A thread to talk about news and politics affecting Europe as a whole, rather than just politics within specific European countries.
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Edited by Mrph1 on Jan 9th 2024 at 3:24:05 PM
In the pursuit of great, we failed to do good.
There is a moderate right. The Swiss and the German FDP for example. Merkels CDU too. And the ÖVP could be too, if they weren't willing to work with the FPÖ.
United Earth
Then there's Macron's thing which is a weird Neoliberal Authoritarian hybrid. Like legally banning cat-calling and making it a punishable offense.
Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.
![[up]](https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/smiles/arrow_up.png "[up]"){kind=icon}
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edited 16th Dec '17 4:00:40 PM by DrunkenNordmann
Welcome to Estalia, gentlemen.
Tell Me, Have You Seen the Yellow Sign?
Austria is a member of the UN's West Europe and Others Group although so is Turkey...note
(Avatar by Coffee)
Sounds like it's there because of the "Others" part, then.
The voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground
A procrastination in of itself
It’s there because that group was drawn during the Cold War and consisted of NATO plus netural European countries, plus the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Israel and probably a few others.
edited 17th Dec '17 1:59:37 AM by Silasw
“And the Bunny nails it!” ~ Gabrael “If the UN can get through a day without everyone strangling everyone else so can we.” ~ Cyran
Austria (like Germany) never considered itself part of the Western World and unlike Germany, there have been nor mayor attempts after 1945 to integrate itself neither culturally or politically into the West (not that Austria did not benefit from its' political neutrality). It is imho - along with Switzerland - the country which best fits the "Central Europe" tag.
I am personally more concerned about Italy where a certain someone might make a combeack:
Silvio Berlusconi: the return of Italy’s ‘bunga bunga’ PM
http://www.theweek.co.uk/in-depth/90465/silvio-berlusconi-the-return-of-italy-s-bunga-bunga-pm
Seriously Italy....
It's like the hydra of Lerna with Berlusconi...
"For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled." - Richard Feynman
United Earth
Compare Berlusconi to Trump?
Actually I've got a pretty detailed comparison right here. Still, I think we can safely say that one difference between the two is that Trump is an effing moron with dementia while Berlusconi is still smart and sane and just happens to be a dick.
edited 18th Dec '17 7:07:51 AM by TheHandle
Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.
Berlusconi has a much more benign apparel than Trump. I'd compare the latter to Christoph Blocher from Switzerland rather (although Blocher is far more competent).
"For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled." - Richard Feynman
The law in the night
I'd go to a party with Berlusconi, I wouldn't go near Trump even if he paid me to attend.
Inter arma enim silent leges
Careful, with parties of Berlusconi you may run into underage prostitutes or other creepy/freedom-from-jail reducing issues.
"For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled." - Richard Feynman
Oh, bother.
Never thought I'd see Berlusconi be on the good end of the Insult to Rocks trope.
But then again, it's Trump.
Disgusted, but not surprised
United Earth
Why isn't he in jail?
Also how the hell did he get away with a ladies-man/family-man image simultaneously?!
Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.
Hell I know: Wikipedia, verbatim quotes from the appeal.
The man has some form of hidden genius as he also managed to survive the P2 scandal even earlier.
Mostly because he as good lawyers who managed to exploit Italy's overworked justice system so that most charges against Berlusconi have become time-barred.
For example they probably could have been able to prove that Berlusconi bribed senators to bring down the Prodi adminastration, but unfortunately, this charge has now become time-barred.
Some observers have pointed out that many political changes that affected Europe had first occured in Italy. It was the first country to fall to fachism, and it experienced left-wing terrorism before other countries. The Italians chose to elect an utterly incompetent, vile and criminal leach as their leader. Some hoped that Berlusconi's apparant political end would be a step into the right direction, but it looks like this might have been premature.
Although as pointed out, he is far from stupid. However it certainly does not reflect well on the Italians that he is Italy's longest serving post-war prime minister.... .
edited 18th Dec '17 7:36:32 AM by Zarastro
United Earth
So I checked on Wikipedia and he actually got the verdict overturned in appeal. He did not set foot in jail at all.
[hears sounds of bells ringing and nuns chiming "shame" in the distance]
He's now also accused of having bribed witnesses. With 10 Million USD. Couldn't he have done an out-of-court settlement?!
Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.
Anka Aquila
Many politicians (and celebrities often as well) would rather eat dirt and/or pay hefty sums of money in bribes rather than admit in cameras that what they did was wrong.
edited 18th Dec '17 3:24:39 PM by raziel365
Instead of focusing on relatives that divide us, we should find the absolutes that tie us.
I'm not sure why the UN security council is going through this hullabaloo to affirm that Trump's statement on Jerusalem has no legal validity. Trump's just the head of state of one sovereign country. It should go without saying that his foreign policy decisions have no legal effect in any other country unless that country wilfully follows suit. EDIT: Wrong thread.
edited 20th Dec '17 12:07:49 AM by DrDougsh
To make it crystal-clear that they don't support his shenanigans?
Stop Killing My Titles
So apparently EU is planning to use Article 7 on Poland which, I am led to believe, may involve cutting the donations to us (supposedly no sanctions). That is in response to countless law and democracy violations that had transpired in these two years.
Public TV had a field day with it, of course. Some of their information bars on the subject (roughly translated by yours truly):
- "Berlin and Brussels want to stop the judiciary reform in Poland"
- "A Coalition against Poland - Total Opposition and UE's bureaucrats"
- "Frans Timmermans wishes to take away Poles' right to reform their own country"
- "European Commission tries blocking the reforms promised to Poles by PIS"
- "Sovereign politics of Poland are a bother to Berlin, Brussels and the politicians of "Total Opposition" "
- "After Warsaw asked for (post-WW 2) reparations, Berlin and Brussels are making an offensive against Poland"
- "The anti-polish procedures are a "punishment" for not accepting the immigrants from outside the Europe; mainly muslims"
Public TV. Not some far-right fringe newspaper. Public TV. Of course, all these will inevitably grant PIS even more approval among the naive populous who would rather blame UE and "Total Opposition" for all that's bad in the world.
grah
It suspends all payments and also removes the voting rights of the offending country within EU institutions. Other sanctions can be considered where appropriate.
Those headlines read like apartheid era South Africa during the "Total Onslaught" days.
edited 20th Dec '17 9:06:16 AM by TerminusEst
Si Vis Pacem, Para Perkele
(Avatar by Coffee)
Say Ferg, would you say that siege mentality is common (or getting more common) in the Polish right?
The voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground
I'm more finding the idea of Austria as part of Western Europe funky. Also I'd question the idea that the British government isn't far-right.
“And the Bunny nails it!” ~ Gabrael “If the UN can get through a day without everyone strangling everyone else so can we.” ~ Cyran