model example of how to be part of Europe European Parliament. richer. The key take home of the IPCC reports rather than of manager. with your head held high.” The leader of Fratelli d’Italia is Giorgia is that the challenge posed by climate change is There is no reason why we should only seek to She concluded: “I believe we have an opportu- Meloni an Italian politician and journalist. Trade deal with Singapore real but that it can be managed through our tra- encourage technologies that lower carbon use. nity to really change things.” Meloni served also as Minister of Youth in ditional democratic institutions. We should also devote substantial government Jan Zahradil, ACRE’s President and can- Silvio Berlusconi’s fourth government and opens door to EU trade The best approach to the problem of cli- resources to encouraging universities and com- didate for the European Commission Pres- president of Young Italy, the youth section mate change is rooted in deeply held conserva- panies to research engineering technologies that idency, welcomed their new ally, stressing of The People of Freedom. She is also the with southeast Asia tive ideas. The progressive’s eternal solution to can remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. that Italy will play a crucial role in the next co-founder of the party, along with Guido every new problem, the expansion of centralised Carbon capture technology can mitigate damage European elections as well as in the future of Crosetto and Ignazio La Russa, and on 8 Following years of negotiations and delays after the EU insisted on state power and empowerment of expert admin- until cleaner energy is sufficiently effective to Europe: March 2014, she was elected president of reopening negotiations after agreement had been reached in 2014, istrators, will only exacerbate the problem. be competitive in the market. And, if the carbon “Our voice and vision for a reformed EU must the party. She has been a member of the the long-awaited trade deal between the EU and Singapore has Conservatives should instead embrace new sci- taxes that are so beloved by economists are used be heard. We need to counter the generic argu- Chamber of Deputies of Italy since 2006. finally received the green light by the European Parliament. entific insights offering superior, market-based to encourage development of those green tech- ments of the other parties, who regardless of alternatives. nologies, the revenues could be rebated back to the frontman, all want the same thing - more he EU will eliminate tariffs on offices there, and 50,000 EU compa- If we are to seek to reduce the damage of households, not used to expand the state. Europe.” Fratelli d’Italia’s current MEPs have sat all imports from Singapore nies already export to Singapore. greenhouse gases 100 years from now, we will As conservatives we favour conservation. “In Fratelli d’Italia and its leader Georgia Mel- with the European Conservatives and Reform- T over a period of five years. Sin- Dr Kamall said: “Today’s Singapore have to take account of large structural shifts due That also mean fighting climate change. But as oni we have found an important ally who shares ists Group in the European Parliament since gapore will grant immediate duty-free is a vibrant hub of transport, logistics to technological innovation. The best approach conservative we believe in using the least intru- our idea of reformed EU. I am confident about autumn 2018 when they formed an official coa- access for all imports from the EU. The and tech businesses. It is a gateway to to reducing the impact of climate change will sive and most effective methods rather than the the success of Fratelli d’Italia and conservative lition with another Italian conservative party - deal will also see the removal of a num- the dynamically growing southeast be rooted in reliable science and built on the totemic large-scale top-down approach so often forces across the EU in the next European elec- Direction Italy. Direction Italy’s leader Rafaelle ber of non-tariff measures between the Asia region and removing the trade tried policies of economic growth. It will rec- favoured by progressive greens. Sadly, fighting tions. Together we will be able to reform the Fitto is one of the ECR Group’s Vice-Chairmen, EU and Singapore, improving access barriers will give the much-needed ognise that society as a whole, working through climate change through piecemeal innovation European Union and put member states back in Vice President of New Direction and now the for exporters of pharmaceuticals and impetus to both our economies.” its established institutions, is more adaptable will never be as sexy as self-flagellation. ■ charge.” Vice-President of ACRE. ■ electronics. “While I am pleased we have finally Syed Kamall, co-Chairman of passed this deal, it should really have the ECR Group who was previously been agreed in 2014. I want to thank the the lead MEP for the parliament on Singaporeans for their patience when EU-Singapore team, said the deal in 2014 the EU insisted on re-opening DISCLAIMER EDITORIAL BOARD HOW TO CONTACT US means a host of new business negotiations after both parties had Alliance of Conservatives & EDITOR opportunities for European initialled a deal. Let us hope Reformists in Europe (ACRE) is a ADDRESS Alliance of Conservatives & companies. More than that the EU does not act in Belgian EUPP No: 0820.208.739, Richard Milsom Reformists in Europe (ACRE) 10,000 EU businesses such bad faith for future recognised and partially funded by MANAGING EDITOR Rue du Trone 4, B-1000, The Conservative is a fortnightly newspaper available in print have their regional trade agreements.” ■ and online, owned by the Alliance of the Conservatives and the European Parliament. Themistoklis Asthenidis Brussels, Belgium Reformists in Europe (ACRE). ADVISORY BOARD The views and opinions expressed WEB theconservative.online Jan Zahradil MEP in the publication are solely those EMAIL [email protected] The Conservative can be read online at theconservative.online Anna Fotyga MEP of individual authors and should not Raffaele Fitto MEP be regarded as reflecting any official INFORMATION FOR AUTHORS REPRODUCTION RIGHTS Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown MP opinion or position of the Alliance All content and materials of The Conservative are copyrighted, Prof Ryszard Legutko MEP of Conservatives and Reformists Please address submissions and unless otherwise stated. For permission to republish articles Daniel Hannan MEP appearing in The Conservative, please contact the Managing in Europe (ACRE), its leadership, letters to the editor to: Editor at [email protected]. members or staff, or of the DESIGN Managing Editor / The Conservative European Parliament. VIDEOR o.d. (videor.ba) EMAIL [email protected] twitter.com/ facebook.com/ instagram.com/ ZahradilJan jzahradil jan.zahradil 4 EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT theconservative.online theconservative.online EUROPEAN NEWS 5 Roberts Zīle MEP British foreign Law and Justice Party boost Better competition and secretary support for families and less discrimination for Hunt’s Brexit pensioners coach service speech oland’s ruling Law and Jus- tice Party has unveiled plans ECR MEP Roberts Zīle’s report aimed at liberalising coach in Berlin P to boost subsidies for families and bus markets throughout the EU has been approved and spending on pensions as part of by the European Parliament. an election-year stimulus package ritain’s foreign secretary Jeremy worth as much as 40 billion zloty elcoming the outcome, which procedures across the EU, setting clear Hunt told a German audience at ($10.5 billion). should help new entrants deadlines for decisions and replies. B the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung Party leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski, W enter previously closed Rules are defined on carriers’ access to in the German capital that securing an told the gathering the 500+ pro- domestic markets, Zile said: “We have bus terminals. An independent regula- orderly British departure from the Euro- gramme which supports families voted to take the first steps towards inte- tory authority will be designated in each pean Union is “of paramount impor- with two or more children with grating the coach market, but at the same EU country to handle authorisations, tance.” But stressed that that there would 500 zloty a month per child will time ensured that certain well function- and to ensure transparency of deci- have to be changes to the already-negoti- be expanded, and pensioners will ing national services are protected,” sions and non-discrimination by termi- ated withdrawal agreement after British receive an additional 1,100 zloty in Zīle, who will now steer the proposals nal operators. To ensure that services lawmakers rejected it. April, which will be repeated in 2020 budget deficit to below 1 percent of through negotiations with the Council run under public service obligations are Hunt said failing to secure a ratified and 2021. These new benefits for gross domestic product, a record stresses that while the report maintains not undermined, new clauses have been agreement “would be deeply damag- families’ children are set to kick-in low, providing some room for fiscal the underlying spirit of the proposal, introduced allowing authorisations to ing, economically and politically.” But from July. expansion. “We know how to finance it also ensures takes into account cur- be declined if they will undermine pub- stressed that standing back and hoping Kaczyński also announced that this great programme,” Prime Min- rent public service contracts in mem- licly contracted services, while urban that Brexit would solves itself would people under 26 would be exempt ister Mateusz Morawiecki told the ber states are not undermined, and fair and suburban areas are excluded from or arbitrary rules. However, we are only “A lack of competition is always bad and have a positive impact across the not be enough and that pushing back from paying personal income tax. party convention in Warsaw. He competition against the potential abuse the scope of the new rules. proposing to open markets to the point for consumers and the economy in any economy. It was however important to the Brexit deadline would leave both divorce deal he argued. Many Conser- Some on the EU side have viewed such Furthermore, the Government will added that the programme is “a of market power is safeguarded. Zīle continued: that they are compatible with important market, and the bus and coach sector exempt routes in urban areas that form the UK and EU in “paralysis”. vative MPs fear that the backstop would a unilateral exit clause as a betrayal of invest “billions” of zloty to improve fight for the middle class to live at a To provide greater clarity for oper- “Operators of coach services should and established local services, which will is no different. Opening services and part of much wider travel networks and Resolving infamous “Irish back- ‘trap’ Britain in a form of union indefi- Ireland, and EU officials have consis- public transport in rural areas. European level.” More government ators looking to start new services, the be able to freely offer national services benefit taxpayers and most importantly routes to competition would reduce form an important aspect of local com- stop” would allow the government to nitely and have demanded a time limit tently refused to discuss such an exit Poland’s 5.1 percent economic pledges are to be announced in June new rules will harmonise authorisation without being subject to discrimination the passengers. prices for consumers, boost mobility munities.” ■ gain parliamentary support for the EU or a unilateral exit clause be included. clause. ■ growth last year, helped reduce the and July. ■

Anders Vistisen Remo Sernagiotto MEP Poland and Lithuania Parliament migration vote is 22th March 2019 Sofia Bulgaria pledge to step up defence ECR MEPs back the next a huge missed opportunity Erasmus Programme cooperation Proposals aimed at better Speaking after the vote, ECR shadow The heads of defence ministries have signed an agreement between The EU’s student exchange programme Erasmus is exactly the securing the EU’s external rapporteur for the proposals Anders the Minister of National Defence of the Republic of Poland and the type of funding the EU budget should be providing” said ECR MEP borders were dealt a blow, after Vistisen said: Ministry of National Defence of the Republic of Lithuania regarding Remo Sernagiotto after the Parliament’s Culture Committee voted MEPs dramatically watered down “This vote is a huge missed oppor- the establishment of a secure connection enabling the exchange of on its next iteration of the programme. draft laws put forward by the tunity. Our whole migration system sensitive information. European Commission. needs to be more efficient and gain the he committee of MEPs voted on spent by national Erasmus agencies, as public’s trust. However the position the new version of the programme opposed to centralised actions man- ollowing the migration and ref- adopted today does neither. T that will run under the EU’s next aged at EU level. ugee crisis that exposed clear “Asylum applications need to be pro- multi-annual financial framework from Speaking after the vote Sernagiotto, weaknesses in the EU’s exist- cessed quicker as does the return of 2021-27. who followed the proposals for the ECR F ing mechanisms, the Commission put failed applicants. Adding new condi- Since its launch the programme has Group, said: forward plans to make the European tions and fundamental rights clauses, provided opportunities to over 4 million “Erasmus is arguably one of the Border and Coast Guard Agency more which already exist and are in place Europeans to study, train, gain experience EU’s most visible programmes and it’s effective. However, following a vote in elsewhere, don’t actually benefit any- and volunteer abroad and has proved suc- important we get it right. We need to Parliament’s Civil Liberties Commit- one and will make it impossible for the cessful in providing fresh opportunities to keep pushing for better geographical tee, the Agency will be burdened with agency to ever get going and take any students and teachers. distribution and also focus more efforts several new conditions for processing action to secure our borders. Under the new programme the ECR on implementing the principle of inclu- Group has successfully pushed for the sion to ensure that everyone has the principle of openness, whereby associ- same opportunities. ated countries have as much access to “Connecting students and institutions the programme as EU member states. across borders clearly represents genu- ECR also supported increased fund- ine EU added value and Erasmus is the ing for adult and vocational education, type of programme the budget should and for a greater share of money to be be backing.” ■

Ashley Fox MEP pivotal point. AI has the same poten- tial to transform society that the steam engine had three centuries ago. It can “We are at pivotal point. make us more prosperous, healthier and will create jobs we currently don’t even Europe must act to reap know exist. “But just as with steam power, it the benefits of AI.” will be those countries that embrace the technology early that reap the Europe must take steps now to greatest benefits. Governments must ensure it reaps the economic, work with private actors to drive social and technological benefits investment and lay the foundations of Artificial Intelligence (AI). upon which AI can develop to soci- ety’s benefit.” report by ECR MEP Ashley Fox, Mr Fox’s report states the AI should approved by the European Par- be guided by a code of ethics, with rules A liament, highlights the poten- developed to increase the accountability he signing of cooperation doc- initiative on the north-eastern flank of tial benefits of AI in sectors a diverse as and transparency of algorithmic deci- uments took place in the Presi- the alliance. healthcare and finance. sion-making systems. applicants and returns that are already “The European Border and Coast T dential Palace in the presence of The 15th Giżycka Mechanized Bri- It cautions against over-hasty regula- He added: “Whether AI is driving covered in other pieces of legislation. Guard Agency is a border security and President Andrzej Duda and President gade consists of a multinational NATO tion, stresses the need for governments our car or diagnosing a medical con- The management of the EU’s external management agency, not a fundamen- of Lithuania Dalia Grybauskaite who was battalion battle group made up of sol- to work with the private sector and calls dition, new developments must be borders is a shared responsibility, and as tal rights agency. We shouldn’t be try- visiting Poland. diers from the USA, Romania, Great on countries to prepare for AI-linked approached in a way that enables peo- part of the proposals the Agency is set ing to duplicate standards and add Another document signed by the Britain and Croatia, one of four deployed changes to employment patterns by ple to understand and trust the tech- to gain an additional 10,000 operational additional layers of bureaucracy that respective defence ministers is a letter in 2017 as part of strengthening NATO’s adapting their education and welfare nology. Safeguards need to be designed staff and a stronger mandate for return- don’t actually improve rights. All it of intent regarding peace affiliation eastern flank. policies. to prevent AI being used for negative ing migrants as well as improving coop- does is prevent the agency from carry- of a Lithuanian mechanized brigade Before signing the documents, the At a European Union level, the report purposes. eration with third countries. Following ing out its job to effectively manage the and a Polish Mechanized Brigade to ministers talked “in two eyes” and took recommends the establishment of an “The EU should work at a global level the vote in Parliament, the additional EU’s external border and restore faith the command of the Multinational part in the plenary talks of the delega- EU task force providing technical, eth- to achieve these goals.” clauses added to the draft laws would in our immigration system.” North-East Division, which is located tions headed by the President of the ical and regulatory expertise to ensure The report will now pass to the Euro- render the Agency’s attempts at return- The draft laws will now enter insti- in Elbląg. The division is to coordi- Republic of Poland Andrzej Duda and common standards. pean Commission to inform future AI ing individuals incredibly burdensome, tutional negotiations between the Par- nate the activities of NATO battalion the President of the Republic of Lithua- Mr Fox said: “We have arrived at a legislation. ■ before any action has even started. liament and the Council of Ministers. ■ battle groups operating under the eFP nia, Dalia Grybauskaitė. ■ 6 EUROPEAN NEWS theconservative.online theconservative.online EUROPEAN NEWS 7

and collective bargaining the exception. the Spanish Confederation of Business Spain has halved its unemployment rate, Severance pay was been cut down to 20 Organizations, estimates that there Warsaw Conference to Promote a Future days of salary for each year of work and are almost 7,000 labor laws currently but the future looks challenging other bureaucratic requirements have in place. OECD’s Taxing Wages report of Peace and Security in the Middle East been reduced or eliminated. highlights that the fiscal cost of hiring is The research division at BBVA, one higher in Spain than in other developed n February 13-14, Foreign Min- participating countries expressed an Humanitarian issues and human of Spain’s largest banks, estimates that countries. isters and representatives of 62 intention to continue to act collabora- rights: 3 million jobs would have never been Meanwhile, the new Socialist govern- O states met in Warsaw, Poland, tively to promote a more prosperous 6. Humanitarian Issues and Refugees destroyed if these reforms had been ment, led by prime minister Pedro Sán- at a conference organized jointly by the future for the region and its people. 7. Wrongful Detainees and Human enacted earlier. The calculations also chez, has recently passed a dramatic Minister of Foreign Affairs of Poland To this end, Poland and the United Rights indicate that 1 million more people increase of the minimum wage, which and Secretary of State of the United States are pleased to announce the would have lost their job if the labor has jumped 22 percentage points. The States, to work toward a more secure establishment of international work- The co-chairs also welcome the market reform had not been enacted. Bank of Spain warned that this measure and stable Middle East. The partici- ing groups that will drive momentum announcement that the Polish Insti- By introducing some flexibility into could leave 150,000 permanently out a pants discussed how terrorism, prolif- toward concrete solutions in the areas tute of International Affairs intends to the labor market, Spain has finally job. For now, employment figures for eration, and the escalation of conflicts listed below. The groups plan to con- work with a U.S. think tank to convene been able to turn the page around and January show that, as soon as the new in the Middle East pose a threat to vene at the working level in countries a global forum of experts, the Middle start reducing its unemployment. Since minimum wage came into effect, com- regional and international peace and around the world to advance the inter- East Strategic Study Group. This forum 2013, the economy has created 500,000 panies announced more than 600,000 security. national community’s shared interests can enable leading academics and issue new jobs per year and the unemploy- layoffs, a record high. The participants discussed the risks in promoting peace and security in the experts from across the world to provide ment rate has almost halved. Last year, There are more reasons to worry. In stemming from the proliferation of region. Additional information on the strategic insight to support the contin- almost 70 percent of job growth was the second semester of 2018, right after weapons and the development of bal- working groups will be released in the ued efforts of the working groups. tied to indefinite contracts. Even bet- Pedro Sánchez took power, the bulk of listic missile programs in the region. coming weeks. The United States and Poland share ter, wages have finally started to rise, job creation was concentrated in the They also discussed ways of address- many common interests in the region. after almost a decade of stagnation. public sector. Also, 4 out of 10 unem- ing humanitarian crises in the region, Counterterrorism and Illicit Finance: These include, among others, to pro- Things are finally looking better for ployed workers have been in that situa- countering violent extremism, com- 1. Counterterrorism and Illicit Finance mote respect for human rights, counter Spanish workers. tion for more than two years and many batting threats to cyber and energy Curbing Missile Development and violent extremism, advance interna- or decades, Spain has faced a demographic has surpassed the 50 per- highest, amounting to 45 days of salary It should be noted, however, that of them have very little qualification. In infrastructure, and disrupting illicit Weapons Proliferation: tional non-proliferation norms, and chronic unemployment prob- cent mark. for each year of work. Spain is still no employment paradise. addition to this, growth projections have financial networks. 2. Missile Proliferation address humanitarian challenges. The F lem. In the 1990s, the jobless rate These numbers are changing, thanks Following the labour market reform The Employment Flexibility Index gives been revised down, which will also cool The broad and productive partici- 3. Maritime and Aviation Security two countries hope that this ministe- climbed to 25 percent. More recently, to the long-awaited economic recov- of 2012, companies enjoy more flexibil- the Iberian country a score of 60,8 out down job creation. Therefore, after five pation in the ministerial demonstrates Combatting Cyber and Emerging rial and the follow-on working groups following the economic crisis that ery of the past five years. The key to ity. Pay is no longer tied to centralized of 100 points; far from the 96,9 points years of slow improvement, the future that the international community is threats: will be the beginning of a Warsaw pro- issues of importance in the region. ministerial meet again in the future started in 2007, the Iberian country suf- this improvement is the labor market wage-setting arrangements. Agreements awarded to Denmark or the 83,2 points for jobs in Spain is once again looking committed to addressing drivers of 4. Cybersecurity cess, a collaborative and dynamic effort Poland and the United States have high to discuss the progress of the working fered even more, with an unemployment reform of 2012. Before the reform, Span- at the firm level have become the norm given to the United Kingdom. CEOE, troublesome. ■ instability in the region. Many of the 5. Energy Security that makes progress on these and other hopes that participants present at the groups. ■ levels close to 30 percent. Such numbers ish companies were forced to set com- are even worse in some of Spain’s south- pensation levels according to sectoral ern provinces, where almost four out agreements and inflation figures. This of ten people lost their job during the effectively disconnected pay from the Poland creates a past crisis. The situation is even more actual reality of each firm or the pro- nd rd bleak if we focus on the younger, since ductivity of each worker. In addition to 2 April 2019 Brussels Belgium 3 April 2019 Brussels Belgium cyberspace defence force the average unemployment rate for this this, firing costs were among Europe’s The Polish Ministry of National Defence has committed to creating a cyberspace defence Polish FM Jacek force to meet the next generation Czaputowicz challenges we face speaking at the Munich Security Conference on regional security

