Britain has a hung parliament after Thursday's elections. Nevertheless Gordon Brown has been beaten and it's time for him to go, writes the daily The Sun: "Mr Brown said last night he had a duty to the country 'to deliver strong and stable government'. Precisely, Mr Brown. Your duty to the country is to make way for the person who CAN provide strong and stable government - David Cameron. And if there are any pacts to be made, then they are a matter for the Conservatives as the biggest party in the Commons. Any protracted haggling in Downing Street risks plunging Britain into economic chaos. If Mr Brown does try to hang on, he will be responsible for the consequences to the country. He has lost. He has to go." (07/05/2010)

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More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » Elections, » United Kingdom

The Liberal Democrats under leader Nick Clegg fared worse than expected in the elections to the British House of Commons. But the party still has a small chance of being part of a coalition government, writes the daily Tages-Anzeiger: "Things aren't over yet for Clegg. British regulations stipulate that should no party win an absolute majority, Queen Elizabeth II must first give the incumbent Prime Minister Gordon Brown the chance of forming a government, even if his party failed to win the most votes, as is presently the case. With their roughly 60 seats the Liberal Democrats could keep the Labour Party in power. But Clegg has already hinted he would demand a high price for his support - Brown's replacement, key portfolios for his party, and proportional representation instead of the traditional majority voting system, which puts smaller parties at a disadvantage." (07/05/2010)

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More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » Elections, » United Kingdom
All available articles from » Matthias Chapman

Neither a coalition between the Labour Party and the Liberal Democrats nor a Conservative minority government would last for long, the business paper Il Sole 24 Ore comments in view of the stalemate situation in the British general election: "At one of the most difficult moments in recent European history the UK has decided not to decide. ... Generally, lack of experience [on the part of the Liberal Democrats] and the ability to govern don't coincide, particularly if the Liberal Democrats' programme could be scribbled on the back of a paper napkin after a pleasant dinner among friends, as Prime Minister Brown claims. ... Even in the case of a minority government of the Conservatives, David Cameron's task would be limited to leading a transitional government with a double negative impact: He would waste the potential of a young, conservative leader and significantly reduce the UK's ability to react to the European crisis." (07/05/2010)

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More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » Elections, » United Kingdom
All available articles from » Andrea Romano

The Greek parliament on Thursday gave the green light for a new austerity package aimed at preventing the state from going bankrupt. The daily To Vima, which has close links to the government, expresses concern about the strong resistance to these measures: "It is no coincidence that the reactions are putting Greece's political system to the test and its representatives only feel safe in the protected zones. Yesterday MPs were excluded from the government faction because they hadn't voted in favour of the austerity package in the first vote. And because the modern world is interconnected and interdependent the Greek problem has spread and is now upsetting the global financial system. Yesterday the euro fell and Wall Street experienced a crash, so the whole thing takes on a different dimension. Two things can happen: Either Greece is abandoned to its fate or its people ... bring a sensible balance into the situation." (07/05/2010)

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More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » Fiscal Policy, » Social movements, » Greece
All available articles from » Antonis Karakousis

The leaders of the Eurozone countries are convening today for a special summit in Brussels. They hope to arrive at some conclusions about Greece's financial crisis. But they should stop giving the 'irrational financial markets' the blame, writes the daily De Standaard: "The only good answer the European leaders can give could have been predicted ten years ago when the euro was introduced. The euro needs an authority that ensures that everyone sticks to the agreements and which if necessary has the power to intervene in good time. ... Whatever the future brings, discipline must be the basis of monetary policy. And discipline is not a question of trust but of control and supervision. This would also apply to a monetary union without Greece or after a division between North and South. Without Germany a European currency would be unthinkable. But no matter which union, Greece will be among the members. Only a union that can control the tensions between the weak and the strong can survive. The union we have now is not such a union." (07/05/2010)

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More from the press review on the subject » Fiscal Policy, » Greece, » Europe
All available articles from » Bart Sturtewagen

