Top Diaries

French electorate in doubt and abundance of candidates: What could go wrong?
33 lists
Germans to choose from 41 parties in European elections
up from 25 in 2014

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Wed May 8th, 2019 at 02:44:48 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Acte XXV
AP | Yellow vest protests land at Paris airport in 25th week
"Three lists of yellow vest candidates are running in a May 26 election for France's representatives to the European Union parliament."
EURACTIV | French `yellow' list for the EU elections strikes alliance with far-right MEP Philippot

'gilet jaune' Jean-François Barnaba finally gave up running alone in the EU elections in May.
[...]
"We have done everything we could to cross the `money wall', but the system has done everything to stop us. We lost our source of funding. The fusion with Florian Philippot was therefore imposed. Of course, not all my co-candidates are pleased with this result but it was the only possible alternative," said Barnaba.
[...]
"We partnered up for these European elections. But for future elections, notably the municipal ones in March 2020, "Jaunes et citoyens" could strike an alliance with other movements. Emmanuel Macron unified the right and the left for the rich. We will do the same for the poor," he said.

DW | French actors and writers back latest yellow vest protests
"The turnout for yellow vest protests in Paris was thin following May Day marches earlier this week."

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Wed May 8th, 2019 at 03:42:48 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Why the European Parliament's election video is going viral

The "Choose your future" title is a classic one. That is what the European elections are about as Europeans are voting for their MEPs, who will make tomorrow's laws.
However, it is an original take on birth as it is both raw and emotional. The first part shows about fifteen women giving birth to little Europeans, who were born in February and March 2019 in Greece, Czech Republic, Denmark and Hungary. There were shots of quite distressing pain, followed by raw images of giving birth and various reactions.
[...]
Until the European elections on 26 May, this film will be screened in cinemas and aired on TV across Europe.

archived
sheela na gig

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Fri May 10th, 2019 at 12:53:00 AM EST
[ Parent ]

wtf
"Smaller French political parties such as the 'yellow vests', the Pirate Party, the Animalist Party and even the party calling for Esperanto to be adopted as an EU language, are flocking to the European elections. But they will have to dish out at least €300,000 to cover the costs of printing ballot papers."

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Fri May 10th, 2019 at 12:57:01 AM EST
[ Parent ]

They won't.

They will encourage people to download and print their ballot papers, for at least a dozen of the lists.

Electoral expenses (posters, ballot papers etc) are only reimbursed for lists that get over 3%.

_{It is rightly acknowledged that people of faith have no monopoly of virtue
- Queen Elizabeth II}

by eurogreen on Fri May 10th, 2019 at 02:39:21 PM EST
[ Parent ]

34 now.

The latecomer is « Union pour une Europe au service des peuples », presented by the Union of French Muslim Democrats.

This is a first, as far as I can remember.

Mind, there are already two explicitly anti-Muslim lists, notably one led by Renaud Camus. Yes, the Great Replacement guy, ideologue who has inspired white supremacist Freedom fighters from ... California to Christchurch.
Second on his list is a one-eyed Gilet Jaune.

_{It is rightly acknowledged that people of faith have no monopoly of virtue
- Queen Elizabeth II}

by eurogreen on Fri May 10th, 2019 at 02:48:01 PM EST
[ Parent ]

11 May
Inequality tops agenda as Lithuania elects new president

Nine candidates are vying to replace two-term independent incumbent Dalia Grybauskaite, but surveys show that only three stand any real chance of making it to the expected 26 May run-off coinciding with European parliament elections. Top contenders include centre-left Prime Minister Saulius Skvernelis, conservative-backed ex-finance minister Ingrida Simonyte and independent economist Gitanas Nauseda.
[...]
Phenomenal annual wage growth -- approximately 10% -- in recent years has raised the average gross salary to €970. But poverty and income inequality remain among the highest in the EU, largely due to weak progressive taxation.
[...]
Lithuanian presidents are in charge of foreign policy and hold a seat at EU summits. They also appoint ministers, judges, the military chief and the head of the central bank, but must often seek approval from parliament or the prime minister.

archived Lithuania
ProCona
franchise
neonicotinoids
ABSTAIN: Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, Finland
'New Europe' Proxy States for America
secret CIA detention centres on their territories.
Ireland makes the big (Hanseatic) league
future of the eurozone

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Sat May 11th, 2019 at 05:59:02 PM EST
[ Parent ]

You forgot to tell us who funds euraktiv, so that we can tell whether the use of "weak progressive" as a euphemism for "flat" is due to ideology or ignorance.

by gk (gk (gk quattro due due sette @gmail.com)) on Sun May 12th, 2019 at 11:56:18 AM EST
[ Parent ]

I didn't forget. euractiv is a commercial enterprise. Following ALPHABET/GOOGLE/YOUTUBE Style Guide, funding sources of commercial enterprise needs no disclosure.

