The all things Poltical topic - We bear our banners aloft, boots like Drums Our Cadence quick, our countenance dire.

[pmp10]

9 hours ago, Ben No.4 said:

For an entirely different, but hugely important topic: climate change. The German constitutional court ruled in what can only be described as a landmark decision that the hitherto efforts of the German legislative to combat climate change were insufficient and ordered the parliament to draft newer, more far reaching laws.

That's all nice and well but that's just a legalistic argument.
Courts may declare themselves fit to decide on what the right emission targets are.
But they cannot set those targets or means of reaching them. 

[Gorth]

9 hours ago, Ben No.4 said:

For an entirely different, but hugely important topic: climate change. The German constitutional court ruled in what can only be described as a landmark decision that the hitherto efforts of the German legislative to combat climate change were insufficient and ordered the parliament to draft newer, more far reaching laws. This decision mainly rests on two legal considerations. Firstly, Article 20a of the German constitution (the “Basic Law”) states that the protection of the natural environment is a core aim of the state. Secondly, the court views more drastic measures as a necessity to protect the freedom of citizens in the long run. As it recognises the insufficiency of Germany’s current efforts in combatting climate change, it argues as follows: inaction now leads to a worsening climate crisis, that would in the future make counter measures necessary. These however would be much more extreme than anything that would suffice if measures are already taken now. Therefore, citizens’ freedoms, when future generations are taken into consideration, will be much better preserved and protected to strong action now.

 

As Germany is a central player in the EU, the decision is likely to have a far reaching impact.

 

A short report on the decision and it’s context can be found here: https://verfassungsblog.de/the-constitution-speaks-in-the-future-tense/

 

The courts decision itself is, of course, in German. But the courts press statement has been officially translated to English: https://www.bundesverfassungsgericht.de/SharedDocs/Pressemitteilungen/EN/2021/bvg21-031.html

As long as Germany (and Germans) do business with China, they are in no position whatsoever to lecture anyone else on the subjects of human rights and environment issues, being a knowing accomplice to the violation of both. Claiming otherwise is hypocrisy.

At least I know the Australian federal government is a bunch of no good cretins owned mostly by the mineral and fossil fuel industry and they've made no secret of wanting to promote coal and it's like at the expense of renewable energy projects (and runs de facto concentration camps on remote islands to process "asylum seekers", although lets be honest the genuine asylum seekers are an almost non existing minority amongst the economic migrants)

They don't pretend to care about the environment (and actively fight windmills in true Don Quixote style, to prevent renewable energy from getting a foothold in Australia) or human rights (it's not profitable for the Liberal Party)

[Darkpriest]

6 hours ago, Gorth said:

Did I mention that I think the world would be better off without Facebook?

apparently the European Supreme Court does too

https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2021/5/14/facebook-faces-devastating-data-transfer-ban-after-irish-ruling

Facebooks claim that privacy protection violates free speech because it makes targeted advertising harder or some such was dismissed by court and transmission of personal information of European users to the US had to end very soon (because nobody trusts the US to respect European data privacy laws)

I've told this somewhere last year, that there are rules across various companies, not to store non-US related sensitive data in US and if in the cloud service, just stream it as needed from other nodes. 

US and privicy of data are oxymorons.

[Darkpriest]

@Ben No.4

To be honest, it's been a while since any topic of high speed rail popped up on any serious level of decision making discussion. 

There is a lot to take on, as tracks in different countries of EU are often incompatibile and to build a high speed rail infrastructure, which could compete with conveniece of air traffic, that would take trillions of EUR. Although if any money printing could be excused, this type of a project would be one to get a pass from me. The infrastructure could also revitilize economcially some smaller hubs along the rail path, something, which air traffic would never do. 

Air traffic would be fine for travels outside of EU, should that ever be made reality. 

[Zoraptor]

Quote

WW3 warning: China to draw in 'EVERYBODY' with 'dangerous and nasty spat' with Australia (msn.com)

lol. British tabloid takes on international affairs are always hilarious in a hick racist uncle type way, and somehow their 'experts' always have the very hottest of hot takes.

Quote

..it is flying its planes through Taiwan air defence zone.

There's plenty to legitimately complain about in China's attitude to Taiwan, but this ain't it. Taiwan's ADIZ literally extends over mainland China, including a city of 8 million people (Fuzhou).

ADIZ also have literally zero legal standing, are self proclaimed and are routinely ignored by everyone except the country proclaiming them.

Quote

"There are Chinese encroachments in Nepal, India and China is sending its patrol boats into Japanese territorial waters.

