https://feeds.thelocal.com/ Read the latest news and views from Europe in English en-us news@thelocal.com (TheLocal) webmaster@thelocal.com (TheLocal) TheLocal RSS Feed The Local's Nordic Editor Richard Orange took advantage of Sweden's generous parental leave by taking six months off work (twice) to look after his baby daughter and baby son. It was an experience that changed his life. https://www.thelocal.com/20240816/opinion-i-still-carry-so-much-with-me-from-swedish-parental-leave Fri, 16 Aug 2024 11:44:06 +0200 opinion-i-still-carry-so-much-with-me-from-swedish-parental-leave Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson sought to address the 'vulnerability' felt by many foreigners in Sweden after the Örebro attack, but he and opposition politicians should also reflect on how their own rhetoric sparked that feeling, writes The Local Sweden's editor Emma Löfgren. https://www.thelocal.com/20250210/opinion-its-down-to-swedens-lawmakers-to-help-immigrants-feel-less-vulnerable Mon, 10 Feb 2025 15:54:05 +0100 opinion-its-down-to-swedens-lawmakers-to-help-immigrants-feel-less-vulnerable Germans are known for their rigid rules and love of order. But when complaints against children waiting at a bus stop before school were lodged in her German village, American writer Rosamaria Mancini felt let down and asks: where is the tolerance? https://www.thelocal.com/20241120/opinion-did-germans-really-have-to-complain-about-my-children-waiting-for-a-bus Wed, 20 Nov 2024 15:19:26 +0100 opinion-did-germans-really-have-to-complain-about-my-children-waiting-for-a-bus Twelve years into bringing up his bilingual children in Sweden, Richard Orange wonders if they will ever feel or come across as wholly British. https://www.thelocal.com/20240314/will-they-pass-as-british-the-challenges-of-raising-bilingual-kids-in-sweden Thu, 14 Mar 2024 13:06:37 +0100 will-they-pass-as-british-the-challenges-of-raising-bilingual-kids-in-sweden Why are so many French people convinced that a political unknown named Lucie Castets should be appointed the new prime minister of France, asks John Lichfield. https://www.thelocal.com/20240725/opinion-lucie-castets-is-a-symbol-of-the-french-desire-for-chaos-before-coalition Thu, 25 Jul 2024 11:52:35 +0200 opinion-lucie-castets-is-a-symbol-of-the-french-desire-for-chaos-before-coalition The new National Assembly which meets briefly from Thursday will have 11 groups, three and a half blocs and a score of parties or factions - writes John Lichfield. Some of the splinters are already splintering. One of the blocs, the Left alliance, is on the point of splitting. https://www.thelocal.com/20240716/opinion-the-comic-chaos-of-french-politics-hides-a-real-danger-for-democracy Tue, 16 Jul 2024 13:07:02 +0200 opinion-the-comic-chaos-of-french-politics-hides-a-real-danger-for-democracy As France comes to terms with the shock defeat of the far-right and the dawning of a new type of politics, John Lichfield looks at what will happen next and whether any of the warring political parties in France are likely to compromise. https://www.thelocal.com/20240708/opinion-france-has-stepped-away-from-the-far-right-abyss-but-into-a-political-morass Mon, 08 Jul 2024 12:00:28 +0200 opinion-france-has-stepped-away-from-the-far-right-abyss-but-into-a-political-morass Stripped of the noise and confusion of the campaign, Sunday's second round of voting will in many places be a straight choice between a candidate of the Far Right and a candidate of the anti-Far Right 'republican front' - writes John Lichfield. It will show whether French voters do truly want a Le Pen government - and will kick-start a long and chaotic battle over the future of France. https://www.thelocal.com/20240705/opinion-after-the-elections-the-battle-for-the-soul-of-france-begins Fri, 05 Jul 2024 13:50:38 +0200 opinion-after-the-elections-the-battle-for-the-soul-of-france-begins Only a brave or foolish person would predict the outcome of the second round of the French parliamentary elections on July 7th - writes John Lichfield. Here goes anyway. https://www.thelocal.com/20240701/opinion-the-best-france-can-hope-for-now-is-12-months-of-turmoil Mon, 01 Jul 2024 13:09:20 +0200 opinion-the-best-france-can-hope-for-now-is-12-months-of-turmoil The French far-right party's new leader is smooth, handsome and plausible - writes John Lichfield - but when the mask slips we see that the party's fundamental ideology remains deeply