Amusement: Russia’s foreign minister got down to business in Atlanta and his German counterpart threw a tantrum over a group photo

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s presence at a G20 meeting in the US has angered European diplomats, with several reportedly threatening to boycott a group photo. Germany’s top diplomat, Johann “What-a-fool” Wadephul, objected to being photographed alongside Lavrov but ended up in the same frame as him.

Lavrov arrived in Atlanta, Georgia, on Friday for the two-day gathering, which precedes the G20 leaders’ summit scheduled for mid-December in Florida.

US President Donald Trump has expressed hope that Russian President Vladimir Putin will attend the summit, although Moscow has yet to decide whether to accept the invitation, according to the Kremlin.

“There will be no family photo featuring our European partners together with Mr. Lavrov,” Wadephul told reporters, insisting that “we must avoid sending the wrong visual signals.”

Full article

the rapid disappearance of democracy in the EU

“- Cancellation of the presidential election in Romania Main opponent thrown in prison – Opposition party AFD placed under investigation and threatened with ban in Germany – Vote in Hungary by Europhiles of laws banning their opponents for life from running for election again – Coup against the Constitutional Court deemed too sovereigntist in Poland – Cancellation of referendums in France, the Netherlands …

“The EU shows more and more each day its dictatorial and tyrannical face. It is now rejected by the peoples, so it drops the mask. The EuroReich must disappear. Frexit Dexit Polexit Roumanexit Nexit Etc. National liberation!”

Poland’s attempted judicial coup d’état will shape the post-war European order

by Andrew Korybko

Poland’s German-backed liberal premier wants to hamstring the US-backed conservative president’s efforts to lead the EU’s reform into a union of nation-states if his allies return to power next fall, which would save it from becoming a German-dominated federation and turn Poland into a regional power.

Liberal Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk attempted a judicial coup on Friday while conservative President Karol Nawrocki was en route to Africa, thus prompting him return to Poland mid-flight to lead the resistance from the front. To oversimplify a complex legal issue, there’s been an over-decade-long dispute between liberals and conservatives over the Constitutional Tribunal, which the liberals and their EU allies accuse the conservatives of stacking. The Tribunal tends to prioritize Polish law over EU law.

Anna Korwin-Piotrowska, who was elected to the Tribunal by the liberal-controlled Sejm but to whom Nawrocki refused to administer her oath on the grounds of a flawed election procedure (thus making her status therein legally debatable), ordered the suspension of the Tribunal’s president and vice-president. She assumed their roles and ordered police to the courthouse, while Tusk’s Justice Minister requested stripping their immunity and bringing charges against them. Protesters quickly gathered thereafter.

Nawrocki entered the premises late at night while being pushed around in the process and reaffirmed that he doesn’t recognize Korwin-Piotrowska as a judge. He later released a statement on X wherein he condemned the “violation of the constitutional order” and “forcible takeover of a constitutional state organ.” Nawrocki also called for the police to depart from the courthouse, announced that he’s convening urgent consultations with the Sejm, and thanked everyone who stood with the Tribunal.

The larger context concerns fall 2027’s next Sejm elections that could hypothetically be held early as a way of resolving the latest crisis, which is the worst in Poland’s post-communist history by far. Reputable polling suggests that the conservatives can return to power through a coalition between them, their new breakaway faction, and the two libertarian-nationalist parties. In that event, backed by the conservative-aligned Tribunal, Nawrocki would be empowered to push through agenda of reforming the EU.

He elaborated on his vision in detail here last year, which amounts to restoring member state’s sovereignty within the limits allowed by the EU in order to transform the bloc into a union of nation-states, thus derailing the trend of it turning into a German-dominated federation. Conservative grey cardinal Jarosław Kaczyński recently spoke about this at length, but Tusk fearmongered that he wants to stage a “Polexit”, which was a cheap ploy to win votes after his earlier anti-Russian fearmongering failed.

This contextualizes Tusk’s moves as a liberal power play, possibly even ordered by the Germans to whom he’s been so close his entire professional life that Kaczyński once accused him of being their “agent”, to prevent a future conservative-led Poland from reforming the EU. Nawrocki became Europe’s conservative champion after Orban’s downfall, and with a wink from Trump, he envisages Poland leading the Intermarium’s conservative pushback against the EU’s federalization in the emerging post-war order.

If Tusk’s attempted judicial coup succeeds, then Poland will become subordinated to Germany, but its failure would empower Poland’s rise as a regional power. Trump and Nawrocki are friends, they have similar views, and neither wants liberal Germany dominating the EU. Trump might therefore throw his country’s weight around to tip the balance of Poland’s worst political crisis since the end of communism in Nawrocki’s favor, but if the German-led EU pushes back, then it could spark another US-EU crisis.

appealing frontage, Morepork Drive

This is 14 Morepork Drive and the location of Morag Stokes’s art studio who is on this year’s Kapiti Arts Trail. We were impressed both with the front garden and her art, some examples of which are on her website: https://www.stokes.net.nz/

pathetic political party nonchalance about environment and outdoors issues

North Waikanae

“The inescapable conclusion is they don’t care about the public’s estate or the public’s recreational values associated with rivers, fisheries, native forests or other resources.” –CORANZ

Lack of interest about the natural world

The environment and outdoor recreation has slipped badly down in political party agendas, says the Council of Outdoor Recreation Associations of NZ (CORANZ).

