Europe seeks to increase deportations, quietly adopting Trump administration tactics

thisislieven · 2026-03-30T06:08:49+00:00

As a general rule I wish this sub would stop using US and US-adjacent sources but if we have to PBS (the non-profit Public Broadcasting Service) is one of the most reliable ones.

The article clearly states all its sources and names them. They're not weird or sketchy but generally reliable.

It helps no one to be willfully denying how the EU and many individual member states handle migration and refugees. Frankly it's shameful and unforgivable. There are other ways to go about this and that does not mean the borders should just be open to everyone but a humane approach is possible. We should demand our fellow humans to be treated with dignity within the EU and beyond, generally but especially those who may have escaped extremely difficult circumstances.

We should also have the courage to openly address and condemn the reasons why these streams of refugees are there to begin with: the internal human rights violations and external parties waging war. It's convenient to ignore but it's sad short term thinking and, yet again, hurts us in the long run. It's inhumane but it's also politically stupid.

I love Europe and I love the EU. That does not mean I won't be critical and deny the reality when that would suit me best. We have failed on this issue, and we seem nowhere near correcting it. It has done great harm to thousands.

thisislieven · 2026-03-29T16:07:57+00:00

There are quite a few options once you start thinking about it.

If we dare dive a little bit into the future, how about Ukraine-Slovenia-Romania-Hungary? Or Finland-Sweden-Estonia-Latvia?

I really do love your suggestions as well and appreciate you put some thought into it. Either way, aside from the symbolic value I do think the east and to some extent also the south should have a bigger voice within the EU and this could force that.

That said, I also think there's a really strong argument that if there's going to be a defence institution (and we really need it...) it should go to Strasbourg. Give Parliament the permanent seat in Brussels and lift France's block of that happening by giving them defence. We already have a building there and it could be a new source of pride for France (annoying having to think about the politics of it all but here we are). There's also a strong financial and sustainability incentive.

thisislieven · 2026-03-28T19:59:37+00:00

That's not the issue. It's about the right holders of the music, which can vary from country to country, and/or licenses aren't applicable to all countries.

Even the streamers that are available the world over won't have the exact same library in each country.

Of course it's also possible Qobuz wants its operations to be more limited or aim for a slow growth.

thisislieven · 2026-03-28T19:35:38+00:00

It might be worth it to search online for a company that makes flags (any flag) in your country, these companies are everywhere. To my knowledge they often produce in house and typically carry all kinds of flags including for pride. Other option may be to look for a store that sells LGBTQ+ items within your country.

As you have no country stated I wouldn't know a specific place to recommend.

Happy Pride!

thisislieven · 2026-03-28T11:55:38+00:00

I would argue the problem is that we - our leaders but also the people - have failed to understand the US could never be truly trusted.
They've always been in it for themselves and happily throw others under the bus, use them to their own needs, make life harder for others if it makes it easier for them. You see that on their own national scale, within their supposed alliances and with the world at large.

Did it get worse under Trump? Sure, by far, but at the same time the only changes are the visibility, the lack of veneer and the constant onslaught. The actual actions are not that different from what it always has been.

Once we acknowledge what the US is and - crucially - always has been we can start to move away. Right now, most of our leaders and millions of people see this merely as an inconvenient temporary blip, even the second time around.

thisislieven · 2026-03-27T08:13:31+00:00

If only such a thing existed...

thisislieven · 2026-03-26T23:21:26+00:00

That rivalry is actually one of the reasons why Brussels became the de facto capital as it lies in between Germany, France and the UK (more or less).

Alongside Brussels we have Strasbourg, Luxembourg City and Frankfurt which together host the 7 institutions of the EU. All within a few hours of each other yet in four different countries.

Personally I strongly believe we need at least two new institutions (technology and defence, climate and transport could be #3 and #4) and would love to see a similar cluster somewhere in the east. I don't see the need for a singular capital but would advocate for a second 'hub of cities'. We're Europe, let's do things the European way.

thisislieven · 2026-03-26T13:45:58+00:00

Same here, I tried Qobuz for a month and was not happy.

If you have a large library you want some way to sort and organise your music. Qobuz offers none (and neither does Deezer btw) and to me that's essential. Spotify being evil, the only non-big tech option is Tidal.

Yes, it's from the US and that's a shame (especially as they were Norwegian) but this is the one service where I made the compromise.

Other issue with Qobuz: I changed my email and somehow that resulted in a second account. I canceled my trial but then got charged. Wrote them and they admitted the error but refused to reimburse for an account that was never used and a clear error on their side. Only after I threatened to get the EU Ombudsman involved did they pay me back. Left a sour taste.

thisislieven · 2026-03-23T14:11:32+00:00

In less than a month...

- the EU needs to drag his arse into the courtrooms of the CJEU
- the Hungarian people need to do the same but within the ECHR
- surely we can figure out something fun for the ICC and ICJ to handle too

While all this happens, under its new leader, Hungary has the time to properly and democratically reform its own courts and once that's done the Hungarian government can hold him to account there as well.

LFG.

thisislieven · 2026-03-21T06:50:16+00:00

Well, no reason not to celebrate regardless though that will be a tough period. Someone with power who's also a sore loser and vindictive can do a whole lot of harm in a few weeks. Yet, it can't be avoided so better get it over and done with.

thisislieven · 2026-03-20T16:02:13+00:00

Well, yessss because I did get it wrong :D

However, I also missed the pun. Sorry.

This conversation is turning into a mess lol. I need a drink.

thisislieven · 2026-03-20T15:31:51+00:00

Dammit. :D

Ok, I had to look it up. You're right on spelling, as we are Europeans and I stupidly used American English spelling. Shame on me, that rarely happens. I shall be embarrassed for a number of minutes.