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Sun May 12th, 2019 at 12:08:20 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Who gives Google the authority to decide such matters?

by gk (gk (gk quattro due due sette @gmail.com)) on Sun May 12th, 2019 at 10:08:12 PM EST
[ Parent ]

US federal gov, uncontested.

archived
A Trip to the Woodshed

SALGADO: That's the same for Google. We take that very seriously. We've made changes and we will continue to get better.

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Mon May 13th, 2019 at 10:24:27 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Lithuania presidential runoff pits novice against ex-minister as PM quits

Nauseda, promising to seek the political middle-ground and build a welfare state, scored 31.07% of the vote, according to near complete official results.
[...]
Simonyte, 44, a technocrat who also warns against deepening inequality and the rural-urban divide, has vowed to reduce it by boosting growth further. Socially liberal, Simonyte supports same-sex partnerships which still stir controversy in the predominantly Catholic country.

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Mon May 13th, 2019 at 03:32:37 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Spanish workers slam Dutch flex work excesses, brief MEPs

The story is that two serious candidates defeated populism in the face of the policeman Skvernelis and lesser wannabes.

The Prime Minister Skvernelis is going to keep his vow to resign after this failure, signaling that the common electorate is making a mistake by yielding to high-brow public shaming of his party. Next Parliamentary election is scheduled for October 2020.

Both Nausėda (a mainstream economist) and Šimonytė (a former finance minister) look very similar to the outgoing Grybauskaitė (a former EU finance commissioner), particularly regarding expected EU/NATO/economic/social policies. Nausėda has a better chance, as much of the Soviet generation feels antipathy to the conservatives. On the other hand, Skvernelis called Nausėda a covert conservative this week (and was politely rebuked, of course).

by das monde on Tue May 14th, 2019 at 09:02:48 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Europe 'REFORM' (none / 1)

Complaints by Spanish workers who are say they are being exploited by Dutch employers have been brought to the attention of the European parliament ahead of this week's debate about a new European Labour Authority which connects national labour inspectorates, the Financieele Dagblad reports.
Complaints from Spanish workers, presented to the European parliament at the invitation of the ruling socialist party PSOE last week, include fewer working hours than initially promised, poor living and working conditions and contracts promising a fixed monthly wage that turn out to be zero hour contracts.

archived defects in Art. 153
MEPs approve the creation of the European Labour Authority
"amazon of airlines"
EU Citizens Push for Better Wages for Gig* Economy Workers
social benefits and standardized contracts

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Wed May 8th, 2019 at 02:57:35 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Europe 'REFORM' (4.00 / 2)

Truck drivers become key EU election issue in Bulgaria

The European Commission wants to put restrictions on cargo transport to ensure adequate rest for truck drivers and limit driving distances. Bulgaria, where the transport sector accounts for 15% of GDP and employs some 200,000 people, fears it will erode its workforce's low-cost advantage. It says it could cost jobs and force Bulgarian truckers to move to Western Europe, worsening a wealth gap within the EU
[...]
The new rules concern truck drivers' postings, driving and rest times, and access to the market. Especially worrying for Bulgarian truckers is the requirement that they spend their rest time in a hotel rather than in bunks in their trucks. The rules would also force drivers to return home every three or four weeks with an empty truck.
[EP candidate Angel] Dzhambazki said that the European proposal, called the Mobility Package, would cause thousands of Bulgarians to emigrate to wealthier European countries to be closer to the markets they work with. He sees the proposal as an effort by countries like France and Germany to protect their own businesses from the competition of lower-wage countries like Bulgaria.
[...]
"Like the Germans or Italians who come to Bulgaria and feel comfortable here, we also need to feel comfortable when we go there because we are a big family," [Eurospeed transport owner, Dimitar Rashkov] says. "That is what the European Union stands for."

