A quote from Fjordman at Dhimmi Watch, 9 February 2008

Frankly, I don't think the EU has the right to use the term "European." Those inhabiting the European continent are first and foremost Germans, Dutchmen, Poles, Italians, Hungarians, Portuguese etc. "Europe" has existed mainly to protect the continent against Islamic expansionism. Charles Martel created Europe when he defeated the Arab invasion in the seventh century, aided by people such as Pelayo, who started the Reconquista in the Iberian Peninsula, John Hunyadi and Lazar of Serbia who fought against the Turks in the Balkans and John III Sobieski, King of Poland, who beat the Ottomans during the 1683 Battle of Vienna. The EU is actively trying to undo everything Charles Martel and these men achieved. This makes it the anti-European Union, an evil organization with no moral legitimacy whatsoever.

A quote from Deutsche Welle, 8 February 2008

Speaking to journalists at the Deutsche Welle in Bonn, Wolfgang Huber, head of the Council of the Evangelical Church in Germany, slammed the proposal by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams to introduce parts of Islamic Shariah law for Muslims in Britain. [...] "Hoping to achieve integration through a dual legal system is a mistaken idea," Huber told Deutsche Welle in an exclusive interview. "You have to ask the question as to what extent cultural characteristics have a legitimate place in a legal system. But you have to push for one country to have one system."

A quote from the London Evening Standard, 8 February 2008

Leading bishops publicly contradicted Dr Rowan Williams's call for Islamic law to be brought into the British legal system. [...] One member of the church's "Cabinet", the Archbishop's Council, was reported as saying: "There have been a lot of calls for him to resign. I don't suppose he will take any notice, but, yes, he should resign." […]

This is about US-bashing which is the fashionable “anti”-movement of our time. By the term a culturally approved predisposition is meant. It blames robotically something for whatever seems to be ailing a community. Illustrations of the generalization are the past’s anti-Semitism, anti-capitalism or the inclination to discover a commie in anything to one’s left. Hate groups had local mutations. In some countries certain minorities – Koreans in Japan, Armenians in Turkey, Hungarians in central Europe, Zionists in the Near East and the USSR – serve(d) to explain misfortune.

A quote from the Dutch press agency NIS, 7 February 2008

The city of Amsterdam has developed teaching material warning children against the politics of Geert Wilders, newspaper De Telegraaf yesterday reported. […] The newspaper quoted from a letter that the city council has sent to three hundred primary and secondary schools in Amsterdam. […] Wilders responded indignantly to the letter. "Sickening. Leaflets like this should not be subsidised. The contents are prejudiced and inaccurate. […]"

There are many conundra concerning the British Conservative Party and its attitude to Europe, few of which will be answered by a detailed speech from William Hague, the Conservatives’ shadow Foreign Secretary, at Policy Exchange yesterday. This was a real curate’s egg of a speech, good in parts, but ultimately displeasing in its lack of real nourishment.

Are the French heading for a one-party system?

An article at the blog of Yves Daoudal, dated February 4, announced an attempt by Sarkozy to form a "confederation" that would include his own UMP party, the New Center party (it acquired its name when the centrist UDF party split into the MoDem and the New Center, following the presidential election) and the pro-Sarkozy Left.

A quote from a comment at Lawrence Auster’s blog, 7 February 2008

Just look at him. Pathetic. Outrageous. Beneath contempt. The suicidal narcissism of les Soixante-Huitards incarnate. The blood of every American GI wasted in saving that sorry, degenerate continent cries out to heaven.

I am reminded of the way Russians might have felt witnessing the collapse of the Soviet state. It is all happening so fast, and in this case, apparently by the choices of ostensibly free peoples. And this time it is not the malign empire of International Socialism that is dying but the free and liberal nations, the vessels and guarantors of reason, law, order, science and art not to mention the Christian Faith.

A quote from The London Evening Standard, 7 February 2008

The Prime Minister rapidly distanced himself from Dr Williams [the Archbishop of Canterbury]'s view. Gordon Brown's spokesman said: "Our general position is that sharia law cannot be used as a justification for committing breaches of English law, nor should the principles of sharia law be included in a civil court for resolving contractual disputes.

A quote from the BBC, 7 February 2008

The Archbishop of Canterbury says the adoption of certain aspects of Sharia law in the UK "seems unavoidable". Dr Rowan Williams told Radio 4's World at One that the UK has to "face up to the fact" that some of its citizens do not relate to the British legal system. Dr Williams argues that adopting parts of Islamic Sharia law would help maintain social cohesion.