European Politics discussion
Turkey election: Erdogan rival Kilicdaroglu promises peace and democracy
Looks like Erdogan's handling of the earthquake could be the final straw for him, although I'm still not ready to say he's done yet.
For Turkey's long-time leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan, it comes in the shape of a former civil servant, given to making heart emojis with his hands.
Kemal Kilicdaroglu, backed by a six-party opposition alliance, says if he wins he will bring freedom and democracy to Turkey, whatever it takes.
"The youth want democracy," he told the BBC. "They don't want the police to come to their doors early in the morning just because they tweeted."
He is the Islamist leader's main rival in elections on 14 May and has a narrow lead in opinion polls. This tight race is expected to go to a second round two weeks later.
Currently Turks can go to jail for "insulting the president". Many have.
"I am telling young people they can criticise me freely. I will make sure they have this right," says the 74-year-old, who leads the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP).
Some of Mr Kilicdaroglu's supporters fear for his safety but he says it comes with the territory.
"Being in politics in Turkey means choosing a life with risks. I will walk my path whatever Erdogan and his allies do. They can't put me off. They can't scare me. I made a promise to this nation."
President Erdogan, 69, has mocked his rival in the past saying he "couldn't even herd a sheep". But he's harder to dismiss now.
I assume Republicans still represent a minority of UK citizens.
I assume Republicans still represent a minority of UK citizens.
As I have said before in this forum, Royalists in the UK are actually probably in the minority these days - support for the Royal family is focused on the older age groups.
However, as I have also said before, there is definite opinion that the Royal family are better than the alternative as things currently stand, hence the status quo is maintained.
I would expect this to change the longer Charles in on the Throne. The Queen was well like across age & socio-economic groups in the UK. King Charles is not. It doesn't help that our current government would rather we were living in a police state.
The hell is happening in Serbia this week?
Serbia: eight killed in second mass shooting in days, with attacker on the run
At least eight people have been killed and 13 injured in Serbia in a series of shootings south of Belgrade, state-run media has reported, just one day after a school shooting also saw nine killed in the capital.
The shootings started late on Thursday near the town of Mladenovac when an attacker opened fire with an automatic weapon from a moving vehicle and then fled, state broadcaster RTS television reported. Seven of the injured are in a critical condition.
Police searching for the suspect, believed to be a 21-year-old man, have surrounded an area where he is believed to be hiding, RTS reported. A heavy police presence in the area saw helicopters and drones flying overhead as officers searched amid difficult terrain.
Bratislav Gašić, the minister of internal affairs, called the attack “an act of terrorism”. The director of intelligence agency the BIA, Aleksandar Vulin, and minister of health Danica Grujičić are reported to have visited the injured in hospital.
Looks like the Tories took it in the crotch.
The hell is happening in Serbia this week?
A weekend in a major American city...
but with a vastly different outcome then we see in the US
but with a vastly different outcome then we see in the US
You're not kidding.
Serbian mass shootings: President vows crackdown on gun ownership
Serbia's president has pledged "an almost complete disarming" of the country, after the second mass shooting there in 48 hours.
Aleksandar Vucic announced a host of new strict weapons control measures, including more frequent background checks on gun owners.
On Friday, a man was arrested after opening fire from a moving car - killing eight and injuring 14.
That shooting came soon after a boy killed nine people at a school.
Wednesday's attack, where the thirteen-year-old shot dead eight fellow pupils at his school in Belgrade, as well as a security guard, was Serbia's worst shooting in years.
The second incident occurred in the early hours of Friday near the town of Mladenovac, 60km (37 miles) south of Belgrade, when the shooter opened fire from a moving car.
Reports on local media say the suspect - who the interior ministry said was born in 2002 - started firing at people with an automatic weapon after having an argument with a police officer in a park on Thursday evening.
He was arrested on Friday morning after "an extensive search", which reportedly involved 600 police officers, the interior ministry said.