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Tue May 14th, 2019 at 06:49:14 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Europe 'REFORM' (none / 0)

Fact-check: Is equal EU minimum wage possible, as Bulgarian socialists claim?

Earlier in May, European Commission First Vice-president and lead candidate of the Party of European Socialists (PES) for the new Commission president, Frans Timmermans, called on the EU countries to introduce a European minimum wage standard.
[...]
The European debate is about introducing a common standard for the minimum wage, which is 60% of the average wage in the country. ... Timmermans is, in fact, putting pressure on the six EU members without an official minimum, namely Austria, Cyprus, Denmark, Finland, Italy and Sweden. Opponents of the minimum wage see the policy as dragging down competitiveness and sovereignty [!], as well as levelling down salaries [!] - some sort of a race to the bottom.
[...]
Predictably, the highest minimum wages are in Luxembourg - just over €2,000. In the richest EU countries, the minimum wage varies from €1,100 to €1,680. Citizens of these countries would not support the introduction of an equal minimum wage standard[?], if such an idea was ever to be discussed at EU level. That would bring them closer [?] to the poorer countries, where the normal salary is two times lower than their minimum wage.
archived
DICTION CORNER
relative, comparative
The same economic logic applies to pensions.

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Wed May 15th, 2019 at 04:26:39 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Europe 'REFORM' (4.00 / 2)

"Bulgaria... It says it could cost jobs..." thank you AP, that will do.

It appears that Bulgaria is called Angel Dzhambazki. His political party is not specified in the article. The Bulgarian National Movement, as its name indicates, is a right wing party. One suspects that Angel's worry is more for the Bulgarian trucking companies than the drivers (his claim that the drivers would move to western Europe is interesting, because they would earn much higher wages there...)

_{It is rightly acknowledged that people of faith have no monopoly of virtue
- Queen Elizabeth II}

by eurogreen on Fri May 17th, 2019 at 10:32:19 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Europe 'REFORM' (none / 1)

euractive behind the curve today

EU Employers Must Track Hours, Not Just Overtime, [ECJ] Rules

Backing a union[s'] suit[s] against Deutsche Bank, the European Court of Justice ruled Tuesday that all employers must be required to have a system for tracking the working hours of staff.
When the Spanish trade union CCOO, short for Federación de Servicios de Comisiones Obreras, initiated the dispute, Deutsche Bank shot back that its obligations under Spanish law include merely keeping a record of overtime and communicating those figures each month to the staff and their representatives.
(Reference for a preliminary ruling -- Social policy -- Protection of the safety and health of workers --Organisation of working time -- Article 31(2) of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the EuropeanUnion -- Directive 2003/88/EC -- Articles 3 and 5 -- Daily and weekly rest -- Article 6 -- Maximum weekly working time -- Directive 89/391/EEC -- Safety and health of workers at work -- Requirement to set up a system enabling the duration of time worked each day by each worker to be measured)
[...]
REQUEST for a preliminary ruling under Article 267 TFEU from the Audiencia Nacional (National HighCourt, Spain), made by decision of 19 January 2018, received at the Court on 29 January 2018, in the proceedings
Federación de Servicios de Comisiones Obreras (CCOO)
v
Deutsche Bank SAE,
intervener [US-Eng. Latin amicus curiae (sing.) amici curiae (pl.) "friend of the court"]:
Federación Estatal de Servicios de la Unión General de Trabajadores (FES-UGT),
Confederación General del Trabajo (CGT),
Confederación Solidaridad de Trabajadores Vascos (ELA),
Confederación Intersindical Galega (CIG)...

brief by United Kingdom Government, by Z. Lavery, acting as Agent, and by R. Hill, Barrister [?!]

"The requirement to record only overtime hours worked does not therefore provide workers with an effective means of ensuring, first, that the maximum weekly working time laid down by Directive 2003/88 -- which includes overtime hours -- is not exceeded and, second, that the minimum daily and weekly rest periods provided for by that directive are observed in all circumstances."

So the European Labour Authority has something to beat fraudsters with. That's a start.

archived
The Primacy of EU Law and its implications
A victory for European justice

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Tue May 14th, 2019 at 09:11:46 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Great Replacement, Russian edition (none / 0)

Israel slams Putin adviser for claim Ukraine to move Jews into `cleansed' area- Times of Israel

Israel on Tuesday criticized an article authored by a close adviser to Russian President Vladimir Putin, which claimed that Ukraine's president may want to move Israeli Jews into parts of his country, as "conspiratorial and anti-Semitic."
Jerusalem was "puzzled" by Sergey Glazyev's article, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Emmanuel Nahshon told The Times of Israel.
"The conspiratorial and anti-Semitic style of his words is inappropriate and does not reflect the positive nature of Russia's relations with Israel," Nahshon added.