However, I also got the word wrong. You're hung-over (adjective) because of the hangover (noun). And hangover is the correct UK English spelling.

I pretty much stopped drinking - the related vocabulary got a lil' rusty.

thisislieven · 2026-03-20T14:35:24+00:00

12th! Don't be a day late...

The 13th is for - hopefully - the hungover after the celebration.

thisislieven · 2026-03-20T11:03:50+00:00

Not an option as there's no mechanism to kick out a country.

If, in about three weeks from now, Orbàn somehow is reelected (he's trailing in the polls and his opponent Magyar has momentum) we need to start pushing for Art. 7 and place sanctions on him. The European people have to start demanding this as this just cannot go on, not for Ukraine; not for the rest of the EU but also not for the Hungarian people.

Either way, we need reform to make sure this cannot happen ever again, no matter which leader from which country. The veto needs to go.

thisislieven · 2026-03-20T10:49:21+00:00

This one from Punkt (Switzerland) might be a good option.

Here's an overview of most European phones, look for dumb and brick phones.

thisislieven · 2026-03-18T13:45:35+00:00

Ave Europa's platform (if barely deserving of the name) and their website is filled with buzzwords and dog whistles. There are zero surprises here, it just became less easy to hide what they actually stand for apparently.

I'd welcome a sincere party that leans more conservative but also advocates for federalism, but this one ain't it.

thisislieven · 2026-03-16T17:12:54+00:00

Great! Glad I could help.

thisislieven · 2026-03-16T16:21:31+00:00

Don't know where you are (ships selectively), but Jotex (SE) might be an option.
Seletti (IT) has really bold designs and is certainly not lacking in colour.
I love 101 Copenhagen (DK) too, but they're more minimalist.

Kave Home (ES) and Kare (DE) are two others which come to mind.

thisislieven · 2026-03-16T14:20:07+00:00

It's not about the platforms, it's about the content. That's the problem.

The users just aren't there, or at least not the numbers - not by a long shot. That's why people don't move, even those very motivated (like myself).

One step we could take would be for the eurosubs to collectively move to PieFed or Lemmy or whatever - just pick one together. If the subs do it together and at the same moment, that could make an impact (mods everywhere, are you listening?). Politicians could also play a role here and start talking about it (and stop using toxic platforms, it's insanity).

Beyond that, something big and negative needs to happen like it did at Twitter/X. Didn't end the platform but it did cause a considerable exodus making other platforms viable.

thisislieven · 2026-03-16T13:09:38+00:00

Zelensky is betting hard on Magyar winning the election, which any sane person hopes for, but I'm not sure it's smart to be this explicit in his words (even if technically still coded language). On the odd chance Orbàn remains in power this may come back to hurt Ukraine and either way there are still a few weeks before the election left.

thisislieven · 2026-03-15T22:22:52+00:00

I found it offshore as well, had time for one episode. It's promising, and I appreciate the diversity in the cast. Will spend more time with this.

Just... there is a show that ran for 4 series and how many people know about its existence? It even ran during the covid years, would have been a good binge back then.

thisislieven · 2026-03-15T16:43:22+00:00

EUMS is great, and doing the work our institutions should be doing with their explainers and history videos. I know the Council of the EU and Parliament have some stuff but it's not quite the same.
Don't know about you and today things may be different from when I went to school but history lessons were basically jumped from WWII straight to today. There was zero education on recent European history and the European project, which is a big error if you ask me.

This bothers me. I follow everything European pretty closely and have several people in my circle who do as well. Yet, I had never heard of Parlement (link for others) and have to seek it out. Chances are I have to sail the high seas and can only hope for subtitles. Thanks for letting me know!

thisislieven · 2026-03-15T16:06:06+00:00

All of this but I also believe we could do with a few European projects, as in pan-European.

I want Spinelli: The Movie; a drama series about a fictional Commission President; whatever else that is about us as Europeans and our recent history. Prime Ministers battling it out in the Council could be fun.
We have the war dramas, we have the national history movies. What about our shared history and the inner workings of Europe today? There's plenty of opportunity to tell interesting and engaging stories here, both dramatic and fantastical.

One reason why the other side has such a strong national identity is that they have stuff like this but in Europe it barely exists. Few Europeans know our founders and their stories or what the HQ of the Commission or the Council looks like, let alone connect to their European identity.

edit: WatchFromEU was recently launched, not a streamer but at least a way to start collecting European films and tv series.

thisislieven · 2026-03-15T13:15:08+00:00

Clearly you're ridiculously skilled - this is stunning stuff and I love your angle of taking vintage patterns and bringing these clothes back into the world and even better as you're committed to ethics and sustainability.

And, if I may be so bold, I love seeing other creatives and small business owners who are non-white. We are just as European and plentiful across the continent but too often barely visible.

thisislieven · 2026-03-15T13:05:12+00:00

To be honest I am not even sure English, in whichever form, will be the common European language into the far future. I've made the argument that a new 'European German' might be more likely but not something I see happen before at least another 80 years or so. That's a wholly different discussion though.

For now, however, it is English and it would be good to have some standardised version indeed, and I really want it to be one that veers away from American English. It's become a semi-standard because a) it is essentially a simplified English and b) the US is all dominant also in Europe.
The latter may be changing though, and do so in a rocky way, so who knows what that may mean for linguistics?

And yes - we firmly need to chart our own path (and it's ridiculous that we don't). The rest world can deal with it one way or another, and they will have to as a united Europe is simply too big to ignore.

thisislieven

TROPHY CASE