A year after the violent riots in several English cities, the Olympic Games have strengthened Britain's weakened self-esteem, the left-liberal daily Süddeutsche Zeitung writes, happy that no politicians were able to make political hay from the Games: "Not Prime Minister Cameron, who was considered a jinx because British athletes seldom won when he was in the stands. Not London's Mayor Boris Johnson, who cut a good figure as a clown but had nothing relevant to say. Not opposition leader Ed Miliband, who was as good as invisible. The legacy of the Games extends far further than day-to-day politics. Nevertheless they were eminently political, because there is now a faint hope in the country: for a changed, modern, open UK. ... Team GB was able to awaken a patriotism that spanned all of the kingdom's regions and social strata. Britain got to know itself anew, as efficient, proud, joyful and a bit crazy. That is more than the boldest optimists had dared to hope for." (13/08/2012)

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All available articles from » Christian Zaschke

All the pessimists who criticised London as an Olympic location in the run-up to the event have learned a thing or two, the liberal-conservative daily Neue Zürcher Zeitung comments, because the Games were great and have given people a welcome reprieve from the problems of politics: "Sydney 2000 has often been called the 'best games ever'. But now London 2012 has good chances of taking over the title. The Brazilians are no doubt travelling home with mixed feelings - competing with these games won't be easy for the next host. Few would have said that prior to the event. Complainers painted a bleak picture of the difficulties to be anticipated, from the English weather to London's notorious traffic problems, the threat of strikes and even the risks of a terrorist attack. None of it came about. . ... The Games united the British behind their Team GB and sent the people into ecstasies that should be thoroughly savoured. The realities of the economic crisis, the lack of money and political disappointment will catch up with the country soon enough." (13/08/2012)

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All available articles from » Peter Rasonyi

With 29 gold medals in the London Games, British Olympians have achieved their best result in over 100 years. The country's politicians would do well to model themselves on such athletes, the left-liberal daily The Guardian writes: "There then has to be a commitment to management and performance - a world where achievement is genuinely rewarded and poor performance penalised. The principles are common sense. Wherever applied - from Team GB to the success of the German car industry or American IT industry - they work. Mr Osborne assures us of his complete focus on growth and jobs even as the UK economy remains locked in depression and an escalating balance of payments crisis. ... Osborne and Cameron believe in the same ideas - public disengagement, free markets and laissez faire - that brought Olympic failure. Either they change or political leaders who do understand what to do must take their place. Britain could so easily be a world success." (12/08/2012)

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All available articles from » Will Hutton

High on emotions and first-class performances, the Games in London have breathed new life into the Olympic flame, the regional daily Les Dernières Nouvelles d'Alsace writes, even if the shining medals also have a darker side: "The Olympic legend is like the Olympic flame, it never dies and is transmitted from generation to generation with the same force. At times it flickers, but it never loses its glow. That was the case in London and it will also be this way in Rio in four years. Of course, there is also a downside to the Olympics. ... The bill for the Games will be hefty, and the economic gains promised by the government won't live up to expectations. Cases of doping will emerge, a few accounts will be settled among sporting federations that did less well than expected. ... Nevertheless the Games were perfect in all points, with their minor cases of cheating and their big scandals, their exploits, emotions and doubts. They set off a shower of sparks that will keep the flame alive." (13/08/2012)

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All available articles from » Pascal Coquis

In a surprise move, Egypt's President Mohammed Mursi on Sunday demanded the resignation of the head of the military council and Defence Minister Hussein Tantawi, as well as that of army Chief of Staff Sami Anan. Mursi's attempt to consolidate political power over the military council is risky but correct, writes the liberal-conservative daily Die Presse: "With his surprise tactic President Mursi has loudly asserted his authority over the army. That could plunge Egypt into new chaos. But essentially the measure was correct: even in Egypt, politics must hold sway over the military. Tantawi and his men toppled Mubarak in 2011 to remain in power - where generals don't belong. Mursi has taken a courageous step towards a civilian-run Egypt in which politicians - and not the military - point the way forward." (13/08/2012)

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All available articles from » Wieland Schneider
Who's saying what » Arabs fight for freedom

The US presidential candidate for the Republicans, Mitt Romney, has chosen the ultra-conservative defender of a stringent austerity policy Paul Ryan as his vice-presidential running mate. But this won't influence the outcome of the election, the left-liberal Frankfurter Rundschau believes: "A vice-presidential candidate to mobilise the voter base. This is the role ascribed to Paul Ryan. The ultra-conservative Congressman is very popular with the Tea Party and it was he who introduced the notorious budget plan that would favour the rich, cut social benefits and partially privatise the healthcare system, particularly for older citizens. … [Romney] must do this to give his campaign fresh impetus. But it won't do him much good. This has less to do with Ryan than with an important lesson learned in recent decades. The vice-presidential candidate doesn't change the dynamics of the race. At best he can help to win over his home state. Because in the end the voters are interested only in the presidential candidate and the man he wants to beat: the president. And the differences in their political concepts are already clear enough - without Ryan." (13/08/2012)

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All available articles from » Daniel Haufler

French President François Hollande has been in office for 100 days. In the eyes of the left-liberal daily La Repubblica Hollande is adopting an over-relaxed approach to political problems: "After an overdose of Sarkozy Hollande's presidency is like a detox that is boosting his popularity. But as time passes his calmness could have a numbing effect. It could be perceived as boring or as passivity - in a society that may come down hard on excesses and exhibitionism but which also accords a special role to the state, and by extension its highest representative. He is expected to play an active role on the international stage. Hollande is too laissez faire on both fronts: domestically, where France is facing a recession, and abroad, where the Syria crisis threatens to turn the Middle East into a powder keg. In the long term his wait-and-see policy will demoralise the country. He must take the initiative." (13/08/2012)