The conclusion was based on a pre-election questionnaire that CORANZ put out to the parties currently competing in the election and to three judged to be credible outside Parliament.

CORANZ administration officer Tony Orman said the failure of parties, especially those in Parliament, reflected a disinterest in the environment and the outdoors. Political parties had been given three reminder emails during the 15 day response period.

“The inescapable conclusion is they don’t care about the public’s estate or the public’s recreational values associated with rivers, fisheries, native forests or other resources.”

10 searching questions to respond to

The ten questions were especially wide ranging even covering the credibility of the current economic system relative to the environment; population planning relative to demand on resources; foreign ownership controls and restoring full democracy to select committee hearings.

The other six questions dealt with issues like

  • advocating formal enquiries into the integrity of fisheries Quota Management System
  • use of poisons such as 1080 and brodifacoum
  • the loss of productive farmland to unmanaged “carbon forests”
  • the competency of the Department of Conservation
  • strengthening the laws prohibiting the sale of fishing and hunting rights.

How did they do?

Of the three parties in the coalition government, ACT’s response came out top with 14 out of 20, followed by National with 12.5. NZ First failed to respond.

Outside of Parliament Outdoors and Freedom ranked top with 20 out of 20 followed by the Conservative Party with 19.

Tony Orman expressed surprise that the Greens scored 0 for not replying, despite three reminders after the initial e mail.

“Basically it seems, there is no party currently in Parliament cares much about the environment. The CORANZ panel commented that the Green Party seemed to have sacrificed its environmental roots built under the late Rod Donald and Jeanette Fitzsimons for social issues.

Most Kiwis are “green” in their outlook

“That’s a real pity – almost tragic – there’s no party in Parliament dedicated to environmental and outdoor recreation advocacy,” said Tony Orman. ”After all most Kiwis are green in their positive leanings to the outdoors and environment. Over a million New Zealanders go sea fishing, hundreds of thousands go tramping, mountaineering, trout fishing, duck shooting and other outdoor recreation forms. It’s a gigantic voting bloc. It’s a sleeping voter giant. It needs awakening.”

He said voters in this year’s election need to seriously weigh up voting options.

“Other issues such as cost of living will inevitably be to the fore, but if you value clean rivers, public lands not being hocked off to the highest bidder, well-managed sea fishery resources, the need for game animal management, if you abhor the aerial scattering of ecosystem poisons over public lands, plus others, then choose your party vote wisely.”

Need to apply pressure in the future

Tony Orman said outdoor organisations and “green minded individuals” should ramp up efforts before the 2029 election to lobby the new government if it’s elected, or the coalition government if returned, to raise issues  around the environment, public resources and outdoor recreation, to the top of priority issues for the next term of government.

“If it comes to voting for a party outside Parliament, so be it. Some will say wasted vote, others might say, the education of politicians has to start somewhere, sooner rather than later,” he added, referring to the two top high scores by Outdoors and Freedom, and Conservative parties.

APPENDIX

Party scores assessed in order, were:-

  • Outdoors and Freedom 20
  • Conservative 19
  • ACT 14
  • National 12.5
  • Labour, Greens, NZ First, Opportunity 0 –  i.e. they did not respond despite three reminders

Labour wants much more censorship

Erin Brockovich– 4,000 people asked me to investigate data centers; here’s what I found

Offline with Jon Favreau

Erin Brockovich has spent three decades helping communities fight the biggest corporations and cruelest environmental injustices, inspiring an Oscar-winning movie along the way. Her latest cause is also her biggest: AI data centers and their insidious arrival to communities across the country.

After scores of people wrote to her about the alarming influx of hyperscale projects, Erin launched Brockovich Data Center Reporting—which received nearly 4,000 submissions in its first month alone. She sits down with Jon to discuss everything she’s learned, what the industry gets wrong about the backlash, and whether there’s a way to build what we need without screwing over the people who have to live with it.

the EU gets increasingly tyranical towards those who oppose it — this time France’s Macron regime

We have seen how George Galloway and Ian Proud were given hours of official intimidation upon arriving home in Britain after visiting Russia and how Swiss citizen Jacques Baud is treated by the EU dictators in Belgium.

They don’t care about the violence and destruction by Islamists and Antifa, but they don’t at all like European citizens who oppose the Globalists’ agenda.

Illegal violent migrants are welcome–

But not those who want them gone–