Bannon wants to unite Europe's rightwing populists/far-Right & nationalist groups into coherent political force. He's setting up a foundation, which he compares to @georgesoros network, to help them with funding. But he'll only have up to 10 employees & no serious cash.
Europe's rightwing populists have tried to unite before, notably in the @Europarl_EN, but not with great success, bc their policies pose a structural problem for a pan-European movement. Often their debates descended into insult-laden quarrels.
No wonder Le Pen was surprised that Bannon saw them all as one movement. He thinks with a US mindset about a very heterogenous European political landscape. Also, most of these people have been politically successful long before he entered politics, so what's his value added
The only thing that could make a real difference this time, as opposed to pre 2015, is the rallying cause of anti-migration and anti-Islam politics. That is something they can all agree, from Finland to Greece. But hardly enough to built an actual political bloc.
PS I’m not saying that the galvanising cause of migration/Islam will not make a difference this time. It’s already certain that the @Europarl_EN will be filled with anti-establishment politicians from across the spectrum. Protest voters tend to love MEP elections
Theresa May, Facing Hard Deadline, Struggles to Navigate Treacherous #Brexit Politics as U.K. @Conservatives gather with party torn over what to do about it. Our report via @WSJ wsj.com/articles/there…
Six months before #Brexit, nobody knows how it will happen. “We’re in a bit of a dangerous position,” said Nick Timothy, May's former chief of staff. “It feels like absolutely anything is possible, from staying in after all to departure without a deal..." wsj.com/articles/there…
A no-deal #Brexit deal means serious immediate economic disruption with ports clogging with trucks awaiting customs clearance. The UK is unprepared, but #EU countries too are uniformly unready for a no-deal exit, a recent “stress test” of the members found wsj.com/articles/there…
My dispatch from #Sweden, which is experiencing an unprecedented surge in shootings, bombings and sexual crime. The crisis is mainly restricted to areas predominantly populated by immigrants, so ordinary Swedes read the news with disbelief: thetimes.co.uk/edition/world/…
In #Sweden, a country of 10m people, more than 320 shootings and dozens of bombings were reported in 2017, along with more than 110 murders and 7,226 rapes — a 10% increase on 2016. More than 36% of young Swedish women say they feel unsafe at night. thetimes.co.uk/edition/world/…
I visited some of the worst areas, including #Malmö's #Rosengård, where children as young as 14 roam the streets with Kalashnikovs & bulletproof vests. The average age of gang members is 22, the vast majority of them hailing from migrant families. thetimes.co.uk/edition/world/…