From the blog post in question (Google translate):

Perhaps the stake on Zelensky, made long before these elections, is connected with the general list of the Trump administration towards the far-right forces in Israel. Probably, they will set new tasks for the updated Kiev regime. I do not exclude, for example, the possibility of a massive move to the "cleared out" of the Russian population of the land of the South-East of Ukraine by the inhabitants of the Promised Land tired of the permanent war in the Middle East - just like the Christians fleeing from Islamizing Europe.

by Bernard (bernard) on Wed May 8th, 2019 at 05:07:00 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Europe ECONOMICS & FINANCE (none / 1)

Sardinia's Happy Village for seniors with suitcases

Mayor Corrias was inspired by the albergo diffuso concept, translated in English as diffused, virtual or scattered hotel. Alberghi diffusi offer hotel services in a number of houses scattered around a small town or village. In Happy Village, residents will pay a monthly fee for a package that includes accomodation, health professionals on call round the clock, a restaurant, a sports centre, transport and cleaning.
According to INPS, the Italian pension authority, around 400,000 Italian retirees are spending their pension abroad. The pensionati con la valigia (seniors with suitcases) are lured by tax breaks in Portugal, the low cost of living in Tunisia or cheap property in Bulgaria. Sardinia cannot offer tax breaks yet, but an economic advisor to Interior Minister Salvini has suggested that Italy follow the Portuguese model in order to repopulate Sardinia, Calabria and Sicily.

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Fri May 10th, 2019 at 12:39:11 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Italy polls (none / 1)

Small gains for the left.

by gk (gk (gk quattro due due sette @gmail.com)) on Fri May 10th, 2019 at 07:07:20 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Tories to come sixth? (none / 0)

Guardian

Conservative officials fear the party could come sixth in the European elections, with their support plummeting to single digits.
[...]
Another Conservative source said internal data showed the party could do worse than the Brexit party, Labour, the Lib Dems, Change UK and even potentially the Greens, with support at less than 10%. That would translate to only a handful of seats, down from the current 22.

So they still expect to do better than the SNP and the DUP?

by gk (gk (gk quattro due due sette @gmail.com)) on Fri May 10th, 2019 at 08:05:28 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Tories to come sixth? (none / 0)

I think they only count English votes...

by fjallstrom on Fri May 10th, 2019 at 09:57:28 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Tories to come sixth? (none / 0)

"And God said, Theresa come forth"...

But she got muddled and...

_{It is rightly acknowledged that people of faith have no monopoly of virtue
- Queen Elizabeth II}

by eurogreen on Fri May 10th, 2019 at 02:52:33 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Tories to come sixth? (4.00 / 2)

being fair to them, the Tories acknowledged a month ago that they have a problem with these elections. Half of the party don't think they should be contesting them at all and the other half are too old to do anything to help anyway.

keep to the Fen Causeway

by Helen (lareinagal at yahoo dot co dot uk) on Fri May 10th, 2019 at 03:06:22 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Tories to come sixth? (none / 0)

I can't believe that you want to be fair to the Tories....

by gk (gk (gk quattro due due sette @gmail.com)) on Fri May 10th, 2019 at 06:43:47 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Tories to come sixth? (4.00 / 2)

only in respect of their losing.

I'd like to see the day when people realise that the tories are the disgusting smegma that erupts when the worst of humanity enjoy too much influence in the world, but sadly that day may never come.

But their analysis is correct on this occasion and, seeing as they're going to get a right good kicking for once, I'll take their excuses and let it lie

keep to the Fen Causeway

by Helen (lareinagal at yahoo dot co dot uk) on Sun May 12th, 2019 at 07:47:06 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Sweden prosecutors reopen Julian Assange rape probe, seek extradition

archived
rly?

