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Edited by Mrph1 on Jan 9th 2024 at 3:24:05 PM
Continuing with his reforms will further decrease his popularity, and a French victory won't compensate for that.
![[up]](https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/smiles/arrow_up.png "[up]"){kind=icon}
Wins in football tournaments don't lift up a country's economy. Deep down, you know (better than the Portuguese and the French tropers) that the win by Germany back in 1954 World Cup was more of a symptom of your country's rising growth (and therefore social motivation) in those days, rather than a cause or inspiration for getting out of economic problems.
(I'm making a call-back to 1954 because you mentioned it 2 years ago when we from the tiny rectangle won the Euros against France and you wrote about the win supposedly lifting us out of the economic and social issues(and I happened to remember when I saw your post above))
Edited by Quag15 on Jul 15th 2018 at 12:20:07 PM
I didn't say that wins lift the economy, but that it lifts the mood. (The World Cup is also the favourite time for politicians to push through unpopular laws and reforms...I would look into what Macron was up to this last weeks).
Putin beat him to the punch this year. There were widespread riots and grumbling about unpopular reforms in Russia while the World Cup was going on.
Still not embarrassing enough to stan billionaires or tech companies.
Though Germany going out so early certainly had an impact on beer sales….not to mention all the snacks specifically created for the WM which won't be sold….
There are also well-documented spikes in domestic violence incidents during World Cups. Police forces tend to prepare for them as a result.
If my post doesn't mention a giant flying sperm whale with oversized teeth and lionfish fins for flippers, it just isn't worth reading.
United States suing Canada, EU, others at WTO for retaliating against tariffs
Mr. Trump’s trade chief, Robert Lighthizer, said on Monday that U.S. tariffs “are justified,” but the retaliation of other countries is “completely without justification.” The five parallel WTO complaints target Canada, the European Union, Mexico, China and Turkey.
“The actions taken by the President are wholly legitimate and fully justified as a matter of U.S. law and international trade rules,” Mr. Lighthizer said in a statement. “The United States will take all necessary actions to protect our interests.”
The United States imposed tariffs of 25 per cent on steel and 10 per cent on aluminum on China and other countries in March, then on Canada, Mexico and the EU in June. Canada fired back on July 1 with levies on $16.6-billion worth of American goods, including steel and aluminum, plus consumer products such as whisky, ketchup and frozen pizza.
The WTO challenge comes as Mr. Trump considers putting a further 25-per-cent levy on all cars and trucks imported to the United States, a move that could throw hundreds of thousands of people out of work and devastate the heavily integrated continental auto industry.
Oh, bother.
And so the shitshow continues. Pissing off the EU, sucking up to Putin, negotiating with the Taliban...par for the course I suppose with this administration.
Disgusted, but not surprised
I guess Trump really believes in suing others...
On a more positive note, yet not unrelated to Trump, the European Union and Japan have signed one of the world's biggest free trade deals, covering nearly a third of the world's GDP and 600 million people.
https://www.bbc.com/news/business-44857317
I guess every bit counts.
So far the whole trade war mess has mostly impacted the US. Talk about a terrible strategy.
So while Trump is starting a trade war and the UK wants to leave the EU to "trade freely", said EU has signed a free trade agreement with Japan.
Yeah...
Chaotic Greedy
Is it a real free trade agreement, or is it a "free trade agreement" as a cover for SOPA-like laws?
"And as long as a sack of shit is not a good thing to be, chivalry will never die."
It's a bilateral free trade agreement. I am a little bit worried to be honest, because it is basically TTP but with Japan instead of the US. But some of those more sensitive points (like the rights of companies) are still discussed.
Basically the whole thing should be an economic boon (and a great opportunity to sell milk products to Japan), but there are the usual concerns that it might undermine EU standards.
If my understanding is correct, it's actually the trade agreements which include the US which tend to have these SOPA thingies, it's something that the US government tends to push for, not all trade agreements. I am thinking of how much of the SOPA stuff was dropped from the new TPP after Trump pulled out.
"For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled." - Richard Feynman
A procrastination in of itself
Yeah that shit is largly about applying US rules to other countries, it’s why I always found US opposition to the TPP and it’s atlantic equivalent kinda weird, the oppressive rules and bullshit wern’t being pushed on the US, they were being pushed on other by the US.
"And the Bunny nails it!" ~ Gabrael "If the UN can get through a day without everyone strangling everyone else so can we." ~ Cyran
Iceland's government recently had the bright idea to invite the Speaker of the Danish Parliament, the lovely Pia Kjærsgaard, to speak on a special parliament session on Þingvellir commemorating the 100 anniversary of Iceland's sovereignty. Needless to say, the reception was... mixed. The entire Pirate Party boycotted the session and one Social Democrat parliamentarian walked out when Kjærsgaard held her speech. Kjærsgaard responded by calling the party members "poorly brought up" once she got home.
Edited by DrDougsh on Jul 20th 2018 at 10:36:48 AM
You couldn't at least have given us Danes the courtesy of chucking her into the sea?
Still not embarrassing enough to stan billionaires or tech companies.
Hey, it ain't our job to dispose of your garbage. I do wish we didn't invite it to our home, granted.
Okay, I know that I am most likely incredible ignorant but...who?
She's the woman who ushered our far-right, pro-hate speech Danish Peoples' Party into political prominence by allying with the Liberal Party way back in the late 90's.
Now she's the Speaker of our Parliament.
Still not embarrassing enough to stan billionaires or tech companies.
As if being invited to speak as a guest of honour in Iceland's patriotic shrine during a milestone celebration wasn't enough, she was also awarded the Icelandic Order of the Falcon. At least one other recipient has renounced her own medal in the same order because of it.
This whole special session of parliament was a joke. The government way overspent on holding a special session of parliament at Þingvellir, basically patting itself on the back by holding a ceremony barely anyone outside of the government attended. This is happening at the same time the country's midwives are on strike and the country's birthing centres are vastly undermanned as a result. Oh, we can't spend money to give midwives the fair raise they're asking for, but we will spend millions on a lavish, pointless ceremony and invite the Danish Marine Le Pen to it.
And to top it all off, this isn't even the real celebration of Iceland's 100 year sovereignty anniversary. That's supposed to be this november. This special session was held to commemorate the signing of Iceland's sovereignty, not its coming into effect. Meaning it's just a pointless additional ceremony taking attention away from the actual celebration that's going to be at the end of the year.
And to my understanding, it's also the first time a foreigner has been offered to speak at the location, correct?
Also, if they really wanted to commemorate Iceland's sovereignty, wouldn't they just...invite the Prime Minister? Or a member of the royal family?
This smacks of trying to curry far-right favor.
...I mean, not that I wouldn't want the Prime Minister chucked into the sea either.
Edited by math792d on Jul 21st 2018 at 12:52:57 PM
Still not embarrassing enough to stan billionaires or tech companies.
I assume we're probably getting a royal visit during the main celebration in November (though word on the street is that Queen Margarethe's not coming). That just makes this unwanted visit all the more gratuitous.
For now, it looks like France will win the WC which will do wonders for the mood in the country...and if people are in a good mood, they think more positive of their leaders.
Plus, he still has a few years for the reforms he has in mind.