And Bhutan, and the Philippines, and Vietnam, and more but OK.

Quote

"You name it, China is causing problems around the world."

lol, you named them, and they're all its neighbours. All to the east and south too, so it isn't even around the country, let alone the world.

Quote

 

In response, Beijing state media outlets have threatened to strike Canberra's military bases as "punishment" for their support for Taiwan.

Hu Xijin, editor-in-chief of the Chinese state media outlet, The Global Times, said: "I suggest China make a plan to impose retaliatory punishment against Australia once it militarily interferes in the cross-Straits situation.

"The plan should include long-range strikes on the military facilities and relevant key facilities on Australian soil if it really sends its troops to China's offshore areas and combats against the PLA (People's Liberation Army)."

 

Uh yeah. In the situation that Australia has sent troops to fight the PLA it's not really a 'punishment' situation to hit targets in Australia, it's called being in a war with each other. No kidding they should have a plan to hit Australia in response, no doubt they have a plan already, for that. All I can really think of at to why this would be in the least bit surprising instead of blindingly obvious is because fights have typically been picked with those incapable of effectively fighting back instead of, well, China which most definitely can.

There's one or two steps between canceling port management contracts and whacking massive tarriffs on barley and China lobbing Long March rockets at Ramsay St or whatever though, just one or two.

[Darkpriest]

When I see British and diplomacy, I can't resist to reference to this. 

https://youtu.be/VOdnISwLkSs

[BruceVC]

18 minutes ago, Zoraptor said:

lol. British tabloid takes on international affairs are always hilarious in a hick racist uncle type way, and somehow their 'experts' always have the very hottest of hot takes.

There's plenty to legitimately complain about in China's attitude to Taiwan, but this ain't it. Taiwan's ADIZ literally extends over mainland China, including a city of 8 million people (Fuzhou).

ADIZ also have literally zero legal standing, are self proclaimed and are routinely ignored by everyone except the country proclaiming them.

And Bhutan, and the Philippines, and Vietnam, and more but OK.

lol, you named them, and they're all its neighbours. All to the east and south too, so it isn't even around the country, let alone the world.

Uh yeah. In the situation that Australia has sent troops to fight the PLA it's not really a 'punishment' situation to hit targets in Australia, it's called being in a war with each other. No kidding they should have a plan to hit Australia in response, no doubt they have a plan already, for that. All I can really think of at to why this would be in the least bit surprising instead of blindingly obvious is because fights have typically been picked with those incapable of effectively fighting back instead of, well, China which most definitely can.

There's one or two steps between canceling port management contracts and whacking massive tarriffs on barley and China lobbing Long March rockets at Ramsay St or whatever though, just one or two.

You sound like a CCP apologist Zora, what next are you going to tell us ....that Corona didnt come from China and the CCP respects human rights ?

[Guard Dog]

49 minutes ago, BruceVC said:

You sound like a CCP apologist Zora, what next are you going to tell us ....that Corona didnt come from China and the CCP respects human rights ?

I understand China’s rover landed on Mars today. Now they’re going to start stirring up trouble up there. I bet they’re going to send their rover to get to the best rocks ahead of all of ours!

[Darkpriest]

8 minutes ago, Guard Dog said:

I understand China’s rover landed on Mars today. Now they’re going to start stirring up trouble up there. I bet they’re going to send their rover to get to the best rocks ahead of all of ours!

Nah, theyl shoot down NASA copters and claim It's aliens

[BruceVC]

4 hours ago, Guard Dog said:

I understand China’s rover landed on Mars today. Now they’re going to start stirring up trouble up there. I bet they’re going to send their rover to get to the best rocks ahead of all of ours!

GD the CCP love their revisionist history and false narratives, do you know the Chinese propaganda machinery even had the audacity to recently suggest that Corona actually came from the USA...no jokes

https://www.ccn.com/did-coronavirus-originate-in-america-chinese-media-pushes-conspiracy/

But thats okay because the Great Wall was actually built by the USA, its true. I promise you, the West is responsible for this great ancient feat of architecture 

 

[Darkpriest]

Unorthodox opinion on the wealth accumulation. 

https://www.zerohedge.com/personal-finance/praise-1-they-provide-improving-standards-living-99-percent

While in principle I agree that this worked in the past, as wealth was built from investments, now it does not and will not work that well going forward, due to which investments return the most profit in the reality of free money provided by FED and tech leap displacing simple jobs and offshoring more complex jobs. 

