"The Swiss People's Party has achieved the greatest majority since 1919 in Switzerland," writes Jürgen Dunsch, and he attempts to explain the SVP's victory: "With its simple formula, the party attracts all those who feel overwhelmed by globalisation and modernisation. And nowadays this by no means refers to just the country bumpkins. Many Swiss feel besieged, not least by the EU, which completely encircles the country. The SVP has made xenophobia socially acceptable. Now there's an opportunity to correct this through referendums on issues such as the continued free movement of persons, but the SVP has already proven that it's well able to exploit the instrument of the referendum to achieve its own ends." (23/10/2007)

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Christoph Prantner sees Switzerland in a bad situation following the elections: "The elections on Sunday represented the completion of the Swiss people's farewell to a democracy of consensus. The SVP has taken brazen populism, weird conspiracy theories and an isolationism that is completely irrational in a globalised world to new heights. Even in Francophone Western Swizerland, Blocher's crude policies have caught on. Just four years ago, many were justifiably of the opinion that a little conflict would do the Swiss good, but now we can see that instead of producing new ideas, the political struggle has only brought more provincialism." (23/10/2007)

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Pascal Martin considers that Europe should react to the Swiss election results. "Switzerland is bound to Europe by a series of bilateral 'preferential' agreements. It is high time for Brussels to reconsider frequenting a country where corrupt parties triumph. The Switzerland of Henri Dunant [Founder of the Red Cross] is worth more than this frothing xenophobic and hateful culture. ... This country, one of the most prosperous on the planet, has been a hothouse for populists over the past fifteen years. For having lived in a bubble of direct democracy, without any real political class, Switzerland has failed to develop the antibodies that could fight its cancer." (22/10/2007)

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Thierry Meyer highlights the ecologists' break in the Swiss elections. "If we add to the Greens their liberal counterpart, the environmental cause has gained ten seats in the National Council, and brought the first green senator (Robert Cramer) into the upper chamber. ... The cause has advanced at fantastic speed recently. ... Strengthened by their break, the Greens have reached a point where they can open up to other groups preoccupied by climate change, without going so far as dropping their often insistent doctrine. As far as the heart of the PSV, represented by the peasant Alice Glauser, a conservative vision of nature can fuel compromises on objectives that are as simple as they are decisive: improved isolation of buildings, the promotion of renewable energy and low energy appliances, the resolute support of public transport and new antipollution norms." (23/10/2007)

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Hungary is celebrating a national public holiday to commemorate the Revolution of 1956 today. In the run-up to the celebrations there were complaints that the younger generation had become indifferent to this historical event. According to journalist Ádám Petri Lukács, Hungary's lack of a culture of remembrance is to blame: "To this day there has been no social discussion about the importance of those revolutionary days for individual families. At the same time we expect our children to understand all they now see: the neo-fascist demonstrations and empty national celebrations. They must first be motivated to take an interest in the history of their parents and grandparents and become familiar with it. Schools and families must work together to achieve this, then pupils could discuss the things they have learned from their families at home with their teachers. This could help create a more nuanced picture of 1956 in the heads of the young." (21/10/2007)

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For Javier Candeira, an expert in computer technology, Web 2.0. is dedicated to 'remixing'. "Works made with popular music, contemporary art and literature are composed, like Frankenstein's creature, of bits from earlier works. This old phenomenon, accelerated by today's technology ... exists in Andy Warhol's paintings, in samples that form the base for hip-hop songs and in film commercial parodies seen on YouTube. The Web's fluidity and ubiquity mean that this media is particularly well adapted to remixing. ... Web 2.0 offers the public at large the means to operate this remixing. ... Between the Internet site and the final viewer, there can be all sorts of intermediaries, programmes as well as people, mixing up sites together." (21/10/2007)

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Sylvia Bjon ponders the course Poland will take after the elections: "Following the election victory of the Civic Platform (PO), Poland appears to have turned a new leaf and become resplendent and EU-friendly overnight. And indeed, it's likely that certain things will be easier from now on, but there's no reason to oversimplify. Poland is still deeply divided. The voter turnout was the highest since the fall of communism. This time the urban middle classes and the Poles living abroad who want a closer relationship to the EU played a key role. ... This generation was tired of having to be ashamed of its politicians and has now hit back. Nonetheless, the fact remains that 45 percent of the population didn't vote." (23/10/2007)

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Jacek Pawlicki advises Poland's new liberal-conservative government to first focus on correcting the country's course in foreign policy. "Poland, which owes so much to its EU membership, could become the first EU country to ratify the Reform Treaty. Its parliament presents it with a unique opportunity to do so. Over 80 percent of Poles support European integration. The government has the legitimation to act in this area. ... Over the past 14 months Poland has acquired a reputation for acting as a brakesman and even blocking joint EU initiatives for the sake of national interests. If we became the first to ratify the new treaty we would act as the engine that puts the treaty on a new track." (23/10/2007)

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While the 27 member states adopted the mini-treaty on Saturday, October 20th in Lisbon, Francisco Sarsfield Cabral, considers that "though we can be glad that the treaty exists, the way it was 'sold' to public opinion is deplorable. The rallying cry is against referendums. I don't think that a referendum is the only or best form of democratic expression. The problem is that, in this case, the defiance of a referendum is part of a process aimed at misleading citizens. ... In Portugal, the European project has never been offered up to public consultation. As a European, I regret this. ... The growing abstention in European elections and the Eurobarometre surveys are clear signs of disenchantment. To build Europe without its citizens is to take a one way ticket to disaster." (22/10/2007)

