Yup, still fits. Suppose America has leapfrogged a few recently.
EU discussion / and other European countries
- Thread starter Amar__
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Not interested in abiturienten bravo journalism, sorry. It was Scholz' government to keep together and he was about as capable of it as I am of giving birth.
The SPD have been part of government coalitions for 23 of the past 27 years. Anyone who thought they'd go into opposition if there is any chance of clinging on to power was kidding themselves, they cling on by any means necessary. They knew it too, which is why they only ran against the AfD and no one else.
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I think I've made it clear what I think about Scholz, but putting the blame on him because he should have somehow managed to keep fundamentally different parties under one banner is a flabbergasting take on things. Like, yeah sure, the FDP had planned breaking the coalition since September and outright sabotaged them every step of the way, but yeah sure Scholz should have waved his magic wand and just somehow made them fall back in line...
See that's the line of thinking that makes partners plan the break up...
Europe’s free-speech problem - JD Vance was right
https://www.economist.com/leaders/2025/05/15/europes-free-speech-problem
That's not what JD Vance meant though. That subtitle is just silly.
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The entire article is.
Romania: with nearly 95% of the votes counted, Nicusor Dan is ahead by a significant margin: 54.15% vs. 45.85%. The far right candidate (ally of Trump) is losing!
thank feck for that.
Seems to be a theme across Europe. Far right seem to have the most and least popular candidates. Voting transfers or multi stage voting seem to be keeping them at bay with 'anyone but the far right' being a larger voting block than the far right can overcome. For now.
I guess we have put off the fascist takeover for another year or two.
I'm reading that Simion is still declaring himself the winner, even if that is mathematically impossible with less than 1% of the votes not being counted yet. I guess another "stolen" election for the fascist's narrative?
Yeah, expect the MAGA playbook, Bannon has very much been involved, among others.
The propaganda machine is also already trying to use this to attack the EU in general. Expect plenty fake stories of how the EU rigged it, which will probably become a narrative of all far-right parties in Europe from now on.
Portuguese elections... the left decimated, trumpers now at 23%, ultra free market liberals now the 4th party... feck me.
Let's see if the center right party that won resists the temptation of an unholy alliance with the trumpers to get a majority. The wing of the party that loved merkel and austerity have been pushing for it, the reasonable ones keep saying it's a red line. Let's see, but the maggats keep growing, things not looking good.
It's infuriating that these fecking trumpist assholes keep banging on about crime, pedophiles and corruption and of course, no surprise, they are the party with most cases of criminality, including outright theft and a guy paying a minor for sex. Yet, they are completely immune, their voters just don't care. I feel like punching someone.
Let's see if the center right party that won resists the temptation of an unholy alliance with the trumpers to get a majority. The wing of the party that loved merkel and austerity have been pushing for it, the reasonable ones keep saying it's a red line. Let's see, but the maggats keep growing, things not looking good.
It's infuriating that these fecking trumpist assholes keep banging on about crime, pedophiles and corruption and of course, no surprise, they are the party with most cases of criminality, including outright theft and a guy paying a minor for sex. Yet, they are completely immune, their voters just don't care. I feel like punching someone.
And Portugal was supposed to be a beacon of harmony and peace compared to most places in Europe.
Yeah those days are gone. We were known as mild mannered people but that has changed with the new political landscape and the constant incitement of anti immigration sentiments. Specifically against people from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. Most of them who are hardworking people and do jobs that portuguese and even people from former Portuguese African colonies and Brazilians don't want to do.
I'm probably being to pessimistic because I really don't rate our current Prime Minister but I give it about 1 to 2 elections for the Far Right to reach government. For the first time in my life I'm rooting for a Center Right government to be successful or we will be in grave danger. Some of the rhetoric coming from the Far Right about settling the score regarding the last 50 years of democracy is frightening.
Social media destroyed that. The propaganda is relentless.
Yup. Everywhere’s falling to fascism. It’s really upsetting.
Well, maybe I'm being even more pessimistic but I don't believe that makes any difference at all.
This is pure propaganda effects, not poor governance. Our country hasn't been terribly managed. I don't know many people, if any, who are worse off today when compared to ten years ago.
There are problems, most with a global nature. But let's not kid ourselves, these people cultivate hatred and want blood. There is no resemblance of logic in their vote.
Agree with this, some of the stuff being spoken about is beyond shocking. Where are Chega getting all there money from? I drove through the central region to see a friend the other week (unaware that the motorways are now free), there's massive posters of Ventura everywhere you go.
They are financed by the Champalimauds and Mellos, families who thrived under the fascist regime.
Yeah and they don't tone down.
And I absolutely agree with this. Out of coincidence, yesterday I had to drive to the North of Portugal, Trás os Montes, Douro region for some meetings regarding my parents wine and olive oil production business and my wife noticed a substantial increase in Chega billboards with Ventura in his messianic pose. I understand they get more money from the subventions due to their increase of representation but I also agree that they must be getting money from economic groups with certain ideological inclinations to put it mildly.
Later in the day I was talking about the elections with some folks that work in my parents vineyards and most of them are already indoctrinated. What's more depressing is that it happened with the younger workers. The Elderly are wiser and can call Ventura for what he is, a charlatan and grifter Farage style.
Is it the rural effect? I notice a lot more Trump flags etc in the rural parts of California. He does well with that electorate. In the cities it's generally the opposite.
Not really, they had 21% in lisbon, 23% nationwide, so no big difference. They won in the poorest regions though, where previously the communist party used to win.
Ah, maybe your rural people are smarter than the dopes over here.
What the actual feck,
This same country is also incredibly xenophobic; it confiscates possessions from immigrants. feck Frederiksen. She’s a racist piece of shit.
From refugees you mean, not immigrants.
Exactly. It’s sickening. These are people fleeing from genuine danger and these cnuts literally confiscate their property. It’s sickening and indefensible.
It may be sickening, but I'm not sure if it's indefensible. I'd have to know whether it's a popular policy in Denmark first.
I wouldn't be surprised to see variations of that approach adopted in other European countries given the way the wind is blowing, but much more probable in my view is the introduction of much tighter restrictions on foreigners buying homes/property.
Sabotage suspected as power cut hits Cannes Film Festival
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4gel3g84q0o
French authorities investigate second power blackout in two days
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2...investigate-power-blackout-blamed-on-sabotage
The so-called “Jewelry Law” was a pretty disgusting piece of symbolic legislation that was more meant to deter refugees from picking Denmark than to actually confiscate their belongings. In the end it was used very infrequently - some years not at all.
I can’t find polling specific to this law (it was very controversial at the time though), but there is no doubt that tough immigration policy is overall popular in Denmark. That’s why the center-left and center-right parties have adopted those policies to blunt the more extremist parties.
Yeah that’s what I recall reading about it and it seems to have been very successful in achieving that aim, which shouldn’t be surprising I suppose.
I think tougher immigration policy is popular pretty much everywhere now (or at least it’s extremely popular amongst those who care a lot about the issue). I’ve long sensed a deep and growing disconnect between the public and the establishment and media class on it, which is why there’s so much discontent over it.