European General Politics #1

[Foamy T. Squirrel]

There seems to be some sheepish DNA that worked its way into the human DNA at times. Group think is big again, just like it was when Hitler and Stalin came to power.

I don't do Twitter or other social contact services. I only come to this CC thread when my blood pressure gets low. I don't like societies that need to have surveillance cameras or tracking on every corner in order to control their people. It means they are either populated by an immoral populace or by a tyrannical government. Somewhere Western Civilization forgot the simple Ten Commandments and never read Orwell. Or Locke.

How can any jackass with disgusting tyrannical goals try to screw over J.K.Rowling? I mean, leave successful children's book novelists alone!

 

 

 

[BBsq69]

On 5/3/2018 at 9:23 PM, Foamy T. Squirrel said:

There seems to be some sheepish DNA that worked its way into the human DNA at times. Group think is big again, just like it was when Hitler and Stalin came to power.

Well Stalin took over what was already a totalitarian regime but I looked up the Nazis because I had this idea that their mandate was only a third of the vote (a quarter of the electorate) and I was right but they were so well organised it didn't take them long to seize total power when another election would have seen them possibly drop further. Whether this can be repeated elsewhere in Europe nowadays is open to question but I don't feel it would be impossible.

Delving further into German elections I looked at the 2017 one which has only just produced a government and they use something like the Scottish system of 50% directly elected and then use a party list to provide the balance of the proportional representation. Now I will be honest and think that is a fair system although effectively it creates 2 types of MPs. I would want a system that allows voters to pick who represents an area together with some nod to PR.

In the UK we had a referendum on whether we replaced the current first past the post system with the alternative vote and I was very much in favour latter but the Tory party (and to some extent the idiotic Labour Party) were firmly against any change which reduced the possibility of them having total power. They produced arguments such as you couldn't have a strong government - when the reality is the UK have had plenty of weak governments - that coalitions would be the norm which was a bad thing even though we had a coalition government at the time - that it was (patronisingly) too difficult even for them to understand - despite the fact that people in other countries can understand it - and finally that it increased the chances of extremists coming to power. Now I did think this last point was bollocks but while Germany don't have that system the far right gained nearly 100 seats in their parliament. In the UK despite gaining an even larger percentage of the vote in 2015 UKIP won only 1 seat so maybe our system does work ... well for lower percentages maybe, a Nazi type percentage may well have won. But to me the main point is our electoral system is vastly unfair as while UKIP got 12.6% of the vote, the SNP with 4.7% won 56 seats which is effectively 150 times the return. And yet nobody in the UK was the least bit bothered by that kind of injustice. Fortunately UKIP have disappeared or rather gone back to hiding in the Conservative Party.

[Rhdem]

in Italy we are going to vote again (maybe to july) because last vote is revealed a fail ... this is what happens when a bad electoral law is made 

[BBsq69]

On 5/8/2018 at 8:20 AM, Rhdem said:

in Italy we are going to vote again (maybe to july) because last vote is revealed a fail ... this is what happens when a bad electoral law is made 

Berlusconi!!!!!

[BBsq69]

Brexit - a term we nicked from the Greek Grexit that never happened - and now Theresa May has divided her cabinet in 2 to come up with 2 plans. The only problem is that the EU are likely to reject both.

The problem is, as it has been for over 300 years and not as one sided as some would have you believe, Ireland. The right wing want us to us to withdraw from the Customs Union as do the DUP who hold 10 seats in Northern Ireland the balance of power in the UK parliament partly because Sinn Fein refuse to take up their 7 seats. Now the EU wanted us to sort the Irish border out first so yes we said we would match up so there doesn't need to be customs posts. However that would have course mean following all EU regulations. BTW we said we are not going to that or are we? Absolutely not? In that case said the EU you have to have a physical border and that's not what you told us. Oh we said we can do all the tariffs electronically using technology not currently being used ... and the EU can pay for it since that's what they want. Let's leave that BS for a second said the EU, what about the regulations and the fact you clearly implied that you would match our regulations? Did we? said the UK, we only said something so we could talk about trade instead of Northern Ireland.

