Europe’s silence on Environmentalism The US and Europe Handke scandal: It is China’s treatment is the future of must act in the not about his politics, of the Uighurs conservative politics Western Balkans it is about truth At least one million Muslims are imprisoned in The political left have owned the environmental agenda There is a shared diplomatic interest in ensuring The Nobel Prize for literature should not have Chinese camps as the regime wages a war of for decades - but conservatives across Europe are peace and stability in the region. Washington and been awarded to a supporter of the war religious oppression. rewriting the script and embracing green issues. Brussels should get down to work. criminal Milosevic. Robert Fox p.4 Toby Guise p.10 Luke Coffey & Dan Kochis p.12 Gerald Warner p.17 Issue #12 | November 2019 A fortnightly Newspaper by the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) Party | theconservative.online Hopes of a brave new dawn collide with reality The European Commission and France’s President Macron promised that this autumn would be a fresh start for the EU heralding several years of bold reform. Instead, integrationist over-reach and wrangles in the increasingly assertive European Parliament have left the new Commission struggling to get established. Incoming President Ursula von der Leyen now faces a string of serious challenges on the eurozone and Brexit against a backdrop of Brussels inertia and infighting. p.2 / p.10 2 FEATURE theconservative.online theconservative.online FEATURE 3 Brussels is stuck in an impasse A Corbyn victory would be a - Maggie Pagano, p.2 historic catastrophe for Britain and Europe - Iain Martin, p.13 Europe’s silence on China’s treatment of the Uighurs shames Joseph de Maistre: Scourge the West - Robert Fox, p.4 of the Pseudo-Enlightenment - Gerald Warner, p.14 ECR’s nomination for the Sakharov prize of anti-FGM activists pipped Has Michel Houellebecq gone to the post by Ilham Tohti - p.6 soft? - Alastair Benn, p.15 Nord Stream 2 pipeline could Far from the madding crowd Brussels is undermine European security - p.6 - Henry George, p.16 Catalan separatism has become an Handke scandal: It is not about anti-democratic movement his politics, it is about truth - Jorge Buxadé MEP, p.6 - Gerald Warner, p.17 If Ukraine wants more On the same team at last: Steve Europe, corruption must end Reich and Gerhard Richter in STUCK IN - Alexandr Vondra MEP, p.7 harmony - James Hardie, p.18 Ukraine must counter illicit trade Opera enthusiasts should - p.7 take a trip to Wexford - Gerald Malone, p.18 Caracas is at the centre of a totalitarian tsunami that has El Camino: The past leaves scars swept through Latin America - Alexander Larman, p.19 AN IMPASSE - Hermann Tertsch MEP, p.8 Non-Fiction: Nothing much The EU must find a smarter happens in this publishing drama strategy to manage enlargement - Will Hutton, p.19 - Pieter Cleppe, p.9 Henry Root: Model for Nigel Leader column: Bottleneck Farage - Toby Guise, p.20 in Brussels - p.10 Rome: The Eternal City is still a The new President of the European Commission is Environmentalism is the future world-class centre of European of conservative politics culture - Jack Dickens, p.21 struggling. The European Parliament is flexing its - Toby Guise, p.10 Norbert Niederkofler: muscles. Integrationist President Macron is cosying The US and Europe must act in Mountain Chef who made an art BREXIT the Western Balkans out of thinking differently up to Putin. And Brexit has been delayed yet again - Luke Coffey & Dan Kochis, p.12 - Bruce Palling, p.22 BRITAIN IS Changing of Lagarde and big risks Culture Digest: The best of DEADLOCKED at the ECB - Maggie Pagano, p.13 Europe’s art and culture - p.23 by Maggie Pagano TOO by Jospeh Rachman orget Brexit. The real bat- Delays are not new: in 2004 the EPP group, it is reported. Yet much “Excuse me for not yielding to the tyr- values mixed with an interventionist In the elections earlier this year to be immoveable, inflexible and ritain will go to the polls tle for taking control is commission headed by Jose Man- of the criticism of Goulard came from anny of the majority or the pressure of economic outlook, are outdated. It’s the EPP parties suffered losses across unimaginative. Three and a half years on the 12th December as being waged deep within uel Barroso was three weeks late the EPP itself, a move which many see the Brussels bubble.” a view based on the industrial land- Europe, in Germany, Italy, France and since the British voted to leave, the B Prime Minister Boris the heart of the European and his second commission, was sev- as revenge by Weber against Von der But the battle in the European Par- scape of a hundred years ago which Spain. Support for Socialist and Dem- Commission and the leaders of the 27 Johnson attempts to