Spain: Catalan referendum
Catalonia has its own history, language and culture. It has both ‘nationality’ status and autonomy within the Spanish constitution. It also has a history of nationalist politics. On 1 October there was a referendum on Catalan…
Iceland wants to eliminate Down’s syndrome
The only Baptist pastor in Rekjavik doesn’t want Down's syndrome eliminated. ‘My family has spent a lot of time at the hospital. For over a year our five-year-old son has been undergoing chemotherapy for leukaemia. Our…
Germany: influence of AfD
Alternative for Germany (AfD), founded in 2013, is a right-wing populist and Eurosceptic political party. In 2016 it made an alliance with the Freedom Party of Austria, with both party leaders saying border control officers should…
German election, Brexit and Ireland
The German elections have weakened Chancellor Merkel’s leadership authority. Weeks of Brexit talks will be lost while Germany forms a government that can command a majority in its parliament. In the UK there are disagreements between…
