The convention of the French Socialist Party (PS) took place over the weekend. Le Figaro newspaper accuses the party of having lost track of its goals and convictions: "Not only is the Socialist Party wandering aimlessly in ideological terms, it is also living a permanent lie. It lies to itself. Because everyone knows the party will never recover without choosing an incontestable, uncontested leader. ... For a long time the PS has proposed nothing original or coherent, because it has not reflected, worked, or questioned itself. Cacophony reigns in the party regarding the future of Europe, the institutions, and how to deal with both the extreme left and the centre. ... In the midst of a methodological and ideological crisis, the Socialist Party has lost its bearings." (30/08/2008)

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More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » Social Policy / Employment, » Social movements, » France
All available articles from » Yves Thréard

The Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) has betrayed its ideals, writes the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung. This is seen for example in its handling of the Caucasus crisis and the visit of the Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader of the Tibetans: "If you take a sober look at the SPD today, you see anything but a cosmopolitan party. What you do see is an autistic obsession with personalities ... and systems of reference that are only understandable to insiders, all of which refer to our welfare state. ... Appeals not to offend the sensibilities of wounded party leaders are slowly becoming the hallmark of a party that was founded to protect the poor. ... It is hard to imagine that social democratic parties once wooed dissidents, convicts and opposition figures. ... A return to the tradition of cabinet diplomacy is never amiss for reasons of state, but for a mainstream party it is not enough." (31/08/2008)

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All available articles from » Nils Minkmar

The Catholic weekly Famiglia Cristiana accuses the left-wing democratic opposition party Partito Democratico (PD) of wasting its time with constant infighting: "While the government distracts our attention ... with alleged emergencies, the increasingly belligerent, masochistic and divided opposition presents us with the spectacle of its mental confusion and total lack of effective proposals for low-income families. ... It has nothing to say on issues that are the province of left-wing parties, and instead of coming up with a solid family policy it is tearing itself apart. A swift and conclusive initiative or a party congress aimed at establishing a joint strategy should be organised before the party drowns in a quagmire of schizophrenia and depression - both among its leaders and its voters. The nation has had enough of this Tower of Babel the party has become as it awaits the Flood." (01/09/2008)

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The EU heads of state and government are to convene today at a special summit in Brussels to discuss how to proceed in the Caucasus crisis. "The left-wing daily Právo warns of the dangers of being too harsh on Moscow: "The bosses of the EU would help neither themselves nor the Caucasus by simply taking a hard stance on Moscow. The EU's strongest and most effective instrument has always been cooperation, not remonstrations or punishment. ... In its own interest Europe should not be tempted to seriously consider excluding Russia from this or that international organisation. It was never pretty eyes that gained Russia access to these organisations. The members of any club also have to take on less pleasant obligations. And if Russia is excluded no one can expect it to fulfil these obligations." (01/09/2008)

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All available articles from » Michal Mocek

During a visit by Libyan dictator Muammar al-Gaddafi Italy's Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi signed an agreement guaranteeing the North African state 3.4 billion euros in investments. In the document Italy apologises for the injustices suffered by the country under Italy's colonial rule. The daily Süddeutsche Zeitung sees the agreement as a bonus for both countries and for Europe. "The Gaddaffi regime is working its way of out the world's naughty corner. Energy-hungry Italy is securing its access to Libyan oil and gas. Rome also hopes Tripoli will help it to stop human traffickers who send African refugees across the sea to Sicily. And finally the agreement will allow Italy to consolidate its role in the Mediterranean - the mare nostrum of the ancient Romans. All this should come as good news to Europeans. In times of a neo-imperial Russia and Islamic fundamentalism, an alliance with Libya is certainly an advantage. Moreover, reconciliation between Italy and Libya can set an example for others as regards coming to terms with the past." (01/09/2008)

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All available articles from » Stefan Ulrich

The daily La Repubblica comments on the speech delivered yesterday by Pope Benedict XVI during the Angelus prayer, in which he brought up the subject of illegal immigration in Europe: "[The speech] breaks the silence and signifies the end of the soft, conventional policy. The Pope calls on European countries to take in irregular immigrants. ... With just a few words the Pope tore the veil of silence and deafness." However, the paper adds, the Pope made no direct reference to Italy's much criticised immigration policy, for "the situation described by Pope Ratzinger pertains to the phenomenon of immigration in general, a historical process that must be approached through an effective policy in keeping with the spirit of the Christian faith. The Church, however, will not let itself be caught up by politics and certainly not by neo-conservative severity. The failure of the ruling party's attempts to win over the leadership of the Church is becoming apparent." (01/09/2008)

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All available articles from » Edmondo Berselli

Le Monde analyses the results of a new study by the French Centre d´Études de L'Emploi (CEE) on French attitudes to work in comparison to those of other European countries: "Work is important to the French. Very important, even. ... While only 40 percent of Brits and Danes say work is 'very important', 70 percent of the French say it is. ... And why? Because they worry about the tasks that lie ahead ...? Not really. Because they are afraid of unemployment ... ? Not just that. Above all it is because more than the others, they (we) wish to fulfil themselves in their work. ... The authors of the study observe that it is more important for the French that their work should be interesting, and that they care more that it should be a place of 'self-realisation' and 'accomplishment'. ... The paradox ... is that while more French find work 'most important', they are also the ones who most wish it ... took up less of their time." (30/08/2008)

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All available articles from » Jean-Michel Dumay

