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
HGW XX/7
Berlusconi says Germans don't acknowledge the existence of WWII concentration camps.
...just. Fuck. Off.
Schild und Schwert der Partei
Good ol' Berlusconi. Always there to be a jerk to someone else. If it's not women it's the government. If it's not the government it's HMQ. If it's not HMQ it's Germany this time.
"For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled." - Richard Feynman
An Italian insulting Germans, even though he's from the North, not the South. In Hetalia terms, it's just plain hilarious.
On a more serious matter, Berlusconi must be feeling desperate to say stupid shit like this.
At least now Japan isn't the only former Axis power being accused of not being sorry enough for WWII.
...Desperate for attention, you mean. <_< It's just him. Move along, folks: don't give the diva his fix. -_-
Slovenia government facing collapse as PM loses party leadership.
Even though the government saved the country from getting a bailout.
edited 26th Apr '14 2:52:09 PM by Quag15
HGW XX/7
Which has, of course, angered the usual suspects:
I wish her the best of luck. Hoch Habsburg!
Schild und Schwert der Partei
Because as well all know, Eurovision is famous for its uber-manly, heterosexual themes. Only golf and dog racing have a more masculine reputation.
And let us pray that come it may (As come it will for a' that)
![[up]](https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/smiles/arrow_up.png "[up]"){kind=icon}
Oh, come on: bear-baiting now feels left out... And, cock-fighting. As in, with actual roosters.
edited 28th Apr '14 1:28:41 PM by Euodiachloris
KVLFON
I've stumbled upon this opinion by a Polish journalist, certain Bartosz T. Wieliński if anyone cares about copyright or whatnot. Translation mine and Google's. Figured some might be interested in it. Here it is:
But then he immediately added that sanctions have to be introduced gradually, that Russia needs to be talked with... He was irritated when I said that in the eyes of President Putin such an indecisive opponent is a weakling. After 10 minutes of conversation, the interview was called off.
That a man who is probably the future head of a "European government", talks about the most serious crisis of the past two decades using so worn-out slogans, does not bode well. And Juncker is no exception among European politicians. Too many of them could not wrap their minds around the fact that Russia, which they so protected against too severe sanctions, will not respect the promises that were made in Geneva after the annexation of the Crimea. That Russian soldiers or personnel posing as Donetsk separatists will kidnap inspectors monitoring the conflict in Ukraine from the OSCE - the organization to which Russia belongs - and hold them hostage. Could not wrap their mind around the fact that, despite Europe's threats and pleas, Putin will continue to push for partition of Ukraine. To paraphrase a saying by Antoni Słonimski, the Union plays chess with Russia, Russia with Europe - [I can't translate this: a game in which one player smacks the other on the arse].
Such a behaviour of the Kremlin could have been predicted. In the last years of the Cold War in Western Europe, there were many reputable research centers involving themselves in the Eastern bloc. Such as the West German BIOST, whose experts, so called sovietologists, since the 60s advised the German Chancellors on matters East. But 10 years after the fall of the Berlin Wall BIOST was dissolved. Such a fate met similar institutions in other countries.
Today in Brussels one would seek in vain a think tank that would pay attention to Russia. The only large institution that focuses on Russian politics, is the Polish Centre for Eastern Studies. Except that Polish experts can not afford a representation in Brussels.
The media, of course, do not lack "experts" on Russia. But their level is caricaturally captured by a French professor who, in March, commenting on the annexation of the Crimea, demanded that Europe broke off ties with the U.S. and created a common policy with Russia. Western politicians, instead, are advised by lobbyists from companies that do big business with the Kremlin.
Without the support of experts, politicians remain with mere slogans about "the need for de-escalation". Therefore, under the aegis of the European Union, there should develop a center of expertise to thoroughly devote itself to matters of Russia and other eastern neighbours of the EU and advised European politicians and their staffs. As a result, politicians would have a much better understanding of what actually happens to the Kremlin and the Russian society.
Russian policy has become dangerous for Europe and the world, a kind of a new Cold War is brewing. One has to go back to proven methods of gathering information about the opponent. Time to pull sovietology out of the closet, refresh and apply.