Speaking at a press conference after the second shooting, President Aleksandar Vucic announced a push to disarm the country as he condemned the latest attack as "terrorism" and "an attack on us all".
Serbia has among the highest firearm ownership rates in the world, and he said no new gun permits would be issued.
"We will conduct a revision of all people who posses firearms, around 400,000 of them. After these checks, there will be no more than 30,000 to 40,000 weapons legally owned," he said.
He also announced that penalties for illegal possession of firearms will be doubled. Penalties for carrying weapons like knives will be increased as well.
Weapons holders will be subjected to more frequent psychiatric and psychological tests, as well as ad hoc drug testing.
President Vucic also vowed to strengthen security for schools, announcing that 1,200 new police officers will be recruited in the next six months to be deployed to schools across the country.
There is something very Crusader Kings 3 about watching the coronation of Charles III, even if his stats in-game would be absolutely terrible.
There is something very Crusader Kings 3 about watching the coronation of Charles III, even if his stats in-game would be absolutely terrible.
It’s all funded by the taxpayer but I will say we appear to be able to do pomp and circumstance in a way few other nations can get close to.
He'd have good development skills, being an architect and city planner and having participated in many such projects throughout his life. I suspect he'd be an average military planner.
I'd put his learning at 9, and his Stewardship at perhaps 11. Nothing else clears 5.
As I have said before in this forum, Royalists in the UK are actually probably in the minority these days - support for the Royal family is focused on the older age groups.
Silo-ing effect, I'm sure, but I was quite surprised, in my corner of Football Twitter, how many UK users were laughing/cringing at the whole thing.
If this was Crusader Kings, Andrew's carriage would have already fallen off the road under suspicious circumstances.
Silo-ing effect, I'm sure, but I was quite surprised, in my corner of Football Twitter, how many UK users were laughing/cringing at the whole thing.
If there's one thing that really is pervasive in the British psyche, it's the shared enjoyment of taking the piss.
Silo-ing effect, I'm sure, but I was quite surprised, in my corner of Football Twitter, how many UK users were laughing/cringing at the whole thing.
I don't think the average football supporter is going to give you a "middle of the road" opinion on the Royal Family, or having them as Head of State. You only have to look at the short booing and then chanting over the top of the National Anthem at Liverpool this evening to understand that - an event by the way that was only ever going to end one way. The fact the "authorities" felt fit to enforce that speaks much more than the fans reaction to it.
Looks like I need to repost the Harry Kane video from the satirical show clips thread
I'm surprised how much coverage it still gets here in Canada and then all the related politics of it.
For example Trudeau + a contingent went, even indigenous leaders went.
I'll be happy if in my lifetime the next time this happens it's a non factor in Canadian politics. We can keep the historic ties but can get rid of all the official politics and attachment.
I'm still trying to figure out how the hell Katy Perry got an invite.
EDIT: Ah, performed at the coronation concert.
I'm still trying to figure out how the hell Katy Perry got an invite.
EDIT: Ah, performed at the coronation concert.
Quite a few of them do a lot of work with The Princes Trust as well I believe. It’s the reason Lionel Richie was there too.
Thousands march in silence in Serbia after mass shootings
BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Thousands marched in silence on Monday in Serbia in a major outpouring of grief and anger against the populist government and how it reacted after two mass shootings last week that left 17 people dead and 21 wounded, many of them children.
The gatherings in Belgrade and the northern city of Novi Sad were dubbed “Serbia against violence.” They were called by opposition parties, which demanded the resignations of government ministers and the withdrawal licenses to the state controlled mainstream media that promote violence and often host convicted war criminals and crime figures on their programs.
After the protest officially ended, some of the protesters chanted slogans against Serbia’s increasingly autocratic president, Aleksandar Vucic, demanding that he step down, as they passed by government headquarters in Belgrade.
The president later dismissed the protest as “shameful” during an interview on pro-government Happy television. He accused the opposition of abusing people’s grief for their political ends and inciting violence.
