The European Politics Thread

[Pothas]

Looks pretty awful.

Have been in Madrid the last few days and there was a pretty big protest in the square by where we were staying, hard to tell exactly what was going on but it was all quiet by the time we got back from the football.

 

[watson]

Wow, that is disgusting

Yes, but they are merely Catalan Supremacists who have no intrinsic moral right to border themselves?

 

[Magrat Garlick]

Kind of hard to fathom just how stupid this is by Rajoy et al

true belief in the sanctity of Spain, etc

 

[GotSpin]

I think the Spanish government really ****ed up here.

The catalan separatist movement was in the minority before they to decided to send in the police to bash the **** out of peaceful voters.

I think the whole separatist movement is fairly stupid but Madrid has just handled this so poorly

 

[GotSpin]

Kind of hard to fathom just how stupid this is by Rajoy et al

Unbelievably dumb

 

[StephenZA]

I am interested to see how the rest of Europe responds to the actions of Spain considering the number of these sort of small independance movements in a number of countries.

 

[sledger]

Grecian's pals over at "the state" performing admirably here.

Down with this sort of thing.

 

[Magrat Garlick]

I am interested to see how the rest of Europe responds to the actions of Spain considering the number of these sort of small independance movements in a number of countries.

Macron is busy with Marseilles, Rutte sent an imploration for dialogue (get on with talking with CU then!), and who knows wtf is happening in Eastern Europe.

 

[Furball]

I just don't understand what the Spanish government's play is here. By all reports independence wouldn't have won a proper referendum so what are they so scared of?

 

[GotSpin]

It's a really weird play from Madrid.

From what I understand, there was a whole host of issues with the voting itself and I think Madrid may have feared an exaggerated result in favour of independence. A lot of these independence movements are simply cash grabs so that might have played into their decision making.

Honestly, Madrid should have simply outlaid the political and economical realities of what independence would mean for Catalonia and tell them to get ****ed. Catalonians seem to live in a fantasy land where they think they can gain complete political independence but still retain the economic benefits of being part of Spain.

This doesn't even get into the argument that the lucky state, who directly benefited from Franco, should do its fair share to help out the less fortunate southern states

 

[Agent TBY]

Catalonia right now:

 

[Bijed]

It's a really weird play from Madrid.

From what I understand, there was a whole host of issues with the voting itself and I think Madrid may have feared an exaggerated result in favour of independence. A lot of these independence movements are simply cash grabs so that might have played into their decision making.

Honestly, Madrid should have simply outlaid the political and economical realities of what independence would mean for Catalonia and tell them to get ****ed. Catalonians seem to live in a fantasy land where they think they can gain complete political independence but still retain the economic benefits of being part of Spain.

This doesn't even get into the argument that the lucky state, who directly benefited from Franco, should do its fair share to help out the less fortunate southern states

Now where have we seen this before...?

 

[Teja.]

Now where have we seen this before...?

Nah bro, brexit was about ethics in game journalism.

 

[GotSpin]

Now where have we seen this before...?

I was thinking Scotland as well to an extent

 

[Spark]

I actually thought it was about Scotland at first

 

[Furball]

Applies to both.

 

[watson]

To my knowledge this is the first time that the word is being used in a constructive political sense in more than 30 years.

Who’d have thought that the Germans would be at the vanguard of progressive thought and ahead of the Australians, British, Anericans, French, and just about everyone else.

Germans' interest in 'Heimat' grows amid globalisation, migration fears

Berlin: Most Germans are wary of anything that smacks of nationalism given their Nazi history but the concept of "Heimat" (homeland) is enjoying a renaissance driven by rising anxiety about migration and globalisation.

President Frank-Walter Steinmeier used the resonant word 18 times in marking the 27th anniversary of German reunification on Tuesday, saying the nation needed honest dialogue about immigration after taking in over a million migrants since 2015......

....Christian Schuele, whose book Heimat: A Phantom Pain was published this spring, says the trend and support for far-right parties is driven by a sense of loss of national identity as immigration has surged, especially for those whose towns have shrivelled and where local traditions have died out.

Germans' interest in 'Heimat' grows amid globalisation, migration fears

 

[hendrix]

Who’d have thought that the Germans would be at the vanguard of progressive thought and ahead of the Australians, British, Anericans, French, and just about everyone else.

Ummmm, everyone? They're far more progressive than all of those countries and have been for a long time. They have far more progressive immigration and economic policy than all of those countries, and this is reflected by their powerhouse economy and excellent societal relations in comparison to the French, British, Australian and American counterparts.

Not only have their economically and socially liberal policies given them a strong economy, they've also fostered much more robust social safety net and have been able to deliver social policies the others would scarcely dream of such as free university and a much more reasonable cost of living.

 

[harsh.ag]

Freedom though.

 

[Furball]

Ummmm, everyone? They're far more progressive than all of those countries and have been for a long time. They have far more progressive immigration and economic policy than all of those countries, and this is reflected by their powerhouse economy and excellent societal relations in comparison to the French, British, Australian and American counterparts.

Not only have their economically and socially liberal policies given them a strong economy, they've also fostered much more robust social safety net and have been able to deliver social policies the others would scarcely dream of such as free university and a much more reasonable cost of living.

Haha yeah, one of the things that make the Nazi era so shocking is that Germany was the cradle of European culture for a long time.