Europe

Italy’s Transport Minister Matteo Salvini called a rapid switch to electric vehicles “suicide” and a “gift” to Chinese industry.

Abruptly decreasing domestic production of fossil fuels and shuttering of coal and nuclear plants have put Europe is an energy crisis exasperated by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and its reduction of energy exports to Europe.

France’s aging nuclear power plants that are keeping the lights and heat on—not wind and solar power that are at the mercy of the weather.

Europe’s Digital Market Act to regulate “American Big-Tech” ignores that without the efforts and ingenuity of Big Tech, there were no “gates” to keep.

Poland owes its economic success to capitalist reforms—but the current government has stopped privatizations and is pursuing a policy of redistribution.

Freeing up the labor market by making it easier for employers to hire and fire workers would reduce the gap between temporary and permanent work.

Bad energy decisions in Germany are yielding bad results for Germans.  Americans should be aware that recent government actions here on energy are pointing results in the same direction.

European leaders continue to talk tough about supporting Ukraine against Russia, but European peoples are less enthused.

Europe’s move toward decarbonization 30 years ago has resulted in skyrocketing energy prices, the need for severe conservation, possible rationing that could shut down entire industrial sectors and likely future blackouts.

Europe’s energy shortages – exacerbated by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine – were originally caused by low wind resources, increased demand from COVID lockdowns, and cut backs of natural gas by Russia. Despite putting Europeans in energy poverty, the EU and UK are keeping to their energy transition rushing into wind and solar power, rather than using domestically produced oil, natural gas, and coal.

Biden’s America Mimics Europe’s Goals and Regulatory Actions

If winning is not the goal, the war is already lost, and Putin’s dictatorial power will be further enhanced. It will prove that the U. S. and NATO actually are weak and ineffectual.

As Ayn Rand has said, “Morality is the strongest of all intellectual powers.” To Putin, his “moral” crusade is far more important than Russia’s GDP.  

Europe has extreme dependence on Russian natural gas because Europe has foolishly restricted fossil fuel and nuclear energy production on the false promise that unreliable solar and wind could replace it.

As Ayn Rand observed, a compromise between two opposite principles – such as between freedom and government controls in a welfare state – is never sustainable,

We should remember and appreciate episodes in history like those in Lithuania in January 1991, in which a people oppressed by socialist tyranny said, “No,” and insisted upon regaining their freedom. 

The full judgement of the Swedish experiment must wait a while.

There is a realignment of politics underway in the UK and most other developed countries; in the UK it is now almost complete, thanks in no small part to Brexit whereas in some other countries it is still happening; Brexit did not cause this realignment, but it was caused by it.

“Laissez-faire” Stockholm seems to fare better than locked-down New York.

Contrary to the U.S., where President Trump and Governor Cuomo and countless other political figures compete for the attention of their constituents and populace and underlings, the Swedish experience has been one of decentralized decision-makers and arms-length officials calling the shots.

The response by the EU has been mind boggling: instead of relaxing its tight rules, it has doubled down, and in recent years expanded its War on Innovation ever more.