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    Post by WP64 Tue Nov 22, 2016 3:29 am

    I'd love if anyone here who either lives in the EU or has some knowledge about the political process and current atmosphere of the continent would share articles and insights on the board. I'm especially interested in contemporary French, German, and Italian politics. If anyone has any simple articles to explain just the electoral process that would be a great start for me!
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    Post by WP64 Thu Dec 01, 2016 4:51 pm

    This is a pretty solid summary of the referendum vote that is happening this Sunday in Italy.
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    Post by Duff... Thu Dec 01, 2016 6:43 pm

    More good news.

    http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/12/01/504018170/french-president-francois-hollande-says-he-wont-seek-re-election
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    Post by WP64 Thu Dec 01, 2016 11:15 pm

    I'm not sure if that is sarcastic or not, but it is kind of good news. This at least creates a hypothetical space for a centre-left candidate to step forward who isn't starting with a 4% approval rating.

    Most likely it is going to be a run-off between Fillon and Le Pen anyway....
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    Post by Duff... Fri Dec 02, 2016 12:40 am

    Ҩ wrote:
    Most likely it is going to be a run-off between Fillon and Le Pen anyway....

    That's the "good news".
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    Post by WP64 Fri Dec 02, 2016 12:44 am

    Duff... wrote:
    Ҩ wrote:
    Most likely it is going to be a run-off between Fillon and Le Pen anyway....

    That's the "good news".
    If you want some actual good news, the French left actually does have an established history of pragmatically voting for the 'lesser-of-two-evils.'
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    Post by WP64 Fri Dec 02, 2016 12:51 am

    Is there anyone here who could provide some links explaining the resurgence of nationalist, right-wing politics and candidates throughout the continent. That, or just provide a calendar of important dates in 2017 that we should all be paying attention to.

    In Austria, it's Norbert Hofer & the far right Freedom Party which looks poised to take control. Elections occur this Sunday. He would be the first 'far right, nationalist' leader within the European Union since Hitler. So that's fun...

    There is the Italian referendum on Sunday as well, which might end up with Renzi stepping down, but I'm not sure what the long-term consequences of that would be.

    Le Pen in France, which is happening in April & May.

    Merkel is running for re-election as well this year? Geert Wilders in Netherlands... What else?
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    Post by WP64 Sun Dec 04, 2016 2:00 pm

    Good job Austrians.
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    Post by Duff... Mon Dec 05, 2016 2:57 am

    We've reached the point where deciding not to elect right wing nut cases is commendable in western civilization.
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    Post by WP64 Mon Dec 05, 2016 12:32 pm

    So Italy voting 'No' is relatively insignificant. The larger populist movement (Five Star) is going to call for an early election (it's scheduled for February of '18), as well the far-right Lega Nord, but it won't happen. The President will select a new prime minister from within Renzi's cabinet, probably the finance minister Pier Carlo Padoan.

    Basically, this is just Italian politics as usual, or that's at least how it is being explained to me. The bigger problem seems to be the fragility of Italy's banking system which needs a capital injection of some sort because several of the larger banks in the country are on the brink of complete bankruptcy.
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    Post by Nick Mon Dec 05, 2016 1:07 pm

    Duff... wrote:We've reached the point where deciding not to elect right wing nut cases is commendable in western civilization.

    The media is dedicating column space weekly to profile racists. And not to give readers a laundry list of what disgusting people they are. It is basically "well, other than thinking only white males are a legitimate segment of the population, what other stances do they have?"

    This is normalization at its most disturbing and Trump hasn't even taken office yet. The extreme right wing will continue to make elections close in the coming years and rather than congratulating the voting public I suspect coverage will be more along the lines of simply "they lost".
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    Post by Duff... Wed Mar 15, 2017 11:42 pm

    Thank fucking christ.
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    Post by zappo Wed Mar 15, 2017 11:44 pm

    mang
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    Post by WP64 Fri Mar 17, 2017 2:11 am

    Keeping the sub-title in mind here, I am a bit concerned about centre-right parties co-opting some of the disgusting rhetoric and nationalistic policy in order to maintain their majority. Even Merkel, the postwar liberal champion, has fretted with this in the last few months.