Edited May 15, 2021 by Darkpriest

[Guard Dog]

'We've tried democracy and it failed': Adoring El Salvadorians swoon over their millennial dictator

 

 

[BruceVC]

2 minutes ago, Guard Dog said:

'We've tried democracy and it failed': Adoring El Salvadorians swoon over their millennial dictator

 

 

Its fine because citizens can just leave anytime they unhappy  and get granted citizenship in the USA ....and you dont even need papers, you just arrive at the border 

[Guard Dog]

3 minutes ago, BruceVC said:

Its fine because citizens can just leave anytime they unhappy  and get granted citizenship in the USA ....and you dont even need papers, you just arrive at the border 

About the size of it these days.

[Guard Dog]

Of course democracy does not mean liberty. And for that matter dictatorship does not necessarily mean tyranny. You can absolutely elect your tyrant and it’s at least theoretically possible a dictator would be respectful of individual liberty. The list of elected tyrants is a long one indeed the list of benevolent dictator is short. In fact I can’t think of one off the top of my head.

there are those here in this country who seem to think the democratically elected state is infallible because it represents “the will of the people“. That of course is a large quantity of night soil from a large male bovine.

[Sarex]

Damn...Israel is really going to finish this thing. They are really going all out this time.

[PK htiw klaw eriF]

15 minutes ago, Sarex said:

Damn...Israel is really going to finish this thing. They are really going all out this time.

Unfortunately it looks that way or damn close to it. ****ing horrific.

[Sarex]

Last I hear they bombed a news outlet building which also housed a lot of their internet infrastructure, thou they gave warning beforehand for what's that worth.

[HoonDing]

Israel does what China don't.

[ComradeYellow]

1 hour ago, Guard Dog said:

Of course democracy does not mean liberty. And for that matter dictatorship does not necessarily mean tyranny. You can absolutely elect your tyrant and it’s at least theoretically possible a dictator would be respectful of individual liberty. The list of elected tyrants is a long one indeed the list of benevolent dictator is short. In fact I can’t think of one off the top of my head.

there are those here in this country who seem to think the democratically elected state is infallible because it represents “the will of the people“. That of course is a large quantity of night soil from a large male bovine.

Getting a good dictator is like winning the lottery.  If you do get one, everything is great!  But who the Hell wants to gamble like that in politics? xD

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Josip-Broz-Tito

It can happen though.

[ComradeYellow]

2 hours ago, BruceVC said:

Its fine because citizens can just leave anytime they unhappy  and get granted citizenship in the USA ....and you dont even need papers, you just arrive at the border 

So you want rigid uncompromising constitutional democracy but you also want strong police crackdown at the border.  is that the gist I'm getting here?

[BruceVC]

21 minutes ago, ComradeYellow said:

So you want rigid uncompromising constitutional democracy but you also want strong police crackdown at the border.  is that the gist I'm getting here?

Not at all, why would you think that ?

I want people to immigrate to countries legally and apply the way they suppose to so governments can understand and manage resources based on their number of people who live in the country 

We have a real crisis in SA with millions of illegal immigrants living in the country, porous borders and no way we can stop them coming. You dont want that in the USA, trust me. The problem is not immigrants , its illegal immigrants and the real drain it puts on limited  resources. Read the first link if you want to understand how this societal problem can lead to a unacceptable demands from illegal immigrants and you wonder why citizens are tired of it 

https://www.iol.co.za/capeargus/news/clock-ticking-for-cape-refugees-to-either-reintegrate-or-be-deported-088c0299-d714-4e18-a4de-3946bf55d7a9

https://mybroadband.co.za/news/government/316101-immigration-crackdown-in-south-africa.html

[Darkpriest]

1 hour ago, HoonDing said:

Israel does what China don't.

Imagine if China started bombing their muslim minority

[PK htiw klaw eriF]

1 hour ago, Sarex said:

Last I hear they bombed a news outlet building which also housed a lot of their internet infrastructure, thou they gave warning beforehand for what's that worth.

Yeah, I think it was a building that housed equipment and stuff from MEE and Al Jazeera. The owner or manager was filmed on the phone begging for 10 minutes to get some of the equipment out before bombing, which was denied. The AP building got hit too (if it isn't the same one) and the BBC also ran into trouble I believe.

[Darkpriest]

1 minute ago, ArtistFormerlyKnownasKP said:

Yeah, I think it was a building that housed equipment and stuff from MEE and Al Jazeera. The owner or manager was filmed on the phone begging for 10 minutes to get some of the equipment out before bombing, which was denied. The AP building got hit too (if it isn't the same one) and the BBC also ran into trouble I believe.

IIRC it was one and the same. It contained a lot of press on premise. 

Edited May 15, 2021 by Darkpriest