[Discussion] European Politics Discussion

European Politics discussion

Buncha amateurs in SWE

OG_slinger wrote:
Prederick wrote:

Sweden election: Gang shootings cast shadow over vote

So far this year, 47 people have died from shootings in the country - more than for the whole of 2021.

America hit 47 gun deaths in 2021 about 8:30 AM on January 1st...

If Sweden had the same population as the US, that rate would mean 1477 gun deaths so far.

AUs_TBirD wrote:
OG_slinger wrote:
Prederick wrote:

Sweden election: Gang shootings cast shadow over vote

So far this year, 47 people have died from shootings in the country - more than for the whole of 2021.

America hit 47 gun deaths in 2021 about 8:30 AM on January 1st...

If Sweden had the same population as the US, that rate would mean 1477 gun deaths so far.

The US hit that number just after midnight on January 11th, 2021.

Still 2-3x the average in comparable EU countries.
It seems positive if Sweden is starting to take the issues serious. Just very saddening that it happens through them voting for right wing crazies.

Do anyone have any links (in English preferably) of what is driving the gun violence? Generally organised crime prefer not to have very public murders unless it’s a very turbulent gang war (like Mexico as the cartels split). Just saying it’s immigrants doesn’t really make sense. There must be some revenue/business driving this?

OG_slinger wrote:
AUs_TBirD wrote:
OG_slinger wrote:

America hit 47 gun deaths in 2021 about 8:30 AM on January 1st...

If Sweden had the same population as the US, that rate would mean 1477 gun deaths so far.

The US hit that number just after midnight on January 11th, 2021.

I think you're missing the point that we aren't even remotely comparable to the United States.

DoveBrown wrote:

Do anyone have any links (in English preferably) of what is driving the gun violence? Generally organised crime prefer not to have very public murders unless it’s a very turbulent gang war (like Mexico as the cartels split). Just saying it’s immigrants doesn’t really make sense. There must be some revenue/business driving this?

You mean aside from the popular documentary Bowling for Columbine? A good starting point is the wiki page which has loads of links and points to quite a few article. There's also a big thread right here in the forums.

I think (?) DoveBrown meant the gun violence in Sweden. Our mass shooting thread is fairly U.S.-centric, since we're way atop the leaderboard for that stuff.

Yes, I meant the Swedish gun violence. The US gun violence is that fetishisation that has occurred for decades. Swedish gun laws are typically European. All legal gun owners are licensed. No right to use firearms in self defence, practically no one has a license to conceal carry. Strict rules (and police inspection) of gun storage. I am assuming that very few of the Swedish gun deaths are occurring with licensed gun owners. When “responsible licensed” people commit gun violence in Europe, it tends to licensing legislation changes (as in the U.K. after Huntington and Dunblaine), so something different is going on?

Exit polls showed a tiny center-left victory, but it has shifted toward a tiny center-right+racist party victory. With 93% counted, so it looks unlikely to change, even with the small margin. Ugh.

DoveBrown wrote:

Yes, I meant the Swedish gun violence. The US gun violence is that fetishisation that has occurred for decades. Swedish gun laws are typically European. All legal gun owners are licensed. No right to use firearms in self defence, practically no one has a license to conceal carry. Strict rules (and police inspection) of gun storage. I am assuming that very few of the Swedish gun deaths are occurring with licensed gun owners. When “responsible licensed” people commit gun violence in Europe, it tends to licensing legislation changes (as in the U.K. after Huntington and Dunblaine), so something different is going on?

Seems to be gang related and the increase has been happening for the last 2-3 decades. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gun_vi...

Do we have anyone from Sweden here who can provide more insight?

I feel like this adequately and accurately summarizes the protests and debates going on in the UK right now:

There isn’t a lot of protesting going on, it’s mostly very isolated groups or individuals the police are cracking down on very hard, which is a debate in and of itself. That’s not to say there aren’t a lot of people with issues with a Monarchy, but mostly that debate is the same one that’s been going on for years mostly online these days.

Regardless of your views on the monarchy, I think most people in the UK have managed to bring themselves to show a little respect to someone who’s died and was, more or less, very popular as an individual.

Surprised Prince Andrew has been allowed to be as publicly visible as he has been though. That’s been a mistake.

European Parliament brands Hungary as ‘no longer a democracy’

Hungary can no longer be considered a democracy, and European values are under systemic threat in the country, the European Parliament declared in a report adopted on Thursday.

At this point, the report concluded, Hungary has become an “electoral autocracy.”

.....

In their report, Parliament members listed a range of concerns — from the functioning of the country’s electoral system to its judicial independence. They also express fears about academic and religious freedom, as well as the rights of vulnerable populations.

........

The European Commission has been engaged in a long battle with the country over the rule of law, pressing Hungary over the alleged misuse of public funds to enrich figures close to the ruling Fidesz party. On Sunday, the Commission is expected to recommend a significant cut to Hungary’s EU funds — while also giving the country several months to find a compromise.