Romanian President Traian Băsescu on Thursday announced the introduction of the tough austerity measures the International Monetary Fund has stipulated as a condition for its paying the next instalment of the country's 20 billion euro loan. As of June the salaries for government employees will be cut by 25 percent and pensions and unemployment benefit by 15 percent. Mass redundancies in the government sector are also to be carried out by 2011. The daily România Liberă sees the measures, which could affect 7 million Romanians, as justified: "In Romania the state has been a constant enemy to economic development and the citizens for the past 20 years. In November last year Traian Băsescu explained that the state had become a burden for the Romanians, and promised its reform. With his announcement of plans to make drastic cuts in the budget yesterday the president has declared war on the state's reflex of continually expanding its role in society. Romanians must now decide what to fight against: responsibility and freedom, like in Greece, or poverty and dependence on the state." (07/05/2010)

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More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » Fiscal Policy, » Economic Policy, » Europe, » Global, » Romania
All available articles from » Cristian Campeanu

After several of its election rallies were violently disrupted the Czech Social Democratic Party - currently leading in the polls - wants to boycott several major newspapers which it accuses of poisoning the country's political atmosphere during the election campaign. The conservative daily Lidové noviny - also subject to the boycott - is indignant: "This media blockade is directed at democratic society as a whole. ... Politicians are duty bound not just to preach to the converted, but to try to win over those who have refused to vote for them in the past. But Social Democratic leader Jiří Paroubek has turned a cold shoulder to everyone but his own flock. In so doing he has made it clear that he plans to govern without consideration for almost two million people - or even against them. Politicians must unite society, not divide it. ... With this extreme move the leader of the strongest party has himself worsened the atmosphere. It's hard to understand how he hopes to win people's support for the necessary sacrifices after the elections." (07/05/2010)

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More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » Print media, » Elections, » Czech Republic
All available articles from » Martin Weiss, » Dalibor Balšínek

In a comment republished by the daily Der Standard the US economist Joseph E. Stiglitz rejects two theoretically conceivable solutions to the EU's current economic and financial crisis - a uniform decrease in wages and the division of the Eurozone into sub-regions - in favour of "a third solution, which Europe may come to realise is the most promising for all: implement the institutional reforms, including the necessary fiscal framework, that should have been made when the euro was launched. It is not too late for Europe to implement these reforms and thus live up to the ideals, based on solidarity, that underlay the euro's creation. But if Europe cannot do so, then perhaps it is better to admit failure and move on than to extract a high price in unemployment and human suffering in the name of a flawed economic model." (07/05/2010)

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More from the press review on the subject » EU Policy, » Fiscal Policy, » Financial Markets, » Germany, » Greece, » Europe
All available articles from » Joseph E. Stiglitz

French television doesn't broadcast enough political programmes and is dumbing down public debate, writes the former research minister Roger-Gérard Schwartzenberg in the conservative daily Le Figaro: "Subject only to the law of the market and owing their livelihood to advertising revenues, the television stations practice a cult of the quota. ... Political programmes are broadcast at night or in the late afternoon and have correspondingly small audiences. Like showbiz stars, politicians are led to make a spectacle of their private lives, which are more picturesque and easier to get across than their activities or programmes. This inflation of the private sphere has helped put public debate on the back burner. The image has supplanted the message and the profile has replaced the project. Nevertheless it remains the case that without information there can be no democracy." (07/05/2010)

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More from the press review on the subject » Media policy, » France
All available articles from » Roger-Gérard Schwartzenberg

Following a sudden fall in the Dow Jones share index on the New York stock market the left-liberal daily El País fears that Wall Street is losing its confidence in Europe: "Wall Street sees the euro in grave danger and believes the difficulties of the European economy are going to spread to all the other markets. There are two important reasons behind the investors' misgivings. On the one hand the clumsy management of the crisis, evident in the discrepancies between France and Germany regarding the pace and conditions for granting financial support to Papandreou's government. On the other there is the certainty that 110 billion euros won't be enough to guarantee that Greece can settle its debts." (07/05/2010)

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More from the press review on the subject » EU Policy, » Fiscal Policy, » Financial Markets, » Germany, » France, » Greece, » Europe, » U.S.

