
European Politics discussion
I guess the question this time is if it will survive in a single digit or double digit number of days.
Mario and Luigi have it under control.
I have nowhere to put this, but while watching videos on the Kings & Generals YT channel today, I was reminded about how we are currently living through a heretofore unprecedented era of peace in Europe.
Like, every previous century of European history is looking at the last 70 years and going "Holy sh*t, you all have gone that long without trying to kill each other?"
(EDIT: Yes, I know, the Balkans, but even factoring that and the Georgia/Ukraine conflicts in, this has been a time of astonishing peace across the continent.)
Not so bold prediction: US views on the EU will start to fall into partisan lines, where progressives deify the EU and conservatives vilify us. Especially as the EU will come into contrast as the only remaining democratic (but definitely not flawless) block standing next and no longer together with a US divided between fascists and normies.
I think a big reason why the EU is presented negatively in the US media is because the EU is a direct threat to the US economic supremacy. And only those people who are willing to look at the good the EU does for the world will be able to look past this.
I don't remember thinking that the media was presenting the EU in a bad light. I've spent the most time with NPR, although since the election, I've been using the cnn.com site more.
I'd kind of expect that from Fox, but they're not really media, they're a propaganda organ.
Not so bold prediction: US views on the EU will start to fall into partisan lines, where progressives deify the EU and conservatives vilify us.
I don't think that's really a "prediction" anymore.
Yeah, as a German/US citizen, that line always seemed fairly sharp to me in the post 9/11 world. Except for occasionally the UK (though now they're not even part of the EU, so whatever).
An update on the Netherlands!
Mark Rutte: Survivor of Dutch politics in fight for political life
With more than a decade as prime minister under his belt, Mark Rutte is one of the wiliest survivors in European politics.He has steered his centre-right liberal VVD party through political crises, winning election after election. His most recent victory came in March, weeks after his cabinet resigned over a child welfare scandal.
No wonder he has earned the nickname "Teflon Mark", overcoming a political crisis that affected thousands of parents.
But his narrow victory in a no-confidence vote in the early hours of 2 April appears to be more than just another awkward scrape.
He denies lying over coalition talks, but the Rutte brand has been badly tarnished and a fourth term in office is now in doubt. His biggest coalition ally, Sigrid Kaag of the liberal D66, filed a motion disapproving of his conduct and every party in parliament backed it but his own.
"If I were him I wouldn't continue," she said, adding that her confidence in him had been severely damaged. "I blame him for that too."
On the face of it Mark Rutte, 54, is Dutch politics personified. A man with a modest lifestyle who goes to work and even the palace on his bike, he has mastered the art of reaching consensus and maintaining a stable coalition.
The Dutch response to the coronavirus pandemic has been far from successful, and yet he still led his party to a decisive victory in the March vote.
Ah, the sound of Sabre-rattling.
Russia has warned Nato against sending any troops to help Ukraine, amid reports of a large Russian military build-up on its borders.Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia would take "additional measures" if Nato were to make such a move.
Sporadic, low-level clashes continue in eastern Ukraine between Ukrainian troops and Russian-backed separatists.
US forces in Europe are now on higher alert, citing "escalations of Russian aggression" in the area.
A Nato official told Reuters news agency that Russia was undermining efforts to reduce tensions in eastern Ukraine and Nato ambassadors had met on Thursday to discuss the situation.
"Allies share their concerns about Russia's recent large-scale military activities in and around Ukraine," the official said.
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky joined the criticism, saying "military exercises and possible provocations along the border are traditional Russian games".
Meanwhile, Mr Peskov accused Ukrainian forces of staging "provocations" on the frontline in eastern Ukraine, where a fragile ceasefire is violated daily.
In the worst flare-up in recent months, four Ukrainian soldiers died in separatist shelling on 26 March near Shuma, a village in the Donetsk region. There have been only low-level incidents since then.
EDIT: Well this sounds good.
Russian-backed separatist of the Donetsk People's Republic (DNR) have announced military conscription for citizens born 1994 - 2003. This comes at a time of drastically increased fighting on the frontlines in the Donbas. Not looking good.
Good evening!
The hell's going on in Norn Iron now?
