Maybe, just maybe, the west’s political classes will realize–before its too late–that neoliberalism and funnelling the wealth of the many up to the few wasn’t such a great idea?
Ah, whom I kidding, if its a choice between democracy and less money, or fascism and more money, neoliberalism will send democracy packing.
Looking at Germanys history, and the current behaviour of the “conservative” and “liberal” parties:
Naah, they will happily delude themselves into being able to control the fascists and help them into power, believing it would mean more power for them too.
As long as the political class and the wealthy few have such a large overlap, it’s a great idea for them.
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About a quarter of my fellow dutchies voted for him. It’s insane.
Pass the dutchie on the left hand side
At the moment, I’m ashamed, sad, and gloomy about the future. Its a proven fact that Putin is in control of this party. Which is why this party wants to stop sending f16’s to Ukraine.
This is bad. Very very bad.
Its a proven fact that Putin is in control of this party.
When you wilfully decide to live in make-believe land you shouldn’t engage in political discourse, anyway.
Could you come to me and make sense of Putin controlling the party and at the same time being staunchly pro Israel and issuing things like this:
On the eastern side of Europe, a major war is raging between Russia and Ukraine after the Russian aggressor unlawfully invaded Ukraine.
Seriously, discourse here is absolutely broken.
A Kreml connected agency inviting individuals to speeches etc. might prove that Russia tries to exert influence. The PVV’s actual party line is still grossly at odds with Russian policy. But sure, that’s part of the Deep Kremlin’s smokescreen …
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/nov/22/geert-wilders-profile-netherlands-elections-far-right
In Kyiv, which has faced growing western war fatigue, the results will be met with worry. Like other far-right leaders on the continent, Wilders has praised Vladimir Putin’s rule, rallying against what he has described as “hysterical Russophobia” in Europe.
Four years after Russia annexed the Crimean peninsula, Wilders travelled to Moscow and met senior Russian officials in the Duma, a trip that was fiercely condemned by relatives of Dutch victims of the shooting-down of flight MH17, who blamed him for ignoring Moscow’s part in the disaster.
Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Wilders has somewhat distanced himself from the Kremlin, calling the invasion a mistake.
But a government under Wilders is unlikely to play the same role in aiding Ukraine as seen under longtime prime minister Mark Rutte, who led the effort to deliver F-16 combat aircraft to Ukraine.
In one of the last debates prior to the elections, Wilders said he would not support sending Ukraine more weapons, a statement that will send a chill through Ukraine, as military aid already appears to be faltering.
Wilders is a fascist. He probably lies a dozen times between waking up and his first coffee.
Looking at his actions it is clear, that he changed rhetoric on the current sentiment to get elected, but he aims to undermine Ukraine support.
Lots of mind-reading there.
Sure, but ties with Russia is not BS and not a “broke discourse”, there definitely is something there. And we need more discourse about it.
You said it was a “proven fact” that Putin controls PVV.
It IS! But for some people it’s too much to allow that into their minds. So I try a different tactic: a little slower, so you can also get onboard with this.
What’s known is that certain members of the PVV have dealings with an intransparent Russian agency. How you come from this to
Its a proven fact that Putin is in control of this party.
is beyond my comprehension.
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Sure. Meloni just started by taking unemployment payments away from people. Not a big deal. And I’m sure those weren’t even the people who voted for her because “rEfUgEeS”. Yeah, not a big deal at all. Surely this was the end of it, no further kicking of the weakest in sight.
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Oh, so rating agencies approved it. I almost have trouble believing it. Next you’re gonna tell me that foxes approve of a ban on fences around chicken coops.
Maybe I’m missing nuances here, not being Italian and all, but the press reports I found say it’s all single unemployed people unter 60 that were cut down to 350€ a month total, limited to 12 months. Some 160.000 people.
the government took away unemployment payment to people that would have been able to work but don’t.
That’s always the rethoric, but it’s a) highly debatable in each individual case. See above. If your metric for “could work” is “single under 59” that’s flawed by design.
b) By trying to hit the small minority of people that actually are just lazy you always hit people that are unemployed for entirely other reasons that may be well outside their control as collateral.
c) Trying to force people to take almost any job just helps companies that pay poverty wages to keep doing that and prevents market forces from doing their thing (if one side can’t say no, the other can demand whatever).
d) Even if none of this were true, there’s an existential minimum and letting people starve with less than that is just vile and a shame for any country calling itself civilized.
e) It’s only the beginning, and by not being solidaric with your fellow humans you show them they can pick and target the next minority the next time they need publicity. First they came for the socialists… Of course they’re going step by step.
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Well, they will undermine democracy where they can. Then they will ensure, that it gets harder and harder to vote against them and in the end your democracy ends up failed like in Hungary and Turkey. It’s the same playbook in every democratic country and people are ignoring it. But maybe you will think differently about that, when the new policies actually hit you and not only your neighbors.
The lawmaker, who has previously been labelled a Dutch version of Donald Trump, will have to form a coalition government before he can take the reins of power.
And here we see evidence of why proportional voting systems provide a defence against populists and authoritarians by moderating extremes. Wilders is softening his xenophobic rhetoric in order to facilitate compromise. If the UK had PR, Brexit would never have happened.
This is the best summary I could come up with:
An exit poll for Wednesday’s Dutch election says that far-right, anti-Islam populist Geert Wilders has won the most votes.
The elections will be watched closely across Europe, with the Netherlands playing a leading role on a number of issues, such as the Eurozone bailout and the Ukraine war.
Wilders, who leads the PVV, or Party for Freedom, has recently tried to smooth out his image by qualifying some of his most controversial positions.
Immigration, the cost of living and the housing crisis - which particularly affects young Dutch voters - have been the main issues in the campaign.
After the long leadership of Rutte - nicknamed “Teflon” Mark for his ability to overcome scandals - the Dutch are looking for a change in the way of governing, according to experts.
Rutte shocked the country in July by announcing his government had collapsed after “insurmountable” differences on immigration.
The original article contains 326 words, the summary contains 147 words. Saved 55%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!
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