By David Seung Jae Choi, EUPS Team
The latest articles from our staff writers and contributers here at EUPS
Elon Musk suggested that the EU should be abolished, and “sovereignty returned to individual countries”. In the ongoing political conversations around the European Union, Elon Musk has found himself another conversation he’d like to join. Like the Epstein parties for which he requested an invitation, Elon Musk appears to be unwelcome in Europe as well, with a new YouGov poll across Germany, France, Spain, Italy, and Poland showing that nearly half of Europeans would back the
banning of X (formerly Twitter), if it continues to breach EU regulations. For more analysis on the future of the EU and the tech billionaires weighing in, read more by George Day.
Fashion has always been political. Class and cultures have always played a role in how people dress. Coupled with historical contexts and self-expression, the way we choose to dress is often a snapshot
of our lives, circumstances, and where we come from. Read more by Erini Siomou.
Peter Mandelson appears to have reached the end of his political career. A key aide to previous Labour Prime Ministers, and until recently the Starmer-appointed custodian of the US-UK “Special Relationship”, the peer had remained active in British politics for more than three decades. Mandelson’s relationship with the convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, and the alleged leaking of confidential UK Government emails and documents to the notorious paedophile, resulted in his sacking from the British Ambassadorship, resignation from the House of Lords, and referral to the Metropolitan Police for misconduct in public office. Read more by George Marshall.
From the MAGA movement in the United States to the rise in far-right populist parties across Europe, it can be frightening to look at the news sometimes. For those who wish to study the far right and learn how we may combat them, the grandiose and already-defeated fascists of the past might be agood place to start looking. Read more by Katie Stephanou.
9 Things to Know
The stories you might have missed, from big to small.
The UK’s youth unemployment rate has hit a decade high, with 16 to 24-year-old unemployment at 14%, according to the Office for National Statistics. Compared to the overall unemployment rate of 5.2 %, also a 5-year high, the trend is clear: “young people want a job, but can’t find one”, according to Theo Leggett, business correspondent at the BBC. The ONS are expected to release further figures regarding youth not in education, employment, or training later this month. With opposition figures blasting the government, Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden said “there is more to do”.
Reform’s Gorton & Denton candidate Matt Goodwin kept himself in the news, with the hopeful parliamentarian calling the jailing of a man who posted “start off burning every migrant hotel” and “start the slaughter”, “insane”. This follows the unearthing of his past statements, including: an extra tax on the child-less and calls for young girls to be given a “biological reality” check over “having children much too late in life”. Even his team appears fraught with controversy, with his interim
campaign manager, Adam Mitula, stating online that he “wouldn’t touch a Jewish woman”, and baselessly claiming that the majority of trans people were “paedofiles”.
The British public would resoundingly back re-joining the European Union, according to the latest polling by YouGov, which found a Re-Join campaign would win 63 % of the votes. In another rebuke to the 2016 referendum, the polls found that even amongst retirees, often seen and heard as most pro-Leave, 60 % would vote to rejoin the EU. As the UK nears a decade after the referendum, it remains to be seen if Reform and Nigel Farage will explain how Brexit was a “socialist-lite agenda”,
according to Suella Braverman. On the other side of the divorce, another poll suggested that Western Europeans would also back the re-accession of the UK, although it is unclear whether the terms of joining will be different from last time.
The Scottish Parliament has passed the Community Wealth Building Bill (CWB). The bill is intended to “stimulate and retain” economic activity in a local community, delivered by “anchor institutions”, including local authorities, the NHS, universities, and large private employers. Ivan McKee MSP, the Scottish Public Finance Minister, stated the bill will “help to deliver more benefit from investment in local economies so that they become fairer, greener and more prosperous”. As protocol, the bill is now undergoing legislative competence checks to ensure that the CWB bill is within the powers of the Scottish Parliament, after which the bill will be sent for the Royal Assent.
