Social Europe

Hungary’s Enfeebled Democracy

Hungarian voters disenchanted with the cronyism, pseudo-populism and creeping authoritarianism of the ruling Fidesz-KDNP government have a bewildering array of opposition parties to choose from.

Understanding The SPD’s Grand Coalition Dilemma

Observers of German politics are witnessing a rather puzzling drama. More than four months after the election there is still no new government and the

Italy: Heading Towards A Badly Hung Parliament?

The Italian parliamentary elections on March 4 are expected to yield no easy results, as no single party is likely to be able to form

Jarosław Kaczyński’s Jewish Question

The Polish government has provoked yet another international crisis, this time by adopting a law that is ostensibly meant to combat the phrase “Polish death

The Crisis Of (Nordic) Social Democracy

The once-dominant role and current crisis of social democracy in much of Europe in the last century can hardly be understood without analysing the shift

Time To Share The Benefits Of Germany’s Economic Prosperity

The German economy is flourishing, with growth expanding throughout 2017. Unemployment, at under 4 per cent, has never been lower since German reunification in 1990

How Eastern European Populism Is Different

In 2016, the United Kingdom’s Brexit referendum and Donald Trump’s election to the US presidency created an impression that Eastern European-style populism was engulfing the

The Hungarian Ruse

Two and a half months before the Hungarian parliamentary elections, the majority of foreign observers have presumptively called the outcome: the ruling party Fidesz will

History, Tax Cuts And Trump

A new wave of rising populism has affected and troubled many industrialized countries in Europe as well as the US. It is not a new

The Big Idea For Liberals

Since the fall of the Berlin Wall, liberalism has been the “only game in town” across the whole of Europe. This is no longer the

Blaming Immigrants For Economic Troubles

Immigration has always been a prominent issue in American politics. It has become even more salient with the presidency of Donald Trump. A major debate

Europe’s Ageing Societies Need Immigration – And That Means Anti-Immigration Politics Is Here To Stay

The era after WWII was mostly devoid of populist party influence. Instead, Europe was on the mend, and integration at the forefront of European if not global

The Populist Hoax – Getting The Far Right and Post-Fascism Wrong

During my latest stay in the UK, I met some of my friends, who, surprisingly, told me that they felt the pro-Brexit campaign was very