his year’s conference focused on During his speech on the future of defence cooperation, the situa- defence cooperation, Minister Cza- T tion in in South-Eastern Europe, putowicz also referred to EU’s defence current crises in different regions of the policy. “The development and strength- world - the war in Syria and conflicts in ening of defence capabilities within the inister Mariusz Błaszczak Communication School will be formed the Sahel region. Minister Czaputowicz European Union should complement confirms Poland was carrying in Zegrze. The Military University of took part in a panel discussion titled the cooperation under the North Atlan- M out the commitments if made Technology together with foreign part- “Defence Cooperation” together with tic Alliance,” he noted. The chief of Pol- at the NATO Summit in Warsaw, in ners will launche MBA postgraduate Norway’s Prime Minister Erna Solberg, ish diplomacy stated at the same time 2015, when the North Atlantic Alliance studies in the field of cyber security and Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs that in the nearest future there can be defined the cyber sphere as the domain extend, the Academic Legion program of France Jean-Yves Le Drian, Canada’s no “European army” without NATO and of military operations. with a cyber security component. Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland, the presence of American troops. The program will develop Poland’s Tomasz Zdzikot, Deputy Minister Japan’s Foreign Minister Taro Kono and On the sidelines of the Conference, ability to fight cyber threats and covers and Plenipotentiary of the Ministry of US Senator Lindsey Graham. Minister Jacek Czaputowicz met with two strategic areas. Firstly, comprehen- Defence for the security of cyberspace During the discussion, Minister Jacek the EU’s chief Brexit negotiator Michel sive support for the formation of cyber- and co-author of the program presented Czaputowicz emphasised the impor- Barnier, the Executive Director of the space defence forces, and secondly, the the framework of the polish cyber- tance of NATO and the necessity of American Jewish Committee David integration of the cybersecurity envi- space defence program to participants strengthening its forces, noting that Harris, US Deputy Secretary of Energy ronment at the Ministry of National in the European Cybersecurity Forum, transatlantic cooperation is now more Dan Brouillette, as well as Minister for Defence. CYBERSEC. CYBERSEC, which took important to Europe than ever before. Federal and European Affairs of Bavaria While discussing system changes place in Brussels, and was a continuation “European countries should focus on Florian Herrmann. in the area of cyber security, Minister of the same meeting that took place in strengthening their defence capabilities While in Munich, the chief of Polish Blaszczak revealed that the new struc- Krakow in 2018, was attended by experts through increased arms expenditure and diplomacy also talked with High Rep- ture will be based on the National Cen- from the administration of the European improved operational cooperation, so that resentative Federica Mogherini on the ter for Cryptology and the Inspectorate Union (EU) and the North Atlantic Alli- the Allied forces under NATO’s command Ministerial to Promote Peace and Secu- of Computer Science, and this year, at ance (NATO), other international organi- are ready to act effectively when such need rity in the Middle East, which was held the Military University of Technology, zations, expert communities and global arises,” said the Polish MFA head. in Warsaw in February. ■ and Non-Commissioned Officers IT and leaders in the IT industry. ■ 8 WORLD NEWS theconservative.online theconservative.online WORLD NEWS 9

virtual protest will be moving to the Argentina’s real world. UK has banned Hizballah alongside Former President of Maldives arrested The first Argentine tax protests will Taxpayers be organized at the gates of the Parlia- other terrorist organisations ahead of Parliamentary Election ment by prestigious economists, foun- Cry Foul dations and think-tanks, members of he UK government has pro- he former President of the Mal- Party of Maldives called the arrests a prevent him to supporting candidates the press, student organizations, and scribed Hizballah in its entirety dives, Abdulla Yameen, has “cowardly act by the government” add- during the campaign. The PPM Spokes- recent report issued by the taxpayers groups. Similar protests will T alongside Ansaroul Islam T been arrested on suspicion ing that it was “an attempt to block his person claimed that “All of these actions World Bank and PWC, “Pay- also be taking place in towns and cities and JNIM who operate in the Sahel of money laundering at a time when party candidates in submitting their are carefully planned and carried out to A ing Taxes 2018” clearly across the country. region in Africa as terrorist organi- his party’s candidates were submit- candidacy forms” before the deadline silence the opposition and wipe them demonstrates that the Argentinian President Mauricio Macri seemed sations. Being a member, or inviting ting their applications to contest the set by the Election Commission. out from the political platforms” and tax system is in disarray. Taxpay- aware of the heavy tax burden when support for Hizballah, Ansaroul Islam upcoming Parliamentary Elections on The PPM has strongly condemned the called for international support in order ers face up to one hundred different he campaigned for office in 2015, but and JNIM will be a criminal offence, April 6th. Mr Yameen, who has Pres- arrest of Mr Yameen, denying his rights to hold the Government of the Maldives taxes which can result in a contribu- his pledges to lower taxes were never carrying a sentence of up to 10 years’ ident between 2013 and September to contest in the upcoming parliamen- accountable to its actions and uphold tion rate of impossible 106 percent. realized. The only concrete step taken imprisonment. 2018, has denied the allegations. tary election. That thee Government has the democratic principles and rights of Home Secretary Sajid Javid said: “My The spokesperson of the Progressive frozen Mr Yameen’s bank account, will Maldivians. ■ priority is to protect the British people. As part of this, we identify and ban any terrorist organisation which threatens our safety and security, whatever their Vietnam is running the risk motivations or ideology.” Adding that “Hizballah is continuing in its attempts of becoming old before it to destabilase the fragile situation in the Middle East – and we are no longer able becomes rich to distinguish between their already banned military wing and the political recent IMF study questions the working population to finance an exten- party. Because of this, I have taken the sustainability of the Vietnamese sive social security system. decision to proscribe the group in its A Social Security given the demo- The historic promise of the Vietnam- entirety.” graphic changes. The country is largely ese communist regime is to maintain Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said: depending on its affordable workforce the Social Security system which bene- “We are staunch supporters of a stable and had barely attained a 5000 dollars fits reaching a large majority of its pop- and prosperous Lebanon. We cannot per capita GDP when it reached its peak ulation. With Vietnam’s current growth however be complacent when it comes working population in 2013. In com- rates of 7 percent there is still time for to terrorism – it is clear the distinction parison, South Korea and Japan had an the Vietnamese communist bureau- between Hizballah’s military and polit- average income of 31,000 and 32,000 cracy to modernize and adapt before the Not surprisingly, Argentina ranks by his administration – the progres- ical wings does not exist, and by pro- USD respectively when reaching their trend slope turns downward. If, how- fifth regarding tax evasion. Argen- sive elimination of the export taxes scribing Hizballah in all its forms, the peak demographic. By 2040, 21 per- ever, the Vietnamese government does tina is also the country with the larg- on agricultural products – was “put government is sending a clear signal that cent of Vietnam’s population will be 60 not reform the system, and thus risk los- est number of tax raids fiscal audits in on hold” due to budgetary constraints. its destabilising activities in the region and older, and the growing retiree pop- ing its legitimacy, the system is in for a the world. President Macri not only has failed to are totally unacceptable and detrimen- ulation will be relying on a shrinking terminal decline. ■ The economist and media sensation reduce taxes and public spending but tal to the UK’s national security.” Javier Milei started the recent protests has in fact created some new taxes of The government has taken the deci- by tweeting “We can’t take it anymore” his own. sion to proscribe Hizballah in its New Direction report showing that he is not alone. In the last The tax protests in March may shake entirety on the basis that it is no longer EU-League of few weeks people have been protest- the political foundations of Argen- tenable to distinguish between the mili- ing high and unjust taxes and exces- tina and challenge the assumptions of tary and political wings of Hizballah. Arab States Summit THE HISTORICAL AND sive public spending resulting in the a political class which has been testing Ansaroul Islam seeks to impose its JNIM was established in March 2017 There are currently 74 international trending hashtag #BajenLosImpues- the levels of toleration of the society for own strict Salafist Sharia law in north- as a federation of Al Qa’ida aligned terrorist organisations proscribed CURRENT STATE OF tos (lower taxes). On March 21st the too long. ■ ern Burkina Faso and are known to tar- groups in Mali and aims to impose a under the Terrorism Act 2000, along- get other ethnic groups in the region strict Salafist interpretation of Sharia side 14 organisations connected to ROMANIAN-RUSSIAN leading to substantial internal displace- law in the Sahel region and has claimed Northern Ireland proscribed under sep- UK and Israel sign trade ment of people. responsibility for several attacks. arate legislation. ■ RELATIONS ussia has been a significant hard power in protecting its interests continuity agreement Elections neighbour and regional actor for to soft power, including funding media R Romania since the end of the outlets and political parties. Communist regime in 1989. Russia has These Romanian cases precisely Moldova meets the challenge been perceived in Romania as a threat identify this new aspect of Putin’s for much of its history. The annexation influence across the EU. These stud- of Crimea and war in eastern Ukraine ies describe in detail the on going have strengthened concerns in Romania game played by the Russian regime over Russia’s intentions and its scope of and neatly sum up its current pol- presence and influence in the Balkans. icy towards its former ‘Soviet Repub- Moreover, due to historical ties, it This report by New Direction on the lics’ and its attempts to undermine is much more difficult to grasp the Russian Regime’s influence in Romania European unity through energy inter- Russian regime’s influence in the comes at a very important time period, ests, political funding and media (dis) Balkans than it is to grasp its influ- especially in light of the increase in information. ence in other EU Member States. The support for political parties with neu- Russia exerts a firm influence by Kremlin can play the Soviet nostal- tral feelings towards Russia and the ‘generously’ funding Balkan media gia card as a way to influence public never-ending hybrid war in Ukraine led outlets at both the local and national opinion. The same logic is behind the by President Putin. Using its old divide levels. Ethnic minorities still use Rus- funding of political parties that are et impera tactics, Russia is challeng- sian media (mainly TV channels) as mostly supported by Russian-speak- nternational Trade Secretary, In a comment to the agreement, ing the unity of the EU Member States their main source of information. ing populations. Dr. Liam Fox MP and Minis- International Trade Secretary (MP), he first ever European Union - for Sustainable Development in guiding by taking full advantage of different There is a strong correlation between After New Direction’s study on Rus- ter of Economy and Industry, Eli Dr. Liam Fox, said “Britain’s relation- League of Arab States Summit the work to tackle common challenges factors, including economic links and time spent watching Russian TV chan- sian Regime’s Influence in Bulgaria, I support from political parties with nels and perception of Putin’s pol- Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia, policy Cohen, has signed a Trade and Part- ship with Israel is stronger than it has took place on 24-25 February such as climate change, upholding inter- T especially strong ties to the Kremlin. icies in a more positive light. The advisers and politicians should use this nership Agreement in Tel Aviv. The ever been with record levels of bilat- in Sharm El-Sheikh. The event brought national human rights law, irregular Trade and Partnership Agreement will eral cooperation in trade and invest- together leaders from the 28 EU Mem- migration, smuggling and trafficking If Ukrainian conflict teaches us recent propaganda multimedia project new research by New Direction to bet- ensure trade continuity after Britain ment between our two nations. Today’s ber States and the 21 countries of the in human beings, protection and sup- something, it is that the Russian called Sputnik, I believe poses a threat ter understand the Russian Regime’s leaves the European Union and pave agreement will further help ensure League of Arab States. port to refugees and the fight against regime has recently diverted much of to information security in the Bal- behaviour and reshape their policy the way for an ambitious relationship UK and Israeli businesses, exporters he International Republican parliamentarians and party officials times resulted in long lines. IRI did urge “I would like us, together, to defend hatred and intolerance. The Leaders its resources and focus from mobilising kans’ and challenges their sovereignty. towards Russia. ■ between the UK and Israel’s comple- and consumers have the certainty they Institute sent an international from numerous countries, was that the Moldova’s electoral authorities to make the fundamental values of respect for also exchanged concerns on threats to mentary economies. The two Nations need to continue trading freely and in delegation of short-term observ- Central Election Commission of Mol- more polling stations accessible in areas human rights and tolerance. Our com- peace and security such as terrorism and You can download report at T www.newdirection.online re-affirm their desire to see an ambi- confidence as the UK prepares to leave ers and a team of long-term observer to dova maintained a well-organized and frequented by these voters. mon history and our geographical prox- radicalisation. tious free trade deal and committed to the EU.” monitor the Moldovan elections. The well-run voting process. IRI observers IRI’s long-term observers monitor- imity calls for us to work together,” said The Leaders had constructive discus- undertaking a review of the Trade and Anita Leviant, President of the conclusion is that Moldova meet the noted that election workers at the pre- ing pre-election environment found President Jean-Claude Juncker at the sions on regional issues such as the Mid- Partnership Agreement with a view to Israel Britain Chamber of Commerce challenge. cinct level conducted themselves in a that the process of signature verifica- Summit’s opening session. dle East Peace Process reaffirmed their upgrading it. (IBCC), was pleased stating that the IRI’s preliminary statement reflects a professional manner and that precinct tion by the District Election Commis- The Leaders agreed on a joint decla- common positions on a two-state solu- The news has been welcomed by “Bilateral Trade between the UK and composite view of both the pre-election level leadership was well versed in elec- sions (DECs) was arbitrary and found a ration, reaffirmed that stronger regional tion as the only realistic way of achieving business groups including the Israel Israel has been booming during the environment, including registration of toral procedures. substantial number of signatures were cooperation is the key to find solutions a just, lasting and comprehensive peace. Britain Chamber of Commerce, who last several years and the UK is Isra- initiative groups and candidates, forma- The registry check used to verify voter invalidated. Concerns were reported to common challenges. Both sides also They discussed recent developments in say it will help create jobs and ensure el’s second largest trade partner, with tion of electoral administrations, cam- identity and as a safeguard against mul- regarding the verification of signatures agreed to strengthen economic cooper- Syria, Libya and Yemen and reaffirmed continuity for both British and Israeli over 300 Israeli companies choos- paigning, the media environment and tiple voting was a significant improve- because of the arbitrary evaluation of ation and committed to develop a con- their commitment to the UN-led pro- consumers and businesses who will be ing to set up their businesses in the legal issues, and Election Day admin- ment to the credibility of Moldova’s authenticity. crete agenda especially in the fields of cesses. On Libya, they expressed their able to continue trading without dis- UK.” This agreement ”provides the istration and voting. It concluded that elections. The voter registry appeared to IRI’s long-term observers reported trade, energy, science, research, tech- support for the UN efforts and the imple- ruption. With bilateral trade already required immediate certainty, and at Moldova’s parliamentary elections on be generally accurate and did not detract that the election campaign was con- nology, tourism, agriculture. mentation of the Libyan Political Agree- worth £4 billion, the Ministers agree the same time, serves as a solid foun- February 24 was a step forward in terms from the efficient administration of the ducted in a peaceful and orderly man- The EU and Arab Leaders expressed ment on 2015. On Yemen, the Leaders that both countries should aim to dation, for growth and enhancement of electoral administration and public electoral process. ner, but that the absence of lively their commitment to multilateralism welcomed the Stockholm agreement and develop the economic and trading rela- of the already existing two-way UK-Is- trust in the electoral process. IRI observers noted the participation political debate restricts the voter’s abil- and to an international system based on in particular the ceasefire on Hodeidah tionship further, with the aim of deep- rael trade and investment relation- The key findings of IRI’s inter- of large numbers of Transnistrian vot- ity to make a comparison between can- international law and reiterated their and called for safe, rapid and unhindered ening links in key sectors. ship.” ■ national delegation, representing ers at certain polling stations, which at didates. ■ full commitment to the 2030 Agenda delivery of humanitarian aid. ■ 10 OPINION theconservative.online theconservative.online OPINION 11 CATALAN NATIONALISM, VOX LEADING ANGELA THE POPULAR MERKEL’S LIKE ALL NATIONALISM, PROSECUTION SUCCESSOR IS ETHICALLY ABHORRENT AGAINST LACKS ANY CATALAN VISION ON THE SEPARATIST EUROPEAN LEADERS UNION

