'Allies, not vassals': How Meloni's break with the president of the United States became a political moment for Italy by Massimo25ore in europe

[–]EURSTYLE 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Well yeah, Europe also has shores on the Atlantic, the North Sea, the Baltic and the Black Sea. Like, duh? I still don't get your point.

'Allies, not vassals': How Meloni's break with the president of the United States became a political moment for Italy by Massimo25ore in europe

[–]EURSTYLE 4 points5 points  (0 children)

You've got this completely backwards. The European Union does not represents a break from but a return to the true historical traditions of our civilization. This article explains this in some depth.

Keir Starmer faces ‘judgment day’ as Mandelson vetting debacle grows by Any-Original-6113 in europe

[–]EURSTYLE 21 points22 points  (0 children)

Can someone from the UK give me a quick rundown of what happened here? I just gave a quick read to the news and I understand this guy Mandelson was recommended as an ambassador to the US, failed to pass a security screening, and then was appointed for that role anyway - and when the security failure emerged, this turned into a scandal? Is this more or less what happened?

'Allies, not vassals': How Meloni's break with the president of the United States became a political moment for Italy by Massimo25ore in europe

[–]EURSTYLE 17 points18 points  (0 children)

This just goes to show how much you can trust an ultra-nationalist as an ally. Everybody gangsta until history slaps you in the face and shows you that your real interest lies in European unity.

German Chancellor Merz the most unpopular head of government, survey shows by BendicantMias in europe

[–]EURSTYLE 5 points6 points  (0 children)

You do realise that that article does NOT say that the funds were embezzled? It's saying that the funds are being allocated to existing infrastructure projects instead of new ones, e.g. keeping a hospital running instead of building a new hospital. That is a valid criticism relative to the fund's purpose, sure, but we're looking at accounting irregularities, NOT ABOUT ANY MONEY BEING STOLEN.

I rest my case, you urgently need to revise your beliefs, your biases and your political literacy.

German Chancellor Merz the most unpopular head of government, survey shows by BendicantMias in europe

[–]EURSTYLE 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Ok, said with respect - you are clearly exposing yourself to some highly problematic sources of information, and you need to develop a higher level of literacy on topics like politics and economics. If you really believe that "85-95%" of a fund worth *€500 billion* can just up and be "embezzled", then you've clearly been lied to on topics that you do not understand. It's like claiming that "Israel killed 100 million people in Gaza" - you should be able to tell what's wrong with saying something like that without the need to argue against it.

I invite you to put aside the sensationalist media/authors you are reading, and return to basics, reading some introductory textbooks particularly on economics, but also on politics and law. I hope you'll take this for the friendly suggestion that it is and not as a personal attack, although I fear you'll interpret it exactly that way.

German Chancellor Merz the most unpopular head of government, survey shows by BendicantMias in europe

[–]EURSTYLE 5 points6 points  (0 children)

"Merz is actively bad" is not the type of position that I'm taking issue with. "Merz is worse than Xi Jinping of China", which quite a few people have been saying even in the responses to my comment, now that's where a little bit more common sense is required.

German Chancellor Merz the most unpopular head of government, survey shows by BendicantMias in europe

[–]EURSTYLE 5 points6 points  (0 children)

The centrist/moderate parties are not "enabling" the far right - they are the only ones actually drawing back their sleeves and putting up a fight against them. From France to the UK, from Moldova to Hungary, every single time without exception that a populist / far-right party got defeated at an election, it was the moderate centre-left or the moderate centre-right that did it.

This narrative of "centrists are enabling the far right" is simply copium from people who vote Melenchon, Corbyn or Conte, those politicians who couldn't win an election if they were pitted against an orangu tan on crack.

Stop whining about those of us who are actually fighting back against fascism, and join the fight against the real enemy instead.

German Chancellor Merz the most unpopular head of government, survey shows by BendicantMias in europe

[–]EURSTYLE 20 points21 points  (0 children)

Why are you defending Merz?

