"The SPD is swinging to the left. And the Left Party is starting to put down roots in the West. This election day changes the picture of German politics," comments Heribert Prantl. "Voters in Hesse rediscovered a party that had been declared dead. The Social Democrats were no longer red, but colourless; the party was afraid of its own tradition and its members; it trembled at the thought of the Left Party, as if it were an overpowering enemy. ... It took long enough for the news about mass firings and billions of bankruptcies to discredit neo-liberal promises and rehabilitate social welfare policy. Now, the public no longer sees [SPD-top candidate] Ypsilanti as washed out, but rather as being direct; she is seen in the Party as an example of how a Social Democrat needs not escape to political Nirvana or to the Left Party, in order to ... continue talking about social justice." (28/01/2008)

» Artykuł (Link zewnętrzny, niemiecki)
Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Polityka wewnętrzna, » Niemcy
Wszystkie dostępne teksty » Heribert Prantl

Germany's party system has changed so much for the worse that it's worth considering a new system to build more stable majorities, suggests Jürg Delial. "The elections have not only brought about an unpleasant stalemate between the two largest established parties, but also the entrance of the political left, which calls itself the 'Left Party.' It got a foothold in Lower Saxony, too, where the CDU and FDP kept their hold on the government. This has now highlighted the disastrous five-party pattern in West Germany, which is tantamount to the destabilization of the parliamentary system. All established parties treat the Left Party as a bunch of street urchins. But how can a government be formed without them? One practical solution would be a Grand Coalition between the CDU and SPD, clearly a stop-gap method, as the black-red partnership on the federal level has demonstrated numerous times of late." (28/01/2008)

» Strona www (Link zewnętrzny, Neue Zürcher Zeitung)
Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Polityka wewnętrzna, » Niemcy
Wszystkie dostępne teksty » Jürg Dedial

Jiří Sládek comments: "These elections were basically a popularity test for next year's federal parliamentary elections, particularly for the [Christian Democratic] Union and the SPD [Social Democrats], partners in the current grand coalition. The competitors leaned on populist themes in their campaigns. The conservatives milked issues of domestic security and tough measures against immigrants. The left emphasized minimum wages. Voters were swayed by the latter. … The SPD now can return to the federal scene with self-confidence, and present more demands for easing the pain caused by social reforms, which up to now have been successful." (28/01/2008)

» Artykuł (Link zewnętrzny, czeski)
Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Polityka wewnętrzna, » Niemcy
Wszystkie dostępne teksty » Jiří Sládek

José Comas considers that the defeat of Roland Koch is "a magnificent illustration of the electorate's maturity. Contrary to 1999, the campaign against the duel nationality of immigrants which allowed him to become presidency of the state of Hesse, didn't work this time. Koch's attempt to mobilise the silent majority with xenophobic and outdated anti-communism have backfired for he could even, according to provisional results, lose his presidency of this state. Koch's defeat is of benefit for Merkel (CDU) because the chancellor had reluctantly played a part in his populist campaign. This defeat is distancing the danger posed by one of the CDU's most ambitious politicians, a rival who kept on cutting the ground from under her feet." (28/01/2008)

» Artykuł (Link zewnętrzny, hiszpański)
Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Polityka wewnętrzna, » Niemcy
Wszystkie dostępne teksty » José Comas

In an article posted on Project Syndicate, the Dutch writer Ian Buruma considers a recently adopted Spanish law on historical remembrance. "Opening up the past to public scrutiny is part of maintaining an open society. But when governments do so, history can easily become a weapon to be used against political opponents – and thus be as damaging as banning historical inquiries. ... Government intervention is justified only in a very limited sense. Many countries enact legislation to stop people from inciting others to commit violent acts, though some go further. ... But even if extreme caution is sometimes understandable, it may not be wise, as a matter of general principle, to ban abhorrent or simply cranky views of the past. Banning certain opinions, no matter how perverse, has the effect of elevating their proponents into dissidents." (25/01/2008)

» Artykuł (Link zewnętrzny, angielski)
Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Historia, » Hiszpania, » Europa, » Cały świat
Wszystkie dostępne teksty » Ian Buruma