ationalism is both a politi- range of private entities in the service of cal doctrine and a method the independence movement. to achieve power. As a polit- This constant poisoning of con- ical doctrine it aims to place Catalan nationalism is one sciousness, and disregard for the Nethnic, linguistic or cultural identity at law, represents a flagrant betrayal of the top of the moral scale, above free- of separation and not of the great civil pact of the Transition, dom, equality, solidarity or justice. This which allowed, after the death of Gen- characteristic of nationalism makes it unification, as were the German, eral Franco, the peaceful move from Alejo Vidal-Quadras ethically aberrant. an authoritarian regime to a democ- is a former Member and Vice-President As a way to conquer power, it is based British or Italian nationalisms, racy, such as those existing in the free of the European Parliament from Spain, on the rational use of the irrational to West and, in particular, in the European and a radiation physicist. achieve the uncritical support of enough which managed to build large- Union. In essence, the deal consisted of people in a particular territory to config- transforming Spain into one of the most ure a majority in an election. This aspect, scale nations merging smaller politically decentralised states in the typical of all forms of populism, makes it world. It structured it into autonomous extremely dangerous because it involves political entities. communities endowed with broad and potential recourse to violence. It was intense legislative, executive and bud- not in vain that the French President geography, history or the distribution of international sympathy for their claims. getary powers, with recognition of the François Mitterand pronounced in one natural or financial resources constitute If the United Kingdom has allowed the co-official nature of the Catalan, Basque of his last speeches the famous phrase: the base of the arguments that feed the Scots a consultation, why does the Span- and Galician languages in​​ their respec- “Le nationalisme, c’est la guerre.” secessionist fire. ish State not authorise a similar plebi- tive zones of presence and favouring All identity nationalisms are by The fact that they respond to an scite in Catalonia? a noticeable visibility in the symbolic nature divisive, exclusionary, suprem- objective reality or that they are pure The answer is clear: the process domain – flags, hymns, commemora- ox has taken up the tradition of using fter a serious of bitter election results acist and overtly or covertly racist. Cat- inventions or exaggerations has never that led to the referendum in Scot- tions – of the corresponding identities. the right Spanish law grants ordinary for Angela Merkel in 2018 and pres- alan nationalism, a political movement been an obstacle for the nationalist lead- land on 18 September 2014 took place In return, the nationalists under- citizens and civil groups to file crim- sure mounting, the German Chancel- born in Spain in the last quarter of the ers to use them emphatically as an effec- with scrupulous respect for the Brit- took to develop their policies within the inal complaints and become party lor stepped down as party leader of the 19th century, has not been and is not an tive instrument to awaken emotions and ish constitutional order and within the framework of the Constitution and not toV legal cases, to get traction in the media. The governingA Christian Democratic Union (CDU) exception. It has exhibited all of these generate supporters. In this sense, they law. According to the Spanish Consti- to question the indivisibility of the Span- legal provision is known as acusación popular and late last year. The ensuing battle for her job was features with more or less virulence over play with the advantage that their mes- tution, a consultation of this nature is ish nation. One party, the state and the roughly translates as popular prosecution. This closer than initially thought, but in the end, Anne- the last century and a half, depending on sages are directed straight to the limbic unconstitutional. To be brought about Crown, has unreservedly fulfilled this does not replace the formal prosecutorial system gret Kramp-Karrenbauer, usually simply called the time and circumstance. system of the brain, cancelling to a large – assuming that the Spanish Parliament transcendental agreement and the other, but complements it. A citizen or civil group can Diego Sánchez de la Cruz AKK, won the race, and is thus in prime position Kai Weiss Catalan nationalism is one of sepa- extent the left side of the neocortex. authorised it – the Fundamental Law of the nationalists, have smashed it with join in the effort to investigate whether a crime to replace Merkel sooner or later as the head of is one of the most influential economic is a Research Fellow at the Austrian Economics ration and not of unification, as were Catalan separatists have distorted 1978 should be reformed beforehand. absolute impudence and flagrant viola- has been committed and assist in its prosecution. analysts in Spain. state. Center and a board member of the Hayek Institute. the German, British or Italian nation- history by presenting the secular rela- Catalan separatists broke the law by tion of the given word. In the universal Popular prosecution, as a legal procedure, has AKK, it has been clear from the beginning, has alisms, which managed to build large- tions between Catalonia and the rest promoting and conducting the referen- history of infamy, this felony will remain gained popularity in the past decade. For exam- been Merkel’s preferred successor. She calls her- The nationalists’ scale nations merging smaller political of Spain as a succession of completely dum of 1 October 2017 and, according to an indelible stain on an unworthy and vile ple, the leaders of the party UPyD, a small centrist Separatists have arguing that the popular pros- self a “modern conservative” and is embracing the with POLITICO that “we accept competition,” entities. Catalan nationalism, on the imaginary grievances to the Catalan the criminal code in force in Spain, their Catalan political class. Add to this the fact party that once had local, regional, national and ecution procedure will turn the case into a politi- interventionist economic policy of Merkel often but that “this competition must be fair,” which messages are contrary, is determined to put an end to community and fantasising about a leaders committed criminal offences of that the Catalan Autonomous Adminis- European representation, pursued popular pros- cal trial. However, most international experts say even more than Merkel herself. This has caused is usually EU talk for saying that one is not truly directed straight to Spanish national unity by fragmenting a sovereign Catalan state that has never considerable seriousness, such as rebel- tration has stood out as one of the most ecution against Bankia, a savings bank conglom- otherwise. For instance, the World Justice Project much dismay among those who had hoped to see serious about it. In case of a win of the EPP, she state with 500 years of existence. existed. In recent times they have added lion, sedition, prevarication, disobedi- corrupt in Spain, and an unfortunate pic- erate, that was saved from bankruptcy with a loan ranks Spain among the top 25 countries of its Rule a real change post-Merkel. would look for a coalition not only with ALDE, the limbic system of A feeling very different from eth- to these chimeras the protest over the ence to the courts and embezzlement. ture of moral degradation and political of 20 billion euros from the Spanish taxpayers. of Law Index. Their studies show that the popular S&D, or En Marche, but also the Greens. And the brain, cancelling no-linguistic particularism is patrio- unfair distribution, according to their The four prominent separatists who are irresponsibility is perfectly drawn. prosecution procedure is fully coherent with effec- she is usually considered a Francophone who tism, which is manifested through the biased calculations, of the fiscal bal- in preventive detention have not been Spain is a great nation with enormous tive protection of the rule of law. would be open for a stronger Franco-German to a large extent love of one’s own country, understood as ance between the Autonomous Commu- put behind bars by the Government, but potential that will undoubtedly sur- Vox is now polling above 10% and seems on track axis, considering she was the premier of the the left side of the a space of rights​​ and freedoms, of affec- nity of Catalonia and the rest of Spanish by a judge applying the law, as befits a vive the treacherous attack of a gang of Separatists have to become a major political force. Its decision to If anything, the possibly Saarland for many years, which directly borders neocortex. tion and mutual help among its citizens regions. Leaving aside the evidence that democratic État de Droit. coup plotters whose mediocre greed has arguing that the popular join the case against the Catalan separatist was soon-to-be new German with France. and of treasuring a cultural heritage the territories do not pay taxes, but From the very beginning of self-gov- dragged them into failure and ridicule. made back in September 2017. At the time, Vox had Chancellor wants to On foreign policy, she wants to see the EU with a universal vocation. The concep- physical persons and companies do, and ernment in Catalonia in 1980, the The flight of companies, the paraly- prosecution procedure limited media coverage, but its loyal base of sup- doing much more. She is in favor of a European tion of national identity as a starting even accepting their scheme of fiscal nationalists have not stopped for a sis of investments, the total absence of will turn the case into a porters was able to crowdfund 20,000 euro to fund see an EU which is army (though one which does not deem national point to open up to the world, or as a bar- flows, numerous studies of prestigious moment in their efforts to separate international support, the deep fracture Vox efforts to join the case as a popular prosecutor. acting determined armies unnecessary) and instead of a German rier that isolates us in our corner, is the academic and financial institutions, this Spanish land from its national, his- of Catalan society into two halves, the political trial. However, The Catalan separatist trial is bound to get seat in the UN Security Council, AKK wants a fundamental difference between patho- including the Department of Finance of torical, economic, cultural and sen- exemplary firmness of the Crown and extensive media attention over the coming internationally. seat for the EU. Brussels, not Berlin, Paris, or logical identity nationalism and healthy the Generalitat, have shown that their timental matrix. Persistently and the overwhelming reaction of the courts most international experts months. Both state prosecutors and Vox will make Warsaw, should be a force on the international civic patriotism. figures are pure propaganda. maliciously, they have used all the insti- have shown the non-viability of the sep- say otherwise. the case that separatists leaders incited acts of But as much as has been talked about AKK’s stage: “What I see and feel is that the world is The nationalists’ messages are Another important element to high- tutional, political and financial means aratist putsch in Catalonia. violence against police and judicial officers. Sedi- economic and social ideas, not much is known reordering itself, that old certainties are falling directed straight to the limbic system of light in the perverse conceptual con- with which the Spanish Constitution We hope that the waters will return In recent days, the popular prosecution proce- tion charges are also in place, since the accused about her views on the European Union. In an away. I see the challenge for Europe in setting the the brain, cancelling to a large extent the struction of Catalan nationalism is its has entrusted them. They have acted in to their course, and that out of this bit- dure has once again become relevant, this time politicians formally proclaimed independence age where seemingly every politician has his or standards in this process.” left side of the neocortex. dramatic and constant appeal to democ- schools through the systematic indoc- ter and miserable experience, wisdom, in relation to the Supreme Court case in which following an authorized referendum which was her own grand vision of the future of Europe, Thus, if anything, the possibly soon-to-be new The separatists obviously need rea- racy, and hence its demand for a referen- trination of children and young people, respect of the law and cohesion among Catalan separatist leaders will have to answer not recognized as legitimate by any international AKK has not said too much about the topic. German Chancellor wants to see an EU which is sons that seem weighty enough to jus- dum of self-determination to establish in the public media, creating a climate of all Spaniards will prevail. Spain is a great for their failed secession bid. Among the charges organization or foreign democratic government. Indeed, “Mini-Merkel,” as she is often called, acting determined internationally. Besides that, tify their disturbing purposes. In the whether or not Catalans wish to remain opinion hostile to everything Spanish, nation with enormous potential that brought against them are those of sedition, More than 500 witnesses will be called for testi- seems to lack a comprehensive idea what to think she does not much to say yet. It is rather shock- selection of motives that lend meaning united to Spain. and encouraged private media to work will undoubtedly survive the treach- rebellion and misappropriation of public funds. mony. The trial is expected to go on for months, about the EU. ing that in the year of European elections, Ger- to their destructive project, national- “What’s wrong with putting polls for their objectives by buying them with erous attack of a gang of coup plotters State prosecutors will be joined in the prosecu- and according to political experts, Vox will likely On those issues that we know at least some- many’s biggest party has a leader which does not ism is protean and can resort to the most and asking people what they want?” is subsidies. Throughout the social fabric whose mediocre greed has dragged them tion by Vox, the rising conservative party led by play a key role in the process which is likely to thing, the situation does not look good: on the seem to think it necessary to think about the EU diverse issues. Race, language, religion, the tricky question they ask to attract they have promoted and financed a wide into failure and ridicule. ■ Santiago Abascal. accelerate the party’s growth. ■ European economy, she said in an interview too much. ■ 12 OPINION theconservative.online theconservative.online OPINION 13 A LOOK AT THE U.S. STATES SHOULD BE STRATEGY FOR IRAN SMALLER, MORE DIVERSE AND MORE AUTONOMOUS