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Mon May 13th, 2019 at 09:37:59 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Sweden Reopens 9-Year Old Rape Investigation Against Julian Assange; Seeks His Extradition

#Assange remember that unethical lawyers in UK prosecution service told Sweden to continue pursuit of Assange after it decided not to do so @SMaurizi has revealed this.
— Greg Barns (@BarnsGreg) May 13, 2019

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Mon May 13th, 2019 at 03:14:40 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Europe HABEAS CORPUS (none / 1)

Rape is likely to be considered more serious than conspiracy to commit computer intrusion. That would mean ordering Assange's extradition to Sweden.

Sounds fair to me.

_{It is rightly acknowledged that people of faith have no monopoly of virtue
- Queen Elizabeth II}

by eurogreen on Fri May 17th, 2019 at 10:37:33 AM EST
[ Parent ]

○ Sweden Reopens Investigation of Julian Assange for Rape, Complicating U.S. Extradition

Head of Swedish Bar Association condemns the handling of the Assange case in the UK and Sweden as deplorable, 26 April

This article was written by Anne Ramberg, who happens to be the Secretary General of the Swedish Bar Association, the professional body of lawyers in that country. The article has been translated by Marcello Ferrada de Noli, Swedish professor emeritus of epidemiology and doctor of psychiatry. Anne Ramberg reveals her concern over the breech of legal principles, the treatment of Assange in general and the moral obligation to reveal wrongdoing, just as Julian Assange has done.

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Wed May 22nd, 2019 at 09:43:37 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Europe Habeas Corpus (none / 0)

Assange is no romaticus when involved with ladies ... as an Australian, does he fit in the category of ... ehh Trump?

Sexual assault cannot be defended as "sex by surprise".

However the rape accusation in Sweden had a political motive as the charges on appeal were brought forward by a new prosecutor in Göteborg, Marianne Ny.

"Giving priority to the Swedish extradition request would demonstrate that the British government takes its responsibility to ensure women's safety seriously."

Amnesia and Gaza Genocide

by Oui on Fri May 17th, 2019 at 07:17:19 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Europe Habeas Corpus (none / 0)

I could refer you to my posts of ten years ago concerning rape in the context of cultural relativism, i.e. Swedish law vs Australian practice.
But probably only another New Zealander would find it funny (we have been telling jokes about Australian sexual unsophistication since probably the 19th century)

They knew he was an Australian (what did they expect, roses?)
But he knew he was in Sweden. So fk him.

However I consider he has already served ten years prison for that (alleged) offense, so if it turns out that the UK extradites him to Sweden, then they drop the rape charges, and decline to extradite him to the US, that would be an ironic and fitting end to the story.

_{It is rightly acknowledged that people of faith have no monopoly of virtue
- Queen Elizabeth II}

by eurogreen on Mon May 20th, 2019 at 01:16:06 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Europe Habeas Corpus (none / 0)

Greenwald is a tool. One might imagine, that talent is precisely what attracted Marcy Wheeler to his organization and ultimately what thwarted her professional ambition.

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Wed May 22nd, 2019 at 09:45:54 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Sat May 18th, 2019 at 07:52:58 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Assange Faces 17 New Charges Over Leak of Classified Info

The superseding indictment filed in the Eastern District of Virginia brings the total number of U.S. charges against Assange to 18.
Assange, 47, was indicted in Marchon one count of conspiracy to commit computer intrusion for allegedly helping Manning crack a password to a classified military database, which allowed her to gain access to hundreds of thousands of secret military documents about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan as well as information about detainees held at Guantanamo Bay.
[...]
Terwilliger said the charges also do not involve all of the documents WikiLeaks released, but just a specific subset that revealed particularly sensitive information that endangered the lives of people who provided information to the United States.
Demers also distanced Assange from journalists by saying no journalist would publish information identifying intelligence sources operating in dangerous conditions.
"Julian Assange is no journalist," Demers told reporters.

