Sandcastles. European Power Shifts to Deep Defense

The Erosion of Safe Havens. Political hegemony in Europe has become a historical concept rather than a factual state of possession. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, instead of managing the state from Downing Street, spent the past weekend in the Longsight and Levenshulme neighborhoods. His personal involvement in the local elections in the Gorton and Denton constituency, scheduled for Thursday, proves that the concept of a „safe seat” has ceased to exist.

Labour, dominant in Manchester for decades, has found itself in a pincer movement. On one side, the Green Party offers a radical left-wing program; on the other, Reform UK, continuing the traditions of Nigel Farage, targets the conservative electorate. The Reuters agency reports directly that support for the ruling party is „evaporating” in its own stronghold.

The situation in Germany confirms this trend of fragility at the local level. Andreas Stoch, the lead candidate for the SPD in Baden-Württemberg, damaged his image with a single unfortunate conversation about French pâté. The contrast between a visit to a Tafel food bank in Bühl and luxury shopping, highlighted by the SWR station, shows how quickly retail errors delegitimize social politicians.

Disciplining the Ranks. The threat to the stability of power comes not only from voters but increasingly from within the political formations themselves. In Madrid, the regional president, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, has carried out a swift „reorganization” of the People's Party (PP) structures in recent hours. The dismissal of Education Minister Emilio Viciana and the removal of a group of associates known as „Los Pocholos” is a classic preemptive maneuver.

Ayuso, preparing for an appearance before the Madrid Assembly on March 5, is eliminating potential pockets of rebellion. The general secretary of the Madrid PP, Alfonso Serrano, is trying to maintain the narrative of a „flagship,” but analysts see this as a brutal struggle for leadership cohesion. „No es una crisis, sino una reorganización para fortalecer el proyecto que los madrileños eligieron por mayoría.” (This is not a crisis, but a reorganization to strengthen the project that the people of Madrid chose by majority.) — Isabel Díaz Ayuso

Managing internal factions is a perennial problem for large „catch-all” parties. In moments of polling decline, leaders often opt for public disciplining of subordinates or forced unity, which historically could be observed in both the British Conservative Party during the Thatcher era and the German CDU under Kohl.

In Poland, we observe the opposite side of this coin – a lack of a coherent strategy in managing an image crisis. PiS MEP Joachim Brudziński, after losing a legal battle, apologized to TVN journalist Katarzyna Kolenda-Zaleska, performing a tactical retreat. Meanwhile, Ryszard Terlecki publicly questioned the sense of this gesture, asking ironically: „And should I also express regret?”. This split voice within a single formation exposes a lack of coordination in the face of media confrontation.

The State Puts on a Mask. When traditional political methods fail, states reach for tools on the borderline of surveillance and disinformation. The German federal government, through the words of Minister Nancy Faeser, has officially sanctioned the creation of fake social media profiles by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV).

The response to an inquiry by MP Martina Renner of Die Linke leaves no illusions: the state considers identity deception a „necessary tool.” The services pose as radicals and journalists to infiltrate extremist groups. This is an admission that an open, transparent democracy does not possess sufficient means to defend itself against disinformation and must therefore use the methods of its opponent.

These actions are met with opposition from digital rights defenders, who point to violations of platform terms of service. However, the determination of the government in Berlin to defend these practices signals a new era. Executive power in Europe is ready to sacrifice transparency for operational effectiveness in the fight for systemic stability.

Counterargument and Perspective. One could argue that the described actions are not a sign of weakness, but of professionalization and adaptation to difficult times. Keir Starmer fighting for every vote shows respect for democracy, and Isabel Díaz Ayuso ensures the management efficiency of her cabinet. The German services, in turn, are merely updating their arsenal for the realities of hybrid warfare, which seems a rational necessity in the face of the Russian threat.

However, the scale and nervousness of these moves contradict the thesis of calm professionalization. Engaging the prime minister of a nuclear power to save a seat in Denton or public disputes between PiS leaders over the wording of an apology testify to deep uncertainty. The political elites in March 2026 are not managing development, but are busy plugging leaking boats.

Politics in the coming months will resemble a besieged fortress. Leaders will increasingly resort to micromanagement, personnel purges, and surveillance tools to maintain the status quo. Stability has become a scarce commodity that must be fought for every day, even in seemingly safe places.

Modern power has ceased to be a throne on which one sits comfortably and has become a trench that must be guarded against both the enemy and one's own officers.

March 5 — The date of Isabel Díaz Ayuso's appearance before the Madrid Assembly, which is expected to explain the reasons for the party purges.

Perspektywy mediów: Left-wing media (The Guardian, Die Linke) emphasize the threat to civil liberties stemming from the actions of the services and criticize politicians for social hypocrisy. Right-wing and business media (Bloomberg, Reuters) focus on political efficiency, treating purges and campaigns as necessary elements of the struggle for power.