"For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths." Northwoods is a ministry dedicated to refreshing Christians and challenging them to search for the truth in Christianity, politics, sociology, and science
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Father God, thank you for the love of the truth you have given me. Please bless me with the wisdom, knowledge and discernment needed to always present the truth in an attitude of grace and love. Use this blog and Northwoods Ministries for your glory. Help us all to read and to study Your Word without preconceived notions, but rather, let scripture interpret scripture in the presence of the Holy Spirit. All praise to our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
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Alternative for Germany has taken the lead in national polling as support for Chancellor Merz’s ruling coalition hits a record low
The right-wing party Alternative for Germany (AfD) has overtaken Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s conservative bloc to become the country’s most popular party, a new survey shows.
According to the RTL/ntv ‘Trendbarometer’ poll released on Tuesday, the AfD is at a record 26%, one point ahead of the ruling coalition’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and Christian Social Union (CSU), which have fallen to 24% – their lowest level since 2021.
The Social Democratic Party (SPD) is at 13%, the same as the Greens, while the Left party sits at 11%, with all other parties in single digits. A quarter of respondents said they would abstain or remain undecided – far more than in the last election.
With the coalition nearing its 100-day mark this Wednesday, approval for Merz has sunk to 29%, the lowest since his election in May, while discontent has climbed to 67%. Criticism is sharpest in eastern Germany and among AfD, Left, and Green supporters, fueling doubts about the government’s staying power.
Since taking office, Merz has adopted a hardline stance towards Russia, recently pledging an additional €5 billion ($5.6 billion) in military aid to Ukraine. Berlin is one of Kiev’s largest backers, and last month Merz declared that diplomatic options in the conflict were “exhausted,” drawing accusations from Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov of choosing escalation over diplomacy. The commitment of fresh funds to Kiev has sparked criticism at home, coming amid Germany’s worsening economic outlook.
The poll found 62% expect the economy to deteriorate this year – the most pessimistic reading so far – while only 14% foresee improvement. Half of the respondents trust no party to handle the country’s problems.
Founded in 2013, the AfD has steadily gained ground amid a continuing migrant crisis in Germany. It came in second in February’s federal election with 152 seats in the 630-seat Bundestag, and has since moderated its rhetoric in a bid to attract centrist voters ahead of next year’s regional polls.
Protesters outside an asylum-seekers' hotel in Epping, Essex
This is an expanded version of my column in today’s Times (UK £)
Are the grooming gangs the new Brexit?
An opinion poll has shown that if Britain’s Labour government brings in a definition of Islamophobia, as it is planning to do, the “populist” Reform party would gain a 106-seat majority at a general election.
The deputy Prime Minister, Angela Rayner, has appointed a panel to draw up this definition to be applied across the public sector. The idea is that it would provide a benchmark by which speech and actions deemed to be “Islamophobic” could be policed and suppressed.
The poll of 2000 people, carried out by J L Partners, found that before voters were told about this proposal Reform polled at 29 per cent and Labour at 23 per cent, indicating a Reform majority of 20 at a general election.
However, when respondents were asked how they would vote if Labour brought in a definition of Islamophobia, Reform rose to 30 per cent and Labour fell to 20 per cent, indicating a Reform majority of 106.
As the polling company’s founder said, the Islamophobia definition would be like Labour “setting off a tinderbox under what remains of their working-class vote”.
Just as with Brexit, Labour and the chattering classes are quite clueless within their smug echo chamber about the profound and dangerous disconnect between them and large numbers of ordinary people over this.
And as with Brexit, the disconnected feel their country has been taken away from them by an elite class that tars them with accusations of racism and Islamophobia if they object.
Cancellation of Romania’s presidential election overturned – media
NATO critic Calin Georgescu’s victory in last year’s first round vote was annulled by the Constitutional Court
An appeals court in Romania has suspended the Constitutional Court’s decision to annul the results of the first round of last year’s presidential election, which was won unexpectedly by independent candidate Calin Georgescu, local media outlets reported on Thursday.
Georgescu, a vocal NATO critic and opponent of arming Ukraine, made the headlines in November 2024 after securing 23% of the vote in the first round of the election. The Constitutional Court later invalidated the results, citing “irregularities” in his campaign and intelligence reports alleging Russian interference – which Moscow has denied.