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Thu May 23rd, 2019 at 10:32:14 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Denmark, political advertising, May-June 2019
Danish candidate places [general] election ad on adult site
Joachim B. Olsen, center-right Liberal Alliance, on Pornhub
Danish PM Calls [General] Election That Polls Show He Is Set to Lose

The vote, which is set to come 10 days after European parliamentary elections, coincides with growing anxiety among Danes about climate change, immigration and welfare spending. A number of new parties will join the race, trying to lure voters with promises of much tougher immigration laws as the right end of Denmark's political landscape grows more extremist.

politico.eu | EP Election poll smoke
reference
AdWeek | Denmark Rolls Its Eyes at the U.S. Election With This Hilarious Anti-Trump Bus Ad (2016)
"The ad was made by creative agency Uncle Grey and paid for by the the Socialist People's Party (in Danish, the Socialistisk Folkeparti, or SF)."

archived "same page"
EU's digital tax
neonicotinoids
Detention Project
2011 Istanbul Convention
Denmark should debate its EU opt-outs says Prime Minister
GDPR

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Tue May 14th, 2019 at 07:19:23 PM EST
[ Parent ]

McConsulates (none / 0)

USAToday

American tourists will soon be able to get more than a Big Mac at McDonald's in Austria.
The U.S. Embassy in Vienna announced on Facebook that Golden Arches restaurants in Austria will serve as mini embassies for American tourists, starting Wednesday.
"American citizens traveling in Austria who find themselves in distress and without a way to contact the U.S. Embassy can enter - as of Wednesday, May 15, 2019 - any McDonald's in Austria, and staff will assist them in making contact with the U.S. Embassy for consular services," the announcement read.
Consular services include reporting a lost or stolen passport or seeking travel assistance.

by gk (gk (gk quattro due due sette @gmail.com)) on Wed May 15th, 2019 at 09:33:14 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: McConsulates (none / 0)

The logical conclusion in a lot of ways. How would you even get into the mini-Green Zone without a passport?

by generic on Wed May 15th, 2019 at 11:22:53 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Postal votes only for the English (4.00 / 2)

The National

IF they follow exactly the instructions that accompany it, then thousands of Scots in possession of a European Parliament election postal vote better start making arrangements to head to Berwick-upon-Tweed or Carlisle.
For in many areas of Scotland, the "quick advice" note on how to use a postal vote clearly shows a pillar box emblazoned with the royal cypher "EIIR" and you can only find that type of pillar box in England.

by gk (gk (gk quattro due due sette @gmail.com)) on Thu May 16th, 2019 at 09:37:47 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Europe (none / 1)

Interesting to add is that in 2017, for the first time since "die Wende", more people have moved from West to East. Same new trend for 2018.
https://t.co/DclcTEep6a
— Caroline J.B. (@jobouscaro) 3. Mai 2019

by generic on Fri May 17th, 2019 at 03:23:35 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Europe (none / 0)

Because east-west has decreased pretty steadily since 2001 (why it increased from 1997 to 2001 is a good question), and west-east is fairly stable, and eventually the two lines crossed. I wonder how much of the west-east that is movement to former East Berlin?

by fjallstrom on Fri May 17th, 2019 at 08:24:52 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Austria: Secret video ensnares far-right leader

DW is funded in whole or in party by Germany government.

'Whores'
In the video, the woman can be heard telling Strache that she is very wealthy and wants to buy a large block of shares at Austria's largest newspaper, the Kronen Zeitung. She reportedly claims to be interested in the paper so that she can provide favorable pre-election coverage of the FPÖ. In return, she demands political favors.

German parliament condemns 'anti-Semitic' BDS movement

Parliamentarians said some BDS slogans recalled Nazi propaganda.
[...]
The resolution was brought by all the centrist parties in the German Bundestag, including Angela Merkel's Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and its Bavarian sister party the Christian Social Union, the Social Democrats (SPD), the Free Democratic Party (FDP) and the Greens.
The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) brought its own alternative resolution, calling for an outright ban on BDS. The socialist Left party brought a milder resolution, calling for the condemnation of any anti-Semitic BDS statements.
Speaking in Friday's debate on the issue, CDU Bundestag member Axel Müller reminded the chamber that upholding Israel's right to exist remained a basic principle of the German state. He also claimed that the BDS campaign's social media accounts [!] showed that it was occasionally influenced [!] by the "propaganda of the [Nazi] dictatorship."

uh oh. Fake news is not well understood.

