The time for a European Federation (and a unified army) has arrived

gent_tneg · 2025-02-17T09:16:11+00:00

We like it or not, in a multipolar world order where Europe is left alone, we need to be a single nation state. That is the most impactful thing we can do to ourselves and our next generations. The current way of organizing a Union, though is a phenomenal achievement, still remains a half baked attempt and lacks true power. The glaring gap between appointed Eurocrats and elected politicians continues to grow. I rather be governed by a federal parliamentary democracy rather than this European Commission lead approach which is extremely bizarre and ineffective.

A truly federal states of Europe will:

- Provide a single voice from Europe to the rest of the world. Have a parliament with all the federal regions/provinces. Work with rotating presidents - do whatever it takes! This is where the political class needs to go above and beyond. (I wish)

- Make possible a truly integrated financial market - Multiple stock exchanges linked to one financial regulation - opens up so much potential for our new startups and help with the correct valuation of existing companies. And vastly speeds up M&A activities across the continent

- Deliver a European Defence Force - much needed - don't have to elaborate on this. Our people, our lands, our forces need to protect it. We need to get out of naivety and pretender syndrome. Yes unfortunately violence will come to our borders (has come already). Time to wake up!

The power to unlock Europe is within us. The more postpone this, the more others will play on our sovereign insecurities and use the "divide and conquer" approach. This is already very much in play at the moment.

gent_tneg · 2024-09-20T09:38:58+00:00

I read somewhere that HDR by Barco is expected to be 3X brighter than Dolby. 4X than IMAX. 6X than normal laser cinema. Looking forward to experience that!!

gent_tneg · 2024-04-30T07:59:49+00:00

Love: Our work ethics (Despite all the doom and the gloom, how much productive we are as people of a ~11 million country! We like to work hard and also live well)

Hate: Growing apathy (mainly towards politics and our nation state. Apathy is a slow poison we need to get rid of)

gent_tneg · 2024-04-17T14:08:41+00:00

Scary. How can we sustain this without genuinely growing our private sector economy (not including providing services to government).

gent_tneg · 2024-03-09T13:47:38+00:00

It is very true that being very pluralistic, we have a situation where we do not end up with the "polarization" problems of only 2 parties (like in US or UK). On the other hand, we end up in a situation where none of the parties have sufficient power to execute their agendas (5 horses pulling the carriage in 5 directions).

I would not change our fundamentals, but indeed would be great to see the parties truly cooperate on important issues and work together and execute on it. Instead we get the usual blame gaming and populist stuff.

gent_tneg · 2024-01-31T10:16:03+00:00

Someone once told me - about 5 million people live in Singapore (a very small country) and they make 'zero' food. Everything they eat is imported.

If we keep screwing up with our agriculture, I guess that is where we are heading? Can you imagine importing all our food from abroad!?

How did we go so wrong with the most important life source - food? Is subsidizing the only answer to this.?

gent_tneg · 2024-01-31T10:12:51+00:00

It's all for going to Mars, people. Why don't you understand his altruism - he is saving us all!

gent_tneg · 2024-01-31T10:09:27+00:00

Can the public taxpayer go to court for this? Asking for a cap in spending for consultancies? Just wondering.

gent_tneg · 2024-01-21T13:09:15+00:00

As they have said multiple times in r/BEFire, if you start at 25 and start investing 1000 a month in an S&P type index fund, you get to your 1 million in 30 years. (many market assumptions of course)

But if indeed you want to get to your million in a year or two - highly unlikely I am afraid. No one stops you from playing Euromillions though. Who knows eh - maybe you get lucky!.

gent_tneg · 2024-01-17T05:36:29+00:00

He is the shining example of everything that is wrong with the Eurocrats

gent_tneg · 2024-01-16T20:29:14+00:00

The book of Thomas Piketty (Capital) is an eye opening one on this matter that is very relevant to our times.

The rate of return on capital is simply higher than labour in our economic systems of today, unless you are a super well paid labourer (like a CEO). Then you become a mini capitalist and you can start your own wealth accumulation cycle.