On Thursday, Judge Alexandru Vasile of the Ploiesti Court of Appeal overturned the annulment, according to HotNews. The prosecutor’s office attached to the Ploiesti court has filed an appeal.
Now, if Judge Vasile could go after those who have indicted Georgescu, he might end up back in the race.
It's a corrupt, third-world country that cancels an election after it happens because the wrong guy won.
George Simion, the leader of the Alliance for the Union of Romanians party, welcomed the decision as a “return to democracy” and constitutional order in a post on X. He added, however, that the Central Electoral Bureau – which barred Georgescu from running in May – “ignores it and continues its activity.”
In February, Georgescu was indicted on six criminal charges, including allegedly plotting “anti-constitutional acts” and “promoting fascist, racist, or xenophobic ideologies.” He has denied all the charges, insisting the criminal case against him is part of a campaign orchestrated by the Romanian “deep state.”
The politician, who is under a 60-day travel ban as part of judicial oversight, will remain under court supervision for another 60 days, according to media reports.
The preliminary findings of an investigation into the ‘irregularities’ found they were likely caused by a consulting firm associated with the pro-Western National Liberal Party running a campaign on behalf of an opponent of Georgescu, which backfired.
Germany’s AfD listed as ‘right-wing extremist’ party by intel agency
By Staff The Associated Press
Posted May 2, 2025 4:39 am
2 min read
The German domestic intelligence service said Friday it has classified the Alternative for Germany party, which placed second in national elections in February, as a “right-wing extremist effort” — making it subject to greater and broader surveillance of its activities.
The Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution cited the “extremist character” of the party, known as AfD, and said it “disregards human dignity” — in particular by taking aim at those who moved to Germany from mostly Muslim countries.
So, if you are suspicious of an alien invasion of Germany, you are an enemy of Germany. How did Germans get that so backward? The government has weaponized the domestic intelligence service against AfD and thereby threatens democracy and enables Islam's complete takeover of the Fatherland. Your granddaughters will be in hijabs, married at 9, and uneducated. Is that what you want? What madness!
The party criticized the move, with deputy chairman Stephan Brandner saying that it “is complete nonsense, has absolutely nothing to do with law and order, and is purely political in the fight of the cartel parties against the AfD.”
The AfD has already been under enhanced surveillance by authorities in some regions, but the announcement by the domestic spy agency means the agency’s officials can use informants and other tools such as audio and video recordings to monitor the party’s activities nationwide.
The office, which has warned of growing extremism in Germany, cited court decisions in two German regions in recent years that detailed party efforts to undermine a free and democratic order.
The party “aims to exclude certain population groups from equal participation in society, to subject them to unconstitutional unequal treatment and thus to assign them a legally devalued status,” the agency, known as BfV, said.
2:10
Germany election: Conservatives face tough coalition talks as AfD sees record gains
The party had already come under scrutiny from the BfV for its links to extremists and its ties to Russia. Of the 38,800 far-right extremists counted by the agency last year, more than 10,000 are members of the party.
“The ethnic and descent-based understanding of the people prevailing within the party is incompatible with the free democratic basic order,” the intelligence service said, adding that the party’s political positions have underpinned “continuous agitation” against minorities and stirred fear and hostility toward them.
“This is evident in the numerous xenophobic, anti-minority, anti-Islamic, and anti-Muslim statements continually made by leading party officials,” it said.
Nancy Faeser, the interior minister, said in a statement that the classification was “clear and unambiguous” and had resulted from a 1,100-page “comprehensive and neutral audit” that had no political influence.
Under the move, any surveillance of AfD activities must abide by a “principle of proportionality” under German law.
The measure does not amount to a ban of the party, which can only take place through a request by either of parliament’s two chambers or the federal government through the Federal Constitutional Court.
Asked whether the party would appeal the decision, Brandner said the executive board is holding a scheduled meeting next Monday and is expected to discuss it then.
Romanians head to the polls on Sunday for a re-run of last November's presidential election, which was annulled following reports of foreign interference. Last year's vote saw the surprise victory of a previously unknown far-right independent candidate, Calin Georgescu. An isolationist and ultra-nationalist, Georgescu has ties to neo-Legionary groups, which have roots in the pre-war Iron Guard fascist movement. FRANCE 24's Maria Gerth-Niculescu reports.
Although Georgescu's candidacy was later struck down by the Constitutional Court, he is being replaced by George Simion, who has vowed to use every means necessary to propel Georgescu to power.