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Sat May 18th, 2019 at 01:21:27 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Very on brand for Austria.

by generic on Sat May 18th, 2019 at 07:55:00 AM EST
[ Parent ]

And Strache has resigned. Norbert Hofer takes over. If this is all then not a particularly great outcome, Hofer was always the smarter one. We'll see what the chancellor will say. Continuing the coalition opens up a lot of loot. Conversely you could save the Republic™ and then get more of the loot if the elections work out.

by generic on Sat May 18th, 2019 at 10:41:19 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Austrian Chancellor Kurz ousted in no-confidence vote

The chancellor is still in hiding, apparently.

by generic on Sat May 18th, 2019 at 03:01:42 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Lie with dogs, wake up with fleas (none / 1)

He's back with an appropriate dose of faux outrage.
Austria chancellor calls for snap election after corruption scandal - BBC

Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz has asked for a snap election after his Vice-Chancellor, Heinz-Christian Strache, resigned over a corruption scandal.
Mr Kurz's centre-right People's Party is in government with Mr Strache's far-right Freedom Party.
The Freedom Party leader stepped down after secret video footage emerged.
The video appears to show him discussing government contracts with an alleged Russian investor.
Mr Strache blamed his actions on alcohol and acting like a "teenager", saying his behaviour had been "stupid" and "irresponsible", and that he was leaving to avoid further damage to the government.
"I have suggested to the president of the republic that new elections be carried out, at the earliest possible date," Mr Kurz said.
"After yesterday's video, I must say quite honestly: Enough is enough," he said.

by Bernard (bernard) on Sun May 19th, 2019 at 08:26:57 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Lie with dogs, wake up with fleas (none / 1)

Until this episode, the conventional wisdom (well, Politico.eu) was presenting Kurz as the Wunderkind of European "center-right" politics, the epitome of "generational change" (Kurz is 31).

And many EPP parties across Europe have been looking at his coalition with the extreme right, a move that may become inevitable, despite all claims to the contrary: between loosing power and allying with fascists, they are not going to drop power.

by Bernard (bernard) on Sun May 19th, 2019 at 08:36:06 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Lie with dogs, wake up with fleas (none / 1)

Kurz is was 31 when he formed the coalition. It's pretty funny, really. All the paid opinion havers on the TV tell me he has a great political talent and great message discipline. But in practice that just means he sticks to his prepared talking points and doesn't engage with questions, similar to Maybot3000. That's also the most likely reason that he hid out for close to two days. Had to practice the speach. Although rumor(from FPÖ sources) has it that he initially wanted to grab the interior ministry and keep going.

In his speech he plainly states that there is no political convergence with the SocDems, he was a victim of (former SPÖ campaign manager) Siberstein like campaigning and he had been very happy with the coalition. Apparently he just didn't notice that they were working at the Orbanisation of the Austrian media landscape? Yet it seems the state broadcaster did notice, they were incredibly careful in not putting any blame at the Kurz's doorstep. There was one truly bizarre episode when their domestic policy chief wanted to detect increasing anger and aggression in the crowd that reminded him of the time the first far-right government had to sneak into the Hofburg through a tunnel. His younger colleague only found a "party mood", the police guy had "no incidence" and all the while he was talking you could see a little kid sitting on someone's shoulders right behind him in the crowd, but what do they know.
True to form in Russian election interference scandals we are again mainly looking at some idiots getting scammed by fake oligarchs.
And talking about election interference: In a curious coincidence, their "very good Israeli friends" arrested Silberstein right in the hot phase of the last election.

by generic on Sun May 19th, 2019 at 11:41:54 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Some addtitional thoughts (none / 0)

A few additional things I, or possible a random Twitter user, picked up:
They were handing out infrastructure projects well in advance to formal coalition talks. Just like they knew they'd get the ministry after the election.
Austria's oligarchy can't be happy of getting named in connection with illegal party financing.
The Kronenzeitung will probably stop pushing the FPÖ for a bit, but I think they have been on the Kurz train for a while anyway.
This will probably turn out pretty expensive for the republic, also very on brand for the far-right. Haselsteiner, the oligarch behind the NEOS party and the one Strache wanted to explicitly cut out of infrastructure contracts will have an easy case.
The SPÖ still seems very unprepared for elections.

tfw du jahrelang eine partei aufbaust, sie in die regierung bringst und am ende bleibt dieses bild übrig pic.twitter.com/0fcc3ix7KZ
— Rosi Rosinger (@Rosinnjo) 18. Mai 2019

by generic on Sun May 19th, 2019 at 12:48:31 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Some addtitional irony (none / 0)

A new election is already planned for September, and President Alexander Van der Bellen now needs to appoint a caretaker government to serve until then.
[...]
Kurz loses the advantage of campaigning as an incumbent chancellor but remains popular and his center-right party finished first Sunday in Austria in the European Parliament election with 34.9% support, a gain of almost 8 percentage points over 2014.