he traditional nation-state about all regional integration and go wanted to safeguard and back to the good old nation state!” Swit- imperialistically promote zerland has never been a typical nation the ideas of state, nation, lan- Cultivating diversity is one state, and this is another of the many Tguage, economy and culture within one secrets of our success. “sensibly” and “naturally” constrained of the great secrets of the Most nation states that exist today are territory. But who is to say what the cor- the result of very cruel experiments of rect political borders are? This collec- Swiss success. European unification and of discrimination (even Robert Nef tive error led to the First World War, extinction) of minorities. They have he core objective of Presi- substantial progress aligning Israel, was formerly head and chairman of “the great seminal catastrophe of the diversity includes the been steeped in Bismarck’s Blut und dent Trump’s Iran Strategy Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and the United Liberales Institut in Zurich, a classical 20th century – the event which lay at the Eisen. The pre-Socratic philosopher is the systemic change in the Arab Emirates (UAE) in support of the liberal think tank. He has been Editor- heart of the failure and decline of this individual responsibility of Heraclitus of Ephesus (535-475 BC) Islamic Republic’s hostile and Our key message to the Iranian President’s Iran Strategy. Increasingly in-chief of the magazine Reflexion and Western civilization”, as the historian may have been right after all, in claiming destabilizing actions, including block- overt Israeli cooperation with a range of of the monthly Schweizer Monatshefte and diplomat George F. Kennan put it. EU Member States for their that “war is the father of all things”. T and is a Member of Mont Pèlerin ing all paths to a nuclear weapon and people, the long-suffering Arab countries across the economic and Society and of International Society It is an event in whose shadows we But we should add that the mother exporting terrorism. Under the Presi- security sectors benefits them all. We for Individual Liberty. are still suffering; of course, the Second own budgets, which requires a of all things is peaceful exchange and dent’s direction, we have prioritized the victims of the regime, should must seize every opportunity to make World War was just a continuation of mutual learning and adaptation. So Victoria Coates maximum pressure campaign placing this collaboration the “new normal” to the First, and the Cold War just a con- consistent no-bail-out policy let us together forget the authoritar- is Deputy Assistant to US President and unprecedented stress on Iran’s econ- be loud and clear: Forty years the benefit of all involved. tinuation of the Second. The disastrous ian over-regulating father, at least in Senior Director for the Middle East. omy, forcing Tehran to make increas- While engaged in this campaign we issue was the vain hope of finding “just” that expects each member the political sphere. And let us go back ingly difficult choices. As the Islamic from now, your outlook can be must remain vigilant to ensure this borders. But there are no “just” borders. to take on responsibility for to the tolerant mother who shows us Republic marks its 40th anniversary it is radically different. We saw this violent and unpredictable regime does Borders are just borders! how to exchange in peace and how to be appropriate to assess how this strategy not acquire a nuclear weapon and Most nation states are probably its own financing and to bear creative. is proceeding, and how we will continue trajectory in the 20th century the capability to deliver it. Thanks to too large rather than too small. Their Today, economies and cultures are to implement President Trump’s guid- the Israeli revelation of Iran’s secret current size came out of an optimal the consequences of national essentially and increasingly spanning ance in the coming year. when the imperialist powers nuclear archive, we know their pro- defence technology in case of war. Large political or linguistic borders. The EU The nine months since the Presi- testations that their nuclear program states did not rise through markets but bankruptcy. is not the positive alternative to the col- dent’s decision to exit the misguided, who ignited World War II took a has always been peaceful are flat lies. through wars. However, this emphasis lective error of centralised nation states. one-sided Iran nuclear deal have given We will redouble our efforts to expose on size for military purposes becomes a Instead, the EU is a bureaucratic, cor- us considerable insight into the impact different path and are now some and disrupt Iran’s illicit procurement moot point in our nuclear age. Cultivating diversity is one of the forwards into a centralised economic, poratist empire; a political cartel in of re-imposing the sanctions relaxed networks and prevent Iran’s import There are political communities col- great secrets of the Swiss success. Euro- financial and social policy solve the which the economically influential par- under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of our greatest democratic allies of dual-use and proliferation sensi- lecting money for the common good pean diversity includes the individual current problems. What is required is ties keep the smaller or economically of Action (JCPOA) while also applying tive items. We will also hold account- Diversity makes on the basis of self-administered taxes, responsibility of EU Member States for a consideration of the conditions and weaker parties happy through transfer Iran’s malign new sanctions. Predictions that uni- and economic partners. Iran’s able those governments that allow Iran on the model of club membership fees. their own budgets, which requires a con- facts that form the secret to the success payments. lateral U.S. sanctions would weaken and its agents to use their territories us all more robust Alternatively, whenever possible, they sistent no-bail-out policy that expects of our little continent in world history. In return, they demand financial and behavior in the and isolate America as the rest of the leadership could and should to purchase, finance, or transfer items and less vulnerable. charge directly for use. The goal of all each member to take on responsibility It is our diversity that enables compe- political tributes, whilst at the same time region is a direct globe pursued instead do business with that support their nuclear and missile friends of liberty is not the removal of for its own financing and to bear the con- tition in the broadest sense and mutual cutting off competition among systems Iran have proven false; conversely, Iran choose such a path to a brighter programs. It enables mutual borders and integration in centralising sequences of national bankruptcy. This learning – diversity that tenaciously as much as possible. The more ambigu- and significant has found itself increasingly alone and The 40th anniversary of the Islamic transfer of structures, but a political organisation combination of diversity and autonomy resists the spirit of standardisation and ous and indistinct the foundations, the threat to the United bereft of the anticipated influx of for- future for the Iranian people. Revolution brings into sharp focus the that offers the best possible combina- is what Eric Jones called “The European harmonisation. better for the self-assigned, self-empow- eign investment that was to save its regime’s failure to provide the radical knowledge: one tion of “voting”, “voting with your feet” Miracle” – “The fundamental trump In the past, this internal diversity ering bureaucrats. Eurocrats in Brussels States’ economic and moribund economy. As Iran continues Iran’s malign behavior in the region political influence. In Iraq, Shi’a Pop- change from entrenched corruption simply copies the (exit) and “loyalty”. card of Europe is its diversity”. used to be considered a disadvantage, can live quite well in this state of hazily strategic interests to target Europe as well as its regional is a direct and significant threat to the ular Mobilization Forces trained and promised in 1979, as well as the dis- The dictum “no taxation without rep- It was not an Austrian economist but in a competitive world of a learning defined responsibilities, since bureau- neighbors with nefarious disinforma- United States’ economic and strategic equipped by the IRGC-QF are attempt- mal future prospects for Iran if it con- successes and avoids resentation” is well known, but some- but an Austrian poet, Franz Grillparzer society it is effectively turning into an crats are masters at muddling through. and to the American tion campaigns in addition to cyber and interests and to the American people, ing to infiltrate Iraq’s nascent political tinues on the current path. Popular the mistakes. times the equally important opposite (1791-1872), who had very good reason advantage. At least, that is the experi- You can always present unnecessary people, and risks attempted terrorist attacks, their gov- and risks triggering a wider conflict. process in imitation of Hizballah. And criticism of Tehran for economic mis- is forgotten: “no representation with- in 1859 to be against nationalism. He ence we have had in Switzerland. Diver- restraints as inevitable practical con- ernments should decide to re-impose Not only does Iran threaten the Straits in Iran, the regime continues to use management continues to resonate, out taxation”. The “natural” political remarked that “human development sity makes us all more robust and less straints “without alternative”. It is well triggering a wider sanctions, adding materially to Iran’s of Hormuz, but through its Houthi hostage-taking as a tool of state pol- and taboos surrounding public discus- organisation is a group of people who leads from Humanity via Nationality vulnerable. It enables mutual transfer known that necessity knows no law. conflict. economic pain. This combined pres- proxies, Tehran is also trying to estab- icy, in violation of international laws sion of the Supreme Leader’s succes- agree to be taxed by consent. This group to Bestiality”. Unfortunately, we have of knowledge: one simply copies the suc- The EU is trying to prolong this col- sure would accelerate Iran’s return to lish a beach head on Yemen’s coastline, and norms. Robert Levinson, Siamak sion process continue to erode. Our may be very small, perhaps even smaller observed this rapid progression over the cesses and avoids the mistakes. lective error on a continental level the negotiating table under circum- which would represent an unprece- Namazi, and Xiyue Wang are wrong- key message to the Iranian people, the than Switzerland, but small is beautiful, course of the 20th century, full of war Indeed, the smaller the group experi- by muscling in a form of European stances highly-favorable to the United dented capacity to threaten two of the fully detained in Iran, as are numerous long-suffering victims of the regime, and there is no reason to fight against and the growing welfare state. menting the better, because the risks of pseudo-solidarity and nationality. It States and responsible nations around world’s great shipping lanes simultane- other American and Western citizens. should be loud and clear: Forty years your neighbours. Provided, of course, All friends of liberty, all classical lib- failure are contained within a small area wants to be something of a mercantil- the world. As President Rouhani himself ously. In Syria, Islamic Revolutionary This shameful and barbaric practice from now, your outlook can be radi- that they don’t try to change your (tax) erals and libertarians, are called first to or a small group of people. Diversity ist super-nation. If it lacks loyalty, it admitted, Iran will move into a period Guard Corps-Quds Force (IRGC-QF) must end, and Iran must return Amer- cally different. We saw this trajectory system. seek out the liberal core of the European over an area is then a natural creator of wants to buy people off through cen- of unprecedented stress on its economy members along with Hizballah and icans and other innocent civilians at in the 20th century when the imperi- This is, in fact, a form of experimen- idea, and then to defend it tenaciously small groups suitable for experimenta- trally organised redistribution. But, in the second quarter of 2019. We want other proxies have been wreaking havoc once. alist powers who ignited World War II tation. History does not offer us ready- against all undesirable developments in tion. Historically, the most decisive cul- in reality, it is perhaps destroying loy- this pressure to be decisive and we are for years as they attempt to prop up the There is more we can do to roll back took a different path and are now some made, complete models that we can the direction of more central bureau- tural and political unit is the city (with alty more than creating it. Coercion supplementing sanctions with broader murderous Assad regime so they can Iran’s activities within its borders and in of our greatest democratic allies and simply replicate. But it does show us cracy and more personal and regional its suburbs), not the centralised nation destroys voluntary action and genuine efforts to increase the cost of Iran’s use Syria to threaten Israel, while at the the region. We can continue to encour- economic partners. Iran’s leadership a lot of interesting experiments. I, for redistribution. state. Political institutions of the future loyalty. Loyalty can be based on free destructive and destabilizing policies same time exploiting Lebanon for illicit age warmer ties between Iraq and the could and should choose such a path to example, never call Switzerland a model. I am convinced that Europe today will simply be confederations of cities consensus over enlightened self-inter- to an intolerable level as the President financial gain, to advance their terror- Gulf countries, particularly Saudi Ara- a brighter future for the Iranian peo- It cannot be copied. But it is a successful needs more than short-term political and local communities. I suggest that an est, but never on bureaucratic machin- Originally published on whitehouse.gov. Trump’s strategy requires. ist agendas and expand their regional bia and Kuwait. We have already made ple. ■ experiment, at least in part. crisis management. Nor will the flight actual path forward is not “let us forget ery of redistribution. ■ 14 PROFILES theconservative.online theconservative.online CONSERVATIVE ENVIRONMENTALISM 15 SPECIAL FEATURE e set-up the Women’s by EU salaries being linked to years of Movement of the Alli- experience rather than the job being ance of Conservatives done. Prime Ministers have not seen Environmentalism and Reformists at the their pay limited by their age or years endW of 2018 in order to help advance of experience, yet the EU pursues this CONSERVATIVE the cause of women’s political empow- capping method that rewards age rather starts with loving erment. As Conservatives, we have had than being based on pure meritocracy. inspirational women lead our countries That said, even when the EU rules allow ENVIRONMENTALISM and parties with many more rising. We for higher pay, we have seen this denied our own want to celebrate those women and sup- to women by the men around them. port more in their political journey. We need men and women at the deci- nvironmentalism has all When looking at gender balance in poli- sion-table so that we can represent the the hallmarks of a Left- tics, we see that women remain under-rep- gender composition of our societies and wing cause: a class of vic- resented. Only 23.6 % of all members so that we continue to remove the visi- tims (future generations), of parliament worldwide are women. ble and invisible barriers to their empow- Ean enlightened vanguard that fights In Europe, the picture is slightly better. erment. Ensuring universal suffrage and for them (the eco-warriors), powerful Women currently account for 36 % of the giving both men and women the vote philistines who exploit them (the cap- members of the European Parliament and on equal terms was an important his- italists) and endless opportunities to Sir Roger Scruton in national parliaments they represent an torical step. Much remains to be done, express resentment against the suc- is a writer and philosopher who has average of less than one in three members however, if we are to achieve women’s cessful, the wealthy and the West. The published more than forty books in philosophy, aesthetics and politics. of Parliament. They remain even less rep- political and economic empowerment. style too is Leftist: the environmen- He is widely translated. He is a fellow resented in leadership roles be it the lead- Nino Goguadze MP Neva Sadikoglu-Novaky As Conservatives who believe in equal talist is young, dishevelled, socially of the British Academy and a Fellow ers of political parties or senior ministerial is a Member of Parliament in Georgia is the Secretary General of the European opportunities, we must continue to help disreputable, his mind focused on of the Royal Society of Literature. roles. Yet, women make up about half of and the Chairman of the Women’s Conservatives and Reformists Group in achieve equal opportunities for both men higher things; the opponent is dull, He teaches in both England and the population in our countries. Hav- Movement of Conservatives and the European Committee of the Regions and women. If a woman wants to stay at middle aged, smartly dressed and America and is a Senior Fellow at Reformists in Europe. and Secretary General of the Women’s the Ethics and Public Policy Center, ing women more strongly represented in home and take care of her children that is usually American. The cause is Washington D.C. He is currently public office will not only help us in ensur- Movement of Conservatives and her choice and must be respected. How- designed to recruit the intellectu- Reformists in Europe. teaching an MA in Philosophy for the ing that women’s voices are present at the ever, if a woman wants to lead and has the als, with facts and theories carelessly University of Buckingham. decision-making table but it will also help potential to bring about positive change bandied about, and activism encour- @roger_scruton us in appealing more to women voters and that could benefit our society as a whole, aged. Environmentalism is some- in ensuring that those in public office are we must make sure that they are not thing you join, and for many young more representative of society as a whole. help back by gender-barriers. Equally, a people it has the quasi-redemptive True civic responsibility arises Women’s political and economic breaks and face fewer and slower pro- to women facing the difficult choice of The European Commission have man who wants to stay at home with his and identity-bestowing character of from our sense of belonging. Hence empowerment is also linked to each motions. There is a long list of issues having to choose between having a fam- said that “gender inequality and barri- new born child should also be given that the 20th-century revolutions. there are no coherent environmen- other. The 2018 European Commission that lead to women finding that they ily and pursuing a career. Women also ers in women economic empowerment choice too. However, the cause of the envi- tal policies coming from the Left, report on equality between men and have fewer opportunities in economic face things like unlawful termination remain among the biggest challenges to On international women’s day, as we ronment is not, in itself, a Left-wing despite their appropriation of the women in the EU found that in com- activities than men. This can include of their jobs and sexual discrimination the achievement of the global commit- celebrate the inspirational women who cause at all. It is not about “liberat- cause. For the Left-wing vision parison to men, women still tend to be matters like women being seen as the at a higher rate than men. Government ment for inclusive growth in the Agenda have contributed to public life as well as ing” or empowering the victim, but despises the sense of belonging. employed less, are employed in low- main caregiver to children and this in has a role to play here in addressing and 2030.” Yet, we see ongoing gender pay our private lives, let us remember that about safeguarding resources. It is The sense of belonging relates er-paid sectors, work on average 6 hours turn reflecting itself in lack of paternity removing these barriers and who bet- gaps even at the heart of the EU itself more needs to be done to ensure that not about “progress” or “equality” us not only to people but also to longer per week than men in total but leaves or lack of flexible working hours ter to do this than the women who have with those doing the same job receiving both genders have equal opportunities but about conservation and equi- the places where we reside and the have fewer paid hours, take more career for men and women. This can then lead experienced them first hand. different salaries. This is partly justified in life. ■ librium. Its following may be young customs that bind us. It involves an and dishevelled, but that is largely intrinsic vector towards settlement. because people in suits have failed It is the source of the attitude that to realise where their real inter- I call “oikophilia”, the love of the ests, and their real values, lie. Envi- shared home and the desire to pro- ronmentalists may seem opposed to tect it. This love calls me to account, capitalism, but – if they understood not only to my present companions, matters correctly – they would be but also to past and future people far more opposed to socialism, with too – to all for whom this place is not its gargantuan, uncorrectable and just yours and mine but ours. state-controlled projects, than to This is why the true environmen- the ethos of free enterprise. talist is also a conservative. For the Indeed, environmentalism is the desire to protect the environment quintessential conservative cause, arises spontaneously in people, just as the most vivid instance in the world soon as they recognise their account- as we know it of that partnership ability to others for what they are and between the dead, the living and do, and just as soon as they identify the unborn that Burke defended as some place as “ours”. Oikophilia is the conservative archetype. Its fun- deep in all of us, and it is illustrated by damental aim is not to bring about the two-century-old campaign in my some radical reordering of society, or country to preserve the countryside, the abolition of inherited rights and and by the similar campaign in the privileges. It is not, in itself, inter- United States to protect the unspoiled ested in equality, except between wilderness. If we are to have a cogent generations, and its attitude to pri- environmental policy it must appeal vate property is, or ought to be, to the oikophilia of the electorate, and positive – for it is only private own- that means that it must respect their ership that confers responsibility for sentiments of national identity. It the environment as opposed to the must stand firm in the face of global- unqualified right to exploit it, a right ism, including the globalist rhetoric whose effect we saw in the ruined that would accuse all patriotic peo- landscapes and poisoned waterways ple of “racism and xenophobia” just of the former Soviet Empire. Its because they are not prepared to let CONSERVATIVE WOMEN LEADERS cause is local attachment, not global their home be swallowed in the global control, and it stands against global- entropy. ■ isation in all its forms, not least that advocated by environmentalists on the Left, whose aim is to fit us to a worldwide agenda of prohibitions. True civic responsibility arises Environmentalists from our sense of belonging. Hence may seem opposed there are no coherent environmental policies coming from the Left, despite to capitalism, but – Anna Beata Þórdís Kolbrún Giorgia Margaret Pia Merete Theresa their appropriation of the cause. For if they understood FOTYGA MEP SZYDLO GYLFADÓTTIR MELONI THATCHER KJÆRSGAARD MAY the Left-wing vision despises the hat which no one owns, wrote Aristotle, no one will care for. Not that sense of belonging. Nobody on the matters correctly Minister of Foreign Affairs Prime Minister of Poland from Minister of Tourism, Industry Leader of the Brothers of Italy Prime Minister of the United Speaker of the Danish Prime Minister of the United Left would dream of taking a stand of Poland from 2006-2007. 2015 – 2017. She implemented and Innovation of Iceland since Party in Italy since 2014. She is a Kingdom of Great Britain and Parliament since 2015. She Kingdom of Great Britain and conservatives needed Aristotle to tell them, any more than they needed – they would be Her legacy included a strong widespread social reforms 2017. At the age of 29, she was co-founder of the party and has Northern Ireland from 1975 till became the first female speaker Northern Ireland since 2016. the empirical evidence of the USSR’s repeated ecological cataclysms. against mass migration, since that far more opposed transatlantic relationship. She targeting housing, education, the youngest woman to become been a member of Parliament 1990. She was the first female of the Danish Parliament. She She is the second female Prime Conservatives have always known in their bones that property would be to commit the biggest sin was the Chief of the Chancellery healthcare, retirement, business, an Icelandic Minister. She has of Italy since 2006. She was Prime Minister of the UK and is a co-founder of the Danish Minister of the U.K. She was that globalists recognise, namely rights are the basis of stewardship. This special feature is dedicated to an to socialism, with of the President of Poland taxes and the economy. She been the Vice-Chairman of the the youngest Vice-President the only UK Prime Minister in People’s Party and led the Home Secretary from 2010 till T “racism and xenophobia”. Britain’s from 2007-2008 and was helped shape the discussion Independence Party since 2018. of the Chamber of Deputies. he 20th century to win three party from 1995 till 2012. She 2016 and Minister for Women environmentalism that goes with the grain of human nature. As Sir Roger Scruton Green Party, along with the German its gargantuan, first elected to the European on the future of the European She was Minister of Youth consecutive terms in office. She successfully campaigned and Equalities from 2010-2012. argues, “environmentalism is the quintessential conservative cause, the most Greens, has therefore remained silent Parliament in 2004. Since Union and was listed as among Policies from 2008 till 2011 helped bring about the end against the adoption of the Euro As Prime Minister, she began the vivid instance in the world as we know it of that partnership between the dead, uncorrectable and 2014, she has bee the Chair the world’s most powerful and was the youngest person of the Cold War and therefore in 2000. U.K.s withdrawal from the EU. on the topic, even though mass immi- of the European Parliament’s and influential women by the to have become Minister. She helped lead Europe into a the living and the unborn that Burke defended as the conservative archetype”. gration has radically degraded the state-controlled Subcommittee on Security Forbes. She is currently the campaigned successfully n post-Communist era. She left In this special feature Jeremy Rabkin discusses how national sovereignty infrastructure of the country, caused projects, than to and Defence. She has lead the Deputy Prime Minister of Poland 2016 against the constitutional a legacy of free markets, free expressed though strong constitutional institutions is a prerequisite for global a crisis in housing, and put enormous work of the SubCommittee on and vice-Chairman of the Law changes proposed by the trade, small state, low taxation environmental protection, while Daiva Matonienė makes a strong case for locally pressure on planning, countryside the ethos of free countering Russian and Jihadist and Justice Party. centre-left government of Renzi. and competition that continues disinformation. She has helped shape centre- to shape the political discourse led solutions to our common global goals. Our ecology is too important to be left protection, waste management and enterprise. right politics in Italy. of today. to the Left. As Matt Ridley puts it: “The real danger to the planet is socialism”. urban amenities. 16 CONSERVATIVE ENVIRONMENTALISM theconservative.online theconservative.online CONSERVATIVE ENVIRONMENTALISM 17 Low carbon may be a global goal; Protecting the global but the solution is local environment starts with s a centre-Right politician who that the European Commission does Jeremy Rabkin has worked on environmen- have a role to play in providing support, Daiva Matonienė is Professor of Law at George Mason A tal issues at local, national and On climate change we do need to be whether it be financial or technical, but is a member of Šiauliai city council in University and was, for over two European level, I know first-hand the that it is also important for the EU to Lithuania and former deputy minister for asserting national sovereignty decades, a professor in the Department importance of a localist approach to ambitious, but we also need to avoid the recognise that local and regional author- environment. She has been a member of of Government at Cornell University. environmental policies. ities are at the heart of this process. the European Committee of the Regions Professor Rabkin serves on the Board of To restore trust in the EU we must temptation to call for unrealistic targets at Local authorities are not only since 2009, where she is the ECR group Directors of the U.S. Institute of Peace, spokesperson on environment, climate the Board of Academic Advisers of the build a new social contract with citizens, supranational level that will be detrimental involved in the development and man- change and energy. American Enterprise Institute, and the and not fall into the trap of centralis- agement of infrastructure but are also Board of Directors of the Center for ing more power. Environmental issues to jobs and growth. At the same time, among the largest energy users. Many Individual Rights. often are a cross-border challenge and we should not overlook the fight against towns and cities across the EU already One model for this work done in the therefore require coordinated action. have climate and sustainable energy Committee of the Regions on heating and While we need to share best practices in climate change in our local communities. action plans, which incorporate low-car- cooling with concrete recommendations burden on developing countries, which combating climate change, we also need bon heat and carbon production, deploy- from the local government perspective cannot afford all the same range of social to allow local and regional government to the challenge at hand. I believe the on individual households, an inno- ment of renewable energy sources and on how to unleash the potential of this regulation as more affluent countries. to use the variety of tools at their dis- European Commission to should con- vative financing scheme allowing for measures aimed at energy efficiency sector in terms of energy savings, sustain- The WTO has spent two decades posal that best suit that local context. duct a review and evaluation of all EU long-term loans at preferential rates improvement. ability and energy diversification. ■ resisting such measures, trying to As Roger Scruton famously observed binding targets. thousands of buildings have been ren- defend the principle that trading states in his book on environmental conser- We need a system that allows local ovated and large number of jobs have can limit imports when they object to vatism, “history tells us that large-scale and regional government to use a vari- been created in hundreds of small characteristics of the product (as unsafe projects in the hands of bureaucrats ety of tools to resolve the environmen- and medium-sized construction com- for consumption) but not from objec- soon cease to be accountable, and … reg- tal issues. panies. The program to fight climate tions to the way it is produced. If this ulations imposed by the state have side On climate change we do need to be change thus also created jobs, low- principle fails, the way seems open for effects that often worsen what they aim ambitious, but we also need to avoid the ered electricity bills through savings of a great mass of protectionist legislation. to cure”. temptation to call for unrealistic tar- between 50 and 80 per cent. Here is a proposal for moderating the When implementing the one-size- gets at supranational level that will be We have achieved such great results in coming confrontations: let us return to fits-all approaches we end up with a very detrimental to jobs and growth. At the these areas because all levels of govern- the constitutional process. Two related complicated system with many dero- same time, we should not overlook the ment – the European Investment Bank, principles could go far in easing the gations and administrative burdens. fight against climate change in our local the European Commission and the cen- strains of the present era. First, insist that The EU, with its overwhelming num- communities. tral government – have worked in close every nation make its own law (or at least, ber of environmental binding targets, is I have seen first-hand that the dif- cooperation with local government to every nation outside the EU). That is the a good example of such risks. In 2013 it ferent tiers of government can do achieve a multiplier effect. More than 70 general US practice. Decisions of inter- already had an extensive set of 63 bind- when working together. In Lithuania, per cent of our renovation projects have national conferences, even decisions ing and 68 non-binding targets in the for example, a national programme for been implemented through municipal of international courts, do not change area of environment. While it may give ensuring energy efficiency in apart- programmes. We created a new model, US law until Congress or state legisla- the appearance of achievement, we must ment buildings – important because in which a key role in terms of financial tures enact such changes. Some courts remember that no region is the same. buildings are responsible for more than management is played by programme and commentators have concluded that We therefore have to ask ourselves if 40 per cent of energy use in the EU – administrators appointed directly by any other approach would violate the US such a heavy system is incentivising or local communities were empower. By municipalities. Constitution, by transferring legislative slowing down already ambitious local granting more power to municipali- The same localist principles should authority outside the control of the con- and regional governments. The coordi- ties, and ensuring that no financial and apply to all EU action. For instance, in stitutionally designated organs. nated EU action must be proportionate administrative burdens were imposed the field of heating and cooling, I believe n the modern understanding, would give to protecting air and water A related principle should be a national constitution sets a from pollutants or wildlife from various respected by states in their trade pol- boundary around government. threats, comparing with limiting costs icy. States should not use trade restric- managed by “transferable quotas”: mar- The environment – the notion that burden economic growth or per- Citizens in democratic tions to control the way other states ket mechanisms in which each fishing ves- Iincorporated in terms like “environ- sonal freedom. Different countries have produce export goods. States can, of The real danger to sel acquires a share of a quota, which it can mental protection” – is something that different priorities, with less affluent countries disagree on the course, demand that imports satisfy the sell, and so has “skin in the game”, incen- is not clearly unbounded, something that countries usually putting more priority safety standards they think appropri- tivised to enhance the value of its stake by might encompass the whole planet. Con- on economic growth. relative priorities they would ate to protect their own consumers. But the planet is increasing the stock of fish. stitutional government and environmen- Some environmental advocates have how another state produces goods in its Commerce also encourages innova- tal protection are potentially at odds. had quite ambitious visions. The UN’s give to protecting air and water own territory should be its own choice – tion, and new technologies have proved It is true, of course, that constitu- 1972 Stockholm Conference on the unless there is some widely subscribed socialism vital to the saving of habitats and species. tional states have always enacted laws Human Environment (the first interna- from pollutants or wildlife from international treaty laying down rele- Nineteenth-century whaling collapsed that we might now call “environmen- tional conference to focus on the global various threats, comparing vant standards. That is the current doc- ost prominent environmen- before it had wiped out whales because of tal protection” measures – for example, “environment” – all of it) generated a trine of the WTO’s Appellate Body and it talists lean to the Left, which the invention of kerosene, derived from The impact of human beings on the planet’s to guard water sources from contami- Declaration of Principles to guide future with limiting costs that burden makes sense. M means that they like govern- petroleum. Twentieth-century whaling natural resources does not correlate nation or to guard wildlife from exces- policy. Among other things, it urged that Rich countries might try to persuade ment and dislike individual initiative or fleets likewise disappeared just in time sive hunting. But we have been much states “should reduce and eliminate economic growth or personal less developed countries to adopt more private enterprise (the opposite of what Matt Ridley because of the falling costs of oil-derived with wealth; in many ways the reverse. more concerned about “environmen- unsustainable patterns of production ambitious or effective environmen- the Left believed two centuries ago, inci- is the author of books on science products and things made (with oil) from Wildlife populations are doing better tal” issues in the past few decades. The and consumption and promote appro- freedom. Different countries tal controls by offering technical and dentally). In trying to save species, hab- and economics that have sold more crops, such as margarine. term itself, as an open-ended reference priate demographic patterns” (Principle financial assistance (as a number of itats, clean water and air, or the climate, than a million copies in 30 languages, In general, the replacement of nat- in rich than poor countries. It was poor to overall natural or physical surround- 8): put more plainly, reduce standards of have different priorities, with major environmental treaties prom- they therefore see the task as one of reg- including most recently The Evolution ural with synthetic materials has dras- hunter-gatherers who wiped out most large ings, did not come into general use until living and reduce population growth. ise). But it would be a very bad idea to ulation and prohibition by the state. In of Everything. He is also a columnist for tically reduced the demand for animal If that is what “environmental protec- The Times newspaper and a member of products, resulting in a resurgence in the mammals in North and South America and the mid-20th century. less affluent countries usually let states impose financial penalties on this they are sometimes justified, but very the House of Lords. Citizens in democratic countries dis- tion” means, a lot of us will resist it. How less developed countries to coerce them often mistaken. The state is in many cases populations of fur seals and other polar @mattwridley Australia over 10,000 years ago. agree on the relative priorities they will we decide how far to go? Environ- putting more priority on into higher environmental standards. the problem and private enterprise the species. Ivory and rhino horn are lamen- would give to protecting air and water mental advocates look for ways to estab- Among other objections, the result may solution to environmental challenges. table exceptions, but even here the option is occurring all across the wealthy, tech- The government, meanwhile, has from pollutants or wildlife from various lish global strategies, which compel economic growth. not be more environmental protection Consider, for example, pollution in effluent in rivers. The clean-water acts of farming rhinos for their horns (which nologically advanced, private-enter- been incentivising renewable energy threats, comparing with limiting costs individual nations to go along with the but merely reductions in trade, result- the Soviet Empire versus pollution in in Britain were actually designed to pro- can be painlessly removed) and flooding prise-dominated countries. Deforestation such as wind power, which has actu- that burden economic growth or per- kinds of controls others think appropri- Meanwhile, Britain is negotiating its countries with higher standards should ing in slower economic growth in poor the West. By the time the Berlin Wall tect polluters from increasingly expen- the market to suppress the demand for still rules in the poorest countries and ally hampered decarbonisation by ruin- sonal freedom. Different countries have ate. That approach will come under a lot withdrawal from the European Union. be allowed to impose compensating tar- countries – and poor countries tend came down in 1989, the capitalist West sive private lawsuits, even while limiting wild horn might work better than today’s those with the most intrusive govern- ing the economics of nuclear power different priorities, with less affluent of challenges in the next few years. Here The United Kingdom is now subject to iffs on exports from countries that allow to be less attentive to environmental had largely cleaned up its rivers and its their rights to pollute. Likewise the aston- ever less effective prohibitions. It worked ments. Wolves are increasing (they live in – since the unreliable and intermit- countries usually putting more priority are three central examples of emerging a vast mass of environmental regulation producers to operate with fewer envi- protection. air, expanded its protections of species ishing decline – by over 90 per cent since for salmon, after all: farmed fish undercut rich countries) while lions are decreasing. tent dumping of cheap electricity on on economic growth. challenges to global approaches to envi- required of EU Member States by reg- ronmental controls. Britain should resist an exit agree- and habitats and drastically reduced its 1970 – in the amount of oil spilled into wild fish. Private conservation initiatives abound the grid makes it impossible for nuclear We might say that different countries ronmental consensus. ulations or directives of the European Developing countries have protested ment with the EU that commits it to demand for land to support a given human the oceans by tankers has been driven by This illustrates a much more general all around the world, from the hunting plants, which must run continuously, to should then be left to choose for them- President Barack Obama favoured Commission. Can the UK Parliament against such proposals. Just behind maintain EU environmental regulations life, through improvements in farm yields. private enterprise seeking technological point. The impact of human beings on preserves of Zimbabwe, with their resur- recover their costs. New York State is selves how demanding or ambitious global agreements on reducing carbon repeal or modify this body of environ- environmental advocates are a line of which its own parliament may wish to Soviet rivers were treated as sewers, relief from the cost and reputational risk the planet’s natural resources does not gent populations of buffalo, lion and reduced to subsidising a nuclear plant their environmental regulation. But emissions in ways that, advocates hope, mental regulation – even after the UK others demanding protection for what change – and which don’t correspond with frequent fish kills; the Volga had so attached to spills: double-hulled ships, correlate with wealth; in many ways the giraffe, to the grouse moors of northern to keep it open. In Britain and Ger- pollutants can drift over borders. And may forestall climate trends. He did not resumes its status as an entirely sover- they say are worthy forms of social reg- to any generally accepted treaty. The US much oil in it that ferry passengers were better navigation aids and so forth. reverse. Wildlife populations are doing England, with their booming populations many, the unreliable subsidy system some environmental hazards may affect present the US commitments in a formal eign nation? ulation – minimum wage laws, com- should not be bound to implement inter- warned not to throw cigarettes overboard; Next, consider the state of the world’s better in rich than poor countries. It was of rare species such as curlew and golden has actually prevented the replacement everyone – as with, it is said, the buildup treaty, since that would require ratifica- The results of that discussion are not pulsory health insurance or safety national “agreements” not endorsed the Aral Sea was turned into a desert; the fisheries. Like all free-access, com- poor hunter-gatherers who wiped out plover. of coal by gas. of greenhouse gases (especially carbon tion by a two-thirds majority in the Sen- likely to be limited to Britain. Since the regulation, all sorts of regulatory mea- by Congress. Less developed countries beaches of the Black Sea were mined for mon-pool resources, fisheries all too eas- most large mammals in North and South As for climate change, the country The idea that all environmental dioxide) in the earth’s atmosphere; gases ate. Instead, President Obama endorsed World Trade Organization was estab- sures that increase the cost of produc- should be encouraged to improve their gravel, even causing hospitals to fall into ily collapse from overexploitation. But, as America and Australia over 10,000 years that has done most to cut its carbon diox- problems stem from “market failure” that trap heat and encourage a long- the December 2015 Paris Accord on his lished in 1995, many environmental- tion in countries that maintain them environmental standards but not bul- the sea; Lake Baikal was horribly pol- the Nobel prize-winning economist Eli- ago. ide emissions in recent years has been is still popular among environmental term warming trend. To deal with such own authority as President. President ists have protested that its trade rules and might give an advantage to produc- lied by threats of unilateral trade sanc- luted. The United Nations said of East- nor Ostrom showed, government control Likewise, since the 1960s the trebling the United States. It has achieved this by lobbyists, but has long been exploded problems, environmental advocates Trump decided to withdraw. We are give unfair advantage to countries that ers in countries that do not. If we allow tions from rich states. ern Europe that “pollution in that region is often not the best way to solve such trag- of global average farm yields – more in replacing coal-fired power with gas-fired among economists. Many of them stem urge international regulation. What if likely to see litigation in US courts over have more relaxed environmental stan- compensating tariff protection for envi- To pursue environmental goals at any is among the worst on the Earth’s surface”. edies of the commons. The worst-man- rich countries – as a result of the applica- power stations on a massive scale. This from government failure instead. Gov- many countries do not want to go along the extent to which this sort of interna- dards than other countries. Industry ronmental measures, why not for oth- price is fanaticism. One of the main aims North Korea is an ecological disaster zone aged fisheries are those under strict tion of synthetic fertiliser and other man- switch was driven by commercial imper- ernments can help to solve green prob- with – or do not embrace – such protec- tional venture can be cited as the ground that has to operate in countries with ers? Very quickly, we will have forfeited of liberal constitutions is to encourage to this day. command-and-control by governments, ufactured products has made it possible to atives, not government policy. The great lems, for sure, but their best way of tive measures through their own consti- for domestic regulation (as, in Obama’s more demanding standards will face the main benefit of free trade – allow- compromise and consensus. We should In the West, it was private pressure such as the European Union’s common cut the amount of land needed to produce abundance of gas, and its low price, as a doing so is not by command and control, tutional processes? plan, to force the closing of coal-fired higher production costs, so will have ing consumers to find cheaper prod- not let environmental enthusiasm from neighbours, expressed through the fisheries policy; the best-managed fisher- a given quantity of food by 68 per cent result of the revolution in hydraulic frac- but by nudging private sector actors to Citizens in democratic countries dis- power plants) when there is no clear to charge more for its products. Envi- ucts from places that can produce more undermine those aims by side-stepping courts or through parliament, that forced ies, such as those of Iceland, the Falklands, since 1960: which has saved land from turing and horizontal drilling, has incen- come up with technological solutions, agree on the relative priorities they authorisation from the US Congress. ronmental advocates have urged that cheaply. We will certainly place a heavy constitutional processes. ■ polluters to stop dumping sewage and South Georgia and New Zealand, are the plough on a grand scale. Reforestation tivised power plants to switch to gas. through the use of incentives. ■ 18 CONSERVATIVE ENVIRONMENTALISM theconservative.online theconservative.online PROFILES 19

