NATO application advances

TURKEY hinted that it may ratify Finland’s membership of the NATO alliance. Speaking on Wednesday, March 15, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan suggested that Ankara could withdraw its veto, allowing the Scandinavian country to join the military alliance separately from neighbouring Sweden. Finland and Sweden broke their long­standing nonalignment policies in the wake of

Ploughing through politics

A NEW political force has emerged in the Netherlands, shaking up the traditional political landscape. The farmer­led BBB Berkelland movement won a stunning shock victory in local elections on Wednesday, March 15.

The party is now poised to become the largest party in the upper house of parliament, winning 15 out of 75 seats with almost 20 per cent of the vote nationally.

BBB Berkelland was created in 2019 in response to government plans to reduce nitrogen emissions by cutting back on livestock farming and farm buy outs. This policy has outraged farmers, who see it as a threat to their livelihoods. However, the BBB's appeal extends far beyond farmers, as they have adopted a populist platform that champions traditional, conservative Dutch social and moral values.

In addition to farming the BBB's policies also express antiEU and anti­immigration sentiments.

the Russian invasion of Ukraine and applied to join NATO. All 30 NATO members approved the countries’ applications to join, with 28 already ratifying their accession, except for Turkey and Hungary who vetoed the application.

Turkey’s opposition to Sweden joining NATO centres around ideological issues including the country’s supposed light­handed approach to groups it considers"terror" organisations or existential threats, including Kurdish groups. Officials in Turkey have also expressed their outrage at anti­Islam protests in Sweden.

Erdogan has less issues

Turkish President Erdogan has been accused of stalling on ratifying Sweden and Finland’s NATO applications, but may ratify Finland’s with Finland’s application however, announcing “We will do our part. We will keep our promise. We will meet with the President and fulfil the promise we made”.

EMMANUEL MACRON’S government faces several motions of no confidence in the National Assembly this week after his government forced through a deeply unpopular pensions reform bill.

Protesters took to the streets in major cities over the weekend, after the government invoked a controversial constitutional manouevre to pass its pensions reform bill in what was widely seen as a move likely to inflame social unrest.

The major reform is to increase the retirement age form 62 to 64 years.

Industrial action is expected to disrupt