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Post by cato on Mar 24, 2018 13:13:20 GMT
One of the striking aspects of current European politics is the growth of parties and governments critical of the EU. Italy is the most recent example with a huge increase in Eurosceptical and anti immigrant sentiment.
The new right wing Austrian government has decided not to impose an Irish style smoking ban in pubs and restaurants. Interestingly the Austrians have justified their stance on the basis that people are grown ups should choose for themselves if they want to indulge in unhealthy but legal activity. The opposition social democrats have said the government's measures ammount to "baby killing"! That language would be seen as personalised and insensitive abuse in an Irish context.
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Post by Maolsheachlann on Mar 24, 2018 17:07:45 GMT
As someone who has never so much as taken a single pull of a cigarette, I HATE the smoking ban, and think it was a big leap in creeping statism.
Apparently, one of the biggest victims of it were snooker halls.
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Post by cato on Mar 24, 2018 17:19:47 GMT
Smoking traditionally is one of the few comforts left to people in psychiatric or old peoples homes/institutions. Now this is banned and patients have to go out into the cold or to very rarely provided smoking areas. The zeal for physical health outways mental distress and discomfort it would seem. Angelism albeit in a contorted form , lives on.
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Post by cato on May 8, 2018 18:32:55 GMT
Apologists for the EU often compare it nostalgically to the pre 1914 Austro-Hungarian Empire which united a multitude of religions races and languages under a relatively benign political and economic regime.
Leaving aside the fact that in 1918 the various new nationalities were delighted to see the back of the old Empires in Europe it is interesting that elements of the old Empires Austria , Hungary , the Czech Republic and Poland ( the old 2nd Reich and Russia) are now the naughty boys in the EU family by objecting to further emigration , closer political union or more powers to Brussels. So when we next hear about being having to be fully European perhaps we could ask what type of European would that be?
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Post by cato on May 28, 2018 22:47:15 GMT
The current Italian populist coalition has been told they can't appoint a eurosceptical finance minister who has written previously on withdrawing from the Euro. The Italian president who has largely a figure head role vetoed the appointment much to the joy of Brussels bureaucrats and the various financial ratings agencies.
So the elected representatives of the Italian people are now being told that only pro EU ministers are permitted in European democracies. I only hope they get an enhanced mandate in the next election.
As the subjects of 2 additional referenda forced on us by our EU bosses when we got the wrong results we know well Brussels doesn't understand the word No unless you repeat it very firmly.
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Post by Séamus on Jun 3, 2018 13:06:25 GMT
I was in a courtroom recently for the 'swearing in' of the jury (didn't stay for the rest of it,I actually had no connection or knew nothing about the case). Out of fourteen jurors,I noted that roughly ten chose to take the offered Bible.
Pedró Sanchez is said to be the first prime minister of Spain to be sworn in without Bible or Crucifix.
Should everyone say "oh dear, not another step in that direction" or be at least happy that he made no pretenses?
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Post by cato on Jun 3, 2018 17:27:48 GMT
Left and right have a passionate hatred in Spain going back to the 19th century, coming to a climax in the 1930s and during the Franco era. ( As an aside some twitter accounts claimed Franco was a role model for the No vote in Ireland.) I have a strange feeling the Gonzalez left wing government in the 1980s contained their fair share of atheists so this may not be a new development.
John Major was the first openly atheistic British prime minister but didn't make a fuss as far as I recall about oaths. Strange that he had a say in appointing bishops to the Church of England. Well perhaps not so strange given the calibre of some bishops nowadays.
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Post by Maolsheachlann on Jun 3, 2018 18:12:13 GMT
Major in his autobiography claims to have been a believer. I don't know if he retracted that claim subsequently.