Market institutions never evolved for FIGHTING THE DUTCH “PARTY CARTEL” the environment; and that’s why it Thierry Baudet by Eva Vlaardingerbroek can’t be properly protected n 2015, the young and promis- are not enough. It is by bringing topics with a deafening applause, thanked the ing Dutch intellectual, Thierry that otherwise would have been kept members for their contribution and ne area where many, perhaps concern. Thus, overuse and pollution – not Baudet, founded a small think off the agenda that Baudet and Forum dedication. During the day prominent most, still believe only govern- addressed at the margin – were neglected tank called Forum for Democ- for Democracy has made its way in the figures from within, and – more impor- O ment can operate is that of envi- until they grew to critical levels. A sim- Iracy (FvD). FvD offered a platform for minds and hearts of many Dutch citi- tantly – from outside the party, who gave ronmental protection. Classical liberals ilar problem occurred in the failure to young clever right-wing conservative to zens. Baudet has also proven to be an speeches about the importance of dem- should challenge this view and seek to recognise the efforts of radio pioneers to discuss societal issues with like-minded excellent debater. Forum for Democracy ocratic renewal, immigration and inte- evolve a free market environmental pro- homestake the electromagnetic spectrum. individuals. Now, not even four years has brought a new sound to politics and gration, the climate and of course the gramme based on property rights and Institutional evolutionary history later, Forum for Democracy (FvD), is taken help of big social media campaigns position of The Netherlands within The associated legal protections. There are has received too little attention because the fastest growing political party in to win over voters. In the upcoming elec- European Union. However, in line with indeed environmental concerns, but these it happened incrementally, slowly and The Netherlands. Although the party’s tions for the Dutch Senate coming up in the name and vision of the party, most reflect failures to allow markets and their largely out of view. Especially, the his- founder never intended to start a polit- March, and European Parliament elec- of the day was dedicated to the partici- prerequisite institutions to evolve, rather tory of early environmental concerns has ical career, Thierry Baudet can tell you tion in May, the national polls predicted pation of the members themselves. For than “market failures”. received little attention, Coase, among exactly why he changed his mind: too a victory of historical proportions for the first time in the history of Dutch pol- Economic liberals have long under- others, has examined how environmen- much was going wrong in his country the FvD. With only two seats in the 150- itics, party members were allowed to stood that free markets evolve and are tal concerns were addressed at the dawn and someone needed to act. seat House of Representatives it looks take a seat in The House of Representa- dynamic, and the appropriate price/ of the Industrial Revolution. Early forms In the 2017 general election, not even as if they may get as many as 16 of the tives and to take the role of parliamen- demand terms vary as consumer tastes of pollution – primitive charcoal produc- 6 months after FvD officially trans- 75-seat in the Senate. tarians in an actual debate. The sessions and producer technologies evolve. Classi- tion that produced noxious smoke, say, or especially socialists in Europe and pro- indeed integrate) environmental con- species inhabiting his land would give formed itself in to a political party, it For those that have been following were chaired by the official Speaker, cal liberals also understand that markets sewerage that dirtied water – would likely gressives in America, championed “Prog- cerns with economic ones, the “market the landowner an incentive to protect got two seats in parliament. Forum for the process, it comes as no surprise, that Khadija Arib, and the seats of ‘’minis- do not operate in a vacuum, but rather are irritate downwind or downstream par- ress” – a policy of “Excuse our Dust but failure” model presumes that all environ- his property and its habitat. Moreover, Democracy has built on this amazing Forum recently reached the milestone of ters’’ were filled with FvD prominent, embedded within an institutional frame- ties. Communal norms would discipline Grow We Must!” mental issues are inherently political. the landowner could realise that value accomplishment and has been gaining 30.000 members, surpassing the mem- who responded to the often quite criti- work. That framework entails a system of to some degree such “pollution activi- Rather than integrating environmental Coase finds that the common law was by selling his property right to someone popularity ever since. Thierry Baudet berships of ruling party VVD. The mem- cal questions of the members. private property, a rule of law, contracts ties” as they threatened the communities’ resources into the market economy, pol- often receptive to such requests, leading else, thereby allowing the landowner to hasn’t been afraid to resort to uncon- bership has grown because, not in spite, of At the end of the day, I saw people who and liability, and, finally, a culture that “proper enjoyment of their property”. But iticians in England responded by grant- firms to reduce the nuisance: relocation, “cash in” his ownership stake. The new ventional tactics when fighting what the fact that FvD does things in a different came in that day, feeling worried about recognises that voluntary exchange can such low levels of pollution, especially ing licences to pollute to industries and changing time of operations, acquiring owner might then pay the landowner to he calls ‘’The Party Cartel’’. His maid- way. On example of how the FvD works the future of their country, leaving the increase wealth. Environmental issues in small cultural enclaves, could readily firms seen as especially important to such buffer zones or even negotiating with the maintain the habitat, thereby providing en-speech in parliament was partly in differently from other parties is how it parliament with smiles. It shows how arise in a situation where one or more of be handled: community pressures could growth. Progressives viewed resources as harmed party to permit future emissions. an income stream associated with the Latin and during a parliamentary debate welcomed five hundred of its members to important it is for people to be heard, these requisite institutions do not exist; encourage charcoal operations to relocate better protected by politics – vast tracts Firms and impacted parties might well species. he dressed in a military outfit like a attend to FvD’s second annual Member’s especially on matters that actually where voluntary arrangements for resolv- to more remote woodlands. Homeowners of America have been transferred to the innovate – impacted parties “fencing” Even a market arrangement short of modern-day Cicero. Day in the National Parliament in The deeply affect them. My conclusion of the ing them have been denied. could be shamed into building clay-lined Federal Government over the last century. themselves off from the nuisance, firms outright ownership would be better. For Thierry Baudet has definitely been Hague on February 16th. day was that Forum for Democracy will Policy makers have failed to recognise privies. Moreover, the process by which newly val- adding settling and treatment ponds, and instance, crowdfunding could be used to shaking things up in Dutch politics, On Member’s Day a visibly touched continue to grow as long as it lives up to the relevance of such institutions and But with the dawn of the Industrial ued resources slowly gained the status of so forth. compensate the landowner for his fore- but in Holland charisma and theatrics Thierry Baudet, after being received its name. ■ that time may be required for them to Revolution, the quantity and nature of private property, allowing them to become And, since environmental issues will gone income from his land. People who evolve. This neglect stems in part from the materials processed happen in many dif- value the endangered species could pool fact that these requisite institutions had and the quantity of ferent areas we would their resources to provide this benefit. evolved, in many areas, long before the residuals increased. expect the discovery Again, this would be a market transaction. Industrial Revolution. Those established The power of com- process to provide a The problem is that market solutions institutions were stressed by the differ- munities to address number of compet- like these are currently made very difficult ent challenges arising from the Industrial external and large Why should people who value ing environmental by the nature of environmental regula- Revolution. enterprises weak- response strategies tion. Environmental regulation generally As the Nobel Laureate Ronald Coase ened; moreover such the spotted owl send money to and for the most effec- depends on bans, caps and mandates that notes, as the Industrial Revolution devel- enterprises brought tive to gain dominance restrict the possibility of market transac- oped, and environmental concerns arose benefits as well as a landowner to protect it when in the courts. Over tions. Why should people who value the (e.g. sparks from early rail locomotives, nuisances. time, as the legal rules spotted owl send money to a landowner river damage from early industrial pro- Yet weak property the landowner is theoretically and property rights to protect it when the landowner is theo- cesses, the need to locate and develop oil rights and a liability evolved, the nuisance retically banned from doing anything to THE RISE OF resources), institutions did develop. Nui- system dealing with banned from doing anything would integrate into harm it or its habitat? They, in theory, get sance law was applied to pollution and water and air did exist, to harm it or its habitat? the standard market far more “bang per buck” from funding subsurface property rights were estab- building blocks for a framework. environmental groups that lobby for more lished. But then that process was stopped more robust market They, in theory, get far more There is much to bans, caps and mandates. in its tracks. in these areas. And say about this pro- Regulation evolved this way because Why did this process not occur as envi- efforts were made to “bang per buck” from funding cess, but an illustra- the economists of the progressive era Santiago Abascal ronmental values moved into prominence? adapt them to these tive example can be viewed environmental degradation as a by Diego Sánchez de la Cruz Why were markets blocked from playing a new challenges. Coase environmental groups that drawn by concern social cost. Landowners, factory owners, creative role in nurturing and advancing notes that farmers over endangered utilities and so on were viewed as impos- ince the transition to democ- terrorist group responsible for almost which he accused the president of the economic values as they had long done in filed suits against rail- lobby for more bans, caps and species (and more ing costs on the rest of society and had to racy in Spain, the regional 900 assasinations. Searching through government of abandoning the princi- more traditional economic areas? Why are roads when the sparks broadly biodiversity). be prevented from doing so by legislation. government of Andalucía has the archives of Spanish television, one ples, values and ideas of the organiza- environmental resources rarely available from these first-gen- mandates. Efforts to protect such This imposition of regulatory law derailed always been in the hands of the can find videos of the young Santiago tion. Abascal was now an outsider, but as ownable private property? eration locomotives species politically – the process by which market institutions Sleft. For almost four decades, the Social- Abascal attending class at university an outsider with a plan. This is why, only Legislatures eager to promote eco- set fire to their crops. Fishing clubs moved managed by the market, stopped totally in making such species a ward of the state could have evolved to solve the problem. ist Party ruled the Southern territory under the protection of a police escort. a few months later, the Basque leader nomic growth granted railroads and to enjoin corporate disposal practices that the late 19th century. Today there is no – have not fared well. Too often the reac- Proper institutions can lower trans- without an effective political opposi- Under such circumstances, many launched his new political project: Vox. many industrial plants pollution privi- harmed the fishing in areas where they resource that was not in private hands in tion of property owners faced with laws action costs. For example, the rule of law tion. Despite frequent and significant would have simply decided to surrender. In this new venture, Abascal insisted leges. Subsurface property rights in oil held rights. And these early “free mar- 1890. banning them from encroaching (on their makes transactions more likely, as parties corruption scandals, an unemployment That was ETA’s main goal: it actively and on the central theme that has marked pools and reserves did evolve, but they ket environmental actions” had impact The shift was sometimes abrupt. The own land) on the habitat of such species is: to the transaction can be certain that dis- rate that doubled the national average, violently harassed any politician who his entire political career: an uncompro- were not extended to aquifers, ground- – firms did respond and, it appeared, the electromagnetic spectrum that became a “Shoot, shovel and shut up.” putes will be resolved fairly. The institu- neither the Popular Party (EPP) nor openly spoke in defense of Spanish unity. mising defense of the unity of Spain. His water and other liquid underground Industrial Revolution would consider all valuable resource at the turn of that cen- That is a description of how many tion of property rights provides a vehicle Ciudadanos (ALDE) were able to build However, Santiago Abascal remained warnings took some time to resonate resources. And most mainstream envi- values (addressing the challenge posed by tury was initially being homesteaded with American landowners have reacted to the for a whole swathe of transactions. These an alternative majority. firm and defended his ideals in the face with the general public. For instance, ronmental resources, such as wildlife, Mises). rules to separate one bandwidth user burdens of the Endangered Species Act. institutions are essential and evolving All that changed on December 2 last of continued threats from both ETA and Vox received less than 1,5% of the popu- springs and brooks, airsheds and bays, But, while there were some concerned from another. Then Congress created the Those burdens are substantial – finding prerequisites to markets. This is a central year. The spectacular electoral success its political allies. His name is part of a lar vote in the 2015 European Parliament remained as unprotected commons. Nor- about environmental values (initially precursor of the Federal Communica- that an endangered species is using your insight of classical liberal economics. of Vox in the regional election held in golden generation of courageous poli- Election. However, in 2016 and 2017, the mal market processes were blocked from mostly those enjoying those resources tion Commission to own and manage this land as its habitat will preclude any fur- Unfortunately, mainstream economists Andalucía shook the foundations of ticians that includes the likes of Jaime radical push for seccession by Catalan addressing these emerging areas of social or harmed by a firm’s negligence) many, valuable resource. Subsurface resources ther development or use of the land. The of the progressive era became enamoured Spanish political life. In the previous Mayor Oreja, Gregorio Ordóñez, Miguel separatists triggered a strong popular such as minerals, oil and water all gained result has been that landowners have an of making economics a quantitative “sci- regional election, held in 2015, this con- Ángel Blanco or María San Gil. reaction in favour of Vox. Event atten- protection in America in the 19th century incentive to kill any endangered species ence” and forgot the role of institutions. servative party had only received 0,5% Between 2004 and 2009, Santiago dance exploded, social media following by the innovation and legitimisation of they find on their land, remove all traces Thus, environmental issues were rele- of the popular vote. However, its activ- Abascal was a member of the Basque grew significantly and party affiliation the concept of subsurface mineral rights. of it and keep quiet about it. gated to the category of “market failure”, ism kept building momentum and even- Parliament. After 2010, he moved to exploded. Mass media began to catch up Yet aquifers (the most abundant source of Classical liberal economics suggests and the role of economists to that of com- tually Vox exceeded all polling estimates Madrid and worked for the regional in September, after Vox held a large rally potable water) remain common property that the reason why the landowner dis- missars of rules and regulations designed and got an astonishing 11% of the vote. government. In the meantime, the Bil- that sold out the Vistalegre Palace, a large resources, lacking the institutional bene- poses of the endangered species is not sim- to correct these failures. The institutions As it happens in every political proj- bao-born politician launched a private bullfighting arena in Madrid. fits of ownership. ply because the species imposes a cost, but necessary to allow environmental market ect, the success of Vox is insepara- initiative devoted to defending and pro- Only time will tell if Abascal can suc- Classical liberals would expect a period also because the species has no economic. transactions to solve the problems were ble from the growing popularity of its moting Spanish unity. cessfully turn Vox into a permament fix- of adaptation as those that encountered If we can find a way of providing value to simply not allowed to evolve. Fred L. Smith, Jr. Iain Murray leader, Santiago Abascal. Despite his Then everything changed changed ture of Spanish politics. For now, Vox externalities, used the market to inte- the landowner in having the species on his In many ways, environmental regula- relative youth, 42 years of age, his has for him in 2013. Disappointed with the is consistently polling above 10% and is the founder of the Competitive is the Competitive Enterprise Institute’s grate those externalities into the market land, then the incentives towards destruc- tion is the last bastion of central planning. management of Mariano Rajoy, Abas- seems ready to become a key actor in the Enterprise Institute. He served as vice president of strategy concentrating substantial political experienc. From president from 1984 to 2013 and is on financial regulation, employment structure. tive behaviour will be removed (or at least It is remarkable that even as Europe has a very early age, Santiago and his fam- cal announced that he resigned from coming European, Regional and Local currently the Director of CEI’s Center and immigration, regulation and free Environmental policy took an unfor- lessened). realised the folly of central planning in so ily were targeted by ETA, a Basque the Popular Party in an open letter in elections. ■ for Advancing Capitalism. market environmentalism. tunate path. Rather than realising that we One way to do this would be through many other economic areas, it has actually @FredLSmithJr @ismurray should encourage a vast array of experi- ownership of the animal(s). Having a doubled down on it in environmental reg- ments about how best to reconcile (and property right in the members of the ulation and have sought to export it. ■ 20 INTERVIEW theconservative.online theconservative.online INTERVIEW 21

The Member States should be able to create practical partnerships and should be free An Interview with ACRE’s to select the level of integration Spitzenkandidat Jan Zahradil that suits them best.