The German parliament on Thursday passed an amendment to the country's Renewable Energy Act (EEG), lowering subsides for solar energy installations on buildings and open spaces by 16 and 15 percent respectively. A step in the right direction, writes the left-liberal daily Süddeutsche Zeitung: "This is a bitter pill for the solar sector, but if it works the sector could end up much healthier and fitter than it was before. ... There's no alternative to a major overhaul, regardless of how soon nuclear plants are taken off the grid. Sun and wind, water power and biomass are the resources of the future, but they will only be practical when energy is used far more efficiently. The corresponding technology partially already exists or is in development. This is a huge field of activity for engineers and entrepreneurs, because there's nowhere on earth it's not needed. We have good reason to be proud of the EEG, but efforts must not cease to adapt it - with all necessary caution - to today's reality." (07/05/2010)

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More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » Energy, » Economic Policy, » Germany
All available articles from » Wolfgang Roth

The Estonian confectionery company Kalev has been sold to the Finnish subsidiary of Norwegian food producer Orkla. The daily Eesti Päevaleht disagrees with many Estonians by taking a positive view of the transaction: "Some Estonians are all teary-eyed that yet another traditional Estonian company has passed into foreign hands, adding that if that's how things are they'll stop eating Kalev sweets. ... But in fact they should be happy because - unlike the big Swedish banks - the Norwegians don't intend to change Kalev's name. Nor do they plan on turning the company on its head in the name of some international standard or another. Decisions will continue to be made by a local management. This is a victory for Kalev because Orkla's network encompasses many European countries, which means Estonian products will reach new markets." (07/05/2010)

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More from the press review on the subject » Corporations, » Consumers, » Estonia, » Finland, » Norway
All available articles from » Andres Reimer

The Pope's visit to Portugal from 11 - 14 May at a time when the Catholic Church is being rocked by paedophilia scandals is a clever move, the news magazine Visão writes: "When you're caught up in a scandal travelling to a country where scandals are part of everyday life is an exceedingly sensible idea. Benedict XVI probably has less cause to worry than all the dignitaries he will meet. Portugal is the Brobdingnag of scandals. Just as Gulliver felt tiny in Brobdingnag, foreign scandals seem tiny by comparison to those in Portugal. ... Who would dare to blame the Pope for leading an institution that only apologised to Galileo Galilei 350 years after he was condemned when that's how long the average court case lasts in Portugal? Here everyone can feel faultless. That's probably the secret to our famous hospitality." (06/05/2010)

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More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » Religion, » Portugal
All available articles from » Ricardo Araújo Pereira

Europe's growing integration at the political and social level is leading to the gradual disempowerment of the Christian churches, the daily Sega writes. "The EU is instinctively trying to harmonise regulations and laws, but also societies and cultural values. For its part the Church has adopted the role of conservative defender of national particularities while distinguishing objectively, so to speak, between Christians, Muslims, Jews and other religious communities. From this point of view there is a fundamental contradiction between the two institutions. They preach fundamentally different views. While the House of Europe relies on the free market and the consumer society the Church preaches moderation and humility. Nor should the political dimension of this contradiction be overlooked. Brussels wants to focus in future on the integration of non-Christian states like Turkey. But out of consideration for religion it would be forced to refrain from doing so. When he was in power [former French president] Giscard d'Estaing removed the reference to the Christian legacy from his version of a European constitution." (07/05/2010)

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More from the press review on the subject » EU enlargement, » EU Constitution, » Religion, » Bulgaria
All available articles from » Galya Goranova

Dutch football fans are notorious for their offensive chants, likening opponents to cancer or Jews. Professional clubs now want to instil better manners in their fans with courses and discussion groups with cancer patients. That won't help, writes the daily NRC Handelsblad: "But what can rid football of the offensive chants is strict stadium bans for the instigators and interrupting a game when they get out of control. ... Courses for fans may work with some individuals, but once they start up there'll be no end of them. The next thing we know meetings will be organised with people 'from Jewish backgrounds'. Who's next? Discussion groups with cuckolds when fans start calling a player's mother or wife a whore? And what if people bring out the old 'spring in a ditch, son of a bitch'? Intense discussions with cynology associations?" (07/05/2010)

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More from the press review on the subject » Sport, » Netherlands