There are only a few months left and the UK still hasn't even decided what they want out of the EU. Nor do they recognise that we are 65 million negotiating with 450 million. If Spain suddenly left and decided to negotiate a trade treaty with Trump's US, how one-sided would that be? Europe is pissed off with us, particularly Germany and France, does the UK honestly believe they are going to give us an inch? Almost all of our major trading partners are in the EU. I think it reads something like Germany, US, Holland, France, Belgium ... and yet we have decided (we haven't decided see above but the right wing want to) we want to pay a load of tariffs to 4 of them which we previously didn't have to pay. Insanity.

[BBsq69]

Interesting times in Italy. I am still a fervent remainer but a lot of the EU's problems came about because of Germany's dogmatic approach to the Euro  with which they bent the rules to allow economies not ready to join to join. If you ask me you could extend that to EU membership in general. The powerful economies in Europe are all in the North West with the exception of Italy. It was probably right to let Spain join but after that they should have been really strict. Some countries after the Iron Curtain was raised or drawn open (I guess that's what you could call it in terms of the metaphor) like The Czech Republic and Slovenia would probably have entered seamlessly but to pretend others could like Romania and Bulgaria was blind optimism. Like for the UK, Europe has become a bugbear in Italy that many people blame all their problems on - absolute BS - but unlike the UK (who mainly hate the French) Italy blame Germany whereas the UK always saw ourselves as equals so German power was never an issue. Italy used to have an economy as strong as France or the UK but now they are more like Spain but I think that has a hell of a lot more to do with their own government (the continued power of the Mafia in the south leading to hopeless corruption in construction and other industries) than anything Germany has done to them. Yes Germany do tell them what to do but that was because they were just hoping 2008 would go away by itself. 

[Foamy T. Squirrel]

1 hour ago, BBsq69 said:

Interesting times in Italy. I am still a fervent remainer but a lot of the EU's problems came about because of Germany's dogmatic approach to the Euro  with which they bent the rules to allow economies not ready to join to join. If you ask me you could extend that to EU membership in general. The powerful economies in Europe are all in the North West with the exception of Italy. It was probably right to let Spain join but after that they should have been really strict. Some countries after the Iron Curtain was raised or drawn open (I guess that's what you could call it in terms of the metaphor) like The Czech Republic and Slovenia would probably have entered seamlessly but to pretend others could like Romania and Bulgaria was blind optimism. Like for the UK, Europe has become a bugbear in Italy that many people blame all their problems on - absolute BS - but unlike the UK (who mainly hate the French) Italy blame Germany whereas the UK always saw ourselves as equals so German power was never an issue. Italy used to have an economy as strong as France or the UK but now they are more like Spain but I think that has a hell of a lot more to do with their own government (the continued power of the Mafia in the south leading to hopeless corruption in construction and other industries) than anything Germany has done to them. Yes Germany do tell them what to do but that was because they were just hoping 2008 would go away by itself. 

 

[BBsq69]

Advice to anyone thinking of inviting Donald Gump anywhere. Look what he has just done to Theresa May. The guy is a fucking disgrace. He speaks like a drunk in bar and yet he doesn't drink.

Probably the most disgraceful interview by anybody of a guest of another country. He may be trying to divide and conquer doing Putin's work for him but their are other options:

1. Boris Johnson has stuck his tongue up his arse. This is a man who's sole ambition is to be PM and have things named after him - he's lazy, he's incompetent and a diplomatic nightmare, he told and repeated lies over Brexit and above all a fucking embarrassment.

2. Rupert Murdoch takes further revenge against the UK for having the temerity to stop him having his people in the PM's office after the incident with the murdered girl's phone and everything that followed.

3. (Probably the right one) He just wants to spread chaos by talking his usual bollocks, repeating lies which he has been told are lies because they are not lies if the US President tells them - some guy called Nixon used to say something like that. 

We shouldn't have invited him and now even Theresa May realises that. He deserves no respect from anyone. Hopefully in 2 years 5 months hopefully we will get to talk to an adult. 

[Thestarider]

24 minutes ago, BBsq69 said:

Advice to anyone thinking of inviting Donald Gump anywhere. Look what he has just done to Theresa May. The guy is a fucking disgrace. He speaks like a drunk in bar and yet he doesn't drink.

Probably the most disgraceful interview by anybody of a guest of another country. He may be trying to divide and conquer doing Putin's work for him but their are other options:

1. Boris Johnson has stuck his tongue up his arse. This is a man who's sole ambition is to be PM and have things named after him - he's lazy, he's incompetent and a diplomatic nightmare, he told and repeated lies over Brexit and above all a fucking embarrassment.