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said he is "deeply concerned" about scenes of violence in Northern Ireland.Police were attacked, petrol bombs thrown and a bus set on fire in another night of disorder in Belfast.
"The way to resolve differences is through dialogue, not violence or criminality," he said.
The disturbances took place on both sides of an interface in the loyalist Shankill and nationalist Springfield Road areas of the city on Wednesday.
Forty-one police officers were injured in disturbances in parts of Northern Ireland over the Easter period, involving children as young as 13.
Those are great, thanks Axon.
Another election, another round of Labour getting its arse kicked, more discussion online about whether it's because Labour is too left or insufficiently left.
MEANWHILE, ON THE FRANCO-BELGIAN BORDER
A farmer in Belgium has caused a stir after inadvertently redrawing the country's border with France.A local history enthusiast was walking in the forest when he noticed the stone marking the boundary between the two countries had moved 2.29m (7.5ft).
The Belgian farmer, apparently annoyed by the stone in his tractor's path, had moved it inside French territory.
TIME TO RE-DO THE TREATY OF KORTRIJK, HERE WE GO EVERYBODY.
Another election, another round of Labour getting its arse kicked, more discussion online about whether it's because Labour is too left or insufficiently left.
They are too First-past-the-post.
TIME TO RE-DO THE TREATY OF KORTRIJK, HERE WE GO EVERYBODY.
Don't you run the Internet Mistake Thread? You should know better than to start sh*t. Ideas got legs.
Cummings gave it away a bit when he said he wasn't a smart man.
The history of his writings and actions suggest that he certainly doesn't believe that and so this was just another part of the show. A liar calling others liars out for their lies.
I thought this was interesting, especially as it can sometimes seem like everyone dislikes the EU due to UK bias.
Of note: EU countries who chose not to participate in the Euro, like Denmark, are not in this poll.
The Dutch I understand but what's the story with Belgium, dejanzie?
But yeah, saw this on Reddit and the general theme underneath from the English speakers was surprise. Ireland remembers not having a reserve currency or pegged to one. It was far from ideal.
I honestly don't know, maybe because nothing is ever really popular in Belgium, we are centrists in everything?
Even during the euro crisis we were not in a position to really look down on the south like some other West-European countries (Netherlands or Germany), as our national deficit and debt are not really exemplary either.
In Wallonia the only right-wing party of significance are liberal-democrats and very pro-Europe - Charles Michel is even the current "President". And while our Flemish right-wing parties are inching towards euro-scepticism, their end goal is Flemish independence within a European framework. It's even a major argument whenever someone posits that you wouldn't want to split up such a small country even further: that it would be okay because of the EU.
Some in that Reddit thread argued that some are still bitter about hidden price hikes when the Euro was introduced, but that seems far-fetched. It's been 20 years already after all.
MEANWHILE, ON THE FRANCO-BELGIAN BORDER
A farmer in Belgium has caused a stir after inadvertently redrawing the country's border with France.A local history enthusiast was walking in the forest when he noticed the stone marking the boundary between the two countries had moved 2.29m (7.5ft).
The Belgian farmer, apparently annoyed by the stone in his tractor's path, had moved it inside French territory.
TIME TO RE-DO THE TREATY OF KORTRIJK, HERE WE GO EVERYBODY.
RE: Ukraine's kits at Euro 2020/21
I assume all the "no politics in sports" people who are pissed about players taking the knee are INCREDIBLY angry at this explicitly political message.
RE: Ukraine's kits at Euro 2020/21
I assume all the "no politics in sports" people who are pissed about players taking the knee are INCREDIBLY angry at this explicitly political message.
The "no politics in sports" people are the same ones who wear the "I'd rather be a Russian than a Democrat" t-shirts so, yeah, they'd be pissed.
That's another complete reversal the GOP pulled off that still leaves me scratching my head.
Well, it was a bit of tipping their hand.
"We'd rather be ruled by a nationalist autocrat/dictator than a Democrat," basically.
Not politics, but holy sh*t, at least 70 dead in Germany and Belgium due to flooding.
It's crazy, I haven't seen anything like it in my lifetime. No floods in my neck of the woods luckily, but a lot of colleagues and family are affected.
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