One political earthquake after another – Politico

Dear readers,

When I first joined Politico, a few months after we launched in Brussels in 2015, I received a message from a number of my former colleagues – some of Fleet Street’s best journalists – telling me that they feared European politics was a bit boring. I'm not sure “boring” is the word I'd use to describe the past nine years!

Indeed, across the continent, we see politicians struggling to overcome historic challenges – the rise of populism, how best to respond to wars on multiple fronts, and how to balance the risks posed by a warming planet with the immediate energy needs of their constituents, all against the backdrop of Increasing economic pressure.

One of the joys of working as an editor at Politico that I didn't fully appreciate all those years ago was the strength of our political coverage. By having small teams of many reporters focused on digging into the day-to-day work of making and shaping policy across many sectors, we have reporting power in our arsenal that understands the details that matter and the people who decide them. This allows us to discover and tell stories that people know about but no one has written yet; Stories often have the potential to cause political earthquakes.

Those muscles are on heavy display on this week's roster. This secret weapon allows us to shed light on several of the big topics that will shape many elections this year — and also expose a bizarre spying scandal along the way. So please enjoy the features below and let us know what you think, we always love hearing from you.

Have a peaceful weekend.

all the best,

Kate's day

Deputy Editor-in-Chief

Message from EY's Leading into Tomorrow: Dive into our Granting the Future mini-series for conversations with public sector leaders revolutionizing grant distribution. Gain valuable insights into innovative strategies and best practices and discover how grants are shaping the future of public service delivery. Download today, wherever you get your audio files. Listen on PodBean.**

Editor's Choice

How George Galloway harnessed the Middle East to disrupt elections in forgotten Rochdale

This in-depth article by Tanya Gould reveals the grim background to the ugliest by-election in British politics, which saw controversial populist George Galloway win after the Labor candidate was expelled from the party after he was secretly recorded making anti-Semitic remarks. It is worth reading for the writing's sake and to learn why populism thrives and how the conflict in the Middle East could turn the political map upside down. Read the story.

The star Belgian health minister is embroiled in a corporate espionage scandal

Spies trick a health ministry official into giving a phony interview to reveal details of Covid-era contracts for a damaged small medical company – you can't make it up! However, this strange series of events has now embroiled Belgian Health Minister Frank Vandenbroucke in a story that may even thwart his (potential) ambitions to become an EU Commissioner. Great investigative work and engaging writing. Read the story.

Dutch farmers support Wilders as the midfielder's nightmares become reality

Continuing our excellent coverage of how farmers are shaping European politics, we report that the Netherlands' upstart Farmers' Party is backing Geert Wilders all the way to becoming the country's first far-right prime minister. Read the story.

Ghosts of the EU's right-wing future haunt the law of nature battle

Our Climate and Sustainability correspondents have produced an intelligent piece examining what the narrow survival of the EU Nature Restoration Act in the European Parliament – ​​despite multiple attacks from right-wing groups – tells us about what climate politics will look like after the EU elections in June. Bottom line: Prepare for stronger right-wing coalitions, last-minute vetoes, and anti-environmental populism. Read the story.

Diva Jets: Why 'sensitive' F-16s will be hard work for Ukraine

This story — an expert collaboration between reporters in Ukraine and European capitals — is a truly powerful look at the hurdles Ukraine will face in flying the F-16, as integrating the single-engine supersonic fighter into Kiev's arsenal will require more than just training. Pilots. Read the story.

The committee raises concerns about greenwashing due to “100 percent recyclability” claims.

We've got the scoop on the European Commission backing the chemicals industry's position on how to calculate the recycled content in plastic bottles. Which explains why claiming “100 percent recycled” on your plastic bottle may not actually mean much if the Commission and industry get their way. Read the story.

US tech giants refuse to work with Britain's top-secret military watchdog

This is an excellent scoop and a fascinating account of the British Censor Board's efforts to move itself into the 21st century. Read the story.

Your weekend playlist

EU Confidential: 2024 European Parliament Elections – State of Play

With less than 100 days until the European Parliament elections, we bring you the latest developments. We also hear from Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili about her country's ambitions to join the European Union. Host Sarah Whitton assembles a panel of astute election watchers to analyze the key issues and people shaping the debates as the campaigns get underway for the EU elections in June: Politico parliamentary correspondent Eddie Wax; Francesca Romana D'Antuono, Co-President of Volt Europe; and Thomas Thaler, co-leader of APCO's EU Elections Task Force. Then later in the podcast, Berlin Playbook author Gordon Rybinsky sat down with Zurabishvili to discuss her country's EU aspirations, domestic political tensions and ongoing threats from neighboring Russia. Listen to the episode.

Westminster Insider: How to Prepare for Opposition

In this week's episode, host Aggie Chamber tackles the conundrum of how to prepare for the one job in politics that no one wants. She talks to former opposition leader Neil Kinnock about his time in power, including advice his children gave Tony Blair's children. Conservative peer George Young, who has been around since 1974, talks about all the times his party moved from government to opposition. Conservatives Robert Buckland and Charles Walker examine what their fellow MPs think about life after polling day as they teeter on the edge of opposition. Labor MP Diana Johnson, who has spent the past 14 years on the opposition benches, explains how best to make an impact when you are out of government. Academic Nigel Fletcher reviews the history of the formalization of opposition, dating back to 1937. Cath Haddon from the Institute for Government tells the Agee the hardest thing about moving from government to opposition. Listen to the episode.

Power Game: Will NATO send troops to Ukraine? Estonia Kaja Kallas on war, Trump and European defence

As European leaders met in Paris this week, there was a sense of unease about the war in Ukraine, and the killing of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was another reminder of how far the Kremlin will go in suppressing its opponents. Nowhere has the threat posed by Russia been more acute than on Europe's eastern borders – especially in Estonia, home to a large ethnic Russian population. In this episode, host Anne McElvoy talks with Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas about the war in Ukraine, as it enters its third year, her campaign to become the next Secretary General of NATO, and how she feels about being on Putin's “most wanted” list. Callas also responds to suggestions that Western allies might send troops into Ukraine – and described how seriously she takes Donald Trump's threat not to defend NATO countries that don't pay for defence. Listen to the episode.

Declassified

UK Conservatives take on cats and almond milk, the biggest catastrophe facing the world. Read this week's declassified column.

Caption Contest

“Trump's Attempts to Hide Identity Fail Because of His Famous Small Hands”

Can you do better? e-mail [email protected] Or on Twitter @pdallisonesque

Last week we brought you this image:

Thanks for all the entries. Here's the best thing about our mailbag – there's no prize except the gift of laughter, which I think we can all agree is far more valuable than cash or booze.

“My farmers drive their tractors to the cities!” “My farmers drive tanks and defend cities!” Written by Mike Ollers.

Message from EY's Leading into Tomorrow: Dive into our Granting the Future mini-series for conversations with public sector leaders revolutionizing grant distribution. Gain valuable insights into innovative strategies and best practices and discover how grants are shaping the future of public service delivery. Download today, wherever you get your audio files. Listen on PodBean.**

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