British columnist Johann Hari highlights a threat to the future of the Internet. "The massive corporations that provide broadband own the physical highways of the internet: the wires and cables and switches along which web pages travel before they hit your screen. They have been lobbying in the US and Europe for permission to turn this into a two-lane motorway, with different speeds according to how much you can pay. Under their proposal, if you are a big corporation ... you would pay a premium fee and travel on the fastest lane, with your page getting to users at super-speed. If you are just an unknown blogger, you pay the standard fee and you will be stuck in the piled-up broadband traffic, taking much longer to update or use. This is called a 'tiered' internet – and it has to be resisted. The greatest thing about the web is that the entry costs are so low: we all plug and play on an equal basis. Under the new model, we would no longer compete in a somewhat open market of ideas... ." (28/01/2008)

» Artykuł (Link zewnętrzny, angielski)
Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Media internetowe, » Wielka Brytania, » Cały świat
Wszystkie dostępne teksty » Johann Hari

Sergio Romano examines Italy's governmental crisis. For the editorialist, the Italian president Giorgio Napolitano, who is currently consulting different political parties, should call an early election. "Italy has lost its credibility in the eyes of Europe. Nonetheless, our international engagement in the EU and NATO requires an entirely capable and legitimately elected executive. Even if electoral law is flawed, the Italians should lean on it to make a choice. Maybe we will find ourselves with an imperfect and litigious majority, but at least Italy would be proving that the democratic machinery still works and that decisions are ultimately in the hands of the electors." (28/01/2008)

» Strona www (Link zewnętrzny, Corriere della Sera)
Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Polityka wewnętrzna, » Włochy
Wszystkie dostępne teksty » Sergio Romano

Five leading NATO military strategists have put together a manifesto on the alliance's future. What troubles the paper is that there is no apparent belief in the possibility of a world free of atomic weapons. "If there is danger in delay, NATO should be able to use its nuclear arsenal preventively – in other words, echoing Russia's strategy. It seems like the balance of deterrence has returned. And nobody should think that other countries who want nuclear weapons will hold back if NATO and Russia stress the importance of having them.” (27/01/2008)

» Artykuł (Link zewnętrzny, szwedzki)
Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Polityka bezpieczeństwa / Kryzys / Wojna, » Cały świat

The British magazine "The Economist" has listed Latvia among those European states through which Russia could influence the West. Aivars Ozolins doesn't quite agree: "The article offers no proof. The Latvian foreign ministry will naturally reject this charge, calling the presentation of Moscow's influence on Latvia exaggerated, and refer to the recent ejection of a Russian diplomat. But even if the picture is exaggerated, it's worth asking why the EU increasingly calls us Russia's Trojan horse, and mentions us in the same breath with states like Serbia or Bulgaria – not good company. In the case of Bulgaria, it's obvious, because Sofia recently signed a contract [with Russia] for construction of a gas pipeline through the Black Sea, signing it without consideration of Ukraine and Poland." (28/01/2008)

» Artykuł (Link zewnętrzny, łotewski)
Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Stosunki międzynarodowe, » Łotwa, » Rosja, » Europa, » Bułgaria
Wszystkie dostępne teksty » Aivars Ozolins

By lauding the Christian religion in recent speeches, French president Nicolas Sarkozy has relaunched the debate around the respect of secularism. Henri Tincq, a journalist specialising in religion, considers that "Mr Sarkozy' wrongly confuses secularism with the secularisation of mores, of behaviour, of ideas. ... It is because of the emergence of rights and of nations emancipated from religious power that it has been possible to create democratic States that are independent of rival religious factions. Secularism has become a sort of 'common good' in modern Europe, as the protestant sociologist Jean-Paul Willaime has said. No member state identifies more with a single ideological or religious force. This victory of secularism does not exclude the recognition of the social usefulness and the democratic role played by religion." (28/01/2008)

» Dalsze informacje (Link zewnętrzny, francuski)
Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Religia, » Francja, » Europa
Wszystkie dostępne teksty » Henri Tincq

The first official visit of a Greek prime minister to Turkey in decades has come to an end. Michael Martens weighs the results: "They're talking again. That seems pretty minimal, but actually, given the difficult neighbourhood they're in, it's worth a lot. ... Erdogan and Karamanlis, who get along quite well personally, were both re-elected last year. They now probably have a few years of governing ahead of them, Erdogan with a clear majority in parliament and Karamanlis with a narrow one. Time is ripe for courageous decisions, particularly regarding the contentious issue of Cyprus. Together, Athens and Ankara could design the constructive division of Cyprus based on the 2004 UN referendum that at least the Greeks of the island supported, instead of making the mistake of continuing their vain attempts to cancel it. It is not necessary to add on the recognition of Northern Cyprus by international law." (28/01/2008)

