The Renaissance Institute organised an essay writing contest about traditionalists in modern times. We are delighted to republish the translated essay by the winner of the contest: Chad Hendriks.SEPTEMBER 13, 2023“This time however the barbarians are not waiting beyond the frontiers; they have already been governing us for quite some time. And it is our lack of consciousness of this that constitutes part of our predicament. We are waiting not for a Godot, but for another—doubtless very different—St. Benedict.”After Virtue. A Study in Moral Theory (1981), p. 263.It is the year 2026. In the run-up to the presidential election in France, a video is circulated showing one of the candidates being beheaded. Top official Paul Raison must investigate either the makers of the video or the perpetrators because in the extremely polarized political climate, all possibilities must be considered.Who would not want to be a top official like Paul - until it becomes clear that he is a typical white man.&nbsp; He lives for his job but is actually lonely, frustrated and obsessed with sex. In addition, he is plagued by guilt over his father, who recently had a stroke, and, the fate of every white man, is ultimately left mute. But who cares?&nbsp; Life is meaningless anyway, since we no longer believe in God's providence.That is what is left of Western civilisation in ‘Destroy’ (Anéantir), Michel Houellebecq's latest novel.It has not always been that way. We are a civilisation in decline. Not only does this affect us as individuals, but also globalist agencies are actively involved. Can anything be done about that? If we do nothing, our civilisation will disappear. Is there then no hope of salvation at all? Indeed: our civilisation is in danger of being destroyedIn general, Western civilisation is characterized by an excessive focus on individual rights and the concomitant pursuit of equality and materialism, including consumerism, secularism, and the breakdown of traditional values and lifestyle which does with them. To put it biblically, we live in a time when everyone does what is right in his or her eyes, without sufficiently considering their responsibility for themselves, their neighbours or their natural environment.It is against this background that we must also view Michel Houellebecq's cultural criticism. An excessive focus on the individual and his material wishes and desires leads to emotional detachment, loss of meaning, the erosion of interconnectedness, a diminishing sense of responsibility and moral decay. Globalist institutions play an active role in thisIn the face of this moral and social decay, since the Enlightenment and the French Revolution, the state has been expected to provide the cement for society. Houellebecq regularly refers to this, but understandably does not devote systematic attention to it in his novels. On that point, we do see a number of phenomena which, in the nineteenth century, Alexis de Tocqueville had already warned about in the second part of his ‘Democracy in America’.When we need support in our efforts to fulfill our wishes and desires, we appeal to our own network, society or so-called civil society less and less often.&nbsp; Instead, we hold the government primarily responsible - it must make the necessary provisions to satisfy our desires.The democratic constitutional state is only too happy to comply with this call because it offers it an opportunity, legitimised by the people themselves, to increase its grip on society. Where that ultimately leads we have seen in the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany: the state promised salvation on earth and saw itself entitled to regulate every aspect of life, such that the establishment of a totalitarian regime was inevitable.Since then, as Thierry Baudet has rightly pointed out, ‘the attack on the nation-state’ has begun. As the level of government at which the rights and freedoms of peoples can be most effectively guaranteed, the nation-state has become so discredited that only supranational bodies are left to trust the Western pursuit of unlimited freedom, material equality and global solidarity. This is how the European Union came about and why globalist institutions like the World Health Organisation, the United Nations and a body like the World Economic Forum increasingly determine national policies.However, with the lockdowns promoted by the World Health Organisation and the EU during the Covid pandemic, with the impending climate lockdowns as promoted by the UN and the WEF, and with the Central Bank Digital Currencies linked to the Sustainable Development Goals from both of these bodies, here too, the control thinking prevalent since the Enlightenment and French Revolution is in danger of leading to a totalitarian regime which leaves no room for moral considerations and responsibilities.Moreover, through the UN and its SDGs, woke ideology is also being promoted worldwide. Combined with lockdowns, this only exacerbates social dislocation and the associated processes of isolation. Houellebecq points a direction, but offers no solaceReading ‘Destroy’ helps us to become aware of the processes which threaten not only our society but also our individual well-being. Besides the supporting values of individualism and materialism, Houellebecq does not see the prevailing woke ideology and the multiculturalism and post-materialism promoted by globalist agencies as solutions. Indeed, these threaten to alienate us even further from our traditional culture and natural environment.However, reading Houellebecq's work can help us face the fact that our civilisation is virtually bankrupt. Admitting this honestly would already be a win. His work also explores the directions in which a possible solution should be sought: intellectual curiosity, open-mindedness, empathy and