The European Union is at an existential juncture.
In these dark days, it does not have the leadership it needs, though it is the leadership we deserve. We did, after all, turn our elections into popularity contests in which the truth hardly matters. The truth is eclipsed by the vote count generated by short-sighted populism. The leaders we elect fall short of committing to the decisions we desperately need them to make. They do so because they often get away with it.
I’ve previously argued that the so-called ‘green revolution‘ requires unflinching revolutionaries to sustain it. I’ve also previously pointed out that, in the face of murderous oppression, the only way out is to fight back with everything you’ve got. And, of course, it should go without saying that leaders who aspire to run the European project should not be cowards who prefer to preserve their careers rather than make the right call at any cost.
In the simplest possible terms, crises require presidents, prime ministers, commissioners, parliamentarians, and other assorted figureheads who have enough brains to think long-term and enough brawn to stand up to bullies and dictators in the short-term.
With war on every horizon, a smoldering planet that is desiccating our neighbours as we speak, and the unfolding domestic collapse of two of its most important economies, the European Union is not doing well. The shortage of brains and brawn is palpable.
While everyone else wrestled with their iniquities, fascists filled the void. Donald Trump is already running the United States from his tacky Mar-A-Lago resort. Authoritarians like Ursula Von Der Leyen and Giorgia Meloni wield an inordinate amount of power within the EU. These are the modern world’s deal makers, and they will gladly turn us all to ashes before ceding an inch’s worth of power.
The truth is that when it came down to sticking by Europe’s founding values or bowing to external pressure, our politicians took the route of least resistance. Primary European institutions are subject to the whims of glib fascists because other politicians figured it would be easier to ride the wave of populism than it is to do just about anything else.
And guess what? Unsurprisingly, people went for the politicians who promised them quick solutions to pressing issues. Fascists are in vogue again for the same reason they always are whenever they crawl out of the woodwork – they promise stability during times of upheaval, even though they are most often the ones with the biggest interest in watching shit the fan and then swooping in to seize power when it is most convenient.
Marine Le Pen in France just axed a prime minister because it was more politically expedient to do so. AfD in Germany patiently chipped away at that country’s hapless government until it was left with no choice but to go through the motions of its own demise. While the French and the Germans deal with their own political catastrophes, Meloni and her government became the respectable face of European politics, getting a free pass to crush domestic opposition to draconian policy-making while the European Commission conveniently looks away.
Never mind, of course, the fact that none of the policies which the far right espouses have any chance in hell of resolving our most pressing issues. The far right kills efforts to combat climate change by bashing environmentalists while failing to propose realistic solutions. The far right kills efforts to restart sputtering economies by proposing mass deportations of migrants and failing to provide alternative solutions to the inevitable social and economic vacuums which will be left behind. The far right ends wars by giving fellow dictators what they want.
In spite of the evident hollowness that animates all the sabre rattling, the fact is that the far right is captive to its own shortsightedness, and everyone else failed to counter with the kind of visionary wisdom that is required of political leaders in such circumstances.
Self-serving politicians who cling to vapid moderateness then have the cheek to propose half measures that fail to address the root of the problem and then still expect us to elect them. In a world full of extremists, there is no room for non-binding resolutions and vague pledges to take action. You either take action or get overtaken by the action when it happens.
Trump trounced the Democrats in the US because the Democrats failed to seriously take heed of the American voter’s concerns. French president Emmanuel Macron failed to ward off Le Pen because he was also completely out of touch with the needs of his electorate. German chancellor Olaf Scholz and his patchwork government were in no position to take principled stands about pretty much anything because they wasted far too much time bickering between themselves instead of committing to radical action.
Meanwhile, back at our cosy little Mediterranean backwater, our political class faces a similarly severe shortage of upright spinal cords. The major parties are as subservient to the needs of big business as ever, and both the government and the opposition are far too compromised to serve the needs of the public. Public distrust remains high. The alternatives are yet to make any inroads beyond their own backyards.
Everywhere you look, moderate political rhetoric served to write off the radicalism that is required to take bold decisions like killing fossil fuel dependency, providing countries that are under attack with whatever is necessary to defend themselves, and standing up to nations who violate human rights with impunity instead of cosying up to them.
If 2024 taught us anything, it’s that there is no time left to kick the can further down the road.
With a Trump presidency across the Atlantic and more homegrown fascists than we can count on our own soil, the need for bold decision-makers who refute populism and aim to redirect public trust towards unequivocal policy-making has never been this evident.