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Post by cato on Jun 3, 2018 21:52:07 GMT
Major in his autobiography claims to have been a believer. I don't know if he retracted that claim subsequently. I stand corrected. I think he claimed to be a believer from a distance and was much more reluctant than Margaret Thatcher to talk about faith and politics. James Callaghan Thatcher's predecessor, does appear to have been open about losing his faith but wasn't a anti religious ideologue. Enda Kenny gave an interview on Gay Byrnes Would You Believe programme and came out with a mixture of new age nonsense and vague deism as his personal credo. Kenny was originally a catholic national school principal. Looking back at some of his later decisions perhaps his lack of a traditional faith should have alerted people to how he would act when in power. |
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Post by cato on Jun 3, 2018 21:53:09 GMT
Major in his autobiography claims to have been a believer. I don't know if he retracted that claim subsequently. You read John Major's autobiography? |
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Post by Maolsheachlann on Jun 3, 2018 22:25:06 GMT
I think maybe I just skimmed it in the library.
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Post by assisi on Nov 2, 2018 16:32:31 GMT
Macron, whose popularity rating in France is moving downwards, had this to say in an interview this week:
“I am struck by the resemblance between the moment in which we live and that of the inter-war period.”
“Europe faces a risk: to be dismembered by nationalist leprosy and to be overthrown by outside powers, and thus to lose its sovereignty,” Macron said and added that a Europe of nations would end up dependent on the US for security and would be weak to Chinese encroachment and Russian manipulation.
It looks like the mask is slipping and the anti-nationalist rhetoric of Macron is becoming more open and extreme. 'Nationalist leprosy' leaves little wriggle room. A united Europe is the pretty much the stated aim now.
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Post by cato on Nov 2, 2018 17:21:24 GMT
Macron, whose popularity rating in France is moving “Europe faces a risk: to be dismembered by nationalist leprosy and to be overthrown by outside powers, and thus to lose its sovereignty,” Macron said and added that a Europe of nations would end up dependent on the US for security and would be weak to Chinese encroachment and Russian manipulation. It looks like the mask is slipping and the anti-nationalist rhetoric of Macron is becoming more open and extreme. 'Nationalist leprosy' leaves little wriggle room. A united Europe is the pretty much the stated aim now. It would be impossible to imagine the last great French president General De Gaulle uttering those arrogant out of touch globalist utterances. Now the deplorables are lepers.I wonder will the media criticise the boy wonder for his sneering put down of people who love their countries more than a faceless cabal of egotists in Brussels. |
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Post by cato on Jan 15, 2019 14:58:43 GMT
European Parliament Elections are due in May this year.
It is expected Eurosceptics will do well and will upset the cosy consensus in Brussels. Although we in Ireland have no formal mainstream Eurosceptic party it should be possible to elect at a minimum of 3 to 4 Eurosceptical Irish MEPs. Given all the establishment are pro EU there is a need for a few good candidates in each constituency to take advantage of discontent.
The Parliament has had limited powers to date but it has the power to cause a major crisis at very high levels and to derail the the movement to ever closer union. It is important Irish voices should be present when a new direction is taken should critics gain enough seats. Peadar Toibin's new cross border party has indicated it will be Eurosceptical. He has already picked up 8 local government representatives.
This is one area were what is left of the right in Ireland can do something in 2019 to roll back globalism.
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Post by Maolsheachlann on Jan 15, 2019 16:53:09 GMT
European Parliament Elections are due in May this year. It is expected Eurosceptics will do well and will upset the cosy consensus in Brussels. Although we in Ireland have no formal mainstream Eurosceptic party it should be possible to elect at a minimum of 3 to 4 Eurosceptical Irish MEPs. Given all the establishment are pro EU there is a need for a few good candidates in each constituency to take advantage of discontent. The Parliament has had limited powers to date but it has the power to cause a major crisis at very high levels and to derail the the movement to ever closer union. It is important Irish voices should be present when a new direction is taken should critics gain enough seats. Peadar Toibin's new cross border party has indicated it will be Eurosceptical. He has already picked up 8 local government representatives. This is one area were what is left of the right in Ireland can do something in 2019 to roll back globalism. Aside from its actual powers it is also a platform-- that was really UKIP's base to bring about Brexit. I will certainly vote for any Eurosceptic candidate I can, whether Irexit Freedom Party, National Party, or Peadar Toibin's new party. |
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