compassion toward our fellow human beings who are victims of our cultural bankruptcy. In political terms, he sees right-wing populism as a reaction to the imminent demise of our civilisation, without having much faith that they are going to provide a solution.But even Houellebecq does not offer us a real alternative. He is perhaps too much of a novelist for that. In addition, he shows too little affinity with the culture which once inspired our civilisation and which still offers the best remedy against excessive individualism, materialism and the threat of totalitarianism. St. Benedict: inspiration for a countermovementWhen the solitary individual is no longer salvageable, and the state is part of the problem, then perhaps we can still expect something from traditional communities. At least, that is the idea I want to defend here.To do so, we need to cherish the elements of ancient classical Christian civilisation which remain. These provide the much-needed counterbalance to the dominant globalist woke ideology. They provide the spiritual practices and everyday routines which can counteract the emptiness resulting from the prevailing individualism and materialism. Through church schooling and traditional education, these practices and routines should be transmitted to succeeding generations. In addition, a broader impact should also be sought through active contributions to art, literature and public debate. In this way, a turnaround may eventually be possible.Following the philosopher, Alaisdair MacIntyre, this alternative has been called "the Benedictine option”. He was referring to St. Benedict, the monk who founded a monastic order as a counterweight to the barbaric culture of his day. In his days, the decadent Roman elite had no defence against rising barbarism. 'This time, however, the barbarians are not before our borders; they have been ruling over us for some time,' he argued in After Virtue 40 years ago. What we needed, he said, was a new variant of the old St. Benedict.But what should it bring? The American cultural critic, Rod Dreher, picked up the gauntlet thrown to us by MacIntyre, and thirty years later elaborated the alternative in ‘The Benedict Option’.Even though the book calls on the believer to become part of a close community of like-minded people, it does not exclude political activity. It is then emphatically about a politics which, given its distance from prevailing thought, has primarily a testimonial character. In short, the Benedictine option offers the following perspective of action for individuals:- Remain faithful to your ancient beliefs when they are rooted in the ancient traditions of the West. Engage in frequent research of its sources, seek the nearness of God, participate in praise in Sunday and weekday meetings, and share with interested people the joy that lies in a lived faith. - Be faithful in fulfilling your duties to those entrusted to your care, first and foremost your family, relatives and faith community, in addition to everyone who comes your way through your work, including the time-honoured "works of mercy," and your administrative and, possibly, political activities. - Do a lot of education, both in the family sphere and within the faith community. Organise your own schools and carefully choose what you want to teach the young and in what way knowledge transfer should best take place. Also be open to young people who do not share your own beliefs but are open to a different perspective and conform to the precepts at school. - Pay close attention in education and upbringing to the classical Christian virtues, as communal living in intentional communities encourages such virtues as courage, perseverance, discipline, self-control, humility, patience, compassion, tolerance and cooperation, and promotes shared commitment to moral excellence. - Teaching those virtues prepares young people for their vocation in society, both as role models in their families, at work and, if possible, in politics. There it takes courage to row against the tide repeatedly and, despite being continually declared crazy, to continue to agitate against social and moral decay and the associated threat of totalitarianism.That does not mean that the followers of Benedict could do without the voice of Houellebecq. It is the latter who, time and again, with his drawing of raw reality, challenges us to first look in the mirror and see whether we ourselves have not already been overcome by barbarism. From that perspective we can then look at society and, with more compassion than before, but no less forcefully, act against barbarism. Conclusion In ‘Destroy’, Michel Houellebecq has once again shown us the extent to which barbarism has penetrated our society and our relationships. Even without offering us ready-made solutions to this, he forces us to face the facts, in the hope that the elements of the old civilisation which are still present will be awakened in such a way that a countermovement will arise of its own accord.&nbsp;As noted earlier, current right-wing populism constitutes an important counter-movement in the political arena. But without support from society, that political movement too will only be the last convulsion of a vague awareness that our civilisation is on its last legs. That support base can most sustainably take shape in tightly organized communities in which the sources of inspiration of the old civilisation are cherished, passed on and bring the seed of a powerful counter-movement to fruition.We can be grateful to Houellebecq for wanting, with every novel which appears from his hand, to help make the soil of our civilisation ripe the seed of that which is still plentiful in our time-honored tradition of civilisation. That, amid the ruins, still offers perspective. It is now up to us to be re-inspired by it. &nbsp;