Germany has called for France to put its money where its President’s mouth is. Paraphrasing the French president, Johann Wadephul, the German foreign minister, frankly stated that President Macron “refers to our pursuit of European sovereignty” and added that the French president “needs to act accordingly” in terms of achieving the NATO-wide pledge to increase defence spending to 5 % of GDP by 2035. The French Republic is, however, fighting a bitter budget crisis, with the Lecornu government narrowly passing the budget without a parliamentary vote.
Support for the monarchy has fallen in the aftermath of the Epstein scandal, as the royal family attempts to separate itself from Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s involvement. A new Savanta poll ofmore than 2000 participants suggests that the UK public’s support for the monarchy has fallen to 45%, with a third of those asked preferring an elected head of state. This also coincides with the Thames
Valley Police assessing allegations that Andrew leaked confidential reports with Epstein during his time as a UK trade envoy. As of the 19th of February, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has been arrested by Thames Valley Police, on suspicion of misconduct in public office. King Charles has released a statement, saying “the law must take its course”. Sources claim that neither the King nor Buckingham Palace were notified prior to the arrest.
A Norwegian ambassador has resigned due to Epstein links, with the convicted paedophile leaving 10 million USD to her children. Mona Juul resigned from her ambassadorship to Jordan and Iraq having also served as the Norwegian ambassador to the UK from 2014 to 2019. The Norwegian Foreign Ministry stated it will continue to investigate Juul’s links to Epstein, as well as charges of aggravated corruption being brought against her by the prosecution of economic crimes. This comes
after other Epstein scandals in Norway, with the Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway apologising for her Epstein links, and the Norwegian PM, Jonas Gahr Støre, openly criticising the royal, which is considered unusual in Norwegian politics.
Larry the Cat, the Chief Mouser to the Cabinet Office, celebrated 15 years in public life on Sunday, the 15th of February. Being the inaugural holder of the office of Chief Mouser, the 19-year-old tabby from Wandsworth has out-served every British Prime Minister he’s served under. The feline nonagenarian is also the only known British government official with an apparent “license to kill”, having made numerous catches in his illustrious career. Happy Birthday, Larry.
Election Watch
Here, we update you on the upcoming and recent British and European elections. Never again fret when a friend or colleague starts to talk about elections.
Thursday, 26th of February – the people of Gorton and Denton constituency will go to the polls to elect their new MP, after Andrew Gwynne (Independent, suspended Labour) resigned, citing ill health
Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham wished to stand in the by-election, but was blocked by the Labour NEC, where Keir Starmer personally voted to block his candidacy. Some see the by-election
as yet another test for the embattled Starmer premiership, with the Greens and Reform hoping to capitalise on Labour’s poor ratings.
Portugal overwhelmingly rejected the far-right candidate for the Presidency. In the first run-off presidential election since 1986, Portuguese voters elected Antonio Jose Seguro, supported by the
Socialist Party, with a resounding 66.8 % of the vote. However, despite the large majority, Andre Ventura, of the far-right Chega party, still made incredible strides, winning 33.2 % of the vote, exceeding the parliamentary polls from last May, when it won 22.8 %.
The far-right Vox made advances in Aragon’s parliamentary elections, doubling its support to 17.9 %, winning 14 seats. The national ruling party, the Socialist Party, won a record low number of seats for the regional parliament, 18 seats with 24.3 % of the vote. The People’s Party, the previous ruling party in Aragon, lost two seats, but still came first place overall, with 34.3 % of the vote. Known as Spain’s Ohio, or bellwether, Aragon often reflects national voting sentiments, and may
spell bad news for PM Sanchez and the Socialist Party, with the Spanish electorate due for a general election no later than August 2027.
Republika Srpska held its rerun presidential election after voting irregularities nullified the original elections last November, triggered by the previous president, Milorad Dodik’s refusal to comply with rulings from the High Representative. The High Representative, who oversees the application & maintenance of the Dayton Agreement, is vested with the power to remove officials in order to safeguard the peace agreement. With Dodik, a fierce Serb secessionist, banned from political
office for six years by Bosnian courts, the Serb Republic elected Siniša Karan, a member of Dodik’s SNSD, who will serve out the rest of Dodik’s term until later this year