racist. https://www.thelocal.com/20240626/opinion-when-the-mask-slips-le-pens-party-reveals-its-fundamental-racism Wed, 26 Jun 2024 14:12:07 +0200 opinion-when-the-mask-slips-le-pens-party-reveals-its-fundamental-racism Has the country gone mad? Yes, writes John Lichfield. There is no certainty that the far right will 'win' the parliamentary elections - but the heirs of Pétain and Jean-Marie Le Pen, the cousins of Trump and Nigel Farage, look likely to win the largest bloc, 200 or more of the 577 seats  in the National Assembly. https://www.thelocal.com/20240620/opinion-france-has-taken-leave-of-its-senses-and-its-no-laughing-matter Thu, 20 Jun 2024 15:01:56 +0200 opinion-france-has-taken-leave-of-its-senses-and-its-no-laughing-matter Emmanuel Macron's own camp admit that his decision to call snap elections is a gamble - but will it pay off? John Lichfield looks at the chances of success for the president's party, and the chance of failure for Marine Le Pen's candidates. https://www.thelocal.com/20240610/opinion-macrons-election-gamble-is-an-invitation-to-calamity Mon, 10 Jun 2024 12:45:25 +0200 opinion-macrons-election-gamble-is-an-invitation-to-calamity All polling suggests that Emmanuel Macron's party is heading for a humiliating defeat in Sunday's European elections - so what next? John Lichfield examines the options for France, and the likelihood of fresh elections being called. https://www.thelocal.com/20240605/analysis-what-next-for-france-after-macrons-likely-european-election-humiliation Wed, 05 Jun 2024 11:21:58 +0200 analysis-what-next-for-france-after-macrons-likely-european-election-humiliation The centre-left Raphaël Glucksmann, running an unexpectedly successful European election campaign is being spoken of as France's answer to Keir Starmer - can he really succeed? https://www.thelocal.com/20240530/opinion-will-the-french-keir-starmer-save-the-country-from-the-far-right-i-doubt-it Thu, 30 May 2024 12:39:41 +0200 opinion-will-the-french-keir-starmer-save-the-country-from-the-far-right-i-doubt-it As Emmanuel Macron arrives in the riot-scarred Pacific islands of New Caledonia, John Lichfield considers whether France's model of overseas territories can survive in the 21st century. https://www.thelocal.com/20240523/opinion-riots-in-new-caledonia-call-into-question-the-survival-of-global-france Thu, 23 May 2024 12:39:42 +0200 opinion-riots-in-new-caledonia-call-into-question-the-survival-of-global-france Depending on who you ask, France's economy is either booming or doomed - John Lichfield takes a look at who is right and where French finances are heading. https://www.thelocal.com/20240515/opinion-frances-economy-is-far-from-doomed-but-not-quite-booming-either Wed, 15 May 2024 13:12:23 +0200 opinion-frances-economy-is-far-from-doomed-but-not-quite-booming-either Here is a safe prediction - writes John Lichfield - Jordan Bardella, an empty vessel with boy-band good looks, will “win” the French section of the European elections on June 9th. https://www.thelocal.com/20240502/opinion-the-french-far-rights-empty-vessel-bardella-is-set-to-win-big-in-europe Thu, 02 May 2024 12:42:51 +0200 opinion-the-french-far-rights-empty-vessel-bardella-is-set-to-win-big-in-europe The approaching European elections are predicted to be a disaster for the Macronists - but will this actually have any effect on France? John Lichfield predicts that it will, possibly even bringing fresh - and very messy - domestic elections in the autumn. https://www.thelocal.com/20240425/opinion-a-european-disaster-for-macron-could-lead-to-messy-autumn-elections-in-france Thu, 25 Apr 2024 12:10:14 +0200 opinion-a-european-disaster-for-macron-could-lead-to-messy-autumn-elections-in-france France's murder rate is less than half of what it was in the 1990s, so why do so many people feel that the country is getting more violent, asks John Lichfield. https://www.thelocal.com/20240410/opinion-no-france-is-not-suffering-from-an-unprecedented-wave-of-violence Wed, 10 Apr 2024 11:24:30 +0200 opinion-no-france-is-not-suffering-from-an-unprecedented-wave-of-violence Strange winds are blowing through the French media, writes John Lichfield. They may be a breeze compared to the hurricane which threatens to re-shape the French TV landscape in the next few months. https://www.thelocal.com/20240403/opinion-french-media-risks-becoming-a-political-playground-for-billionaires Wed, 03 Apr 2024 11:55:37 +0200 opinion-french-media-risks-becoming-a-political-playground-for-billionaires