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As Benedict amidst the rubble

Forum for Democracy The Netherlands’ largest political party in terms of members &nbsp;Draft election programme 2023 – 2027 &nbsp;Presented for approval to the Party Congress to be held on 30 September 2023&nbsp;Foreword On 22 November, more than 13 million Dutch citizens with the right to vote will decide the direction our country will take in the coming years.&nbsp;Continuing on the same path will not work, as the past few years have shown: the absurd climate policy has made life unaffordable; no one can buy a house any more; immigration has disrupted our society; woke propaganda is disturbing the normal development of children; nonsensical nitrogen policy is pushing farmers off their land and pulverising the economy; globalist organisations are eroding democracy and imposing censorship on social media, lockdowns, digital money (CBDC) and even bringing us to the brink of war with Russia.A fundamental change of direction is needed.In this manifesto, you will read Forum for Democracy's plans. Our concrete proposals for the short term but also that dot on the horizon where we ultimately want to go - our vision for the country, our long-term perspective.We still see ourselves as the flagship of the Renaissance fleet. We are partnering with existing organisations which have like-minded ideas - and we are setting up new organisations. We feel hope and optimism for the future. Recovery is coming. As far as we are concerned, from November 22!&nbsp;On behalf of the largest member party in the country, we proudly present our Programme of Hope, Optimism and Recovery! Thierry BaudetFrederik Jansen&nbsp;Joris van den Oetelaar &nbsp;Executive Summary&nbsp;Twelve rules for the Netherlands 1. A sovereign Netherlands: we will steer towards an intelligent exit from the European Union. By the same token, the Netherlands' involvement in other international organisations (the European Court of Human Rights, the World Economic Forum, the World Health Organisation, NATO) should be reviewed. Dutch law should always take precedence over international treaties and agreements. As long as our involvement in such organisations continues, we demand full openness and transparency by removing the exemption ground of Article 5.1 of the Open Government Act. 2. Democratic renewal: we will give power back to citizens through the immediate introduction of binding referendums on the Swiss model. Public officials such as mayors will no longer be appointed but instead will be directly elected by the people. 3. Freedom, unconditionally: we will submit a Freedom Act which will make it impossible for future governments ever again to introduce lockdowns, obligatory vaccination, documents required for entry to public places, and other degrading restrictions on freedom. An anti-censorship law will secure freedom of speech and free debate.&nbsp; 4. Preserve cash: there will be a legal right to cash payments and an obligation for banks to disburse customers' bank balances in cash free of charge. We will never agree to the introduction of a Central Bank Digital Currency, indeed we will make the necessary preparations for a Dutch exit from the euro. 5. Protect children: there will be a ban on transgender propaganda in schools and youth TV programmes. It will also become impossible for minors to undergo gender reassignment surgery and to take hormone therapy or puberty blockers. An independent commission will examine political interference in school textbooks and reduce it as much as possible. 6. Really tackle immigration: we will freeze naturalisations for at least 10 years. The government will offer support to immigrants to return to their country of origin. We will introduce a Green Card based on the American model, aimed at strengthening the Dutch economy and society. We will offer political asylum to Julian Assange and Edward Snowden. 7. Peace in Ukraine: the Netherlands will act as a mediator to facilitate peace negotiations between Russia, Ukraine and NATO to achieve a ceasefire as soon as possible and end the senseless bloodshed on our continent. 8. Affordable energy: we will put an end to all forms of climate policy, nitrogen policy and so-called 'sustainability'. To make energy affordable again, we will reopen the Dutch coal-fired power plants, restart gas drilling in Groningen and invest in the construction of two new nuclear reactors. The 1,000 billion euros we will save with this change of course will be given back to Dutch citizens in the form of tax relief. 9. The best health care in the world: we will allocate more money for nurses and put an end to bureaucratic red tape in care. Care of the elderly will get the attention it deserves. We will fundamentally review youth care, especially where financial incentives and out-of-home placements are concerned. 10. Delta plan for education: in-service training for teachers aimed at raising the general level of education. We will give vocational education the prestige it deserves by reintroducing diplomas for crafts. Not everyone needs to go to university. There will be additional compensation for the 'unlucky generation' (2015-2023) which missed out on the basic grant. Dutch will once again become the language of instruction in secondary and university education. 11. The Netherlands on the move again: the speed limit on motorways will be raised to 130 km/h and faster where possible. We will abolish average speed check zones and reduce excise duties on fuel, the additional tax imposed on anyone who drives more than 500km per year, and the tax on vehicle purchases. Car owners will pay road tax only once, even if they have several vehicles. No more environmental zones in cities: fuel cars welcome everywhere. We will start the construction process for a new airport in the North Sea. Until then, Schiphol will get all the space it needs to continue fulfilling its crucial economic role. 12. Freedom for entrepreneurs and tax reduction for all: we will lower the burden for small and medium sized enterprises and the self-employed, and put an end to the government's regulatory zeal. The threshold for high corporate tax will rise to €1 million and the amount deductible from profit for the self-employed will be increased to €15,000. Radical simplification of tax, contribution and benefit system. We will set a tax-free base of €30,000 for every working Dutchman and bring VAT back down to 6% and 19%, so that work will start to pay and the hospitality, retail and service sectors can pick up again.

