Opinion Future European defence policy


@klier, I see the PVV was one of the parties in a majority vote against the EU rearmament plan by the Dutch government.

PVV leader Geert Wilders said earlier that Schoof will have to go back to Brussels and tell them the Dutch are opposed to ReArm Europe if the Tweede Kamer voted for Eerdmans' motion. "That's how it should be in a democracy," indicating that Schoof should have sought Parliament's approval beforehand.

I don't know how the Dutch parliament works, but this was exactly the kind of thing I'm talking about when it comes to pan European agreements.
 
Well, this selection of hot takes is so all over the place it's positively Trumpian.

I believe Scottish and Welsh independence and entry into the EU is inevitable, and Irish reunification is inching closer. So where does that leave England? Basking like a wallowing pig in a mess created by years of ineptitude.

If the UK had a more equitable and democratic electoral system it (probably) wouldn't be in the mess it's in today.
 
If the UK had a more equitable and democratic electoral system it (probably) wouldn't be in the mess it's in today.

Agreed, hence I'm a member of the Electoral Reform society, and long time whinger about FPTP.

So let's go back to some of your points, starting with this one...

The election should have been voided and re run IMO.

The election was run on the premise as it has been for decades. It didn't fall below any threshold for being valid and the popular vote issue simply is not relevant when it comes to the count. Should the system be changed, yes? Should we go around voiding the results of valid elections until then, no - absolutely not.

The UK also voted overwhelmingly against ditching FPTP in 2011. That may well have changed since voters who are used to being protected by FPTP are now falling victim to it, but for now, it's unlikely to be in the incumbents interest to move away from a system that got them elected, unless they were elected on that pledge, and although Starmer made noises about it - it's not really any closer to fruition.

But yes, the disparity between votes and seats is a problem.

Scotland, FWIW, voted to remain in the UK in 2014. They also voted to remain in the EU in 2015. Large scale support thereafter for the Scottish Nationalists would indicate that they wanted another go at both of those questions, but SNP support substantially dropped off prior to the last election.

Wales in this context is almost an irrelevance, their nationalist Party, Plaid Cymru, falls behind Labour and the Conservatives at their ballot box, and there's no meaningful talk of them wanting to leave the UK let alone having a referendum on it. Wales also voted to leave the EU, for some even more unfathomable reason, than the English. They don't want to leave the UK, and they didn't want to part of Europe.

Ireland, I'll leave well alone, it's a highly contentious topic and while I personally don't hold an opinion one way or another on it, whoever offers them the choice - even in the best of faith - may well end up with blood on their hands. Northern Ireland probably has the easiest route back to the EU, as Ireland is still a member, which probably does sway some peoples opinions over there on where their allegiance should be. As abstentionists Sinn Fein don't represent their supporters in Parliament, and the Unionist vote is split across multiple parties... I'd suggest any referenda held on this matter would be highly complex, but essentially there's no one that wants an independent Northern Ireland, they either want to be in the Union, or part of Ireland.

On the topic of EU membership. The EU won't negotiate with Scotland, Northern Ireland, or Wales on terms for their entry to the Union, because they don't know what state they'd be in after leaving the UK, and they wouldn't know because at this time the Government won't negotiate with them on terms should another independence referendum take place. Nobody would really know what they were voting for prior to a referendum, which was a massive problem with Brexit, Ignorance easily beats caution.

With all that said, it seems you're into ignoring election results and breaking up unions against their will, no?
 
Yes, electoral systems can be highly convoluted. And initial satisfacation in witnessing "one's team" clutch an election victory is bound to be stifled when one realizes that it is very, very seldom that what is preached is actually practiced. And it is often quite the opposite. It's pretty much a "same old, same old", but hopes never really seem to die. As is the case with naivety. Case in point is my country's current political state of affairs. In frustration, I have been saying to myself: "I resolve to abstain from casting a ballot in a general election for the rest of my earthly existence". Jeez, I've been around far too long for not having anticipated this happening...again.
 
As I understand it Wilders is an advocate of 'Nexit', or at least wants to render the EU toothless to the point of irrelevance, I cannot see how that is conducive to international cooperation.