“It’s pure politics,” said Vucic, also describing the organizers as “vultures.”
The shootings — on Wednesday in Belgrade at an elementary school, and on Thursday in a rural area south of the capital — left the nation stunned. They triggered calls to encourage tolerance and rid society of widespread hate speech and a gun culture stemming from the 1990s wars.
Education Minister Branko Ruzic submitted his resignation on Sunday and authorities launched a gun crackdown, but opposition said this was too little, too late.
There were no official estimates of crowds that streamed into central Belgrade streets on Monday evening, but observers described the gathering as the biggest in years against Vucic and his government. In Novi Sad, participants held a banner reading “Everything has to stop” and threw flowers into the Danube River to commemorate those killed in the shootings.
“We have to learn anew how to speak to each other and how to create a healthy future ... to nurture the beauty of living, of art, science and humanity,” said Biljana Stojkovic, a leader of the leftist Zajedno, or Together, party. “The worst among us have been in power for an entire decade, and they imposed the norms of aggression, intolerance, crime and lies.”
One of the largest anti-government protest in recent years in Serbia also reflected how rattled the nation has been by the shootings.
The school shooting on Wednesday was the first in Serbia’s recent history. A 13-year-old boy took his father’s guns and opened fire at the school he attended in the heart of Belgrade, shooting at his peers and killing seven girls, one boy and a school guard.
A day later, a 20-year-old man used an automatic weapon in a shooting rampage in two villages in central Serbia, randomly killing eight people and wounding 14. Prosecutors said that he has confessed to the killings and said he wanted to spread fear among residents, state media have reported.
Earlier on Monday, police deployed in schools throughout Serbia in an effort to restore a shaken sense of security as children largely returned to classes. Teams of experts have been sent with the backing of U.N. children’s agency UNICEF, offering support and guidelines for children, their parents and teachers.
Thousands have lit candles and left messages, toys and flowers to commemorate the victims. On Monday, a police officer stood in silence at the entrance of Vladislav Ribnikar school, where students are set to gradually start returning on Wednesday.
Also Monday, people who own unlicensed guns can start handing them over at police stations without punishment. Other new gun-control measures include a moratorium on new licenses, strict control of existing ones and the tightening of rules for gun possession, which officials say will leave many current gun owners without weapons.
Independent international surveys have put Serbia among the top countries in Europe for gun ownership per capita. Gun control has been loose since the 1990s Yugoslav wars, when many brought back weapons from battlefields.
Vucic has said there are around 400,000 registered gun owners in Serbia, but many more own guns illegally.
Serbia has never faced up to its role in the conflict against other ethnic groups of the former Yugoslavia. Right-wing and nationalist sentiments have been on the rise and war criminals are regarded as heroes rather than villains, with many retaining public roles after serving their sentences.
On Monday, a group of activists painted a red heart over a mural honoring wartime Bosnian Serb army commander Ratko Mladic, who is serving life in prison for genocide in Bosnia on a U.N. court conviction. The mural, located just a few blocks from the school where the shooting took place, surfaced months ago and previous attempts to remove it were thwarted by masked thugs.
Kraut isn't far off on this one and I'd argue that Ireland is already very active in multilateral institutions. But our current stance is ridiculous and the discussion is certainly a live one. If this conflict ends up with Ireland having a Squadron of Eurofighers or Griffins it will add to Putin's miscalculation. I can only assume he isn't well either physically or mentally at this point.
Pope Francis warns pets must not replace children in Italy
Okay, the text isn't this silly, but the headline made me laugh.
Starting a family in Italy is becoming a "titanic effort" that only the rich can afford, Pope Francis has warned.
Addressing a conference on Italy's demographic crisis, he said pets were replacing children in many households.
Also on stage were dozens of young people, wearing t-shirts saying "we can do this" - alluding to convincing people to have more children.
Italy has one of the lowest fertility rates in the EU and births dropped below 400,000 last year - a new low.