With only a few months to the European elections, in which the Members of the European Parliament are chosen and which also – indirectly – determine who is to be the next President of the European Commission, we talk to Jan Zahradil, the only Spitzenkandidat who – as a matter of principle – opposes the Spitzenkandidat method of choosing the top job.

an Zahradil is a Czech Member THE CONSERVATIVE JAN ZAHRADIL JAN ZAHRADIL of the whole of the common legislation. of the European Parliament. But despite being a Spitzenkandidat The upcoming elections are an opportu- By changing the incentives systems to We need something I call the ‘Great He grew up under the Commu- you are decidedly against this process. The EU could be a good servant but is a bad master. nity to save what little respect the citi- harness the ambitions of the techno- Legal Review’. Such a review would aim nist regime and is the first ever Why? zens have for the European Union. crats for a flexible, pragmatic, reason- to decentralise as much power as possi- The only way to force the JSpitzenkandidat from Central and East- We need common European solutions in areas I was elected as one of the first Czech able and simple EU that is respectful of ble back to the Member States and leave ern Europe. He is currently President JAN ZAHRADIL MEPs to sit in the European Parliament national governments. Most of the Com- the EU to focus on areas where it can federalist politicians and of the Alliance of Conservatives and Because I respect the rules. And the where there is a clear added value of working in 2004. I was someone who looked for- mission’s bureaucrats are well-educated add value. Why, to take but one exam- Reformists in Europe (ACRE). Treaties clearly state who is in charge of ward to being in the EU. For me it was and well-intentioned professionals, ple, does the EU need a diplomatic corps bureaucrats of the European picking the EC President. It is the Euro- collectively, such as research, a single market and an opportunity to build on all the prin- but they are told to create new regula- when all the Member States have their THE CONSERVATIVE pean Council – the summit of heads of ciples I thought European integration tion and centralise power to Brussels. If own foreign affairs departments? It institutions to recognise that Before we discuss the issues, what is a state and national governments – not trade agreements. represented: a single market, free trade people working in the Commission are would also be worthwhile to put all EU Spitzenkandidat and what is the Spit- the European Parliament. and the four fundamental freedoms. But promoted for having successfully over- agencies through a cost-benefit analy- the EU has overreached and is zenkandidat process? In 2014, when this process was intro- nominate its preferred candidate for the European Commission, but to the union or eradicate the real bene- as the EU has become too centralised seen the creation of a large and complex sis, including the possibility of funding duced, ACRE did not nominate a Spit- the Commission President. But this what do you think you can offer the fits of the cooperation. Most voters want and too ambitious, it has been losing directive centralising power, you natu- them from sources outside the EU bud- buckling under the weight of its JAN ZAHRADIL zenkandidat. We did not believe that year ACRE also has nominated a Spit- electorate? a flexible EU, pragmatic, reasonable, the trust of its citizens and I have also rally expect to see more of this. The fun- get. During this review process all new The German word “Spitzenkandidat” the process would encourage a genuine zenkandidat to challenge the establish- simple and respectful of national gov- become more critical. damental change we need is to reward and pending proposals would be fro- own ambitions is by electing a may sound bizarre, but it literally trans- debate on the future of Europe, but that ment. And this is a serious bid with real JAN ZAHRADIL ernments. That is my vision and I am I am the first ever Spitzenkandi- those civil servants who find ways to zen, with only the most urgent propos- lates as “lead candidate”. The Spitzen- it would assist the federalists in their resources. I can offer real expertise and a perspec- ready to stand up for it. dat from Central and Eastern Europe, simplify regulation and who focus on the als being recommended to the European reasonable critic of the system. kandidat process is the procedure for attempt to turn the Commission into a The Council may or may not wish tive on European integration shared The only way to force the federal- and one of my missions is to make sure interests of the Member States, the citi- Council and Parliament for legislation. choosing the next President of the Euro- regular government. to nominate someone who has run as by most voters. Brussels likes to make ist politicians and bureaucrats of the all that EU Members States are heard zens and the taxpayers. pean Commission, the post currently Unfortunately, by not having a lead a Spitzenkandidat. There could be a it look like the voter’s choice is binary: European institutions to recognise that equally. This has not always been the THE CONSERVATIVE solutions in areas where there is a clear Member States would continue to set held by Jean-Claude Juncker. It works candidate, we were excluded from many much wider pool of possible candi- either anti-EU radicals who want to the EU has overreached and is buckling case. I believe that it is time for someone THE CONSERVATIVE In our conversation you have been added value of working collectively, such a common agenda but would develop like this: the European political par- media events and debates and thereby dates. Would the European Parliament abolish the union completely or fed- under the weight of its own ambitions with a different life experience and dif- But even with a change in the incen- very critical of the EU, but you do not as research, a single market and trade a colourful mosaic of overlapping ad ties, ahead of the European elections, lost many opportunities to communi- really refuse to approve a Council nom- eralist fanatics who want to create a is by electing a reasonable critic of the ferent perspectives, and perhaps from a tives the structures would stay in want to abolish it. With all this criti- agreements. What the citizens of Euro- hoc collaboration. This mode of coop- appoint lead candidates. And the candi- cate our programme and goals to the inee, if that person had not run as a federal state through an “ever closer system. Because only from within can different part of Europe, to step up. place. What would you do to reform cism why not just advocate abolishing pean countries do not want is Brussels eration already exists in the Treaty date of the political party that manages voters. By refusing to play the game in Spitzenkandidat? union”. we achieve a real reform of the way the the existing structures? the entire organisation? imposing a onesize­ ­fits­all policy on their framework, for example enhanced to secure the largest number of seats in Brussels, we were not on a level playing But recent elections and referendums institutions work. THE CONSERVATIVE values, cultures and national traditions. cooperation and constructive absten- the next European Parliament will be field with the establishment parties. THE CONSERVATIVE across Europe show clearly that there is How would you be able to effect a JAN ZAHRADIL JAN ZAHRADIL The EU should not attempt to replace tion. Flexible integration is not com- approved by the Parliament as the new We still stand by our principle and We have talked about the pro- a real demand for a balanced arrange- THE CONSERVATIVE change towards a more “moderate In a Commission under my presidency, The EU could be a good servant but is a national governments; we do not need patible with qualified majority voting Commission President. support the right of the Council to cess of selecting the President of ment that does not transfer more power What is your personal motivation? common-sense” EU in practice? the focus would be on a reassessment bad master. We need common European a common European solution to every and would force unanimous decision problem that exists. making on the Union.

THE CONSERVATIVE THE CONSERVATIVE But what happens if some Mem- One last question: why have you cho- ber States want to have more coop- sen to name your campaign “Retune eration, or conversely do not want the EU”? to participate in one of the areas you mentioned? JAN ZAHRADIL Well, it is linked to one of my biggest JAN ZAHRADIL hobbies – music. I am a huge rock fan I do not see that as a problem. I am con- and a frequent visitor of rock concerts. vinced that the way out of our current In music the audience cannot possi- impasse is through flexible integration. I bly enjoy the performance if the instru- believe in an EU that is multispeed, mul- ments are out of tune. And it is the same ticurrency and multipolar. in politics and in the EU. When the insti- The Member States should be able tutions are out of tune with the people to create practical partnerships and they are supposed to represent, it can- should be free to select the level of inte- not work. That is why we need to retune gration that suits them best. Within the EU to get it in harmony with the such framework of cooperation, wishes of the people. ■ 22 SPITZENKANDIDAT theconservative.online theconservative.online SPITZENKANDIDAT 23

Introducing ACRE’s Campaigns’ Consultant, Richard Murphy IN THE NEWS ACRE is delighted to announce that Richard Murphy has grassroots capacity building and GOTV. He also trains party agreed to act as ACRE’s official Campaigns’ Consultant. activists nationally, and internationally, in “on the ground” Richard is Managing Director of Communication Strategy field campaigning techniques. Richard has trained party & Management Ltd (CSM), a political campaign consult- political activists in countries such as Ukraine, Moldova, ing firm based in the UK. CSM works alongside Members of Bulgaria, Trinidad & Tobago, Slovenia, Bosnia Herzegovina, Parliament, Members of the European Parliament and can- Kazakhstan, Armenia, Serbia and Montenegro. A member of Jan Zahradil didates delivering professional advice on the construction the Institute of Leadership & Management, Richard is also and management of their communication strategies. With a former Board Member of both the International Associa- almost thirty years’ experience of working with the UK Con- tion of Political Consultants and the European Association servative Party, Richard has campaigned directly with seven of Political Consultants. party leaders including the incomparable Margaret Thatcher. In each forthcoming edition of The Conservative, Richard He has a wealth of experience and expertise in structuring will be writing a short piece on a particular aspect of cam- and managing election campaigns at European, Parliamen- paigning. He has penned his first article below. If you wish to CAMPAIGN tary and Local Government levels. Richard specialises in contact Richard, please email [email protected]. Standing for election? It’s time DIARY to do some research... on yourself Part I. t was the distinguished Brit- a ‘scandal’ that hasn’t yet surfaced. question and the answer would have been ish Conservative Prime Minis- Always remember that ‘perception is on every publication produced from then ter, Harold Macmillan, who once reality in politics’. until election day. Always, think about uttered those famous words of Other areas to, perhaps, review? Stray everything that you write and reflect on Icaution - “Events, dear boy, events”. text messages, drafted in haste, that may how it may be used against you. “Events”, indeed. As a newly selected now bizarrely re-surface. An innocuous Another area to examine closely is, candidate, your path will not be a con- comment from years gone by which, if obviously, your engagement with social stantly smooth one. There will always highlighted now, could perhaps assist media. Maintaining a presence on Face- be “events”. Some will be predictable but your opponent. Think hard and check book, Twitter or other social network- EVENTS others less so. Your job is to minimise out your previous contributions to TV, ing sites unquestionably enhances your the risk of negative “events”. radio and press. Assess your political, profile amongst many of your elector- One key piece of advice for you? and personal, biographical details on ate. However, have a thorough “spring Always expect the unexpected, as the your website. Is there anything drafted clean” of all your current social net- Retune the EU Federalists met the ACRE’s President The EP debate on the unexpected will almost certainly hap- badly, or inaccurately, in there that working sites before you get stuck into campaign launched ACRE’s lead candidate welcomes a new party Future of Eruope is a theater pen! An election campaign needs to be could throw a spanner in the works your campaign. We have all heard the run with absolute precision - so don’t before, or during, the campaign? tales of previous ‘Posts’ from months, allow yourself to be outflanked by your You don’t want your political epitaph or even years, before causing conster- electoral opponents. to be that you - “really should have seen nation in election campaigns. Another The infamous Chinese General Sun that coming…” digital pitfall is, inevitably, embarrass- Tzu is quoted as having said “Know thy- Be as thorough, and be as utterly hon- ing photographs posted on Facebook. self, know thy enemy”. Any good campaign est, as you always should be in every- Sometimes it’s not the candidate’s page researches their opponents but relatively thing else that you do. Once again, if you – or even those of their family. Some- few turn the tables and have a long hard are not straight with yourself, you may times it is on a ‘Friend’s’ page. Now, that, look in the mirror at themselves. damage yourself and your campaign. you have to deal with delicately. Inter- So, now it’s time for a little candour. If the electorate learns to distrust you, vention may often cause you more grief What are your weaknesses? Where are you might have the best campaign plan than if you had ignored it and taken no the ‘skeletons in your cupboard’? What in history but you will not win – unless, action. Be exceptionally careful. is your Achilles heel? How will you be of course, you are born lucky and a ‘Pro- If you have a blog, or intend start- criticised? Will criticism of you be per- portional’ electoral system saves you! ing one - beware. Be careful what you sonality driven, or will it merely try write. Might it be taken out of context? to destabilise and undermine the sub- How would any particular sentence look stance of your messaging? How do you maliciously ‘lifted out’ and used as a dis- compare to your opponents in terms ingenuous headline, rather than merely of experience, profile, localism and the as part of an inconsequential and inno- like? In other words - you have to look at cent paragraph within your blog? ACRE’s lead candidate Jan Zahradil officially ACRE’s lead candidate Jan Zahradil debated the Presi- ACRE’s President Jan Zahradil welcomed a During the February European Parliament plenary things from their point of view. Type your name into every inter- launched his Retune the EU Spitzenkandidat cam- dent of the Union of European Federalists Sandro Gozi new party Fratelli d’Italia into the conservative session in Strasbourg, ACRE’s lead candidate and Draft a confidential list of your own net search engine. What stories do they paign on 28th November 2018 in Brussels. in one of the first Spitzenkadidat debates in Brussels. family. member of the ECR Group Jan Zahradil called out personal and political weaknesses but throw up? What you see, your oppo- The band Exiled in Brussels whose members are The debate in the Brussels Microsoft headquarters, Fratelli d’Italia, a national conservative party led his fellow MEPs for not being able to convey a bal- - clearly - keep it strictly to yourself. nent will see also. They will also trawl the Chairman of the ECR Group Syed Kamall (bass moderated by journalist Chris Burns, focused on the by Georgia Meloni, officially joined the ACRE at anced debate on the Future of Europe. At present, This is definitely not something you Richard Murphy through your website, contact any pre- guitar and vocals) and Vice-Chaiman Roberts Zile future of Europe but also discussed migration and the “La Convenzione Blu Council Meeting & Summit” in each Strasbourg plenary session a debate with should consider emailing for advisory Managing Director of Communication vious opponents, obtain and go through Strategy and Management (CSM) (guitar) opened the event with a song Crossroads EU budget. One issue both politicians agreed on was on 22nd February 2019 in Rome. a member state prime minister or a head of state ‘comment’ to a large circulation list of, your old election literature and check by a blues musician Robert Johnson. When asked that the Single Market benefits the EU. Zahradil welcomed the new ally, stressing the on the Future of Europe takes place. However, the hitherto, so-called confidants! Reading [email protected] out your old press releases. why he chose this particular song, Jan Zahradil Jan Zahradil told the invited audience that the ECR important role that Italy will play in the Euro- majority of the speakers belong to the EU federalist the full unexpurgated version of your Here’s a little tip. Use some of your explained that people always talk about the EU was the leading pro-European reform party with a plan pean elections. He also emphasised how import- EPP, Socialists and Liberals who all want the same self-proclaimed flaws on the front page It is also worth pondering, if some- contingency budget to purchase as being at a crossroads: “now we really are at a cross- to ensure the EU is scaled back to become more flexible, ant Fratelli d’Italia would be in the next European thing – more Europe. of the next day’s newspaper, whilst eat- thing does go wrong, what the reac- many website domains involving your roads, because there will be no EPP and Socialist prosperous and respectful of national governments. Conservative Group in the Parliament. When somebody with a different point of view ing your breakfast, will do little for your tion of your active supporters is likely name as you can. If you ignore this, those majority in the European Parliament after the next takes the floor such as the Italian Prime Minister MUSIC WHAT I AM LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW digestion! Equally, however, drafting to be? How will it affect your fund-rais- unfriendly to your cause may make you elections.” Giuseppe Conte on 12th February, a majority of an exactingly confidential list is still a ing efforts? How will it damage your repent at leisure. Regrettably, politics In his address, Jan Zahradil presented his cam- MEPs almost ‘booed’ and ‘jeered’ him. wholly necessary exercise. For your own momentum, your political and per- can be an unpleasant and unsavoury paign manifesto highlighting his primary priority “This is not a debate, this is only an imitation of a sake, you must be entirely truthful with sonal relationships, and your integrity business and you need to protect your- - the Great Review of the entire “acquis commu- debate,” said Jan Zahradil to the chamber. yourself. After all, if you can’t be hon- amongst the voters as well as your own self from those less scrupulous and hon- nautaire”. “The EU has completely stopped exam- Why Retune the EU? est with yourself, how can you ever hope campaign team? ourable than yourself. ining where it has gone wrong and overreached,” to be seen as being honest with your Candidates often believe that a par- If you are a new candidate, your life is explained Jan Zahradil. “A Commission led by me In music the audience cannot possibly enjoy electorate? ticular ‘minor’ issue will be irrelevant, about to change. Life is going to become would focus on assessing regulation that already You will need to consider the peo- too inconsequential to be of any interest a great deal more intrusive. What you exists, removing what is no longer necessary, what the performance if the instruments are out ple you have mixed with profession- to the voting public. Very often they are say, what you do, how you do it and why, is overdue, redundant or inefficient, and improving ally and socially over the years. Ponder wrong. So, wrack your brains and think are all now legitimate areas of public what can be made to work better.” of tune. And it is the same in politics and your working life, current and past; your of everything. Have an answer for every- interest. Inevitably, there will be those The full manifesto can be downloaded at in the EU. When the institutions are out of community activities; the organisations thing - even if it means disclosing an deliberately trying to trip you up. You acreurope.eu/janzahradil. to which you belong; public pronounce- awkward issue yourself. This can be dif- shouldn’t become paranoid and freeze tune with the people they are supposed to ments and philosophies you have com- ficult but, at the same time, can also be a with fear but do be vigilant. Do not offer mitted to paper - and which are still in highly sensible and honest damage lim- any silly hostages to fortune. represent, it cannot work. That is why we the public domain. Could an article, or itation exercise. Once you have thoroughly and need to retune the EU to get it in harmony Cassandra Wilson Robert Plant headline, come back to haunt you? What I remember a parliamentary candi- exhaustively ‘researched yourself’, you could be used entirely out of context? date conducting an openly proclaimed, need to get inside your opponent’s head. with the wishes of the people. Death Letter Carry Fire What past and current elected offices and demonstrably, mock interview, with What will they be doing? How will they TWEETS have you held? How are your previous themselves, in pre-election literature. react to the information they may have attendance and voting records? Remind One of the concocted questions thrown gleaned? What might their advisers pro- yourself of previous policy statements their way was: ““What makes me think I pose they do? 11:18 PM - 22 Feb 2019 5:40 AM - 12 Feb 2019 10:31 AM - 24 Jan 2019 3:11 AM - 11 Jan 2019 ZAHRABEER and political pledges you have made. could be a good Member of Parliament for To paraphrase a slogan from a previ- Our @ACREurope #LaConvenzioneBlu in @EUombudsman reaffirmed ‘Selmayr’s My @ecrgroup is pro-European. Anti- Coalition of “more #EU” between @EPP Promises that you have, purportedly, Bloggsville?” The answer came back from ous British parliamentary election - are Rome with @GiorgiaMeloni + Fratelli d’Italia appointment did not follow the EU law, federalist but pro-European. I am confident and @PES_PSE is to be finished soon. My favourite beer is an IPA from a small local broken. Alleged controversies you are the candidate “It’s a fair question.” Gen- you thinking what they’re thinking? If was successfull. New friends and allies who in letter and spirit, and did not follow the that after the #elections2019 we will not only Old days of outdated eurofederalism “steam” brewery nearby my cottage in the said to have been involved with - polit- uinely unbelievable! Most people man- you’re not, however unjustly, you might share idea of reformed #EU and refuse Commission’s own rules’. Response by the stay the 3rd largest group in the @Europarl_ are over. New 2019 #EP deserves new, northern Bohemia. The label was made by ical or otherwise. Anything that could, aging the campaign of this candidate’s be in for a pile of completely unneces- centralized federalist eurostate. Next week @EU_Commission? Nothing. ‘Rules are rules EN but we will be open and able to play a role eurorealist majority. @ecrgroup is ready Franta Štorm, a Czech rock musician and even potentially, be concocted into opponent would have ensured that this sary trouble. ■ we continue to Paris. #RetuneTheEU but only when we say so…’ #SelmayrGate in the next coalition. #Spitzenkandidat to play active role in this reshuffle. renowned graphic designer. 24 CONSERVATIVE ICONS theconservative.online theconservative.online CONSERVATIVE ICONS 25