    Which is why I was very happy when I read this.
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    Post by WP64 Sun Mar 19, 2017 3:26 am

    Can some of our British boarders help explain the hostility towards Corbyn? What am I supposed to think when I read things like this, for example? The frustration is obviously that Labor and liberal-democrats haven't been able to effectively challenge Tory leadership? What has Corbyn tangibly done to effect this that isn't just optics? Hasn't he brought unions and young people into the party in growing numbers? Isn't that the reason for his rise in the first place? Is that just inconsequential in a national election? Why? What is the alternative anyway? Another Tony Blair figure to lead the party and bring it back to a more widely appealing centrism?

    This particular op-ed makes a lot of the geo-political tacks of old guard leftists. He is written a whole book on this. I get the general point, and it probably isn't a bad one to make. Leftists are so blinded by their condemnation of American/Israeli foreign policy that they will apologize for the heinous actions of other governments, or ignore the actions and violent ideology of non-state actors, because it would shatter their world view. He probably gives a lot of examples of this in his book, but he gives very little in the article. If the aim is to have an ideologically consistent foreign policy from the start, of course the actual world of events will challenge that beginning premise. But I don't have a problem with stating a coherent foreign policy agenda from the start. I think that was Sanders biggest weakness in the primaries for example. And I mean, really, are British voters really that dissuaded by Corbyn's refusal to condemn Hezbollah as a terrorist organization? Really?

    I don't know much about it but I remain suspicious of this take. Bruegel, Soma, others, help me out here! What don't I understand? If you have some good articles to link that would be great as well.
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    Post by chrondog Sun Mar 19, 2017 4:13 pm

    Corbyn is an Arsenal fan, so he must be a mild-mannered, out-of-touch Londonite that represents everything that's wrong with the New Britain
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    Post by undo Sun May 07, 2017 4:05 pm

    mang

    am I using the right emoticon for this?
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    Post by Duff... Sun May 07, 2017 4:54 pm

    I'll second ya.
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    Post by WP64 Sun May 07, 2017 5:55 pm

    This is encouraging, but it is only the beginning. Macron will not be able to effectively govern without a majority in Parliament and a compliant Prime Minister. He is the first independent President in the history of the Fifth Republic (it has always been either centre-left socialists or centre-right Republicans) and so it is uncertain how his party will effectively campaign.

    In the meantime, Le Pen has already started preparing for these parliamentary elections. Her 'concession' speech was all about remaking the National Front and driving home the distinction between 'technocratic globalists' and her toxic brand of republican patriots/nationalists. With the Socialist Party in complete disarray and lacking much of any approval despite Hamon's attempts at rehabilitation combined both with Mélenchon's popularity and intransigence I don't really see how a centre-left majority emerges out of these next elections. I'm not saying it can't happen though, I just don't know enough about French politics to say either way.


    Last edited by Ҩ on Sun May 07, 2017 6:03 pm; edited 2 times in total
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    Post by WP64 Sun May 07, 2017 6:02 pm

    More importantly, Macron doesn't provide any long-term solutions. His reforms of the labor market as Hollande's minister of economy are extremely unpopular amongst France's working/middle class. I suppose his reforms might lower the unemployment rate, but those statistics won't reflect material realities (casual labor and part-time employment doesn't generate rising standards of living or increased purchasing power).

    Obviously, I can't predict the future, but this doesn't feel like much of a victory.
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    Post by Duff... Sun May 07, 2017 6:35 pm

    It's less a victory and more a "we narrowly averted catastrophe, for today", yeah.
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    Post by WP64 Mon May 08, 2017 1:54 am

    Ҩ wrote:He is the first independent President in the history of the Fifth Republic (it has always been either centre-left socialists or centre-right Republicans) and so it is uncertain how his party will effectively campaign.
    This is also not true. Valéry Giscard d'Estaing was an independent centrist from '74-'81.
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    Post by WP64 Fri Jun 09, 2017 4:43 am

    Holy shit.
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    Post by Nick Fri Jun 09, 2017 7:59 am

    Is there an article online that summarizes the magnitude of this for an American?
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    Post by Bruegel Fri Jun 09, 2017 10:56 am

    May called the snap election to try and increase her majority, which she hoped would lend more authority to her hardline Brexit strategy.

    In reality, she's lost her majority and will need to get into bed with the red-faced spitting Ulstermen of Northern Ireland's DUP just to form a government. We'll probably be back at the polls within a year and Brexit looks messier than ever.

    May looks like becoming the second consecutive Tory PM to throw away her career on a coin toss.

    This is last thing that Northern Ireland needs right now...they cant even reach a power-sharing agreement at the moment and this will really stir shit up.

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