Albania, Kushner, Alistair's friend PM Edi Rama, and flamingos
I've been sick this week so am not up to date with the feed. Have Stewart and Campbell discussed the demonstrations against Alistair's friend Edi Rama, the Prime Minister?
For those not in the loop yet:
- the Vjosa Delta on the Adriatic Coast is of Europe's most delicate ecosystems, and home to many migratory birds including stunning flamingos
- Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner "discovered" a "private island" off the coast and want to develop it with the backing of dubious Qatari investors. It will not surprise you that the island was neither undiscovered (it is a reserve) nor private (it is state property)
- despite no environmental impact assessment being done and no government approval for the scheme, the delicate sandy beach has been enclosed by steel fences and barbed wire. By law, all beaches in Albania are public and government property. There have been shocking scenes of a man being dragged away and beaten by private security guards employed by a company owned by a local politician.
- thousands of Albanians have taken to the streets of Tirana on consecutive nights to demand Rama's resignation. Rama is responsible for the legislation that opened the door to hotel construction on nature reserves, and he has defended the project. More generally, many Albanians see this as typical of the bullshit they've been putting up with for too long: dubious foreign "investors" show up, bamboozle or bribe government officials, and pillage resources.
It's the beginning of a hot summer in the Balkans (there are regular street protests in Belgrade and Skopje, too, often prompted by similar scams). It would be interesting to hear Stewart and Campbell address it - and not just through the lens of "how to manage Rama's image".
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DZGeXB7iRJx/
Posted Jun 4, 2026, 12:51 AM UTC