FVD draft election programme for 2023 to 2027

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A Manifesto for Hope, Optimism and Recovery

Dear FVD Supporters,&nbsp;It is with a heavy heart that I turn to you. Today, with only a few months left until the elections, I have become the subject of a politically motivated prosecution. The public prosecutor is charging me with sedition. The charge revolves around statements I made a year ago and which were taken out of context.I do not need to explain to you that the highly dubious timing of this prosecution is no coincidence. The charges are designed to harm me and Forum for Democracy, just as we are preparing for our crucial election campaign. Launching legal proceedings is a common trick to frustrate renewal movements, to suppress the voice of the people and to weaken democracy further. Fortunately, more and more people are seeing through this.Clearly, we are dealing with a government willing to go to extremes to stop us. But take it from me: as your representative, I cannot and will not remain silent. I will never give in to pressure. I will continue to speak the truth and resist the forces of political manipulation and the abuse of power. But to keep it up, I need your support - now more than ever.On 22 November, we have the chance to send a very strong message. Through the ballot box, we can make it clear that the persecution of political opponents will not be tolerated in the Netherlands. We will, if it is up to me, vote massively for change.Against the dismantling of our democracy by the party cartel, of which this indictment is yet another example, Forum for Democracy puts forward a programme of hope and recovery. A plan to give the Netherlands the free and democratic future it deserves. And there is nothing to stop me from remaining fully committed to this!&nbsp;Gideon van Meijeren MP

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Political persecution in the Netherlands: A personal message from MP Gideon van Meijeren

Last week, the U.S. government announced that it is going to send tank ammunition containing depleted uranium to Ukraine.&nbsp; Depleted uranium is a highly toxic by-product of nuclear weapons.Washington is also going to give more than $1 bn in military aid to its vassals in Kiev. In doing so, America's rulers are only serving the interests of the arms industry controlled by BlackRock and Vanguard.Previously, the U.K. already supplied depleted uranium ammunition to Ukraine – as if it is a normal thing to spread toxic waste around the planet. The uranium embeds itself in nature and leaves a toxic legacy for generations, rendering large parts of Ukraine unliveable and making this traditional bread basket of Europe unsuitable for agriculture. Have we heard Greta Thunberg protest? Or our climate pope, Frans Timmermans? Jesse Klaver or Sigrid Kaag? They all remained silent. Hence, it is up to us to shout: “How dare you!”While we are already struggling with the consequences of disastrous Covid policies, mass migration and hyperinflation, Washington seems determined to damage the European economies even further.The path the United States is taking is life threatening. This time, it is depleted uranium, but what will it be next time? Chemical or biological weapons? American-funded labs in Ukraine were already working on this. Each successive stage of military support brings us closer to world war. The elites in Washington D.C., The Hague and Brussels, will hide safely in their bunkers, but we and our children will pay the price.That is why it is high time to speak out against NATO's reckless arms deals. We must unite with all those, from the Left to the Right, who want to stop the madness of war. We want peace! This war is not our war! Russia and Ukraine must resolve their conflict at the negotiating table.

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America’s Poisoned Gift to Ukraine

Interview with Forum for Democracy (FvD) leader Thierry Baudet

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“We are not being governed by national parliaments”

We, the delegates of the Budapest summit for a Europe of nations, are fiercely committed to the fundamental European and human values of democracy, freedom, national and individual sovereignty.We declare:1. We are in favour of free cooperation between sovereign, independent nations in Europe, for the greater good, and opposed to supranational, bureaucratic and unaccountable global governance. We are in favour of independent national foreign policies and opposed to the policy of blocs.2. We are in favour of open economies based on fair exchange and deeply opposed to the industrially and criminally organised mass immigration which our societies cannot sustain and which are the inevitable result of the policy of a borderless Europe. Both legal and illegal immigration must be stopped.3. We are in favour of traditional family structures, and of the protection of children, and opposed to wokeism and LGBTQIA+ so-called values which are corrosive of national cohesion and common sense.4. We are in favour of rejecting the ideology formulated by the world organisations financed by global corporations and financiers, which would deprive people of their freedom and which, as if in some kind of dress rehearsal, have restricted the people's freedoms by using Covid as a pretext, while enriching the global corporations and financiers with incredible amounts of money.5. We are in favour of national democracy and opposed to the burgeoning institutions of global governance like the EU, the WHO and the UN with its so-called “sustainable development goals” which are in reality nothing but a programme for world government.6. We are in favour of private property (the bedrock of all liberties, currently held in contempt by high tax and arbitrary expropriation, including of farmland) and opposed to today's finance-based post-industrial virtual economy controlled by unaccountable central banks. We are in favour of sound money and opposed to inflation (which robs the poor to pay the rich) and all forms of central control, especially Central Bank Digital Currencies.7. We are in favour of free speech and against the ever-growing pressure of censorship and taboos which stifle debate, infantilise our intellects and prevent us from getting to the truth.We want to strengthen our transnational cooperation, in whatever form, to promote these values. Signatories:László Toroczkai &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;Mi Hazánk MozgalomThierry Baudet &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;Forum voor DemocratieKostadin Kostadinov &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;ВъзражданеMikael Jansson &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;Alternativ för SverigeNicolas A. Rimoldi &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;MASS-VOLL!Josef Nerušil &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;Svoboda a přímá demokracie26 August 2023

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The Budapest Declaration for a Free Europe of Nations