In each issue Roger Kimball features a past conservative hero about whom we should all The fact that Aron know more. was hated by the Left does not mean that he was a partisan of the Right. Raymond

he French philosopher Ray- introduction” to Aron’s earlier book on was not a repudiation but an exten- Enlightened thinking tends to be because it depends upon individual ini- noted, “is no more than an illustration in subscribes to the pessimism which sees In his foreword to The Opium of to verbal revolutionism. Hatred of the mond Aron, who died in the philosophy of history. sion of his liberalism. As the sociologist superficial thinking because its critical tiative and might be undone; it is piece- a children’s picture book”. politics as the art of creating the con- the Intellectuals, Aron notes that he bourgeoisie makes him allergic to pro- 1983 in his late seventies, is From the 1950s to the early 1970s, Aron Edward Shils noted in an affectionate armoury is deployed against every faith meal because ideals are never achieved To say that Aron was suspicious of ditions in which the vices of men con- directs his argument “not so much saic reforms”. a half-forgotten colossus of was regularly calumniated by the radical memoir of his friend, Aron moved from except its own blind faith in the power all at once, but only approached step by the poetical is not to deny that his sober tribute to the good of the State”. Aron against the Communists as against In insulating its victims from reality, Ttwentieth century intellectual life. Part Left – by his erstwhile friends Sartre and being a declared socialist in his youth to of reason. Aron avoided the besetting faltering step; and it is imperfect because vision of human fulfilment exhibits a acknowledged that this prosaic model the communisants,” against those fel- the opium of the intellectuals at the same philosopher, part sociologist, part jour- Merleau-Ponty, for starters, but also by becoming “the most persistent, the most liability of the Enlightenment by sub- the recalcitrance of reality – including poetry of its own. Aron, one might say, lacked the grandeur of utopia. low travellers for whom the West time insulates them from the rebukes of nalist, he was above all a spokesman for their many epigoni and intellectual heirs. severe, and the most learned critic of jecting its ideals to the same scrutiny it the messy reality of human nature – was a poet of the realm of prose. Another “Doubtless the free play of initiative, is always wrong and who believe contradiction. This has allowed for some that rarest form of idealism, the idealism In 1963, for example, Susan Sontag dis- Marxism and of the socialist – or more reserved for its adversaries. “In defend- guarantees slippage, frustration, incom- way of putting this is to say that he was competition between buyers and sellers, that people can “be divided into two peculiar intellectual hybrids. For exam- of common sense. He was, Allan Bloom missed Aron as “a man deranged by Ger- precisely Communist – order of society” ing the freedom of religious teaching,” he Roger Kimball pleteness and sheer perversity. a champion of the real in the face of the would be unthinkable if human nature camps, one the incarnation of good ple, the philosophies of Nietzsche and and the other of evil, one belonging to wrote shortly after Aron’s death, “the man philosophy belatedly converting to in the 20th century. wrote, “the unbeliever defends his own is editor and publisher of The New The ideal of the reformist, Aron blandishments of the ideal. The prospect had not been sullied by the Fall. The indi- Marx are diametrically opposed: one cel- man who for fifty years… had been right Anglo-Saxon empiricism and common Again, this shift tokened not a repudi- freedom”. Aron’s generosity of spirit was Criterion and President and Publisher noted, “is prosaic,” that of the revolu- of ideal – that is, total, complete – eman- vidual would give of his best in the inter- the future and the other to the past, ebrates the lonely genius, the other the about the political alternatives actually sense under the name of ‘Mediterra- ation of youthful ideals but a maturing a coefficient of his recognition that real- of Encounter Books. He is a frequent tionary “poetic”. Equally, one is real, the cipation bewitches susceptible souls ests of others without hope of recompense, one standing for reason and the other collective; one looks for a new aristoc- available to us… [H]e was right about Hit- nean’ virtue”. In fact, it would be difficult recognition that ideals worth cherishing ity was complex, knowledge limited and contributor to many publications in other fantastical. In his Memoirs, Aron because “it contains in itself the poetry without concern for his own interests.” for superstition”. racy of Übermenschen, the other for the ler, right about Stalin, and right that our to find anyone at once more knowledge- are those that can be fulfilled without action essential. Aron, Shils wrote, “very the US, Europe, and Australia and acknowledged that “I do in fact think of the unknown, of the Marxism is a pri- institution of the classless society. For writes the Roger’s Rules column for PJ that the organisation of social life on this future, of the abso- Western regimes, with all their flaws, are early came to know the sterile vanity of Media. He is author of several books, mary allotrope of the any unintoxicated person, such differ- the best and only hope of mankind”. moral denunciations and lofty procla- including, most recently, The Fortunes earth turns out, in the end, to be rather lute”. The problem is opium of the intel- ences are essential: they mean that the Over the course of his career, Aron mations, of demands for perfection and of Permanence: Culture and Anarchy in prosaic”. The rule of law; economic that the poetry of the lectuals because philosophies of Marx and Nietzsche are occupied various exalted academic posts of the assessment of existing situations an Age of Amnesia. vitality; respect for tradition; freedom of absolute is an inhu- its doctrine of his- incompatible. But for intellectuals under – at the Sorbonne, the École pratique according to the standard of perfec- @rogerkimball speech: out of such prosaic elements are man poetry. As Aron Aron understood that political torical inevitability the influence, such distinctions count des hautes études, the Collège de France The rule of law; economic tion”. As Aron himself wrote in his mas- the seemingly miraculous successes of drily observed, in real insulates it from cor- for nothing. As Aron notes, the descen- – but he was never merely an academic. terpiece The Opium of the Intellectuals of ideology down to the level of the prose Western society forged. (One thinks of life ideal emancipa- wisdom rests in the ability rection by anything dants of Marx and Nietzsche (and Hegel He wrote some 40 books – on history, on vitality; respect for tradition; (1955), “every known regime is blame- of reality”. What Aron called the “Myth Walter Bagehot’s observation that “the tion turns out to be so trivial as factual and Freud) come together by many paths. the conduct of war, on the cultural and worthy if one relates it to an abstract of the Revolution” (like the “Myth of essence of civilisation… is dullness… an “indistinguishable to choose the better course reality. When Mer- The existentialism of Sartre, the nihil- political prospects of France – and was freedom of speech: out of ideal of equality or liberty”. the Left” and the “Myth of the Proletar- elaborate invention… for abolishing the from the omnipotence leau-Ponty assures ism of Derrida or Foucault, all exhibit a an indefatigable political commentator, The leitmotif of Aron’s career was iat”) is so seductive precisely because of fierce passions”.) The subject of poli- of the State”. of action even when the best us that in the mod- similar intellectual incontinence. What for some three decades for Le Figaro and such prosaic elements are the responsibility. Not the metaphysical or its poetical charm: it induces the illusion tics, Aristotle noted, is “the good life for The issue is “not ern world the pro- unites them is not a coherent doctrine then, at the end of his life, for L’Express. “ontological” responsibility of Sartre – that “all things are possible,” that every- man”. What constitutes the good life? radical choice, but course is unavailable – letariat is the only but a spirit of opposition to the estab- Although showered with honours, seemingly miraculous successes the anguished “responsibility of the for thing – age-old institutions, the structure Aron cannily reminds us that the more ambiguous compro- form of “authentic lished order, “the occupational disease,” Aron never enjoyed the dazzling celeb- itself” burdened by groundless freedom of society, even human nature itself – can extravagant answers to this question are mise”. Aron contin- which is always. intersubjectivity”, or Aron notes, “of the intellectuals”. rity that came the way of Maurice Mer- of Western society forged. – but the exercise of that prosaic, but be utterly transformed in the fiery cruci- often the most malevolent. They prom- ually came back to when he writes that George Orwell famously remarked leau-Ponty and, especially, of Jean-Paul indispensable, virtue: prudence. Aron ble of revolutionary activity. Combined ise everything; they tend to deliver mis- man as he is, not as he might be imag- But that “if” issues an unredeem- Marxism “is not a philosophy of history, it that there are some ideas so absurd that Sartre, his classmates at the École nor- able about and less deranged by German destroying what they profess to exalt. understood that political wisdom rests with the doctrine of historical inevita- ery and impoverishment. Hence his ined. Yes, some individuals are honour- able promise. Aron’s twofold task was to is the philosophy of history, and to refuse only an intellectual could believe them. male supérieure. In part, this was philosophy than Raymond Aron. His was In this context, Shils spoke of Aron’s in the ability to choose the better course bility – a monstrous idea that Marx took rejection of Communism: able and trustworthy. But, Aron writes, remind us, first, that there is no human to accept it is to blot out historical reason,” The Opium of the Intellectuals provides a because of his intellectual style, which a sober and penetrating intelligence, suf- “discriminating devotion to the ideals of action even when the best course is over from Hegel – the Myth of the Rev- “Communism is a degraded version of “at the risk of being accused of cynicism, nature unsullied by the Fall and, second, no argument will wean him from his folly. kind of aerial survey of the higher gull- lacked braggadocio. He also lacked the ficiently curious to take on Hegel, suffi- of the Enlightenment”. The ideals in unavailable – which is always. “The last olution is a prescription for totalitarian the Western message. It retains its ambi- I refuse to believe that any social order to suggest, as does orthodox Christianity, What he needs is intellectual detoxifica- ibility that Orwell disparaged, analys- appetite for celebrity, which is another ciently robust to escape uncorrupted by question prominently featured faith in word,” he insisted, “is never said and tyranny. What does the liquidation of the tion to conquer nature, to improve the lot can be based on the virtue and disinter- that what prophets of the absolute decry tion, not refutation. ing its apparently perennial attractions, way of saying he did not prize brilliance the encounter. the power of reason; Aron’s discrimina- one must not judge one’s adversaries as Kulaks matter in the face of the necessary of the humble, but it sacrifices what was estedness of citizens”. Following Adam as a disaster was in fact a “fortunate fall,” It is the same with Sartre, who cham- describing its costs, mapping its chief over truth. He certainly did not lack The fact that Aron was hated by the tion showed itself in his recognition that if one’s own cause were identified with unfolding of the dialectic? Like its chem- and must remain the heart and soul of the Smith and other classical liberals, he a condition of our humanity. The uto- pioned totalitarian regimes from the roadways and pointing out some escape ability. By many measures, Aron was Left does not mean that he was a par- reason’s power is always limited. That absolute truth”. ical counterpart, the first effect of the unending human adventure: freedom of looked to the imperfections of man for pian is optimistic about man, pessimis- Soviet Union to Cuba but who exhib- routes. For this reason, The Opium of the the most accomplished of his peers, in tisan of the Right. On the contrary, he is to say, if Aron was a faithful child of It is worth noting that among Aron’s opium of the intellectuals is unbounded enquiry, freedom of controversy, freedom the fuel to mitigate imperfection. tic about particular men and women: “I ited an implacable hatred of America Intellectuals was a seminal book of the breadth as well as solidity of knowledge. always to some extent considered him- the Enlightenment – its secularism, its favourite terms of commendation were exhilaration. Only later does the stupe- of criticism, and the vote.” Unlike the Marxist, the classical lib- think I know man,” Rousseau wrote sadly, and liberal democracy (“America is a 20th century, an indispensable contri- He took first place at the agrégation in self a man of the Left, but (in later years humanism, its opposition of reason to “prosaic” and its cognates, while he con- faction become evident. Such freedoms may seem pedestrian eral regards men as “basically imper- “but as for men, I know them not”. mad dog,” he exclaimed in one effu- bution to that most patient and under- that most distinguished class, and it is a anyway) it was the pre-Marxist Left superstition – he also in many respects sistently used “poetry” and its cognates Unlike the revolutionary, the in comparison with the prospect of a fect[,] and resigns himself to a system The anti-utopian is pessimistic, or at sion; “it is the cradle of a new Fas- rated of literatures, the literature of nice detail that in the early 1940s Sartre of high liberalism. (Bloom aptly subti- remained a faithful grandchild of the pejoratively. In his Memoirs (1983), Aron reformer acknowledges that genu- classless society in which liberty reigns where the good will be the result of least disabused, about man; this forgiv- cism”). Sartre’s “ethical radicalism,” intellectual disabusement. Raymond humbly presented Aron with a copy of tled his essay on Aron “The Last of the traditional society that many Enlighten- wrote that in The Opium of the Intellec- ine progress is contingent, piecemeal and inequality has been vanquished countless actions and never the object of ing pessimism frees him to be optimistic Aron wrote, “combined with ignorance Aron was its high and most eloquent Being and Nothingness as an “ontological Liberals”.) Aron’s criticism of the Left ment thinkers professed to despise. tuals he attempted “to bring the poetry and imperfect. Progress is contingent once and for all. But such an idea, Aron a conscious choice. In the last resort, he about individuals. of social structures, predisposed him priest. ■ 26 CULTURE theconservative.online theconservative.online CULTURE 27