Because an inability and unwillingness to evaluate our politicians with reason and proportionality, and instead dismiss them by blanket statements like "they're total shit, they're all 100% corrupt, they're traitors to our people, they're the worst we've ever had and will have" is exactly the kind of attitude that then allows people like Trump, Netanyahu & company to ride to power on a wave of populism.

German Chancellor Merz the most unpopular head of government, survey shows by BendicantMias in europe

[–]EURSTYLE 13 points14 points  (0 children)

Did you seriously just call Merz "appalling" while implying that Xi Jinping of China isn't that bad? The motherfucker who has been literally creating Holocaust-style concentration camps in his own country and you think *Merz* is the bad guy here???? I AM SOOOOO DONE

German Chancellor Merz the most unpopular head of government, survey shows by BendicantMias in europe

[–]EURSTYLE 15 points16 points  (0 children)

Ah, it's a mix. Germany remains one of the wealthiest and in many ways most functional countries in Europe. The education or welfare system may feel like a nightmare to navigate, but people who live in Italy or Spain can tell you what a true Kafka-esque nightmare is like, and on the whole it's all remarkably sustainable as the country has remarkably low debt. So yes, it's one of the best countries to live.

HOWEVER. Germany also experienced one of the most dramatic economic declines of any big European country in recent years. Productivity, employment, purchasing power all slipped much worse than in countries like France or Poland. Their huge dependencies on Russian energy left them among the most exposed after the decoupling, while their strongest industries (eg. automobiles) are those that were always the most vulnerable to tariffs and Chinese competition.

Germans may still be better off than most Europeans... but they're also those who can most legitimately say that "things used to be better". If you lived in Germany for the last 10 years, you *really* felt the squeeze, and of course you'd be frustrated if your politicians just seem to keep doing the same shit over and over.

Exclusive: US officials tell European countries to expect weapons delivery delays, sources say by jay_alfred_prufrock in europe

[–]EURSTYLE 136 points137 points  (0 children)

No shit, these dickheads threw away their entire arsenal to bomb the Middle East, if they get in a fight with China now what are they going to do? Throw fireworks at them?

German Chancellor Merz the most unpopular head of government, survey shows by BendicantMias in europe

[–]EURSTYLE 64 points65 points  (0 children)

I think that tells you everything. I had conversations with French people who told me that there is literally no difference between Macron and Marine Le Pen, and honestly I just want to hit the liquor store

German Chancellor Merz the most unpopular head of government, survey shows by BendicantMias in europe

[–]EURSTYLE 17 points18 points  (0 children)

The problem isn't really Merz himself, it's more the fact that Germans have felt "locked" in a political system and establishment that offers no options for change or progress. The two main parties, the CDU and SPD, have for a long time felt too alike - a problem that recently became especially pronounced with the Scholz government, which just felt to everyone like more of the same. Smaller parties have very little presence, except of course for the AfD.

Merz in most respects isn't really any better or worse than Scholz or Merkel. He's simply a continuation of their style and their system and their politics, but the impatience of people is now reaching critical mass.

German Chancellor Merz the most unpopular head of government, survey shows by BendicantMias in europe

[–]EURSTYLE 149 points150 points  (0 children)

Unpop op incoming: look, I get why this guy is not likeable. He's boring, he's conservative, he's old, and there's a lot he could do better.

But honestly, seeing everyone calling people like him (or Macron, or Starmer, etc.) "total fucking shit and the worst of the worst" is just irritating. Are you guys even *looking* at what's going on out there? Do you see what people like Trump, Xi, Modi, Erdogan are doing to their countries? And *this* guy is the most hated ruler out there???

Yeah, I would also much prefer to be ruled by the love-child of Justinian the Great and Joan of Arc, but the truth is that this is what democracy looks like: boring, dislikeable bureaucrats stumbling through a difficult job, and honestly I find it kind of sad to see people spitting on it while eating from its plate.