Speech by László Toroczkai MP to the Summit for a free Europe of Nations, Hungarian Parliament, Budapest 26 August 2023<hr>&nbsp;Ladies and gentlemen, dear guests, I welcome you all to our conference!I would like to extend a special welcome to our guests, our allies from all over Europe. I welcome Mr. Mikael Jansson, the Vice Party Leader of Alternative for Sweden, Mr. Nicolas Rimoldi, the Party Leader of Mass-voll from Switzerland, Josef Nerusil, the Local Councillor of Prague, from Freedom and Direct Democracy.With you and with our most important allies to the West and East of Hungary, the delegations of the Dutch Forum for Democracy and the Bulgarian party, Revival, we want to strengthen our alliance here today. With this conference in Budapest, we wanted not only to repay the wonderful invitations to Sofia, Amsterdam and Stockholm, but also to declare that the parties present here today must lead the creation of a new European alliance.Our parties had almost the same goals and programmes even before we had any contact. While I was starting to talk about the Great Reset in my YouTube videos, Thierry Baudet, the leader of Forum for Democracy, wrote a book - which we have just translated into Hungarian and published in Hungary - which is a guiding light for us on the whole Great Reset and Covid stories. While in other videos on YouTube I was talking about the real motivations behind the war in Ukraine, Mr Kostadin Kostadinov opened the eyes of millions of people not only in Bulgaria but in other countries as well, with the truths that only he had the courage to speak about.The fact is that not only do our parties have similar programmes, but our parties have almost identical histories. We have all been confronted with politicians who, out of cowardice and opportunism, have not had the courage to speak the truth and have betrayed their people, and have in fact served our global oppressors. The saddest thing is that these politicians were in our own political communities. We are bound together by the fact that it is we who did not become traitors. We are the ones who refused to lie to our people. We are the ones who refused to be politically correct. And we are the ones who were mocked and made fun of because they believed they had defeated us. But we proved them wrong.Not only have we survived and are now leading our communities, we are also growing stronger. And this strength can be given a huge boost if we continue the fight not alone but together. Just as in our own countries we have not become traitors, we have not given up our principles and we have not wanted to be politically correct, neither should we make the wrong compromises in European politics. Our duty is to create a new European policy and a new European alliance. One that is more brave and more outspoken than it has ever been before. One that is accountable only to God and to the nation, not to some miserable marionette puppets like the European Commission or even the World Health Organisation. Here in Budapest today, we have outlined our common goals in a single declaration, which makes it clear to see what we are fighting for.These are historic times. The world is being transformed, a new world order is being created. All the processes that are harmful to European nations have accelerated. Millions of migrants are flooding the countries of Europe, censorship of social media is becoming more and more violent, and the control, the monitoring and surveillance of people is increasing. There are more and more extreme attempts to destroy families with LGBTQ and other harmful liberal propaganda, and to create a completely valueless, anti-traditional world where there are only faceless consumers. The servant of this dark process is the European Union, and the army of this dark force, of a circle of financiers who have never been democratically elected, is currently NATO.However there is also a chance that the current unipolar world order could be replaced by a multipolar world order that is better than the present one. Now is the time to be very vigilant. We want real and radical changes. We do not want to make slight changes to the current system, but still keep serving it. So it is time for us to act. We must be very selective with our European allies, because in these historic times we have a huge historic responsibility.Here is an opportunity to finally stop the destruction of a Europe of nations, but if we choose the wrong allies, our nations could fall. We can only choose allies who grasp the essence, the roots of this global dark force. Who are brave and honest. Who are true comrades, who are not afraid and who cannot be bribed either.&nbsp;We have now invited such parties and such politicians from different parts of Europe. The ones who are showing the way. We are capable of saving Europe from destruction. Posterity will be grateful to us if we create this historic alliance now! Let's go and do it! &nbsp;

Speech by László Toroczkai MP to the Summit for a free Europe of Nations

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“We are bound together by the fact that we did not become traitors.”

