Europe, Boring Until it's Not

[ssu]

The small Eastern European country of Slovakia has looked at Islam and decided it is not eligible to be a religion. Instead Slovakia defines Islam as a political movement.
https://www.rt.com/news/368755-slovakia ... igion-law/

What the fuck are you talking about???

That Rt piece says that Slovakia highered the quota for a religion to be a state religion to 50 000.

The new law more than doubles the required number of a religion's followers for it to qualify for state subsidies and run its own schools. At least 50,000 members, against the previous 20,000, has now been set as a threshold for gaining official status as a religion.

And furthermore, the article you referred to states:

According to the last census, Islam has some 2,000 followers in Slovakia, Reuters reported, adding that there are no recognized mosques in the central European country. The Islamic Foundation in Slovakia, which has not commented on the new legislation so far, puts the number at around 5,000.

Totally different thing. And 2 000 or 5 000 isn't going to get to 50 000 anytime soon.

While Islam is a diverse religion, it seems that Slovakia has decided that Muslims cannot separate Islamic Law from secular life, therefore it cannot be a religion, but is a political movement.

Yeah well, seems this is the way fake news develops.

Yep, people don't even read the goddam articles referred to.

[TheReal_ND]

Interesting to note just how Europe is pivoting to the right... or what was an "European" right is going to the stance of the "American" right.

- People have noticed the pivoting of Angela Merkel, who, should be noted, is a conservative, not a socialdemocrat or other leftist.

Notice also what is happening in France.

The center right candidate is Francois Fillon and his views:

Unlike the French far right, he wishes to maintain his country’s membership in the European Union. But, indulging Europe’s populist wave, he has promised to curtail immigration sharply, promote conservative social values, impose “strict administrative control” over Islam and bring security against terrorism.

See French Election Hints at a European Shift Toward Russia

Fillon also wants to lift the sanctions on Putin.

Mr. Fillon has called for lifting sanctions on Russia and for partnering with Moscow in an effort to curtail immigration and terrorism.

Francois Fillon


Seems like Putin is on the roll.

* * *

This might have convinced me to emigrate to Finnland if I did not have familial responsibilities.

Oh we have good schools. But otherwise, it's correctly what we are there in those pictures.

I don't understand his Russia angle but I understand his stance on immigration. What he's doing is being a smart politician and attempting to syphon votes away from Le Pen who wants to leave the EU. If you look at his political past, nowhere ever has he held such views on Islam and immigration that he does now to my knowledge. Merkel, the same. They are attempting to save their union and I hope nobody that is against the EU and pro nationalism is falling for it.

[ssu]

All religions are political systems. Religion is what we used to control the masses before politicians turned up.

I'm not sure I would agree with that. What do you think of the Slovak Law ?

You better read the article yourself of what the actual Law is about.

[Montegriffo]

Ok, I will later. Having too much fun in the internment camp at the moment though.

[Speaker to Animals]

To you she may seem rightwing, but European politics went off the carts leftwing after the war. In the historical sense, she rests solidly on the left.

Not just me.

Historically she's in the right. From the viewpoint of European politics.

European politics has been universally far more on the left than US politics. Hence people that here view themselves and are viewed By others as right-wing, would basically be centrist democrats in the US. Or in the eyes of the Republicans, pinko-liberal leftists.

The kind of leftists we have Americans couldn't even imagine.

Only if you limit the beginning of European history at 1945.

[ssu]

If you look at his political past, nowhere ever has he held such views on Islam and immigration that he does now to my knowledge. Merkel, the same. They are attempting to save their union and I hope nobody that is against the EU and pro nationalism is falling for it.

And that's the thing you should note, nuke.

It's not important that some Marine Le Pen holds such views. It's that the mainstream right is starting to hold such views.

Think of the real legacy of Thatcher. It's not just what she did in office, It's that after her when Labour did come back to power, it was lightyears away from the old Labour with "Third Way" Tony Blair. Hence Blair continued with a lot that Thatcher had started. That's real legacy when other political parties adopt your views.

As I said to you earlier in the Old DCF, Europe is changing.

[ssu]

Only if you limit the beginning of European history at 1945.

National socialist were socialist just like their name says, you know. Hated capitalism based on private ownership, hated conservatism.

[TheReal_ND]

If you look at his political past, nowhere ever has he held such views on Islam and immigration that he does now to my knowledge. Merkel, the same. They are attempting to save their union and I hope nobody that is against the EU and pro nationalism is falling for it.

And that's the thing you should note, nuke.

It's not important that some Marine Le Pen holds such views. It's that the mainstream right is starting to hold such views.

Think of the real legacy of Thatcher. It's not just what she did in office, It's that after her when Labour did come back to power, it was lightyears away from the old Labour with "Third Way" Tony Blair. Hence Blair continued with a lot that Thatcher had started. That's real legacy when other political parties adopt your views.

As I said to you earlier in the Old DCF, Europe is changing.

[Montegriffo]

Ok, I will later. Having too much fun in the internment camp at the moment though.

Oops, I think I got caught in the crossfire there.

[ssu]

Germany is worried about Fake news, and Russians.

Justice Minister Heiko Maas has said Germans "must reckon" with the idea that internet-based misinformation could play a part in the 2017 federal election. MPs from Merkel's CDU party will be briefed on the issue Monday. Justice Minister Heiko Maas has said he fears false information spread online could unfairly influence next year's Bundestag election campaign.

See German Justice Minister Heiko Maas worried fake news might affect 2017 election

Angela Merkel was earlier worried about the same thing:

“Something has changed — as globalization has marched on, debate is taking place in a completely new media environment. Opinions aren’t formed the way they were 25 years ago,” she said Wednesday while addressing Germany’s Bundestag, or parliament. “Today we have fake sites, bots, trolls — things that regenerate themselves, reinforcing opinions with certain algorithms, and we have to learn to deal with them.”

Merkel indicated that she supported tougher measures to crack down on hate speech in its various forms and figure out new ways to regulate the complicated ecosystem of online information (and misinformation).

See Fake news threatens German election: Merkel

Earlier I noted that German intelligence services were warning about the same things. I think one reason (other than the incidents of hacking in the US elections) why the Germans are so jumpy about this was the "Russian born girl raped By migrants" incident, in which foreign minister Sergei Lavrov used to attack the German administration. Even if the actual change in the German atmosphere toward migrants came with the terrorist attacks, this incident raised eyebrows in many places.

(That the incident was fake, in which a girl having psychiatric treatment fabricated, is told here or here)