My newspaper had an opinion piece that the whole Crimea charade is essentially a consequence of Europe having abandoned "war" as a concept of foreign relations. Which means that they are now really bad at handling powers who mean business like Putin's not-so-secret Crimea invasion.
"For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled." - Richard Feynman
KVLFON
Can't call myself a pacifist, but I don't know if I'm that keen of this idea. I mean, I understand being kinda realistic about war, but seeing it in the Clausewitzian sense seems a bit much to me.
edited 28th Apr '14 3:16:48 PM by lordGacek
"Atheism is the religion whose followers are easiest to troll"
HGW XX/7
One hopes Russia might provide a convenient external focus to unite Europe, or at least lead to closer integration. That's how to get revenge on Putin: he's afraid of an assertive Europe, so give him one.
Schild und Schwert der Partei
KVLFON
He already succeeded to bring some American force to Poland. All these years of sucking up to big bro, and nothing comes of it until you get a Putin to do it. Pffhht. 
HGW XX/7
That's good, but the Americans can be as just as bad. It would be better for Europe to build its own missile shield, with its own army.
edited 28th Apr '14 3:22:13 PM by Achaemenid
Schild und Schwert der Partei
V
Quite. Like the Russians, the Americans are in it for themselves.
KVLFON
I like how you changed the name of Chechnya to the Chechnyan one. As for the Americans, well, they so far haven't had that "dying for Danzig" moment, so they don't yet have that stain on their rep here. Granted, this pretty much means they didn't yet have an opportunity, but whatever.
edited 28th Apr '14 3:28:14 PM by lordGacek
"Atheism is the religion whose followers are easiest to troll"
FABRICATI DIEM, PVNC!
A Finnish politician - one of the top dogs of a major party - was a Member of the European Parliament for a term and I've heard from people who worked with him at the time that he privately confessed that everything he did there was about undermining the entire process of democracy within the EU.
His view was/is that the EU is a failed project with no hope of being saved, so the best thing an MEP can do is make sure nothing gets decided; or, if that can't be done, to make sure that every decision is as inconsequential as possible. The point is to hasten the "inevitable" demise of the EU by sabotaging the decision-making processes from within.
Now, granted, these are just the anecdotal reports of people who worked in some projects together with him while he was an MEP, and the people who told me this stuff were and always have been opposed to him. That said, his public opinions are entirely consistent with this alleged strategy of obstructionism, so even if he won't admit it publicly it's at least plausible that it is true that that was all that he was trying to accomplish there. (If you ask me I don't know why people would even vote for someone who has already said publicly that the EU is doomed.)
Anyway, whether or not this accusation is true of that particular politician, if "Eurosceptic" parties get a huge share of the vote in the upcoming election there will certainly be people in the European Parliament whose only objective will be to obstruct and to sabotage everything they can within the EU to ensure that the EU ends sooner rather than later.
edited 28th Apr '14 4:19:36 PM by BestOf
Quod gratis asseritur, gratis negatur.
Wandering Jew
edited 30th Apr '14 12:27:58 PM by DeviantBraeburn
Everything is Possible. But some things are more Probable than others. JEBAGEDDON 2016
FABRICATI DIEM, PVNC!
They must know how stupid they seem when they do that sort of thing. They simply must.
Quod gratis asseritur, gratis negatur.
They at the very least do not see to understand the concept of freedom of speech.
"For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled." - Richard Feynman
Indeed.
About Europe and anti-Europe: A big problem is people trying to steer Europe in a direction one doesn't want, and other people stopping it but being unable to steer in "their" direction because the first guys are doing the same.
I remember voting against the constitutional treaty because it would lock Europe with a very right-winged policy (which by the way, had no place in a constitution, it should be in law instead) and carve that policy in stone (of course, Sarko promptly undid that vote). But a left-winged treaty was never submitted, and would be rejected by the UK anyway (which already considers the current one not right-winged enough).
edited 30th Apr '14 1:04:31 AM by Medinoc
"And as long as a sack of shit is not a good thing to be, chivalry will never die."
Spain restricting people's right to protest
.