get a man- FUnion itself, where major changes in eral months late. Yet this year’s delay Leyen for beating him to the top job. liament suggests that such an arrogant was dominated by people being in one ocratic parties also collapsed with opted to kick the can down the road date to deliver on his promise to get st The Conservative is a fortnightly newspaper available in print and online the Parliament and a troubled start looks far more significant, a sign that The EPP was backed by the S&D approach is unlikely to yield results in place of work all their lives, and on the seats lost in Germany, Italy, France again until January 31 rather than Brexit done. published and owned by the ECR Party, formerly known as Alliance of for the new regime at the Commission the European Parliament is flexing and the Greens, a move that could still the next few years. A struggle for con- power unions. That has gone. Their and the UK. The EPP now has 182 forcing a decision. Johnson renegotiated a deal with the Conservatives and Reformists in Europe (ACRE). have combined to create gridlock in its muscles over what sort of route it backfire on the EPP as the two biggest trol is playing out in the Parliament. parties are dwindling across Europe seats while the S&D have 154 MEPs. Is this toxic legacy of gridlock what the EU, but he became increas- Brussels. wants the EU to take. parties will need partners like Renew On one side is the old guard made from Sweden to Spain. Kaput.” No wonder there is a standoff when the European Union wants to proj- ingly frustrated with the Westmin- The Conservative can be read online at: The signs of the splintering of the From the outside, the postpone- Europe - which is now the third big- up of the two traditional political Added to this, the European Parlia- you have so many breakaway group- ect? And is a weakened Commis- ster Parliament’s moves to delay theconservative.online old order are everywhere to be seen. ment reflects not only the gridlock but gest grouping with 108 MEPs - if it is parties which have ruled the conti- ment is more factional and geograph- ings: look at the numbers. The EPP sion under Von der Leyen capable of and extend the period of debate REPRODUCTION RIGHTS First, there was the collapse ear- also the weakness of Von der Leyen’s to continue ruling the roost. nent for decades almost without chal- ically divided than ever. There are and S&D are down to 336 votes out of successfully overseeing a successful on his Withdrawal Agreement All content and materials of The Conservative are copyrighted, unless lier this year of the Spitzenkanditat leadership because of her inability - Weber and his EPP opposed Gou- lenge. This political grouping - the now thirteen different political par- 748. To push policy through commit- negotiation on the future relation- Bill. Britain missed the deadline to otherwise stated. For permission to republish articles appearing in process of selecting the new Euro- or unwillingness - to rein in the EPP lard because they wanted to show European People’s Party (EPP) and ties represented, and seven political tees or parliament, they will need to ship with the UK? exit the EU by 31st October. The Conservative, please contact the Managing Editor: pean President. Once upon a time, rebels within her own grouping. It is a what happens when you abandon the the centre-left Socialists win over some of these We shall see. What the EU has Repeated defeats in Parliament [email protected]. Manfred Weber, as leader of the EPP double blow for her: it raises questions Spitzenkanditat system. They also and Democrats (S&D) - smaller groups such as managed to achieve with its rigid seems to have convinced a frus- which gained the highest did it to get at President is now in a fight for sur- Renew Europe which has Brexit stance is to frighten off the trated Johnson that the situa- number of seats, would Macron to show who is vival against the upstart As one former MEP says: “What the 108 MEPs. more Eurosceptic countries such as tion was unworkable. By calling an automatically have been boss in Europe. parties which, work- EPP and the S&D still do not realise is The Greens and Italy and France. For now, Le Pen’s election Johnson has banked on chosen as President. In What we are witnessing is a clash Macron, who is by far ing together, could com- related parties have 74 National Rally and Salvini’s League the voters delivering him a strong the event, Ursula von between the older generation of the most pro-EU French mand a majority position that their beliefs, which are based on seats while the Identity have stopped banging the drum about working majority, likely buoyed der Leyen, the former president for decades, in the new European socially conservative, often Catholic, and Democracy Party has leaving the EU or the euro.