Ned comments on his blog:

costin —

Three years ago I was just getting started in this transatlantic gig, so it may be that things haven’t changed all that much, really, but rather the amount of data available to me has changed.

It’s hard to tell, because I’ve had to absorb so much new information about Europe since then. All the political parties, the politicians, the legal structure in different countries, the opinions in the media — enormous quantities of material to absorb.

In 2007 it seemed that only the Danes were truly alert to the necessity for pushback against Islam. No other country seemed to come close to Denmark.

However, there have been major encouraging developments in the meantime. I’ll just list a few off the top of my head:

1. Geert Wilders and the PVV.Geert Wilders’ name was in the news back then, but the PVV was not the potent political force that it is today. After the recent election which catapulted it into a strong third place, the PVV can wield real, effective power against the further Islamization of the Netherlands. This is the most important political development in the West since 9/11.

2. The emergence of the English Defence League.Three years ago Britain seemed more hopelessly mired in political correctness and dhimmitude than any other Western nation, and the British public was supine in the face of the officially-sanctioned genocide being waged against them. Even a year and a half ago, there was no sign of a popular pushback. Now the EDL is a formidable political force, and its organization is totally at the grassroots level. It’s a staggering development.

3. Sverigedemokraterna.Three years ago the Sweden Democrats were completely marginal in Swedish politics, and were seen as Nazis by the establishment. That last part is still true, but the average Swedish voter seems to have seen through the media lies, because SD is almost certain to pass the 4% threshold and enter parliament in September. This, like the emergence of the EDL, is an amazing breakthrough in a country that seemed utterly lost to dhimmitude.

4. The Lega Nord.The strength of the Northern League in Italy continues to grow, and Berlusconi’s ruling coalition is considerably more dependent on the Lega than it was three years ago.

5. The SVP.The Swiss People’s Party has moved from a barely noticeable fringe group to one of the largest parties in Switzerland, and the minaret ban is just the most visible evidence that Swiss public opinion has bypassed the MSM to learn about what the SVP really stands for.

[to be continued]