Hello and welcome to the intelligence on Economist Radio. I'm your host, Shashank Choshi, filling in for Jason Palmer.

Every weekday, we provide a fresh perspective on the events shaping your world. In 2019, Germany's

coalition government passed its first ever climate law, decreeing that

carbon emissions would need to be cut 55% by 2030.

But in a shock ruling in April, Germany's most senior judges said that wasn't good enough.

The law, they complained, would force radical abstinence on future generations.

And traditional road building can be messy, expensive and environmentally unfriendly.

So, why not knit yourself a road?

First up, though. Why not knit yourself a road?

First up though.

It's been a difficult, not to say desperate start to the week for Kier Starrma, the leader of the British opposition Labour Party.

Well, I'm bitterly disappointed in the results and, you know, I take full

responsibility for the results and I will take full responsibility for fixing things. Mr Stama

has been hastily reshuffling his shadow cabinet following election results which have left him and his

party seriously weakened.

The British midterms held at the end of last week included votes for regional parliaments in Scotland and Wales,

council seats across England and elections for city mayors.

The most telling result was a conservative victory in the parliamentary by-election in Hartlepool,

a port town in the northeast of England. I do hereby declare that Gillian Wendy Mortimer, commonly known as Jill Mortimer, is duly elected.

Congratulations.

North of the border in Scotland, a victory for nationalists has amplified calls for another independence referendum.

This was a pretty seismic mid-term set of elections.

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