Many people, including conservatives, fiercely criticized Donald Trump, going all the way back to his initial debates that led to Trump winning the nomination for the Republican Party. The reason for this was that his style came across as too fierce and as too unpolished for many conservative sensibilities. We see the rise of a more direct and confrontational style on the right wing of politics, and I will endeavour to explain why this is so.&nbsp;Conservatives have allowed themselves to be locked into conforming to the standards of their opponents. In order to win political battles, conservatives must first make substantial gains within the culture wars. For this, any established thought on ‘how to win a debate’, must be turned around. As long as the leading assumption is that people must like you, one cannot describe reality as it is, because reality as it is, is unpleasant.This brings us to Trump’s appeal as a ‘wrecking ball’ against the establishment. One cannot prevail in debates for as long as debates are governed by a consensus of unspoken politically correct assumptions, which make certain topics no-go areas. For instance, some groups cannot be criticised, since they are portrayed as victims and doing so would allegedly be ‘insensitive’. All of this is an agenda of far-Left identity politics that even moderate conservatives have to a large degree internalised. The brutish language which Trump uses makes the implicit assumptions visible, so that they can at long last be subjected to criticism.Aside from the language used, class conflict is a source of estrangement between the new right and classical conservatives. The traditional right is part of the higher echelons of society and has much to lose when being outspoken, risking many prestigious connections and access to platforms. Lofty respectability is therefore prioritised over gritty realism. Whereas those who suffer the direct brunt of unrestrained digitalisation, globalisation and immigration, are the working classes and the middle class. This causes a rift between conservative institutions and their voter base.&nbsp;To put it more bluntly: in an age of compartmentalised relationships, unaffordable housing and the gig-economy – never mind the cultural fragmentation caused by mass-immigration, particularly in Europe – there ceases to be any broad electorate which corresponds to the classic conservative programme. This is similar to the way in which the original Labour parties have lost influence, since their electorate simply disappeared due to socio-economic changes. This fate now awaits classical conservatism.Somehow, right-wing elites have begun to believe the Left, when it claims to stand for the little man and the downtrodden. This has endowed the traditional Right with a moral and psychological ‘bad guy’ complex. It is why the traditional Right is more restrained than Trump in attacking the Left, even when the Left openly advocates violence, communism and revolution.What all of this means in practical politics, is that the mainstream Right behaves as part of the same moral consensus as the Left. The Left retains its role as trend-setter; the Right is the reluctant follower, meaning that today’s Right is basically the Left of ten or fifteen years ago. Both wings of politics are on the same train track towards the same destination – the train of the Left just moves at a greater speed. The only way for conservatives to break free from this dynamic, is actively to build their own moral consensus. This requires their own intellectual and financially self-supporting ecosystem.&nbsp;It is both frustrating and demoralising to see that mainstream conservatives have lost every major battle over the past decades, looking at the long-term development of the culture of the West. The Left is always unapologetic in its views, always actively pushing its ideology into any topic and any debate, as can clearly be observed by anyone who works in the European Parliament. The Right consistently adopts a more ‘business-like’ and ‘neutral’ approach to the same topics, but this means that they cannot truly infuse the institutions with their own ideology. This always leaves a directional vacuum for the Left to fill, enabling them to capture institutions ideologically.As an example, consider going out for dinner. What you will find on the plate is now a topic charged with ideological energy. Vegan, halal or haram, insects, palm oil, soya. Even in dating life, touching upon political issues in the embryonic phase of a relationship has become inevitable. The social fabric of life is now politicised, something that classical conservatives – keen on separating personal life from the political – have traditionally been averse to.Conservative leaders such as Thatcher and Reagan were confronted by the New Left and Cultural Marxism. But instead of facing and opposing those ideologies head-on by imposing values of their own, they, for the most part, stuck to cutting subsidies for left-wing causes. But the leftist ideology survived within the state and academia apparatus and rebuilt itself promptly. The free market ideology espoused by right-wing liberals created a large cultural vacuum that the Left managed to fill and colonise.Going forward, the Right must lead the battle of ideas, which is an area that conservatives have abandoned for years. Life in modern society is made up of the space that is claimed by the state wielding its executive powers, a space for commercial activities which is managed by private enterprises, and then the civic space which belongs to citizens united in philosophical views. Today, all of these three spaces – even churches – are occupied by the Left. Conservatives who seek to manifest themselves within these spaces, immediately face cancel culture and de-platforming, which today is magnified by the power of Big Tech. This means that conservatives will have to build a completely new space to develop their ideas and manifest their preferred way of living as a practical example.Cafés and places where citizens used to meet and exchange ideas have largely been replaced by fast food corporations (based on rapid turnover, visitors are not supposed to linger) and Starbucks (which no longer wishes consumers ‘Merry Christmas’ but ‘Happy Winter Holidays’). What remained of medium and small enterprise fell victim to government-induced Covid measures.The outcome pushes individuals from being active citizens in the civic sphere to being passive consumers in the private sphere. There they are exposed to the leftist ‘woke’ indoctrination which is now part of entertainment culture and streaming services. The technologies and (socio-)economic conditions of society itself are not ideologically neutral, contrary to what the Right often likes to imagine through its belief in ‘free market politics’. This even concerns dating apps like Tinder, which at first appear to be ideologically neutral consumer products, but which in fact restructure the way relationships are formed, and what social expectations people have, ultimately re-engineering the values that make up the moral fabric of society.Not only has the right-wing spectrum suffered an ideological setback, it has regrettably also become a manager of the state administration, motivated by economic interests. In this way, right-wing parties have become the plumbers of the Left. The Left spends tax-payers’ money and creates cultural problems, then the Right gets elected and supposedly fixes things. Conservatives accept this role within the system, but do not pro-actively succeed in setting any of their own values in place. As said previously with the comparison of the trains, the Right remains responsive and reactive to the agenda set by the Left.Now the time has come for the Right to abandon this toxic dynamic and to acquire a coherent understanding of &nbsp;itself as a breakaway society waiting to happen – as a completely parallel network within society. If not, conservatives will lose whatever influence they have, given that ‘woke’ ideology has already pushed its way into every dimension of life.&nbsp;Whatever path conservatives choose, it must be non-apologetic and must be based on their own socio-economical ecosystem. The Right must set an agenda based on its own values.&nbsp;<a href="https://fvdinternational.com/article/book-review-be-abyssal">Read here the analysis of Sid Lukkassen’s book ‘Be Abyssal’ (Wees Afgrondelijk) by Edgar Frederix</a>.&nbsp;<a href="https://sidlukkassen.backme.org/">Support Dr. Sid Lukkassen through BackMe.</a>

