Ritter, you obviously never read any privately owned newspaper in Europe? :) Despite being in Brussels? Remember Schroeder and the German tabloid "Bild"? Or Blair in the UK and the "Sun"? Care to tell me why an American blog is worse than what is already happening here in Europe?
Mr Kos has no democratic legitimacy, he was never elected.
I wonder if Mr. Murdoch or any of the other media owners for example were ever elected. Murdoch in the UK, Springer in Germany?
It is purely dictatorial - depending solely on the insight and the benevolence of a handfull of individuals (co-owners of the business?). See also the banning politics. There is no financial oversight, no co - decision power of the activists (the diarists). The whole DKos business is based on the self exploitation of the writers and the appropriation of their labour by one individual.
Get a grip! It´s his website. (And no, I´m not defending his banning policy.) And lots of people are producing diaries. Including people from the UK and continental Europe. Just try to print Jerome´s diaries at the "Wall Street Journal".
Not to mention that the "handful of individuals" [front-pagers] get "elected" each year. If people don´t want to read them .... (Quite unlike officials in EU Brussels. I´m just saying...)
The whole DKos business is based on the self exploitation of the writers and the appropriation of their labour by one individual.
That would also be true of the "European Tribune". Guess what, the diary writers here don´t get paid too! So we should shut down the "European Tribune" immediately according to your rant.
The activists will not be able to vote on PES decisions as on the congresses they are represented by their national parties.
Gasp!!! The activists are "exploited" by the "Democratic Socialist Left". Not to mention "the appropriation of their labour by one individual" party.
Ritter, I´m very sorry but your post was simply stupid. Everything you said about DailyKos already exists in our European media! Except that it would be easier for me as a European citizen to publish a diary at DailyKos than get a letter to the editor published in a European newspaper. Or write a diary here at the "European Tribune".:)
You know what? I am declining the role of a party activist that isn´t allowed to vote on decisions.
Just stay in Brussels, decline me the right to participate, and then wonder why I don´t submit to the "wise" decisions you make.
Oh, thanks for reminding me. I was going to suggest that as a possible way to improve the site, too. ;D Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. -Voltaire
great response, you absolutely make my point by putting the Springer, Murdoch media tycoons on the par with Mr Kos' business model. They all try to blur the line between journalism and influencing political decisions made by elected members of parliament.
Kos even goes one step further - he hands out private money to politicians and influences the message of their election campaigns.
So there you have in a nutshell the difference between engaging in the political process in the US and the EU:
In the US politicians are bought with money from private donors in the hope of future kick backs.
In the EU party members engage in policy discussions and vote for election manifestos and then democratically elect their candidates to execute these policies, if supported by enough citizens at the general elections.
DKos is primarily NOT a news blog, it is on the contrary a privately owned and run political action group to collect money and to finance progressive Democratic Party candidates' election campaigns.
US laws make it possible, EU laws prohibit it.
ET functions well as a news blog on European affairs but will fail as a political action group.
To say it in Bullshit Bingo terms: In Europe there's no market for it. EU regulations forbid it.
PS. Even Berlusconi owned tv stations did not finance political candidates' election campaigns. "The USA appears destined by fate to plague America with misery in the name of liberty." Simon Bolivar, Caracas, 1819
ET functions well as a news blog on European affairs but will fail as a political action group. To say it in Bullshit Bingo terms: In Europe there's no market for it. EU regulations forbid it.
Well done. Only a year behind us on that piece of info. Thus the only way to influence is to engage in the debate and try to influence it.
We are not going to be a mouthpiece for or supporter of any particular party. I don't think we agree with any of them.
The US just formalises the arrangement better than most places.
Yup guaranteed to evoke a violent reaction from police is to challenge their right to "define the situation." --- David Graeber citing Marc Cooper
---
Did you read the short discription of the new European activists initiative?
It says that party members who are engaged in shaping the European agenda of their national parties, where they DO vote and GET elected, can now take advantage of the new European meta party structure in order to exchange ideas, gain insider knowledge about the workings of other parties, network, arrange joint working groups, kick start multilateral crossborder policy initiatives - all meant to be brought 'home' to their respective parties.
In short: Political activists on the grassroots (and higher) levels who are promoting the progressive European policy agenda are now able to create the instruments to interact within the framework of (what was it?) 33 socialist, socialdemocratic and labour parties.
We already do what Dr Dean still wants to accomplish and what Mr Kos collects money for. And we do it within a membership of several millions organized party members throughout the EU Member States and accession and candidate countries, as well as Israel, Iceland, Norway and yes...Ukraine and the Republic of San Marino, too. "The USA appears destined by fate to plague America with misery in the name of liberty." Simon Bolivar, Caracas, 1819
Why should I have to become a member of the PSOE of of the Labour party when what I want to get involved with is European politics?
Get back to me when the Party of the European Socialists accepts individual memberships. guaranteed to evoke a violent reaction from police is to challenge their right to "define the situation." --- David Graeber citing Marc Cooper