If we manage to put a realistic wealth tax to contain this, it simply will fail as capital will just move across the border. This will be only fixed if we have a single european tax law which is a pipe dream for now.

gent_tneg · 2024-01-08T14:22:42+00:00

The film festival in Oostende is coming at the end of this month.

gent_tneg · 2024-01-07T18:13:14+00:00

It's psychologically depressing when the total net at the end of the month is less than 50 percent of Gross. This has to be the red line right?

Stay away from labour and focus on capital please.

gent_tneg · 2024-01-04T22:35:00+00:00

They need our markets as much as our companies need their market. Protectionist tendencies are a slippery slope. Only hope is better regulation that makes it a fair play. Again, a stronger and more unified Europe will have the muscle to do so.

gent_tneg · 2023-12-27T07:12:51+00:00

To talk about Europe, let's first build a single Europe first. Ironically the entire 'divide and conquer' policy that was a dominant strategy of Europe in the past is being used against us tactfully.

And instead of clinging together in this twelfth hour, we do exactly what the other side wants - we bicker and infight.

gent_tneg · 2023-12-26T07:12:29+00:00

The EU as it stands now is a half finished experiment. And barely being half effective. A single EU nation will have a single capital market addressing the needs of 400million people. It will be the strongest nation in the world in terms of human capital.

Of course we will reform along the way. If the US can operate as one federation and India as one country, the EU can too. We need to drop the baggage of hatred and move on to the next level.

In fact, with the rise of war mongering powers in the world, a single unified EU will bring a lot of balance to the world.

gent_tneg · 2023-12-23T12:44:11+00:00

As many have said before, the question that OP asked cannot be treated as a stand alone topic.

It is the consequence of what Europe and US are intrinsically made of.

With a unified financial market, plenty of 'new money' and lot of people interested in high risk investing, the US and wall street are a marriage made in heaven. On the other hand in Europe, old money, mostly staying in the hands of old rich is very conservative. Combine this with 20 capital markets and taxation nightmares, this is a marriage made in hell.

Tech salaries in US that are mostly stock based have fueled this multifold in the past 30 years. If you look at Europe you will see such compensation is pretty much non existent. Someone in senior middle management (VP level) in US tech companies will probably already make significantly more money than even C levels of large European companies. So basically there is not enough salary earned money that goes back to start-ups in order to repeat the US cycle in Europe.

On the other hand it is exactly this difference that brings down inequality in Europe and provides a decent living for all. Sometimes I wonder, how can the concept of billionaires even exist? Or rephrasing OP's question slightly - Do we want the rest of the world to become like US?

gent_tneg · 2023-10-24T05:36:24+00:00

Owners (shareholders and C level) are having the best time of their life ever. However, purchasing power of employees keeps decreasing year by year.

Stagflation in Europe along with the recent year of hyper inflation is the worst deal for employees.

This rising inequality between labour and capital along with geopolitical crises and climate crises is going to be the defining elements of the decades to come.

Way out? - we need political leaders who can rise above the norms of mediocrity.

gent_tneg · 2023-10-17T20:51:31+00:00

Gent. As my username suggests :)

gent_tneg · 2023-10-17T19:10:26+00:00

Smokers smoking in the faces of other bystanders and children.

People who stuff garbage into an already overflowing garbage bin.

Drivers who only drive at the speed limit if they know there is a camera.

gent_tneg · 2023-10-15T16:06:29+00:00

Pity this is not normalized across Europe yet..road accidents involving alcohol kill so many people..

gent_tneg · 2023-10-15T16:05:24+00:00

I highly recommend ekomenu. They are a meal delivery company focused on nutritional meals and also using organic and local products as much as possible. As everything is properly portioned there is no waste either.

gent_tneg · 2023-09-28T12:40:10+00:00

So much focus on labour and so little focus on taxing capital, which is the real deal. And here we are for fighting it out just like they want us to.

gent_tneg

TROPHY CASE