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"Gordon Brown tackles the biggest international crisis of his premiership today [Tuesday October 23th] when he meets Turkish prime minister Tayyip Erdogan and attempts to dissuade him from launching a potentially catastrophic invasion of northern Iraq", notes the daily. "The stakes could not be higher for Mr Brown, with an estimated 100,000 Turkish troops — roughly half the size of the American-led force that overthrew Saddam Hussein's regime four years ago — poised on the border and international oil prices at record highs over concerns about the effect the opening of a new front in war-ravaged Iraq would have on world fuel supplies. ... There will be understandable sympathy for the Turks' predicament — no sovereign state can tolerate constant and unprovoked attacks on its citizens — but the consequences of a Turkish invasion, in terms of further destabilising Iraq's fragile political infrastructure, far outweigh the benefits of providing greater security for the Turks." (23/10/2007)

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Latvia's largest demonstrations since the country declared its independence took place last weekend. The protests were triggered by Prime Minister Aigars Kalvitis' dismissal of Aleksejs Loskutovs, head of the anti-corruption authority. Foreign Minister Artis Pabriks has resigned and the government is now facing a parliamentary vote of no confidence. Voldemars Krustins doubts this will lead to a change of government: "It looks as if Mr Kalvitis' self-confidence has emerged unscathed. A couple of thousand demonstrators in front of Parliament? So what. There are always a few dissatisfied customers, aren't there? But seriously, who could take his place as prime minister anyway? Aigars Stokenbergs, his anointed reserve up to now, has been liquidated politically. Many distrustful Latvians may end up clinging to Kalvitis because at least with him they know what they've got." (23/10/2007)

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"On Sunday [October 21st], all of Spain watched the Formula 1 Grand Prix in Brazil". The daily echoes the disappointment of the Spanish after the defeat of Fernando Alonso in the Formula 1 world championship. "Alonso arrived in the British McLaren Mercedes team with two world trophies in his bag, brilliantly won with Renault. And yet, as of day one, he was faced with the preference given to Lewis Halmilton, a beginner. McLaren lost the manufacturers' championship because of espionage [of the rival Ferrari team] and literally handed over the pilot prize. This is a lamentable result for a company that invests a lot of money in technology in order to have the most competitive car and that had paid so much to sign up a Spanish world champion." (23/10/2007)

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The broadcasting of video footage showing the Romanian Minister of Agriculture Decebal Remes taking a cash bribe has sparked vigorous debate in Romania. Ciprian Ciucu describes the incident as a form of "tele-justice" that's entirely legitimate in the battle against corruption. He asserts that the law can only be used to fight corruption "if it functions properly. However the judicial system is part of a faulty mechanism and therefore hasn't proven particularly efficient. But because the problem must be tackled anyway, tele-justice has established itself in the political arena. This is public lynching, as Prime Minister Calin Tariceanu would say. When you're dealing with corruption, pictures say more than a thousand words and are more efficient than a thousand anti-corruption campaigns. Regardless of the ethical issues, tele-justice has become a new form of television. I'm a fan. I want more episodes. I want a whole series." (23/10/2007)

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Some online social platforms have become so popular that certain people are keeping their distance, writes Jean-Michel Berg. The latest trend is antisocial networks. "They have names like Hatebook or Enemybook, Isolatr or Introvertster and cater to a certain mind-set. ... Naturally the concept of an antisocial network is in itself a paradox - a sociable unsociability. ... At Hatebook you don't make friends, you make enemies. Yet the networking idea remains, albeit according to the principle: the enemy of my enemy is my friend. There are also tools for spreading rumours or stirring up trouble in other ways. At Ruduzu and Snubster, surfers can compile hate lists and declare someone their mortal enemy. But this puts the basic plan at risk: what's being created here is a kind of MySpace for depressives and misanthropists who are united by their hate of George W. Bush or Bill Gates." (23/10/2007)

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"Are suburbs a playground for contemporary architects?" wonders Gregoire Allix. "The Maison de l'Architecture in Paris gives that impression. Its exhibition 'Dehors Paris [Outside Paris] displays a hundred models of buildings that have been built, are being built, or are to be built in the seven counties that surround the capital. Some old faces (Niemeyer, Aillaud, Willerval) are to be seen among a number of very recent projects, be they small houses or big, often spectacular constructions, signed by young rising agencies. 'We want to show that there is a revival of inventiveness in architecture after two decades of moroseness', explains David Trottin, one of the exhibition organisers.' There is an opportunity for audacious, non-formatted architecture in the suburbs. This is the type of project we have selected, with utter subjectively.'" (23/10/2007)

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After England came 2nd in the Rugby world cup and the Formula1, Philip Hensher wonders why the British press devotes so much attention to sport when it is in the arts that Britons excel. "British nationals have won the Nobel Prize for literature five times. ... Could such people [writers] be relied upon to give a grateful, humble speech at a reception at Downing Street? Or might they take the opportunity to drink the government champagne before telling the hosts what they thought of their recent record? Might they even start saying that they don't consider that they represent the nation, or anything much except themselves and what nobody can take credit for, the English language? ... Let the eminently forgettable prospects, failures and very occasional successes of England teams go on filling the news bulletins. The activities which we, as a nation, are actually good at hardly need the support of these energetically constructed accolades." (23/10/2007)

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