» Strona www (Link zewnętrzny, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung)
Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Stosunki międzynarodowe, » Rozszerzenie UE, » Grecja, » Turcja
Wszystkie dostępne teksty » Michael Martens

"Turbulence in financial markets has managed to do something that globalization critics have failed to accomplish in years,” writes Alexandra Föderl-Schmid, at the conclusion of the Davos world economic forum. "It is exactly those who stand for globalization and neo-liberalism – managers of funds and banks, and company presidents – who are calling for more controls and permission to intervene. ... The degree of upheaval also becomes evident through the sudden shift of hopes to emerging markets. It is an irony of history: Only continued strong growth in China and India can save the world economy from recession. All at once, sights are set on countries in Latin America and Southeast Asia - which a decade ago depended on support of industrial countries - and on Russia - all countries where the market economy is not free and the state has both access and power to intervene.” (28/01/2008)

» Artykuł (Link zewnętrzny, niemiecki)
Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Polityka finansowa, » Polityka gospodarcza, » Cały świat
Wszystkie dostępne teksty » Alexandra Föderl-Schmid

François-Xavier Pietri considers that the case of massive fraud suffered by the French bank Societe Generale illustrates the weaknesses of the financial world. "Why, if we are to believe them, was the American Federal Reserve [Fed] not informed ? If this is true - the simple fact that versions differ on either side of the Atlantic is far from reassuring - this is quite a unique interpretation of the relationship between major institutions the Fed and the ECB [European Central Bank]. This malfunction once again highlights a lack of consultation between both institutions. We were aware of differences in the ways that Jean-Claude Trichet et Ben Bernanke view the management of the financial crisis over the past few months. Now we can imagine that they are actually hiding things from one another. ... If the Fed had known, its intervention might have been different: would Ben Bernanke have gone ahead with the massive decrease of interest rates last Wednesday ?" (28/01/2008)

» Artykuł (Link zewnętrzny, francuski)
Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Rynki finansowe, » Francja
Wszystkie dostępne teksty » François-Xavier Pietri

Poland's ministry of education will join with the educational ministries of the German states to introduce a joint German-Polish history book. Wojciech Rogacin explains: "In Polish history books, the typical German is a barbaric aggressor, someone who for thousands of years only thought about how best to snatch our territory and keep the Polish people down. There is not a word about the rich German culture – found also in Polish areas – or German science or industry. And it's the same in German books. They contain few references to the Warsaw Uprising, the forced resettlement of Poles and the role of Solidarność. … A joint history text reflecting work by historians from both countries could knock down walls of stereotypes and lies – achieving a relationship like that between the French and Germans." (28/01/2008)

» Artykuł (Link zewnętrzny, polski)
Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Literatura, » Historia, » Niemcy, » Polska
Wszystkie dostępne teksty » Wojciech Rogacin

"The 35th International Angouleme Festival marks a turning point in comic strips", comments Daniel Couvreur, following the award ceremony of this major event on January 26th. "The social model of the hero has had its day. It is no longer predominant in people's minds. The narrative field is showing literary ambition. Within the comic strip frames life stories full of soul are being outlined, so many expressions of man's everyday life. The graphic novel triumphed at the award ceremony of the 2008 Festival, displaying the preoccupations of our times. The Fauve d'Or [golden beast award] was given to the Australian author Shaun Tan for 'The Arrival. This story without any speech bubbles, of a rare graphic poetry, unfolds in a mosaic of mute frames, telling the universal adventure of integration. ... The Angouleme Festival has turned the page on action and moved on to emotion." (28/01/2008)

» Artykuł (Link zewnętrzny, francuski)
Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Literatura, » Styl życia, » Francja
Wszystkie dostępne teksty » Daniel Couvreur

The daily is sorry to see that the image of Britannia, Roman goddess who personifies the British isles and has featured on British coins for over 300 years, is to be effaced from the British 50 pence piece as part of a massive overhaul the country's coinage. "To be effaced from the coinage is the final insult for poor, abused Britannia. There may have been a time when her image inspired uncomplicated patriotism ... . More often, though, she has been subjected to all manner of indignities by cartoonists. ... Worst of all was the ghastly 'Cool Britannia' phenomenon, in which the new Blair government sought to conscript the Roman goddess to the cause of Britpop and the Millennium Dome. Meanwhile our notes and coins keep shrinking - in anticipation, no doubt, of their intended abolition and replacement by euro-tin. Small wonder there is no space for Britannia on them any more." (28/01/2008)

» Artykuł (Link zewnętrzny, angielski)
Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Historia, » Wielka Brytania