Click on the player above to watch the full report.
This is the other side of the story which associates Georgescu and Simion with neo-Nazis. It paints a frightening picture, which may very well be the article's point. Naziism or the end of democracy, what will Romanians decide tomorrow?
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Farage’s Reform UK wins seat as main parties brace for losses in local polls
Europe
Britain's hard-right Reform UK party, led by anti-immigrant firebrand Nigel Farage, won a parliamentary seat in a northwest England by-election on Friday. The local elections, the first since Prime Minister Keir Starmer took office, are expected to deliver a crushing blow to the two main political parties.
Britain’s populist Reform UK party, led by Brexit campaigner Nigel Farage, made early gains in local election results on Friday and looked set to make more gains as the party hopes to become a major player in British politics.
Reform's Sarah Pochin was declared winner of the seat of Runcorn and Helsby in northwest England by six votes after a recount, defeating Labour candidate Karen Shore.
Labour easily won the district in last year's national election, but its lawmaker, Mike Amesbury, was forced to quit after he was convicted of punching a constituent in a drunken rage.
Although Reform's victory was one of the narrowest in British history, Farage said “it’s a very, very big moment indeed” for politics.
Counting began late Thursday in lacklustre local elections with Britain's two main parties bracing for a possible bruising from hard-right candidates as the country's political landscape splinters.
The polls in England are the first since Keir Starmer became Labour prime minister and Kemi Badenoch took over the reins of the struggling opposition Conservatives last year.
The Reform UK party's gains, along with expected wins for the centrist Liberal Democrats and left-wing Greens, appeared to confirm a trend that Britain is entering an era of multi-party politics
Urging people to vote Labour, Starmer said in a message on X Thursday: "The choice is clear."
"Labour councillors, mayors and MPs working together to bring change to Britain. Or chaos and division with parties who have no plan for change."
In her final message, Badenoch sought to drum up support for her Tories, saying: "If you want a great council, don't just hope for it, vote for it."
"British politics appears to be fragmenting," political scientist John Curtice wrote in the Telegraph this week, adding the polls "will likely be the first in which as many as five parties are serious players".
British politics have been dominated by the centre-left Labour party and centre-right Tories since the early 20th century.
But surveys show Britons are increasingly disillusioned with the two establishment parties amid anaemic economic growth, high levels of irregular immigration and flagging public services.
'Fragmentation baked in'
New figures published Thursday showed that the number of migrants who have crossed the English Channel on small boats this year has already reached 11,000 – well up on the numbers in 2024.
Labour won a parliamentary majority in July with just 33.7 percent of the vote, the lowest share for any party winning a general election since World War II.
The Conservatives won just 24 percent of the vote, securing only 121 seats in the 650-seat parliament as the party endured its worst-ever election defeat.
Reform UK picked up five seats, an unprecedented haul for a British hard-right party, while the Liberal Democrats won 61 more MPs than at the previous election and the Greens quadrupled their representation to four.
Those results mean "fragmentation is baked in" to Thursday's votes for councils, mayors and a single parliamentary seat, according to political scientist Rob Ford.
"We will see losses from the Tories and Labour, but not equally," the University of Manchester politics professor told AFP.
A total of 1,641 seats across local authorities are up for grabs – only a fraction of England's 17,000 councillors – as are six mayoral posts and a parliamentary seat in the northwest English area of Runcorn and Helsby.
Squeezed on both sides
Farage's party is the bookmakers' favourite to win the parliamentary by-election.
Labour has faced criticism over welfare cuts and tax rises during a difficult return to power following 14 years in opposition, while Starmer's popularity has tanked in opinion polls.
On Tuesday, Reform UK, which has vowed to "stop the boats", topped a YouGov poll of national voting intentions in Britain with 26 percent, three points ahead of Labour and six up on the Conservatives.
Victory in Runcorn, winning mayoralties like Greater Lincolnshire and gaining hundreds of councillors would help Reform build its grassroots activism before the next general election -- likely in 2029.
Under threat from Reform on the right, the Tories are also being squeezed on the left by the Liberal Democrats, the traditional third party, eyeing gains in the wealthy south.
As Labour edges rightwards it is facing a growing challenge from the Greens on the left.
"For the big parties, it's like the couple who are having to wrestle with the duvet that's too small," said Ford. "Wherever they pull the duvet, they're going to get exposed somewhere."