About effing time.
I've basically been saying that for AT LEAST 6 years and wishing for "decisive action" against the Orban regime, rather than the EU's prior strategy of infinite appeasement while being very concerned as they continue to feed Orban huge sums of money as he incessantly berates and belittles Brussels.

This is the same reason Republicans are in love with Hungary. Viktor Orbán gave the recent CPAC keynote speech.

Breaking news : Germany must become 'the best equipped armed force in Europe', Scholz says (Euro News)

Wow. That’s quite the shift compared to decades past. Feels historical in a sense.

Eleima wrote:

Breaking news : Germany must become 'the best equipped armed force in Europe', Scholz says (Euro News)

Wow. That’s quite the shift compared to decades past. Feels historical in a sense.

Marine Le Pen suddenly sees a path to French leadership.

It would require some major constitutional changes for Germany to have a military half as capable as that of France.

H.P. Lovesauce wrote:

Marine Le Pen suddenly sees a path to French leadership.

Are you trying to make me cry??

Census 2021: More from Catholic background in NI than Protestant

The latest census figures show that for the first time there are more people from a Catholic background in Northern Ireland than Protestant.

The proportion of the resident population which is either Catholic or brought up Catholic is 45.7% compared to 43.48% Protestant.

The previous census, in 2011, found that 45.1% of the population were Catholic or brought up Catholic.

It found 48.4% were from a Protestant or other Christian background.

In terms of national identity, 31.9% said they had a British-only identity, while 29.1% said Irish-only and 19.8% said Northern Irish-only.

Census figures detailing the religious make-up of Northern Ireland were published by the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (Nisra) on Thursday.

The figures, which are being released in stages, were due to be published on Tuesday but that was delayed due to the Queen's funeral.

Compared with the previous census in 2011, the proportion of people with a British-only identity has decreased.

Meanwhile 8% of people said they were both British and Northern Irish - up from 6.2% in 2011

The latest census was the first to be held since the UK voted in 2016 to leave the European Union.

Well, geez. Looking a little concerning over there in Italy....

Italy elections: Far-right leader Meloni tells Italians 'don't be afraid' (BBC)

This Sunday, 100 years after Mussolini's March on Rome, Italy is poised to opt for a leader from the hard right, whose Brothers of Italy party has its roots in neo-fascism.
Polls in Italy are seen as very reliable indicators. Their key uncertainty appears to be the size of the nationalists' victory.
Famous for being small of stature but very loud of voice, Giorgia Meloni was addressing a campaign rally just outside Naples, in the working town of Caserta.
She bellowed her economic promises at the nodding, cheering crowd. She would change Italy, she promised, investing in its strengths, standing up for its interests in Brussels, cracking down on uncontrolled immigration, protecting Italian families and the disadvantaged, while forcing those who can work off benefits.

Yikes.

I fear that the waxing of fascist nationalists across the world will only continue as the real impacts of climate change continue to worsen in severity, creating ever-greater economic pain around the world and increasing waves of climate change induced migrations.

I think historically stress from food insecurity, etc. has pushed people to more authoritarian leadership.

Another party offering easy answers to hard questions will go the same way. M5S are now disappearing into irrelevance in Italian politics.

Anyway, talking of populist politics, UK’s biggest tax cuts since 1972 trigger crash in pound, bonds. Anyone want to take odds that the UK will exist by 2030?

Axon wrote:

Anyway, talking of populist politics, UK’s biggest tax cuts since 1972 trigger crash in pound, bonds. Anyone want to take odds that the UK will exist by 2030?

We'll still be here clinging on for grim death I suspect. Never forget that Scotland need permission from Westminster to hold a second referendum. They are never going to get it, certainly not in the lifetime of the current political classes.

I'm sure it's something about the UK's charter, but I find the concept of that kind of amazing, that they have to ASK the government they'd be separating from if they can vote on separating.

Prederick wrote:

I'm sure it's something about the UK's charter, but I find the concept of that kind of amazing, that they have to ASK the government they'd be separating from if they can vote on separating.

Well, that's down to how Scotland became part of the Union in the first place to be honest. Proper history that happened around 20 years before the Pilgrims left in the Mayflower.

Fun fact: Yugoslavia still has a Crown Prince and Princess even though there's no Yugoslavia. Thank you, List of dignitaries at the state funeral of Elizabeth II from Wikipedia.

When this is the highest-rated comment over at the Financial Times, one thinks the Tories may have missed the mark a smidge with their new tax cut thingy;

IMAGE(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FdWxbmcWQAAe6FN?format=png&name=medium)

Paleocon wrote:

It would require some major constitutional changes for Germany to have a military half as capable as that of France.

I love this part...

IMAGE(https://i.imgur.com/uOt0F8T.png)