We know that racism is on the wane but optimism should not lead to complacency
Italian premier abstained to vote for Ursula von der Leyen and said European Commission peddles ‘fake news’
Plutocrats must understand that wealth is only a source of power if it is protected by a law-governed state
Conservative billionaire’s entertainment channel had been fined €7.6mn for breaching broadcasting standards
Hatred of politicians deters good people from the job, which makes government worse, which makes voters hate politicians still more
Politicians in the main parties have been put on notice and given a simple mandate by insecure voters: fix things
Extremists and nationalists have gained in strength even if the election firewall erected by rivals deprived them of a majority
It would be naive to see the UK as immune to this phenomenon; Reform UK is not yet ready
(And a mandate is not a landslide)
Alternative for Germany fell out with Marine Le Pen’s party but found other lawmakers to set up new faction
Rassemblement National official who helped pick contentious candidates steps down from executive committee
How the west’s two most important institutions are withstanding the age of populism
Rassemblement National and League join ‘Patriots for Europe’ to make it third-largest faction in European parliament
Rassemblement National will decide whether to link up with Patriots for Europe on Monday
Conservatives need to understand why they lost this election
Also in this newsletter: Bulgaria tries yet again to form a stable government
Viktor Orbán calls for more focus on EU competitiveness in FT opinion piece
Liberals are in for a long struggle as nationalist populism surges in the US and Europe
Also in this newsletter: the Socialists’ message to Ursula von der Leyen
President Emmanuel Macron’s centrists fall to third place behind leftwing alliance
Orbán’s Fidesz teams up with Austrian and Czech MEPs, but needs 4 more countries for Patriots for Europe faction
Alice Weidel says she has her ‘fingers crossed’ for Marine Le Pen despite strained ties between their parties
Nordic examples show that democracy’s moderating influence can sometimes help
Many business leaders dismiss fears of a return of the former president to the White House — they are wrong to do so
Hungary’s Eurosceptic premier has blocked an increasing number of Ukraine-related decisions
