Putin’s aim is to weaken the West thru division. The far right is generally isolationist by instinct and deeply sceptical of the pan-national entities that would stand against Putin (EU, NATO, UN). It is in his interests for Le Pen, Trump etc. to win. I’m sure you know this all too well…
Russian politicians revel in EU election defeats for Macron, Scholz | Reuters
Not as closely as I might have. THe two Irish conservative parties, Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, who traditionally have hated each other’s guts, right back to the 1922 split, are currently in government, having formed a coalition to keep Sinn Féin out. Currently as well as the Euro elections, they’re fighting the local elections, which are more important in Ireland than they are here, and it seems that Sinn Féin have lost a fair amount of local support and will not win the number of seats that were predicted for them.
Irish Labour being a broken reed, the local elections are being fought between the two conservative parties, who may be in coalition nationally, but whose grass roots supporters still bear their traditional hatred for each other.
Leo Varadkar, the Taoiseach (PM, from Fine Gael), resigned a few weeks ago, “in order to spend more time with his family.” His replacement as leader of FG, a certain Simon Harris, is a younger and more aggressive individual: he has gained a lot of electoral goodwill by his strong support of both Ukraine against their Russian invaders, and of the Palestinians’ tribulations at the hands of Netanyahu’s extreme Zionist government, which he condemns outright as genocidal.
That said, I do not think he will go early to the election, but will hang on to the end – unless the election results for the European parliament go against his party.
Thanks. I understood that Sinn Fein was doing well in Northern Ireland. Northern Ireland doesn’t get a seat in the EU, but if the NI register to vote in the Republic, they can get to vote in the EU elections . Maybe it’s the same for the local elections, with some influence in districts close to the border.
PS one of the younger generations in my family is going to do a semester at Trinity College, so she’s now interested in Irish politics.
You might find this link useful, bigallan :
This looks like a right-royal headache
Live: Seán Kelly ‘very pleased’ at performance in European elections (echolive.ie)
EKWAAA, BYE, EKWAAA !
The leaders of the two biggest players in the EU were seriously wounded by the far right wave. Paris is about the only region where the far right did not get a seat.
Not replicated in Spain, where, so far in the counting, the main Conservative Party (PP) gains of around 9 seats seem largely at the expense of the principal Catalan founded Party (Cs) which lost 7 seats .
The main Socialist Party (PSOE) lost one seat.
Sean Kelly was a rap artist name wasn’t he?
Shake that thing miss can I can I
or something…
He’s an Atlantic romantic.
Sean Kelly is one of the legends of road cycling. You can still hear him commentating the three Grand Tours on Discovery Plus.
I thought Sean Kelly was lead singer of the Models. Glad to see he’s still doing well.
Maybe Macron’s strategy is working.
After being expelled from the Conservative Party by one Committee for promoting an alliance with the far right, the leader of that Party has been re-instated.
Accusations of treachery within the Reconquest Party, ( Nationalist, with some far right leanings) as to preselections of candidates.
Pesutto’s problems with his own far right have nothing on this.
Yeah, I’m just catching up on the details but it looks like the two French right wing parties are tearing each other and themselves apart. Started as a negotiation for an alliance and now has ended with one of the parties ejecting the majority of their members.
Meanwhile, Popular Front placards trending in the streets…
There have been suggestions that the EU elections drained the coffers of the French Far Right, which doesn’t have Trump fund raising skills.
That’s usually the domain of the left.
Unlike Australia France has groups proud to call themselves Socialist…
Here’s a good thread which covers what’s happened in France over the past ~72 hours
https://x.com/RnaudBertrand/status/1801114239572328663?t=0ZYaeXSuI2YtFojJ5cvOwA&s=19