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All available articles from » Bernardo Valli

Over 6,000 people were taken into provisional custody in Greece last week as part of a police action against illegal immigration. The campaign is named after Xenios Zeus, the name given to the most powerful Greek god in his role as patron of hospitality and guests. The columnist Giannis Kibouropoulos decries in the weekly newspaper Ependytis a neoliberal cynicism that is creeping into linguistic usage: "Words also have a function. For decades the new capitalist lexicon has systematically been hammered into our societies. As they are no longer able to come up with new terms on their own, the generally uneducated proponents of neoliberalism - with their diplomas and degrees hanging from the walls of their luxury offices - have started attacking language itself. ... They have brutally stripped hundreds of words of their historical meaning, and filled them with objectionable, misleading content. The pogrom against immigrants is named after Xenios Zeus, and the destruction of our country is being called a 'rescue' by our creditors. Every tool with which this catastrophe has been brought about is called a 'reform'. ... And 'privatisation' is the word for any sale of a public enterprise that is supposedly impeding the 'free market'." (12/08/2012)

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All available articles from » Giannis Kibouropoulos
Who's saying what » Greece puts the Eurozone to the test

Romania has been embroiled in a profound political crisis for months as a result of the impeachment proceedings against President Traian Băsescu. However the cause of the crisis is not the power struggle in Romania but an acute symptom of a deep-rooted problem with the way politicians perceive themselves, argues author Ovidiu Pecican in the daily Romania Libera: "Not all political decisionmakers are elected directly or indirectly; some of them are appointed according to oblique and even blatantly biased standards. Even the elected politicians tend to be more loyal to their party and its leadership than to the programme for which they were voted into power. This causes an immediate rift between the people and the elected politicians. The political sphere becomes detrimentally autonomous. … And the rest of the population is no longer worth anything in the politicians' eyes. The political establishment becomes a self-preserving caste. … No one looks out for the interests of society and the public any more." (13/08/2012)

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Who's saying what » Power struggle in Romania

Since the beginning of Portugal's adjustment programme prescribed by the troika incomes have gone down by an average of 30 percent owing to cuts in social benefits and changes to labour laws. Nonetheless the ECB is right to expect further measures aimed at lowering labour costs, the liberal business daily Jornal de Negócios writes: "The ECB has proposed a range of interesting measures for crisis-stricken countries. One measure in particular is being given special consideration: lowering salaries and income as a means of reducing company production costs and making exports cheaper. This measure is already being implemented in Portugal (average net wages have gone down by 107 euros in the last two years) and will soon affect Spain and Italy. ... It is the most controversial and drastic measure, but not the only one that should deserves attention. …. Salary cuts are a stopgap measure, but are necessary to save jobs. Saving companies in a country with an unemployment rate of 16 percent is a worthy cause, even if it's at the expense of the workers. Or isn't it?" (13/08/2012)

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All available articles from » Camilo Lourenço
Who's saying what » Ways out of the debt crisis

The Swedish postal service has implemented drastic cost-cutting measures to the detriment of its customers in recent years. Letters increasingly get mixed up and arrive too late or not at all. The left-liberal tabloid Aftonbladet calls for politics to intervene: "In the past five or six years roughly one thousand postmen have lost their jobs. Mail sorters have been replaced by machines which obviously have problems reading. Since the number of households is increasing, letter carriers have to deliver poorly sorted letters to a growing number of addresses. No wonder the post is being delivered later and later in the day and mail lands in the wrong letterboxes. The system will soon reach a low point. Then the rationalisation will lead to us no longer being able to count on receiving our post each day. … Service or money - only the politicians can decide what is more important. So far money has been key. But now customers are beginning to complain vociferously. … Hopefully the Ministry of Economics will tackle the problem soon." (12/08/2012)

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All available articles from » Eva Franchell

In predominantly Catholic Spain Assumption Day, celebrated this Wednesday, is a national holiday. Yet Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy had promised to try and keep free days to the beginning of the week, the conservative daily ABC complains: "Mariano Rajoy promised last December to rationalise national holidays so that free days always fell on the nearest Monday in a bid to boost corporate productivity. … In doing so he was supporting a corresponding agreement between employers and trade unions aimed at preventing people from taking holidays between a public holiday and the weekend, a practice which costs the Spanish economy billions of euros. However the plan hasn't been implemented yet so Wednesday, Assumption Day, will be a public holiday. Work-free days in the middle of the week are not just an unnecessary waste of resources which the social agents have already pledged to avoid. Worse still is that in this respect Spain represents an exception to the international rule, which has a negative impact on its credibility." (13/08/2012)

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The state-run enterprise Telekom Slovenije is planning to create a new television station this autumn even though it is legally forbidden for telecommunications firms in Slovenia to own television channels. The left-liberal daily Delo sees the move as an attempt by the conservative government to increase its influence: "This large-scale project is dubious because of the way it has come about, as it will be run by a company that is majority state-owned. Hence the term state television. ... The fact that the broadcaster will be established by a state-owned company is uncommon, to say the least, for societies with a developed media culture. The state already controls the public radio and television as well as the Slovenian Press Agency, but there are laws that protect these two institutions from too much influence on the part of the government. However such 'safety measures' are not in effect for the new television channel." (13/08/2012)

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All available articles from » Klara Škrinjar