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On the non-apologetic nature of the newly emerging Right

On 26 July 2023, Niger's General Abdourahamane Tchiani overthrew the government of the President Mohamed Bazoum and seized power. It was the sixth coup against a western-friendly government in central and western Africa.<img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F223e8ef6-c1d3-49f2-89ae-27429979f4fa_680x532.jpeg">The event unveiled some of the underlying causes of the panic that had seized French elites over the recent years, and which drove them to break ranks with the Anglo-American establishment, as I discussed in “<a href="https://alexkrainer.substack.com/p/france-under-attack">France Under Attack.</a>” The alliance, which was based on "our shared values" seemed unbreakable, but as it turns out, the French elites prioritized other values.This, perhaps, was what motivated Macron to ask to be invited to the BRICS Summit in South Africa and why his government invited the leaders of African nations to Paris on 22/23 June for the <a href="https://nouveaupactefinancier.org/en.php">Summit for a New Global Financial Pact</a>. It was a charm offensive to preserve colonial status quo in a new and improved LGBT packaging, but always under the auspices of the IMF and World Bank. The initiative did not work as hoped and many African leaders openly berated President Macron. Kenya's William Ruto bluntly told Macron: “You are not hearing us!”French “interests”Among the first decisions that General Tchiani took upon taking power was to suspend Niger's exports of Uranium to France, with immediate effect. So, that's going to hurt: France depends on Niger for a substantial percentage (anything between 25% and 40%) of Uranium for French nuclear power plants, and France depends on nuclear for over 70% of its electricity demand, the highest percentage in the world. According to some estimates, one in 3 lightbulbs in France are powered by Nigerien Uranium.Until now, Niger's Uranium was exploited by a French controlled company Orano which owns 63.4% of the Société des Mines de l’Aïr (SOMAÏR). The remaining 36.6% of this is owned by Niger's Société du Patrimoine des Mines du Niger, known as Sopamin. So these interests and everything downstream from them would be in distress by these developments. Two days after the coup, on 28 July, Orano released a statement that "the situation remains unstable" and that they've set up a crisis unit to prioritize the safety of their employees, but reassured that the event would not have “any immediate impact on its activities in Niger or on the value of its assets.”So, if I understood that correctly, that's a buy? Hopefully Jim Cramer will weigh in, but for the European economy, this could prove a dramatic blow not limited to the supply of Uranium, nor to France: there's also the Trans Saharan Gas Pipeline &nbsp;(TGSP) project. The pipeline was planned to traverse Niger to deliver up to 30 billion cubic meters of natural gas per year from Nigeria through Algeria and on to Europe. The new government in Niger will want its fair share of the transit fees.<img src="https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/7fabdb8c-7ebe-4afe-b0df-13ec49bd3ac7_812x726.png">EU had already blown up the bridges with RussiaRecall, the EU shot itself in the face by sanctioning Russian oil and gas supplies, then scrambled to secure alternatives. The stakes are indeed extraordinary. Accordingly, President Macron gave a statement that attacks on France and its colonies’ interests in West Africa wouldn't be tolerated and would be met with an immediate response. But things are getting complicated as Niger's uppity neighbors including Guinea, Mali, Burkina Faso and <a href="https://twitter.com/DD_Geopolitics/status/1686135019071553542">even Algeria</a> jumped into the fray, pledging support for Tchiani's junta.While France obtained the "permission" from Niger's deposed President Bazoum to launch air strikes against the new government and the military, this will prove a very risky gambit. First, it is already galvanizing more African nations to close ranks in their anti colonial struggle against France and other colonialists. Second, by going along with the UK/US/NATO's excellent adventures in Ukraine, France has largely disarmed itself and Macron has alienated much of France's own military brass. More imperial adventures in Africa aren't going to strike any patriotic chords among them.If history is any guide, that patriotism was traditionally rekindled by virtue of fortuitous terrorist incidents, but let's hope that we won't witness an attack by Nigerien terrorists in France in the coming days.Britain offers military “professionalism” to AfricaFrance is not the only colonialist country that’s vexed about the tide of anti colonialist uprisings that are spreading across Africa and clearly gathering momentum. After the Russia-Africa Summit last month, Britain's Foreign Secretary James Cleverly was sufficiently alarmed to issue a statement that London was "ready to seriously consider any requests from African leaders regarding capacity building and training in the British Armed forces." Cleverly added that British troops can export the professionalism of the British military to the African continent, and that Russia and China have only made "superficially attractive offers" to some African countries regarding security.Hopefully the Africans haven't noticed how well all that professionalism had served Ukraine. Last week Cleverly went on <a href="https://www.ukpol.co.uk/press-release-foreign-secretary-visits-africa-to-strengthen-partnerships-july-2023/">a