2. Rupert Murdoch takes further revenge against the UK for having the temerity to stop him having his people in the PM's office after the incident with the murdered girl's phone and everything that followed.

3. (Probably the right one) He just wants to spread chaos by talking his usual bollocks, repeating lies which he has been told are lies because they are not lies if the US President tells them - some guy called Nixon used to say something like that. 

We shouldn't have invited him and now even Theresa May realises that. He deserves no respect from anyone. Hopefully in 2 years 5 months hopefully we will get to talk to an adult. 

Yea like that last pussy of President we had !!!!!! He may be an Arrogant Bastard, but he has the world taking notice. He will soon have Putin taking notice as well, as he will not put up with his BS either. I don't see any Brits going over to give Putin any shit ? I don't see anyone from the EU going over to give Putin shit for his atrocities. No as usual you all wait for the US to take the fucking lead, and then you all bitch about it and curse the US. You know BB we are fucking sick of it, and President Trump is standing up for the US taxpayer. The average US citizen. I have seen several interviews now that most of Britain only gets the BS news from America. It is no wonder we have to deal with this shit all the time. He is no different that your crazy ass parliament. Stand up sit down..... Stand up sit down ….....fight...…. fight …...fight, Hell man I use to do that in Jr. High School at the pep assemblies.

[ashleyxyz]

On 4/28/2018 at 11:42 PM, Foamy T. Squirrel said:

Re: expensive tweet. . .

BBsq: I'm still trying to figure out how you folks can operate with libel and slander laws that can so easily thwart the expression of political judgments and opinions made by the people. It appears to me that eliminating any such rights could easily lead to tyranny. Do you not trust the people of the nation to form their own opinions about something they hear said by others? How can a constitutional republic or democracy long survive if anyone is punished for a simple twit on twitter just because it is levied against a member of the government? Should the government be given such huge power over political comments aired publicly?

This is a totally foreign concept to most US Citizens. And a dangerous one, indeed. I cannot be fined or jailed or executed for criticizing any public official. I like that. But then, I never lived under the German National Socialist Worker's Party, or the Soviets, or the little Kimmy regime in North Korea. I was born lucky as hell. I can even make a joke about the Donald or Hillary and not be "disappeard" the next day!

So here's my declaration (which no doubt will prohibit me from getting visas to visit the countries of the world):

A public notice to all you asshole politicians throughout the world --- You're assholes and you're fucking-up the world. You start stupid wars, you over-tax your subjects in order to maintain an extravagant lifestyle that you don't deserve, and you are incompetent animals that couldn't start a hot-dog stand without subsidies stolen from the work of others. Your mother was a hamster and your father smelt of elderberries! So just resign, fuck off and get out of our lives!

There. I am now a world-wide criminal for denouncing all the world's asshole politicians. Can I be fined in the UK for that?  If that, tell them I said, "Try to sue me, mo fo's."

 

 

 

I couldn't have said it better myself Foamy!  By the way, "is this the right room for an argument?" Monty Python was the best! 

[Foamy T. Squirrel]

19 hours ago, ashleyxyz said:

I couldn't have said it better myself Foamy!  By the way, "is this the right room for an argument?" Monty Python was the best! 

I'd ban myself for going off-topic, but this is an unmoderated thread, thank goodness.

On the other hand, I don't think we could survive all this world political bullshit without resorting to humor to restore our mental health after a week or so of mindless political battles. I really should pay more attention to the invasion of killer rabbits into Anabel and Julia's apartments -- they don't understand the  threat facing them -- and it's a clear attack on the sovereignty of the squirrel nation. It's also unfair that bunny food is so damn cheap while the price of pecans and walnuts is clearly manipulated to keep us out of the European market!

 

[ashleyxyz]

1 hour ago, Foamy T. Squirrel said:

I'd ban myself for going off-topic, but this is an unmoderated thread, thank goodness.

On the other hand, I don't think we could survive all this world political bullshit without resorting to humor to restore our mental health after a week or so of mindless political battles. I really should pay more attention to the invasion of killer rabbits into Anabel and Julia's apartments -- they don't understand the  threat facing them -- and it's a clear attack on the sovereignty of the squirrel nation. It's also unfair that bunny food is so damn cheap while the price of pecans and walnuts is clearly manipulated to keep us out of the European market!

 

Lol, you squirrels can't deal with killer rabbits? Run away!! Run away!!