The big news this week was a significant shift to the right in the European Elections. Initially this sounded like really bad news, but as information continued to flow around the election results, it appears it’s not as dire as we first thought, however it should be a massive concern. France is a stand-out in its move to the right, and we also saw significant splits within countries, with the voting map of Germany showing a stark difference between East and West.
Focusing on Germany, you have to check out this article, on how the AfD won over young voters.
The far-right populist Alternative for Germany (AfD) made gains in almost all age groups in the 2024 European elections, but its biggest success was among young people. In the last EU election, in 2019, one in three voters younger than 24 chose the Green Party, and the far-right AfD garnered just 5% of the young vote.
In 2024, 16% of youths voted for the AfD, tripling the party’s share in this demographic and putting it almost on par with the center-right alliance of the Christian Democratic Union and Christian Social Union (CDU/CSU).
The AfD were smart. First they were scared of the youth vote, and then they went where the youth are – on Tik Tok. But look at this quote:
“One in three young men in Germany has never had a girlfriend. Are you one of them?” Krah asks and continues with advice: “Don’t watch porn, don’t vote green, go outside into the fresh air. Be confident. And above all don’t believe you need to be nice and soft. Real men stand on the far right. Real men are patriots. That’s the way to find a girlfriend!” Maximilian Krah.
That’s straight out of the Andrew Tate playbook, no? We need to get a handle on this. It’s not good for young men or any of us.
If you want to follow a fascinating election, France seems to be in the lead there, especially as elections in the UK and US are featuring the same old cynical politics that keeps dividing nations further.
Talking about cynical, did you see the Pentagon misinformation campaign against China during the pandemic? Man!
In the US, we are watching the Supreme Court rulings tumble out, a court that has seen all sorts of scandals in recent years. The big announcement is, of course, whether Trump is immune from prosecution, but in the meantime, the abortion drug mifepristone is still in, and bump stocks are back in too – sigh!
Another must-read, In Michigan: Climate change, bird flu, and dairy cows — and why ‘none of us saw this coming’ – mindboggling stuff, and we better get this right or the next pandemic will be on our doorstep. If that happens, I’m going to predict we won’t handle it very well, based on… you know… the last pandemic.
Did you hear the board approved Elon Musk’s pay of a mere $56 billion (give or take depending on the share price), versus the other announcement of financial support for Ukraine at $50 billion. Something’s not right here, right?
This is a REALLY important read, the risks of extreme heat on children. Please understand the differences our children face and let’s protect the kids as best we can.
Some good news – Rare twin elephants born in Thailand ‘miracle’ and Native Americans see omen in Yellowstone’s rare white bison (so I suppose this could be good or bad!).
Finally, if you’re interested, a new climate term to know – heat burst!
Favorite visual this week
Friends content and mine
Look at the amazing work my friend Vicki Kiely is doing to save elephants, and I’m so pleased it’s getting attention on The Dodo.
I put a few thoughts together on the critical importance of the younger generations voting. Unfortunately, the powers in the background attempting to silence votes are succeeding! Don’t let them win Young people, please vote! This is YOUR future. Don’t let them silence you.
Plenty more to read, listen to or watch, so do click through to the reads at the image below, and a reminder, this platform (elink.io) means the articles go back weeks, so have a scan and read/watch/listen to whatever jumps out at you.
Let me know what caught your attention? Or share with me what has your attention now? There’s a lot going on, which means none of us can cover everything. Besides, it’s always great to get feedback so I know I’m delivering something of value.
Cheers
Andrea
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