Gordon Brown:
'There's a hard right tidal wave about to hit Europe.
'It will only make the economic crisis worse ' theguardian.com/commentisfree/…

Just 40 days out from EU election, fears are rising that Russia is trying to get more pro-Russian MEPs into parliament with a pro-Russian narrative.
Now EU takes action against Facebook for not doing enough..

theguardian.com/technology/202…

President Ursula von der Leyen will travel to Paris on Monday 6 May at the invitation of President Emmanuel Macron for a trilateral meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Brexit €700mn bonanza for Ireland. With customs duty now payable on some goods from UK, Irish customs revenue nearly doubles .

theguardian.com/business/2024/…

Not to forget Priti Patel two years ago raised her concerns with Irish govt that Ireland would be backdoor to refugees to U.K. and years ago they used to cooperate. independent.co.uk/news/uk/politi…

Dublin plans to send asylum seekers back to UK under emergency law by ⁦Rory Carroll⁩ theguardian.com/world/2024/apr…

NEW: Ursula von der Leyen will not be using Chinese owned TikTok for her campaign for a EU term as European Commission president ' in view of security concerns,' said an EPP spox.
She will be campaigning as 'Ursula' with more emphasis on her as a person than EC president 😁

What do British voters think of Rishi Sunak decision to reject move to open talks with EU on youth mobility deal theguardian.com/politics/2024/…

Macron on Brexit
It was one the 'unprecedented crises' Europe has faced in recent years, 'an explosion whose negative effects, from what I can tell, have meant that today nobody dares to propose exits, neither from the Europe, nor from the euro.'

Over the past three days countless MEPs have made passionate speeches on democracy and EU values in face of far right.
Something I have not heard mentioned is how white EU parliament is. Why is diversity of the EU not reflected in parliament? Is it lists? It is something else?

Last session of European parliament before election starts with top table getting carnations to mark 50th anniversary of Carnation revolution in Portugal and continues with first point of order recalling 25 April celebrations in Italy marking end of fascism.

They are racing they the cotes as all battles fought and won/lost before today

EU parliament adopts new laws on platform workers rights. Ciarán Cuffe MEP said:
'This law is an important step in the fight against the scourge of bogus self-employment in EU. Current business model places sig pressure on platform workers who must work much harder to make living

Eu parliament racing through legislation - just approved platform workers deal... cheers as vote gets it over the line (though was done deal)

Phillipe Lamberts gets standing ovation after valedictory speech. Leader of Green group leaving after 15 years.
Recalls 'EU was built as a response to two total totalitarianisms, Nazism and Soviet communism' and voters, and leaders must fight to stop a 3rd.

Honoured to win the Fetisov Journalism Awards second prize for investigative reporting, with Airwars Sanjana, for our report into the UK government's implausible claim it fought a 'perfect war' against Islamic State in Iraq -- killing thousands of militants without harming a single civilian

Pat Cox, former president of European parliament, marking 20 years since EU enlargement to include 10 extra countries.

'We can, and we must do this again,' he tells MEPs.

We are 'a voluntary union of free and sovereign people ... what a total contrast to Russia’s aggression'

Lovely bit of theatre in European parliament. 10 people born on 1 May 2004 from the 10 countries that joined in EU that day invited to pose question to former prime ministers of their country.

Russian/Chinese interference in EU elex:
'Don't vote for far right. They call themselves nationalists. They tell people they love their country. ..You don't get strong, brave defenders of your interests. You only get ambassadors of Putin and Zie' - Manfred Weber, pres of EPP.