Swagger in London, Rot in Tirana

Rama flew to London to lecture Britain on democracy and boats, while Albania haemorrhages youth and credibility under his watch. Swagger conceals corrosion, not reform.

When a man has been in power for more than a decade, the optics of standing on a London stage to lecture others can feel less like statesmanship and more like a mirror held to a fractured legacy. On 21 October 2025, Edi Rama did precisely that, standing at Chatham House¹, in the week the UK hosts the Berlin Process Summit, expounding on democracy, migration and the virtues of the “West,” while his own track record in Albania invites far tougher scrutiny.

What followed was a bravado-filled address, garnished with quips about Britain’s boat-crisis and Brexit, a side-swipe at a BBC–style immigration narrative, and a pat on his country’s “progress” — all of it delivered under a gloss of pro-European rhetoric. But for those who have followed Albania’s reality under Rama’s tenure, the speech felt less like public reason and more like white-washing in full colour.

Lecture on Brexit and Boats: Pot, Meet Kettle

Rama’s remarks were striking for the degree to which he attempted to turn the stage into UK classroom:

“You left Europe because you wanted less boats and you have more boats. You left Europe because you wanted more investment, you have less investment. You left Europe because you wanted more happiness, now you are depressed.”