That aside, I'll leave my opinions on people like him to the side and just point out that voting against immigration is what f#cked the UK with Brexit (guess what immigration didn't go away, it's 'worse'), and it's part of what got Trump elected... We'll see how that works out for the USA, but to me it's mind boggling that people swallow what these people are spouting... it isn't going to solve a societies problems to have a right wing nutter in power.
I mean here in Germany the chancellor candidate of the CDU/CSU(Conservative Dumbf#cks who couldn´t manage a f#cking a ALDI) always spewed out shit like that refugees are the reason why the average citizen can´t get a appointment at the dentist or that foreigners overburden the hospitals(A lot of the hospital personal are foreigners btw). That rhetoric helped our Russian funded AfD a lot in the last election.

PVV leader Geert Wilders said earlier that Schoof will have to go back to Brussels and tell them the Dutch are opposed to ReArm Europe if the Tweede Kamer voted for Eerdmans' motion. "That's how it should be in a democracy," indicating that Schoof should have sought Parliament's approval beforehand.
Wilders said lately that Ukraine should talk with the Ivans. Hmm who could have given this idea to him?

That being said, weren´t some people issuing fatwas against him? Maybe he should talk with these people, too.
 
I mean here in Germany the chancellor candidate of the CDU/CSU...

Indeed, preliminary talks with the (until recently apparent) SPD future coalition partner rapidly developed into a dilettantic clown show of epic proportions. This surprises as well as thoroughly frustrates me. Mr. Merz, until recently the chairman of Blackrock Germanys supervisory board, is presenting himself as an erratic, untrustworthy fool, tossing his election campaign narratives into the bin with abandon and changing direction more quickly than a weather vane in gusty crosswinds. All integrity lost. It surprises me because the position of supervisory board chairman in a big corporation is a difficult, multifaceted job at hand brimming with responsibility and demanding foresight, leadership skills and clear strategic planning. Mr. Merz has now been "all over the place" consistently more recently. And now, I deeply regret having placed my votes (Erst-sowie auch Zweitstimme) for the CDU. I really should have known better following the 16 year long Merkel CDU "experience"...and now I feel like a fool. Sadly, I also see no alternatives on the horizon. So...I imagine I'll be joining the ranks of non-voters next federal election time around.
 
Agreed, hence I'm a member of the Electoral Reform society, and long time whinger about FPTP.

So let's go back to some of your points, starting with this one...





With all that said, it seems you're into ignoring election results and breaking up unions against their will, no?
The election result was a travesty and against the will of the people. If Chuck had a backbone he should have refused to allow Labor to forma govt. I know he can't do that but it should have been a topic to discuss. Nobody should be holding elections using FPTP in the 2020's.

If I was Scottish (by descent I'm half Scot) I would be pushing hard for another independence referendum.
 
The election result was a travesty and against the will of the people.

They always are, probably more than you realise since you seem focused on the popular vote, which isn't even a mechanic we use. I can only assume you have a problem with it because it's Labour and your politics seem to be rampantly totalitarian and more inline with the abuse of Democracy that we'd expect for the Tories.

If Chuck had a backbone he should have refused to allow Labor to forma govt. I know he can't do that but it should have been a topic to discuss

The king didn't have to invite Starmer to form a government, he's the King.

If however the king did decide to break convention and ignore an election result, I would hope we would revolt. I certainly be up for chucking a few petrol bombs at the palace.

If I was Scottish (by descent I'm half Scot) I would be pushing hard for another independence referendum.

That's peachy, but at the moment actual Scottish people don't seem to agree with you.

All that said, I'd absolutely welcome a change from FPTP for the next election, it would be nice to have my vote represented in parliament for the first time in my life, after taking part in 8 or so of them.
 
Isn't funny how Germany desperately wants to support Ukraine? I guess it's the guilty feeling for losing WW2. I mean they don't even nuclear weapons, so why the hell are they involved in this?

Germany's foreign policy should be:

“You stripped us of nukes, tanks, and basically told us ‘never again’… so f#ck it! Not our problem. Call Paris, London or DC. We’ll be as neutral as Switzerland only with better cars. We’ll make your cars, build autobahns, drink good beer, and mind our own business".
 
Isn't funny how Germany desperately wants to support Ukraine? I guess it's the guilty feeling for losing WW2. I mean they don't even nuclear weapons, so why the hell are they involved in this?

Germany's foreign policy should be:

“You stripped us of nukes, tanks, and basically told us ‘never again’… so f#ck it! Not our problem. Call Paris, London or DC. We’ll be as neutral as Switzerland only with better cars. We’ll make your cars, build autobahns, drink good beer, and mind our own business".

Germany lost WW2, but they made up for it by launching SAP into the world.
 
Yesterday's Kensington Treaty between Germany and the U.K. is immensely significant. IMHO, an essential step in the right direction.
 

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