Europe’s far right calls for ban on mosques

Far-right groups in Belgium, Germany and Austria today launched a drive calling for a ban on the building of new mosques in order to stop the spread of radical Islam in Europe.

Belgium's far-right Vlaams Belang has joined with radical groups from Austria and Germany to launch a Charter to, “fight the Islamisation of West-European cities.” They announced their new coalition Thursday in the Flemish city of Antwerp. Vlaams Belang’s Filip Dewinter told Radio Netherlands Worldwide, “"We are not opposed to freedom of religion but we don't want Muslims to impose their way of life and traditions over here because much of it is not compatible with our way of life."

Tensions between Muslim communities and the majority populations in Western Europe have been growing in recent years as these largely secular societies struggle to absorb populations with deeply held religious beliefs. The crisis has been exasperated by incidents such as the 2004 murder of Dutch filmmaker Theo Van Gogh (a relative of Vincent Van Gogh) by a jihadist after Van Gogh made a movie dealing with violence against women in Islamic societies. Tensions between Muslims and the secular Dutch have been particularly strong since then.

After Lisbon signing debacle, Brown shifts tone on Europe

In a move that can be expected to generate cheers of praise and some sighs of relief in Brussels, Gordon Brown today gave a strongly worded defense of Britain’s place in Europe, signaling a shift in tone from an administration which has so far seemed to be avoiding any discussion about the EU.

In a speech on the global economy delivered to business leaders this morning, Brown promised a policy of “full engagement” with the European Union and said that if Britain were to “retreat to the sidelines” of Europe, as some members of the Conservative Party are demanding, it would jeopardize Britain’s trade, jobs and the very foundation of the British economy itself.

It is the first time Brown has strongly condemned domestic criticisms of Britain’s membership in the union, criticism which is very popular in the British press and among right-leaning politicians. Brown has never been perceived to be particularly Euro-friendly. As chancellor in 2005, Brown derided the federalist ambitions of the original constitution, saying that EU leaders must accept that people are more attached to "national values" than an "outdated" federalist ideal.

Obama's loss: the view from Europe

Given that I wrote about Europe's reaction to Obama's win in Iowa last week, I thought it logical to now write about its reaction to his loss this week. Just from personal observation, I've been surprised at the huge level of relief being expressed by most people I know here in the UK. It seems that though they were impressed with and surprised by Barack's win, they are still rooting for Hillary to win the Democratic nomination. In fact I don't know a single European who actively wants Obama to win.

Part of this of course is that they know Hillary, they adored Bill Clinton and are eager to see a return to the Clinton years. They know almost nothing about Obama, and being removed from the domestic situation in the US they can't quite understand the enthusiasm for a man who has outlined little of his actual platform or policy plans.

Obamania: the view from Europe

It’s been interesting to watch the European coverage of Barack Obama’s mammoth victory in Iowa over the past few days. Beyond the fact that it is such big news here, what has been notable is what the European press is emphasizing in their coverage.

Had the Iowa caucus passed without any extraordinary result, say with a Hillary and Mitt win, it still would have been a major focus here. After all, US presidential elections are followed worldwide with great attention, and this is particularly true in Europe. With the US being the world’s lone superpower, it’s just a bizarre quirk of history that the decisions made by a few thousand people in Iowa every four years have a dramatic effect on the entire globe. Yet the European coverage of the primary season has switched into hyperactive gear this year not only because the continent is so eager for new leadership in the US, but also because of the surprise ascendancy of two previous unknowns in the first contest.

Of course, the fact that Huckabee and Obama won the Iowa caucuses wasn’t a huge surprise to many living in the US, as this result was largely expected weeks before the vote (though the margin of the victories was a surprise). But here in the UK, for instance, nobody knew who Huckabee was until Thursday and only the most current events-savvy Brits knew much about Obama. In fact the presumption here has been that Hillary Clinton was guaranteed to be the next US president.

French president to marry supermodel

The French press reported today that President Nicolas Sarkozy is going to marry the celebrity model Carla Bruni in February, just two months after they met.

French media first breathlessly reported the budding relationship in December when the two made a highly visable trip to Euro Disneyland. The relationship is all the more interesting because Sarkozy was just divorced by his wife Cecilia in October. At that time the public also learned that the marriage had been effectively over throughout the presidential election but it was kept a secret for fear of how it would affect the vote.

The Elysée Palace refused to comment yesterday on the news, but Bruni's mother, Marisa Borini, told the Italian press last week that President Sarkozy had asked her for her daughter's hand.

Iowa: what it all means

For everyone in London who is asking me - yes, I was as surprised by the Iowa primary result as you all were! For the past several days I’ve heard speculation that Hillary was going to come in third in the first US primary in Iowa but I didn’t believe it. After all, Hillary has been the natural front-runner for the entire contest up to this point, and the recent assassination of Benazir Bhutto was only supposed to shore up her inevitability as she portrayed herself as the candidate of strength and experience.

But the result I woke up to this morning is truly shocking, and has to have sent the Clinton camp into a tail spin. But it isn’t there mere fact that she placed third that has to have them in a panic, it’s the sheer magnitude of the way she was beaten. In fact when you look at the exit polling, the numbers are truly astonishing.