TRUMP MIGHT NOT DRINK BUT HE WILL DRIVE UP SALES

olitics right now is enough to devised any way of dissolving barriers, Amis was a chap writing when Today, we are encouraged to be European hordes – German wine con- make anyone turn to drink, getting to know the other chap fast, women were far less likely to drink. much more mindful of the impact of noisseurs apart – are different because Next weekend in by Imogen Bath although perhaps not the breaking the ice, that is one-tenth as And ultimately he himself was not a excess. Even in southern Europe, with they tended to drink to forget, possibly teetotal President of the handy and efficient as letting you and good advert for drinking. It got him its traditions of supping slowly and to forget the weather and so on. PUnited States. Although it is highly the other chap, or chaps, cease to be in the end, as his friend Christopher venerating the connection between Developments in recent decades questionable whether “the Donald” is totally sober at about the same rate in Hitchens said, robbing him of his “wit food and wine, there is an empha- have left the British the most con- in any respect a conservative (it seems agreeable surroundings.” and charm as well as health”. sis on reducing intake. The northern fused of the lot, as northern Europe- not) it is beyond doubt that he never ans who have fallen for the charms of drinks alcohol. southern Europe. The beery English I am not sure how I feel about this. ale tradition and hard drinking Scot- Watching Trump’s antics on Twitter tish culture have been supplemented and in the Oval Office from a distance, by the mass market discovery of wine, the thought occurs that a martini at America has a complicated relationship thanks to European travel and the the bar of New York’s Carlyle Hotel, search for a cosmopolitan lifestyle. or even a glass of excellent Californian with alcohol rooted in religion and a phobia In the UK, lager louts co-exist with pinot noir at the Trump Hotel in Wash- stressed middle class types glugging ington, might help him cope. Would it of fecklessness. gallons of appalling pinot grigio. have a calming effect on the President The emphasis on health, and the and introduce a little introspection to continual pressure from the state to his limited emotional repertoire? On watch it, means that even those of Since the fall of the Wall, Berlin has become one of the most stimulating creative and cultural centres in Europe. Berlin second thoughts, even in the initiated, us who admit we enjoy good wine do is the third most popular European tourist destination, after London and Paris, but remains one of the least expensive drink can exaggerate pre-existing per- sometimes make a sustained effort to sonality traits and flaws. The notion of abstain. I have just experienced one BERLINcities on the continent. Little wonder visitors tend to return to Berlin. Since so many Europeans already have been of my pathetic and doomed annual that first ever martini making Trump to Berlin, this is the guide for those that already have walked in the path of the Berlin Wall and seen what life was like even more boastful and combative is attempts at drinking only mineral too much to contemplate. The mili- water for a while. Once again, after a under dictatorship in the GDR Museum. We take you off the beaten track. tary implications do not bear think- week, my campaign collapsed, leaving ing about. Mr President, sir, step away my efforts a complete failure. from the drinks cabinet. It is imper- The blame lay with a brilliant friend, ative for the future of mankind that a well-connected wizard at the tech- Where to go? When to go? Where to stay? Donald Trump remains teetotal. nology investing game, who hosted America has a complicated rela- a dinner in honour of a senior editor tionship with alcohol rooted in reli- from an esteemed American news- gion and a phobia of fecklessness – it paper passing through London on a is a country defined by the search for Brexit tour. My resolve was unshake- self-improvement. In the Progressive able, until our host ordered an unaf- era there were assorted moral panics fordable (unaffordable for me, not about booze. Then the theory of absti- him) jeroboam (large format) of Cha- nence was tested to destruction during teau Latour 1986. Good wine is sent to the Prohibition era from 1919 to 1933, test us, just like Donald Trump, and I when the effect was quite the oppo- failed the test and nodded in the affir- We often think of Berlin as divided in to East and West; but that Berlin truly offers something for everyone at any time of the In most capitals, you need to pay a hefty price to secure a half-decent site of that intended by puritanical mative to the offer of a glass. is a long time ago. Today it is really the twelve boroughs – known year. The stories of harsh winters are exaggerated, and if the hotel room. Not so in Berlin. But if you want to indulge and get better reformers. Latour is one of the greatest of the in Berlin as a Kiez – that give the capital city its character. The mercury should drop below -20, it won’t last long. And, if the lodgings paying just a little more actually does secure you accommo- The ban on alcohol forced imbibing Bordeaux wines, and this one, drink- twelve boroughs of Berlin tell the city’s story in more detail. In the temperature sends shivers up your spines, you can find always dations in the most desirable parts of town. underground, giving it an illicit attrac- ing beautifully, was made in one of my local neighbourhoods you often stumble across remnants of his- find a place that will serve you a snaps before you head to the There are now so many places where hoteliers go the extra mile, tion. Arguably, this lust for the allure of favourite years. So much that is inter- tory and authentic stories. If you’ve already walked the wall and endless museums and galleries. There is also always an excellent but Dude near Heinrich-Heine Strasse has an all-day deli and a high- the forbidden hard liquor even helped esting and significant happened in done all the sights, we recommend you heading out to Berlin’s selection of cafes, bars, clubs and restaurants to combat the cold end steak restaurant; Nhow by the river in Friedrichshain attracts fuel the incredible intensity of the 1986 in Britain. It was the high water- neighbourhoods. and dark. music-lovers with two recording studios and Gibson guitars available late 1920s economic boom, by mak- mark of Thatcherism, and a vintage The glorious variety of all the different boroughs has grown: every In the spring Berlin becomes even more pleasant to visit as room service, and the Radisson Blu Hotel Berlin has its own giant ing the search for the party a defining period for British theatre and pop neighbourhood has been shaped by its own characteristic history – thanks to all the gardens and parks. The best green spaces are aquarium. On the luxury front, the Adlon Kempinski and the newer pursuit among the rich and the aspi- music. Charlottenburg in the west by the rich industrial pioneers of the 19th sprawling Tiergarten and the vast Grunewald forest in the Das Stue steal the show, with extremely convenient central locations, rational. America went, merrily, mad. As we ate and drank properly century, or Marzahn in the east by its typical East German socialist southwest. If you have children, spring and autumn are times but Soho House has secured itself an international hipster clientele The resulting hangover in the Depres- mature wine we discussed the possi- architecture. for attractions such as zoos and the children’s museums. There’s by applying its studied vintage-chic aesthetic to an old Jewish depart- sion was something to behold. bility that the immature Trump may Berlin’s boroughs include old industrial areas that have become also a lot of dapper boutiques and design stores, and an increas- ment store with a swimming pool on the roof. In the modern era it is quite nor- succeed on the economy, with his pol- thriving cultural centres, as well as sleepy villages, busy markets and ing number of Michelin-starred dining spots on offer for the At the other end of the price spectrum, the city has an abundance mal to hear an American acquaintance icy of lower taxes and deregulation. arcades, and endless green landscapes, rivers and bathing lakes. But well-heeled travellers. of boutique hostels and cheap hotels, offering artsy DIY interiors in business or politics say that they do It is in the arena of foreign policy and above all it’s the people who live there that make each neighbourhood During summer when the city really comes into its own, as at affordable prices: check out the Circus Hostel in Rosenthaler- not really drink. By this they mean that defence, and the frightening power unique. Just sit in the sun outside a café or restaurant and immerse locals hit the streets and children play in the outdoor play- platz and Lekkerurlaub in Graefekiez or sleep in a vintage cara- they will never drink at lunchtime. a US president has in an emergency, yourself in the local neighbourhoods. Often this is the best break from grounds. There are always many outdoor events that take place van parked in an old vacuum cleaner factory at the Hüttenpalast But they will meet you at their favou- that the far greater concern lies. This hectic pace of the metropolis. across the city, and the local go bathing in the rivers and lakes. in Neukölln. rite bar in Manhattan at the close of fascinating if at times apocalyptic dis- the working day where they will in the cussion was improved by the wine and, course of 45 minutes demolish three after several glasses, laughter about martinis, while you sip a small glass of the President’s peculiarities filled What to do? wine, before they high-tail it to Grand the room. Wine had helped us see the Central Station in New York for the funny side. ■ commuter train home to Greenwich where they collapse in front of Netflix. The fetishising of the cocktail and fussiness about ingredients is an American speciality, and as Kingsley Amis said in Everyday Drinking – one 1 2 3 4 5 6 of his three studies of the subject – Visit the Reichstag Tiergarten Tempelhofer Feld Bathing lakes Mauerpark Flea Market Cruise on the Spree there are cocktail bores as well as wine The German Bundestag has Berlin’s most famous park is at The Tempelhof Airport of World In Brandenburg outside of Ber- Mauerpark is Berlin’s best flea The River Spree runs through bores, who can be defined as people been the symbolic center of its best in spring and summer. War 2 and Cold War fame is now lin there are an astonishing num- market. It is the biggest and the city and is a great activity who take more interest in the techni- history for a long time and It contains famous monuments, a 368-hectare open space with ber of lakes. These lakes are busiest of the Sunday mar- if you don’t want walk and still calities than in the taste. Iain Martin endured the bombings, world beer-and-sausage stands, nude disused runways and grasslands. beautiful in winter and alluring kets and worth a visit even if see the city with a beer in your The technicalities matter, of course is a commentator on politics and wars, arson, Nazism and East sunbathing, and a 5km circuit for Great place to walk, jog, cycle, in summer. Most are accessible the prices are somewhat higher hand. There are many differ- they do, but the universal core aim finance. His latest bookCrash Bang Wallop: the inside story of London’s German communism and ter- jogging and walkers. rollerblade, kite-surf, join a game by public transport and most than in the smaller markets. It is ent tour operators offering trips should be the possibility of transcen- Big Bang and a financial revolution ror threats. You must book of basketball or baseball. When have at least one beer-and-sau- not only the place for antiquing, along the river and some ser- dence through pleasure, or short of that changed the world is published by your visit in advance online at you have had enough it is also a sage stand to keep you happy used cloth and stolen goods, it is vices are even included on the that just relaxation conducive to con- Sceptre. He is based in London. visite.bundestag.de great place for a beer. and sate. also a great place for Karaoke. city travelcard. If you have a lot versation or comradeship. As Amis @iainmartin1 of stamina, there are also multi- put it: “The human race has not yet ple kayak rental services. 28 CULTURE theconservative.online theconservative.online CULTURE 29 Evelyn Waugh THE SWORD OF HONOUR TRILOGY SCOTTISH he Second World War was There is Trimmer – aka McTavish – admire his cool, the making of Evelyn Waugh, the handsome, proletarian hairdresser observational though he did not appreciate recast, purely for propaganda purposes, detachment. If, as this at the time. Almost too as a war hero after a confected raid on Graham Greene Told to fight – he was 36 when the war enemy territory whose only casualty suggested, great MUSICAL broke out – Waugh drifted in and out of is a dog; Crouchback’s brother officer writers need a various glamorous-sounding units (the Apthorpe, the ridiculous old Africa hand “splinter of ice” Royal Marines, the Commandos, the whose most treasured possession is the in their hearts, James Delingpole Royal Horse Guards) but never saw any portable toilet he calls his “thunder box”; then Waugh had is a conservative columnist and novelist serious action. His snobbery and can- Brigadier Ritchie-Hook, the insanely a whole iceberg’s FASCISTS who has written for publications tankerousness made him a poor offi- brave, savagely bloodthirsty First World worth. including the Daily Mail, Daily Express, cer. Lord Lovat once said that he had War veteran who returns from a luna- We still have The Times, The Daily Telegraph, and chucked Waugh out of the Comman- tic beach raid on West Africa cradling a not quite estab- The Spectator. He is also the executive dos to save his life: as soon as Waugh led black man’s severed head; Guy’s ex – the lished, though, editor of Breitbart London. His latest book is Watermelons. his men into battle, Lovat feared, they appallingly fickle and flighty Virginia what makes the would seize the opportunity to shoot Troy – based, as all Waugh’s ghastliest book so good. In @jamesdelingpole him. females are, on his own first wife “She part, it is the sub- From this disappointing material, Evelyn” Gardner. lime technique. however, Waugh crafted his master- But because this is the work of a Elegant, econom- piece, the Sword of Honour trilogy. It mature, bruised, increasingly religious ical, never a word was originally published over a period novelist with an eye on posterity, not a out of place, ever of 13 years (1951 to 1964) in three sepa- flippant, brittle, bright young thing on a adept with the ast month The Scotsman rate volumes, so as to make more money. mission to shock, all this preposterous- mot juste, Waugh’s reported that Glasgow’s Celtic Reviews were mixed: people preferred ness serves a deeper moral purpose. It prose style is sim- Connections festival had been Brideshead Revisited. But it was Sword is there to tell you that war – at least in ply matchless. (As too is his dialogue, so the novel – there is Waugh’s relentless, awarded £100,000 by the Damian Thompson I suspect what Shaw means – and wants – is nationalist is an Associate Editor at The of Honour – rambling, unwieldy, frus- Waugh’s view – is the bleakest of black authentic, honed, perfectly formed that unfashionable, clear-eyed contempt for LScottish Government “to create a new Spectator and Editorial director at trating though it is – that did most to comedies in which no good deed goes he almost never needs to add adverbs the way his hero’s compatriots and allies body of orchestral work inspired by the music. That describes Bartok’s early symphonic poem the Catholic Herald. stake Waugh’s claim as the 20th centu- unpunished but where villains, incom- to explain how it is spoken – or even keep deluding themselves as to the evils Declaration of Arbroath. Eight of the @holysmoke ry’s greatest novelist. needs to tell us who of Communism. The book’s title refers nation’s leading folk, jazz and classical Kossuth, written when Hungary was a Habsburg kingdom, The book follows is speaking). in part to a ceremonial sword forged by musicians will be charged with compos- the attempted mil- In part, it is his the British in honour of Stalin’s glorious ing new pieces which will be premiered but it sounds more like gypsified Richard Strauss than “charged with” producing music that is itary exploits of the When I first read it in my early 20s, sheer range: from victory at Stalingrad and exhibited at together months before the 700th anni- mature Bartok. Stravinsky wrote none. not “patronising or backward”. Mean- semi-autobiograph- broad comedy to Westminster Abbey. Crouchback point- versary of the signing of the document ing: if you want a commission, get with ical Guy Crouch- I was disappointed that there was so sudden pathos; farce edly refuses to join the queues to see it, next year. It is hope [sic] the project will the programme. back – middle aged little combat in it. Now that I am older, to tragedy; domestic- recognising that Stalin and Hitler are as inspire a new generation of compos- not even a wee drop of ambiguity. in the folk tradition like those from Bar- more like gypsified Richard Strauss than The author of The Scotsman article, and Catholic, as the ity to Stuka attacks; bad as each other. ers to emerge and create ‘extraordinary The composers will be given “com- tok, Shostakovich and Stravinsky. This mature Bartok. Stravinsky wrote none. Brian Ferguson, certainly is with the author was; richer I realise that this is part of its strength: fashionable London There is also something quintes- symphonic pieces with a Scottish voice plete freedom”, says the festival. For project is a declaration of intent to grasp And Shostakovich’s nationalist music, programme: his “report” is a press and posher, as he it is not really about war at all, but about restaurants to dreary sentially conservative in its pervasive that is not patronising or backward’.” some reason this prompted me to listen the thistle and give a sense of confidence like Prokofiev’s, is state-commissioned release. Scroll down, however, and you would like to have south coast training religious theme, where personal acts The Declaration of Arbroath was a to Prokofiev’s Cantata for the 20th Anni- to orchestral works from Scottish com- propaganda. will find a comment from someone been. He sets out, full something much bigger – about life itself camps; lairds’ din- of good behaviour are seen as the best letter written in 1320 by Scottish mag- versary of the October Revolution. It was posers. It’s about freedom, exploration Maybe there is something in my anal- called Eddie McGuire. It simply reads: of high ideals, hop- and our quest for meaning in a world ing halls to bombed- route to redemption. We are told by the nates to Pope John XXII, who had rec- about as much fun as the title suggests, and intent.” ogy. Scottish nationalists still worship “Creativity being harnessed to the sepa- ing to prove him- out Cretan villages; book’s moral touchstone – Guy’s devout ognised England’s feudal overlordship written in a spirit of sycophantic terror None of this rings true. Which big the poet Hugh MacDiarmid, whose own ratist project!” self in battle like his which makes so little sense. hallucinogenic sea and kindly father – that sub specie aeter- of Scotland. That might seem none of by an almost-great composer who chose pieces “rooted in the folk tradition” does household god was Stalin. The Celtic That must have stung. McGuire is one knightly ancestors. voyages to grand nitatis “quantitative judgments do not the Pope’s business, but he had been to end his exile in America and live in Shaw have in mind? Shostakovich was Connections festival, though lively, of Scotland’s finest composers. If you But ahead lies only disillusion, with brief petents, cowards, and even traitors too Catholic funerals; literary pseuds, soci- apply”. He means that it is the quality of wickedly provoked. In 1306, Robert the Stalin’s Russia. His cantata did not pro- inspired by Jewish, not Russian, folk is creeping ever closer to Scotland’s doubt that, go on to Spotify and listen bouts of futile peril in Senegal, Crete often prosper. ety hostesses, decent but stupid offi- your deeds, however small, that count in Bruce stabbed to death his rival John tect him from persecution, but it is hard music. Stravinsky despaired of com- nationalist government. Check out Don- to his chamber music, in which formal and Yugoslavia, punctuating long peri- For its initial readership this would cers (poor “Fido” Hound), African the eyes of God. Comyn in front of the altar of Greyfri- to feel sorry for him. posers trapped by their national idiom. ald Shaw’s Twitter profile, full of SNP mastery of composition and years spent ods of aching self-doubt, drudgery and have been a brashly insensitive view- witch-doctor abortionists, Jewish refu- When I first read it in my early 20s, I ars Church in Dumfries. For this he was I am toying with an extreme analogy Which leaves Bartok, whose music, even ranting and boasting: he may not know playing flute in a proper folk group, the boredom. point. Even today, it comes across as gees… All human life is here, all drawn was disappointed that there was so lit- excommunicated. The nobles wanted here, so had better be careful. The Scot- at its most inaccessible, speaks with a much about classical music, but he could Whistlebinkies, combine to enchant- In each issue, James As heroes go, Crouchback is quite outrageously cynical, bitter and with an engagement and fluency and tle combat in it. Now that I am older, I the penalty lifted and Robert recognised tish Government is not demanding that Hungarian accent. But it is rooted in the give Prokofiev lessons in toadying to ing effect. He could, if he chose, write Delingpole reviews a almost a cipher: sexless, phlegmatic, perverse as a judgment on Britain’s fin- breadth of sympathy quite remarkable realise that this is part of its strength: it as king, on the grounds that Scotland the Celtic Connections composers set its Western musical canon, not “the folk political masters. a mighty piece inspired by the Decla- book that may not be uncharismatic. est hour. But while we may shudder at from such a crashing snob. is not really about war at all, but about was a free and independent kingdom. propaganda to music, though I suspect tradition”. And although Bartok was a I said that none of Shaw’s statement ration. But my guess is that he would recent in its publication, But his essential dullness serves to Waugh’s callousness – this, remember, And even if it is not the 20th century’s something much bigger – about life itself The BBC History website tells us that that an independent SNP-ruled Scotland pioneer ethnomusicologist, he collected rings true, but notice that it twice uses choose not to, because he can spot a but that conservatives ground in reality a series of events and is the father who refused to visit his own greatest novel, it almost certainly qual- and our quest for meaning in a world the Declaration of Arbroath was “a pro- would be a somewhat creepy place. more Romanian and Slovakian tunes the word “intent”, which is hard to political stunt when he sees one. should read. characters so bizarre, colourful and son as he lay in hospital in Cyprus shot ifies as its greatest conservative novel. which makes so little sense. I cannot totype of contractual kingship” and that But let us take a look at what Donald than Hungarian ones. square with its talk of “complete free- And there are plenty to spot. The SNP outré they might have escaped from almost to death in a machine gun acci- Besides the obvious reasons – the rev- recommend reading – or re-reading – it the American Declaration of Indepen- Shaw, creative producer of Celtic Con- I suspect what Shaw means – and dom”. Will the composers be free to has always dreamed of a day when all Waugh’s early satirical novels. dent – we may also find it hard not to erence for tradition and the suspicion of highly enough. ■ dence was “partially based on it”. Both nections, has to say: “It’s very strange wants – is nationalist music. That challenge the mythology of the Decla- creativity is harnessed to the separatist claims are strongly disputed by scholars, that a country like Scotland, which describes Bartok’s early symphonic ration of Arbroath? That is a silly ques- project. Now that it controls not only the but that does not trouble the SNP, which absolutely has its own musical identity, poem Kossuth, written when Hungary tion, I suppose, because someone has government purse but also much of the ACROSS DOWN 11. Standard bearers 1. ‘’Rh oda’’ production co. likes its nationalist history neat, with hasn’t had big symphonic pieces rooted was a Habsburg kingdom, but it sounds to choose the composers, who will be Scottish media, that day is not far off. ■ 6. Per 2. ‘’So, there you are!’’ 10. Enter a Pillsbury contest 3. Suburban stereotype 14. Birch of ‘’American Beauty’’ 4. October handout 15. Tinseltown’s Turner 5. Answered impudently 16. State confidently 6. Former N.Y. Senator 17. Medieval war clubs 7. Water carrier 18. Name that’s quite fashionable 8. Kind of switch 19. One of Columbus’ three 9. Cockatiel 20. Time to dress down 10. Word with brass or rubber 23. Like Carter’s presidency 11. Birdrelated 25. Egg ___ yung 12. Great Rift Valley land 26. Scot’s denial 13. Obliterate 27. Neither follower 21. Heep of fiction 28. Day in Granada 22. Citizen of the 29th state 29. U.S. airline, once 23. Actor Ryan 31. Witty Bombeck 24. Bellini opera 33. Onetime connection 30. Hawkeye portrayer of classic TV 35. ___ Centauri 32. Starting freshly 39. John Updike novel 34. Former gridiron org. 43. Poorer, as excuses go 36. Faints 44. Truncate 37. Ballyhoos 45. Nile serpents 38. Burros 46. Barrister’s accessory 40. A judge, for one 48. ‘’The Crying Game’’ actor 41. Touchy subject 50. ‘’Get my drift?’’ 42. Overturn 51. Mensa measurements 47. Type of novel www.newdirection.online 54. Mighty long time 49. Slowly, to Schubert 56. Perpetual 51. Muslim religion 58. Campaign milestones 52. Allotment 61. Kind of cloth 53. Olympic swimming legend 62. Web address start 55. Loony 63. Troll 57. Janet and Loretta 66. Letter abbreviation 59. Feminizing suffix 67. ‘’That’s all there ___ it!’’ 60. Kett or James Poster’s adapted from those used by the UK’s Conservative Party c1877-2007. New Direction is a not-for- 68. Arctic inhabitant 64. Double DI profit organisation and is partly funded by the European Parliament. The European Parliament assumes no 69. Lab testing area, sometimes 65. O’Hare stat responsibility for the opinions expressed in this publication. Sole liability rests with the author. 70. It can be checked

crossword & sudoku crossword 71. Port of ancient Rome 30 EVENTS theconservative.online theconservative.online EVENTS 31

ACRE COMMITTED TO A STRONG TRANSATLANTIC ENGAGEMENT ACRE led the largest delegation of European politicians, party leaders and senior party officials to the Conservative Political Action Conference – CPAC, in Washington DC. During CPAC, ACRE also organized a well-attended panel discussion, focusing on transatlantic security cooperation. The event was moderated by Naweed Khan, Director of ACRE’s affiliated think tank, New Direction, and speakers included Geoffrey Van Orden CBE MEP, Nile Gardiner from the Heritage Foundation, and Ambassador ACRE’s held its largest of Poland to the United States, Piotr Wilczek. convention ever in Rome, Italy bringing together leaders from across Europe, in order to shape the debate on our shared future. From keynote speeches to topic-driven panel discussions, ACRE’s La Convenzione Blu provided participants with valuable insights into the ideas that are shaping our time.

Raffaele Fitto MEP Eli Hazan and Giulio Terzi di Sant’Agata

Laurentiu Rebega MEP with Vice President Mike Pence

Jan Zahradil MEP

Giorgia Meloni MP Ryszard Legukto MEP

Richard Milsom Naweed Khan Andees Vistisen MEP Georgia Meloni MP speaking at CPAC main stage

Georgia Meloni MP with Amb. Piotr Wilczek Nile Gardiner Neva Sadikoglu-Novaky with Georgia Meloni MP CPAC Chairman Matt Schlapp

Javier Garcia Martin, Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown MP, Angel Dzhambazki MEP Alaksej Janukevic Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown MP and Laurentiu Rebega MEP

Georgia Meloni MP with Giulio Terzi di Sant’Agata Geoffrey Van Orden MEP Nikolay Barekov MEP

Jan Zahradil MEP, Remo Sernagiotto MEP, Georgia Meloni MP, Raffaele Fitto MEP Giorgia Meloni MP, Jan Zahradil MEP, Ryszard Legukto MEP, Carlo Fidanza MP Ivan Espinosa Mattias Karlsson MP Laurentiu Rebega MEP Delegation from VRMO party Macedonia EUROPE’S FASTEST GROWING POLITICAL MOVEMENT