Lluís Foix, former chief editor of the daily La Vanguardia, writes in his blog about the dawn of a new era in global politics. "Politics is taking a new direction. The major framework for this is the elections in the US which will shape the trend in the coming months. ... But America's hegemony is no longer intact. Russia wants to win back its lost territory and will look for excuses to exploit its energy and political potential. The US has positioned troops in Central Asia and [Russian Prime Minister Vladimir] Putin has shown Ukraine and other Baltic states that there will be a price to pay for too strong an alliance with the West. China is growing at a colossal rate and wants the world to listen to it and respect it. ... Europe is preoccupied with its remarkable pacifism and is in no position to demand further efforts from its citizens. Of the four great regions of power Europe is the weakest and at the same time the strongest. It is still expanding and acts like a magnet for all the neighbours knocking on its doors." (01/09/2008)

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All available articles from » Lluís Foix

Following the war in the Caucasus and the recognition of the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia by Russian President Dmitry Medvedev the daily anticipates the emergence of a new world order. "With Russian President Dmitry Medvedev's recognition of South Ossetia and Abkhazia the old world order that was established under the leadership of the US after the end of the Cold War collapsed. ... After the events in Georgia we said farewell to the world of yesterday. We still do not know what will replace it. But what is for certain is that establishing a new order will be one of the most important challenges facing the new US president. The best the West can do to spread democracy and freedom is to make itself independent of oil and gas from Russia and the Middle East as soon as possible." (01/09/2008)

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The weekly newspaper Republika analyses the economic impact of the Caucasus crisis on the region: "Despite all else, the most important question is how the war has affected Georgia's biggest strategic and economic trump: the oil and gas pipelines that steer clear of Russia and Iran by running through the Caucasus. This infrastructure has not been damaged, even if it was shut down temporarily. But that did not stop Azerbaijan from immediately joining forces with the Russian oil transporting company Transneft and planning talks for a longer-term bypassing of Georgia. It is entirely possible that the leadership in Baku, which never had particularly good relationships with Moscow, has been intimidated by Russia's military methods. The key reason for this is probably the unsolved conflict surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh, in which Armenia has become involved as Russia's closest ally in the region." (01/09/2008)

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All available articles from » Andis Sedlenieks

The Italian government has announced a rescue package to save the ailing Italian airline Alitalia from a takeover and get it back on its feet. The daily La Repubblica criticises the move. "In the case of Alitalia the defence of the nation has earned [Prime Minister] Berlusconi a halo. ... While the more dynamic companies strive to bolster their position through international mergers and to remain competitive, these 'defenders of Italy' are fixed on the mistaken notion that free competition is a luxury Italy cannot afford. ... This short-sightedness stands in increasingly stark contrast to the rules of the European community and is weakening Italy and Brussels. And it threatens to impede Italy's consolidation as an economic power in Europe. This false patriotism serves the popularity of a government that will not be able to prevent the small national champions from being eaten up by global giants in the medium term." (01/09/2008)

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More from the press review on the subject » Fiscal Policy, » Economic Policy, » Italy, » Europe
All available articles from » Gad Lerner

Alistair Darling, the British Chancellor of the Exchequer, has caused a stir with his outspoken statement that the economic prospects for the UK now look worse than they have for 60 years. The Financial Times contradicts him in a commentary: "His precise meaning has been in dispute but it would certainly be nonsense to suggest the UK faces the worst downturn in six decades. It is true that in specific areas – trust among financial institutions, in particular – the UK is in very bad shape by historical standards. But, more generally, the assertion is untrue. A single quarter without economic growth is not a catastrophe. Unemployment and inflation are both still low. Coping with the slowdown may well mean breaking the fiscal rules. But so be it. There is no prospect of needing to move to a three-day working week or to seek a bail-out from the International Monetary Fund. These are not desperate times; desperate measures are not required. ... The UK's economic circumstances are by no means the worst in 60 years." (01/09/2008)

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In Poland, public funding for the film 'The Mystery of Westerplatte', which tells the story of Nazi Germany's invasion of Poland, has been withdrawn. Politicians and the media were unhappy because in their opinion the script failed to depict the soldiers as heroically as they deserve. The daily Gazeta Wyborcza criticises the withdrawal of the funding. "The atmosphere is as tense as if the [warship] 'Schleswig Holstein' were firing at the Polish bases once more. Once again we see that it is impossible to talk about the past ... without stirring up emotions in Poland. ... What kind of historical cinema does Poland need? [Does it need] films commissioned by politicians to mark anniversaries that simply reflect the interpretation of history supported by the politician in question, or films that are not defined by the calendar and political agreements but by the passion and curiosity of their makers? Films that sometimes raise dangerous questions about our past. ... The question is whether viewers will pay for this." (30/08/2008)

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All available articles from » Roman Pawłowski

The Finnish daily Turun Sanomat looks into the question of which foreign languages children should learn in school, and the importance of Swedish in Finland today. "The older generation speaks German. Some schools concentrated on French in the past, and Russian was also better taught than it is today. ... Nowadays schools focus on two languages, ... English and Swedish. ... In fact no one needs Swedish, but bilinguality is prescribed by the law. ... There is no doubt that in our country the most important language is Finnish. ... The problem is that the Swedish-speaking inhabitants do not accept the fact that they are in the linguistic minority. ... Certainly, we cannot know in advance what languages we and our children will need. Nevertheless the alternatives should be presented in such a way .. that they are advantageous to Europe." (01/09/2008)

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More from the press review on the subject » Education, » Finland