tour of African countries</a> and visited Ghana, Nigeria and Zambia to affirm the "mutually beneficial commercial relationships" with African nations. How mutually beneficial these relationships have been over the past 200 years was well articulated by one of the protesters against the old regime in Niger: "We have uranium, diamonds, gold, oil, and we live like slaves? We don't need the French to keep us safe." They don’t need the British either.It’s coming from all sides…The emancipation movement isn’t only jeopardizing the flow of natural resources from the global south. It’s also opening to competition for markets, military support and technology from Russia and China which is particularly vexing to the American “interests.”Last Wednesday, Josh Wolfe, co-founder and managing partner of the $5 billion private equity LUX Capital gave a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_aDJ3PpYmng">testimony</a> before the House Select Committee on the CCP. The title of the hearings was, "Commanding Heights: Ensuring US Leadership in the Critical and Emerging Technologies of the 21st Century." LUX Capital may not have been randomly selected to testify: it appears to be more than just a profit-driven fund. LUX invests on behalf of "leading philanthropies, foundations, endowments and children's hospitals, among others." Their areas of investing dovetail with the priorities of the American military-industrial complex's: it’s all about defense, biotech, neuroscience, cyber security and the like.China’s nuclear costs a fifth of the American!Thankfully however, LUX Capital isn't in it for the money but predominantly for freedom, democracy, human rights and othersuch "our values," which are now under threat from the CPC. Accordingly, states LUX Capital, "<a href="https://www.luxcapital.com/securities/never-again">When it comes to China, it's principles over profits.</a>" The alarm is about China overtaking the US in developing advanced new technologies. Again, it’s all about energy economics and we circle back to the issue of nuclear power:<blockquote>“Nuclear, I think is critical, not again for proliferation, but nuclear reactors. I don’t think people really appreciate this. And I know… we speak about AI and biotech and quantum, I think a vector spotlight should be on nuclear because I think it’s really serious and here’s why. US went from 104 to 93 reactors. We’re down 10%. China went from 2 to 25 to 55 and they’re on their way to 150. 5% of their electricity is produced by nuclear. It’ll be 20, which approaches ours. But it will be a much larger population. But that’s not what concerns me. What concerns me is they’re beginning to export the technology. And not for nuclear proliferation, but for creating dependency. You think about all the countries on the coasts of the African continent, all the countries in South America and Central America. And the reason… the idea that something is cheaper sometime makes it more attractive. The Georgia plant that was done in nuclear here in the US recently, $25 billion. That’s about $11.5-12 billion or so per gigawatt. China is producing nuclear for $2 billion a gigawatt. So that’s a huge contrast. If you’re a foreign country, China can easily come in and say, we will build it for you, we’ll finance it for you and then, by the way, we’ve got you hooked for the next few decades and dependency on fuel and maintenance, etc. ... this is an area that we should dominate, and as you noted with Westinghouse, the AP 1000 and many other reactors with a lot of other history, we should make sure that these are the ones that the wolrd is buying, not Chinese nuclear reactors.”</blockquote>Wolfe did not specify how exactly the US Congress, or whomever he refers to as "we," should make sure that the world is buying 5-times more expensive Westinghouse's reactors. If the Chinese can offer nuclear energy at 20% the price of Western ones and finance it without forcing IMF loans, their crushing "structural reforms," mandatory LGBT indoctrination and parades, and all other humiliating nonsense, then the fight has already been lost. We may have reached the beginning of the end of 300+ years of western colonialism, and good riddance: it’s been the worst malignancy to afflict humanity since the days of the Roman Empire.This is a millennial struggle for all humanityThroughout history, endogenous rebellions have been routinely and successfully put down by the colonizer’s superior and better funded force. But today, the presence of effective air defenses and Russian hypersonic weapons effectively cancel the West’s military superiority (I discussed this in March in the article, “<a href="https://alexkrainer.substack.com/p/why-hypersonic-weapons-change-everything">Why Hypersonic Weapons Change Everything.</a>”If Russia and China are serious about slaying the empire, and I think they are, they will not take their fight half way. Still, we shouldn’t celebrate prematurely. The system of governance that has shaped western predatory imperialism is very resilient and will prove hard to kill. Regardless, killed it must be because its predatory methods aren’t only aimed at foreign colonies: this beast invariably sows mayhem abroad and misery at home. The present struggle is the struggle for all of humanity.&nbsp;Republished from: <a href="https://alexkrainer.substack.com/p/weve-reached-the-end-of-western-colonialism">https://alexkrainer.substack.com/p/weve-reached-the-end-of-western-colonialism</a>&nbsp;

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The end of western colonialism

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