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Mon May 27th, 2019 at 04:35:32 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Some addtitional irony (none / 0)

And the large majority of print journalists is pretty mad at the Socialists for it. Entirely unrelated there is a noteable tendency for the necessity for full page ministrial information to arise in the runup to elections. Supposedly the "expert government" will have more trust in the voters abilies.

by generic on Mon May 27th, 2019 at 09:01:14 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Some addtitional irony (none / 0)

I didn't find a good source, but the number for government inserts seems to total around 24 million a year. The legal limit that a party can spend on an election is 7 million. Though there really aren't any consequences except a minor fine. The conservatives officially spent twice that on the last general.

by generic on Tue May 28th, 2019 at 12:01:56 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Lie with dogs, wake up with OMFG (none / 0)

[US] Lawmakers PROBE Russia's Ramped-Up Threats to Democracy [in AUSTRIA]

After viewing footage of [STRACHE'S] meeting Tuesday, House lawmakers heard testimony from four experts about steps the United States can take to deter Russian meddling [in USA]
[...]
[Penn Biden Sr. Director Michael] Carpenter also noted that the notion of media bias is one that Russia trumpets.
"So when the [U.S.] president calls the media `the enemy of the people,' he is playing into Putin's narrative," Carpenter said. "That is exactly what Russia wants."
[...]
"Look at Hungary," [MA-9 Rep. Bill] Keating said. "Hungary has now allowed [Russia's] International Investment Bank to build its new headquarters in Budapest and its bank chairman has ties to Putin."
[...]
Heather Conley, senior vice president for the Center for Strategic and International Studies, testified that Russia's objective to destabilize democracy relies on a messaging to "deepen disgust, create doubt and change how [Americans] think of themselves."

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Tue May 21st, 2019 at 09:11:47 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Hungary OMFG (none / 0)

ECJ Rebukes Hungary for 2014 Land-Use Cancellations

Hungary adopted the scheme back in 2013, saying that only people with a close family tie to agricultural land in the nation were entitled to property-use rights, which are otherwise known as usufruct. In October 2014, about five months after Hungary had canceled the land-use rights of nationals of outside member states, the European Commission warned the government that it was infringing the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union.
[...]
Insisting that the commission could not show discrimination, Hungary pointed out that only 5,058 of the more than 100,000 people affected by the scheme were nationals of other countries including third states.
[...]
"That exception takes into account the fact that parents frequently buy property for their children over which they create a right of usufruct for themselves and the fact that a surviving spouse often inherits such a right," Hungary argued, as summarized in the ruling Tuesday.
Rejecting the country's submissions, however, the Grand Chamber of the European Court of Justice ruled Tuesday that "the restrictions on the free movement of capital thus arising from the deprivation of property acquired using capital protected by Article 63 TFEU cannot be justified."

archived
2010 a
share or dispose of ownership or usufruct in any conceivable contractual manner ...
2010 b
Not. A. Trivial. Distinction. "Interest" and "ownership interest" ...
2010 c
in Principle - there are two conflicting claims over productive assets in the form of ...
Lacan
A word here to shed light on the relationship between law (droit) and jouissance. 'Usufruct' --that's a legal notion, isn't it? ...

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Tue May 21st, 2019 at 10:45:22 PM EST
[ Parent ]

heard 'round the world
German Parliament Criminalizes Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Movement, A/V (EN), political group reportage, no transcript

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Sat May 18th, 2019 at 07:47:35 PM EST
[ Parent ]

The German parliament's equation of the nonviolent BDS movement for Palestinian rights with anti-semitism is based on outright lies. It's not only anti-Palestinian McCarthyism, it is a betrayal of international law, German democracy and the fight against real anti-Jewish racism. pic.twitter.com/qR5uwsIDU0
— BDS movement (@BDSmovement) May 17, 2019

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Sat May 18th, 2019 at 09:44:25 PM EST
[ Parent ]

It's a cultural exception. In our movement, we have informally agreed to just not say anything about Israel/Palestine, because it freaks the Germans out so badly.

Luckily, nobody gives a shit what we think about Israel/Palestine.

_{It is rightly acknowledged that people of faith have no monopoly of virtue
- Queen Elizabeth II}

by eurogreen on Mon May 20th, 2019 at 02:20:07 PM EST
[ Parent ]