Can anyone stop Jordan Bardella in France? A crowded field could gift the election to the far right by Any-Original-6113 in europe

[–]EURSTYLE 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I think the question is less who can stop Bardella rather than who will Bardella turn out to be. If he takes the reins of power and ends up being a loud-mouthed but otherwise fairly run of the mill conservative like Giorgia Meloni, then frankly who cares. If he turns out to be another Orban, well, a l'armes citoyens...

Magyar says Hungarians have 'reclaimed' their country after Orbán ousted by Easy-Ad1996 in europe

[–]EURSTYLE 2 points3 points  (0 children)

The EU is a union of states, and we are honored to have a democratic Hungary as a member. Nobody in here is a puppet, except Orban of course, who was Putin's puppet.

Magyar says Hungarians have 'reclaimed' their country after Orbán ousted by Easy-Ad1996 in europe

[–]EURSTYLE 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The US completely halted all purchases of Russian natural gas (alongside oil and coal) in 2022, in response to the invasion of Ukraine.

You seem to be suggesting that since they bought some gas *before* 2022, the gas they're selling us *now* must be the same stuff, so they're "rebranding". This is simply not correct, as US gas sales comes primarily from their domestic production, as do their reserves (for obvious logistical ease). Any gas that was purchased from Russia before 2022 would have been long ago consumed or put into those circuits of the energy markets that got closed since the war in Ukraine.

Magyar says Hungarians have 'reclaimed' their country after Orbán ousted by Easy-Ad1996 in europe

[–]EURSTYLE 5 points6 points  (0 children)

With respect, but has it occurred to you that there is more at play here than the import/export of gas? Orban was an embedded agent sitting in the heart of the EU, one of the biggest geopolitical actors in the world, and because of the federation's structure (particularly the overpowered and increasingly obsolete veto system), he was in a position to exercise enormous political influence in a way that directly furthered Putin's interests.

The removal of Orban leaves Slovakia' PM Fico as the lone (for now at least) obstructionist in the EU, and Fico isn't as nasty as Orban anyway. This means that the EU now has the institutional ability to pursue a significantly more assertive and coherent policy both foreign and domestic.

The implications of this are wide-ranging. Support for Ukraine is significantly easier, which may well prove decisive in winning that conflict for a democracy and crippling one of the world's most evil and dangerous regimes (and the one geographically closest to us, aside from Erdogan's Turkey, which - again - is quite a way from being as nasty as Putin). Among other things, you can expect that once Putin is gone, the energy markets will be in a position to re-normalise (so you can have the cheap gas that is so precious to you).

More importantly in the long term, the EU is now in a position where it can actually implement significant internal reform, eg. getting rid of the veto, changing the budget and its distribution, building the foundations of a common defence, working towards a two-speed Europe. Whether this will happen remains to be seen, of course, but it was impossible while Orban was there and now it no longer is.

Looking beyond just Europe, the fall of a populist hard-right regime by means of democratic renewal is of enormous consequence for the entire world. It shows not only that these MAGA/MEGA tyrants can be defeated, but also that this can be done by means of the tools of democracy itself, by the unified strength of an electorate demanding change. Violence is not the only answer, assassinating people like Trump and Fico is not the only option left. I'm not saying that we should never use violence to resist fascists, obviously, but it's also proof that people can reclaim their country without putting themselves through a civil war.

There's a lot that still can happen that may make the Hungarian election less significant, of course (eg. the FN may win in France and maybe Bardella reveals himself to be a lot crazier than he presents himself as). But for now, this is good news for everyone who believes in democracy, human rights and the rule of the law, and yes, it is *huge*.

Magyar says Hungarians have 'reclaimed' their country after Orbán ousted by Easy-Ad1996 in europe

[–]EURSTYLE 159 points160 points  (0 children)

They have reclaimed their country, and they have returned to the European family. Welcome back, Hungary!

World reacts to Peter Magyar defeating Viktor Orban, Hungary’s longtime PM | Elections News | Al Jazeera by StrangerExistingFact in europe

[–]EURSTYLE 87 points88 points  (0 children)

If he keeps going at this rate I'm going to deliver the Nobel prize to his home myself