In his speech in Rome, the Pope said the declining birth rate signalled a lack of hope in the future, with younger generations weighed down by a sense of uncertainty, fragility and precariousness.
"Difficulty in finding a stable job, sky-high rents and insufficient wages are real problems," he said.
Warning that pets were replacing children in some households, the Pope recounted how a woman had opened her bag and asked him to "bless her baby".
Except it was not a baby, but a small dog.
"I lost my patience and told her off: there are many children who are hungry, and you bring me a dog?" he added, triggering a round of applause from the crowd.
Birth rates are slowing in many places - such as Japan, South Korea, Puerto Rico and Portugal.
But a shrinking population is a major worry for Italy - the third-largest country in the eurozone.
The country could lose almost a fifth of its residents by 2050. At the same time, the population is ageing quickly - the number of centenarians in Italy has tripled over the last 20 years.
Italy is often dubbed "The country of empty cribs". Even Elon Musk tweeted last month: "Italy is disappearing!"
Experts warn the population crisis will lead to the impoverishment of the nation. Economy Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti said that by 2042, Italy's declining birthrate would end up reducing its gross domestic product (GDP) by 18%.
There are many reasons why women in Italy are having fewer babies.
Young people struggle to find stable jobs and the childcare support system is often inadequate, which makes it hard for mothers to juggle work and family life.
Six out of 10 mothers don't have access to nurseries, according to the charity Save the Children.
Many pregnant women are forced to resign, and some get sacked when they get pregnant.
It's literally the same reasons everywhere I've seen this issue discussed.
Countries who bar immigrants wonder why their demographics are tanking.
Countries who bar immigrants wonder why their demographics are tanking.
While also making it dreadfully expensive to have children, but still protect the elderly above and beyond any other demographic.
Paleocon wrote:Countries who bar immigrants wonder why their demographics are tanking.
While also making it dreadfully expensive to have children, but still protect the elderly above and beyond any other demographic.
Because elderly people can vote, and typically vote conservative.
"Tory MP Danny Kruger tells NatCon that Western civilisation is threatened by a "new religion", a mix of "Marxism, narcissism and paganism", conforming to the "dystopian fantasy of John Lennon"
Whenever I encounter this particular genre of right wing complaint I always have the same thought, which is that we're quite literally living in the world these people created: one where markets rule & everything is for sale. They won, got what they wanted, and are still whining.
It looks like even Nigel Garbage.. I mean Farage admits that Brexit is a failure, but refuses to take any responsibility for it.
Modern Conservatives anywhere are not about responsibility to others, not in any way that benefits society. Ayn Rand kills, people. (Remove the comma and it still works, Oxford Dons stunned by simple revelation.)
It looks like even Nigel Garbage.. I mean Farage admits that Brexit is a failure, but refuses to take any responsibility for it.
That’s because Brexit wasn’t hard enough.
He really is a little turd of a man.
Germany falls into recession as inflation hits economy
Persistent inflation has helped push Germany into recession in the first three months of the year, an upgrade to growth data shows.
Europe's largest economy was also badly affected when Russian gas supplies dried up after the invasion of Ukraine, analysts said.
The economy contracted by 0.3% between January and March, the statistics office said.
That followed a 0.5% contraction in the last three months of last year.
A country is deemed to be in recession when its economy shrinks for two consecutive three-month periods, or quarters.
"Under the weight of immense inflation, the German consumer has fallen to his knees, dragging the entire economy down with him," said Andreas Scheuerle, an analyst at DekaBank.
Germany's inflation rate stood at 7.2% in April, above the euro area's average but below the UK's 8.7%.
Higher prices have weighed on household spending on things such as food, clothing and furniture. Industrial orders are also weaker, reflecting the impact of higher energy prices on businesses.
"The persistence of high price increases continued to be a burden on the German economy at the start of the year," the federal statistics agency Destatis said in a statement.
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