Human Rights Watch Warns of 'Authoritarian Drift' in Turkey

[Crazy_Ivan80]

and now Turkey is threatening (again) to blow up the bad refugee-deal if they don't get visa-free travel for their 'citizens' (aka fascist drones).

[Martinus]

and now Turkey is threatening (again) to blow up the bad refugee-deal if they don't get visa-free travel for their 'citizens' (aka fascist drones).

Merkel signed a deal with the devil, so I guess she has noone but herself to blame. Unfortunately, I can see the Schengen Treaty as one of the first casualties of her idiocy.

[Hamilcar]

It's sad that we have to rely on the likes of Hungary to defend the borders of Europe.

FWIW, Switzerland should leave Schengen *yesterday* and turn back all migrants at the border.

[Hamilcar]

Addendum: Sargon really hits it out of the park in "This Week in Stupid". https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wvNO7qnetM

(you can skip the first part about queer racist faeries, but it's funny as hell)

[Zanza]

A misguided multikulti policy.

Germany never really had a multikulti policy, that was just by accident because politicians were inactive and rather looked away while parallel societies established themselves. What Germany did lack though and what leads to the current issues with parallel societies is an integration policy for immigrants. Actively setting a integration policy has been a very recent development and is still not where it should be.

[Hamilcar]

French tourist beaten up in Turkey for refusing to hold up a Turkish flag:
https://twitter.com/conflicts/status/760041808789381120

I'd totally vacation there again.

[Zanza]

FWIW, Switzerland should leave Schengen *yesterday* and turn back all migrants at the border.

Switzerland will leave Schengen next year when they cancel their bilaterals anyway.

[Hamilcar]

FWIW, Switzerland should leave Schengen *yesterday* and turn back all migrants at the border.

Switzerland will leave Schengen next year when they cancel their bilaterals anyway.

The two issues are not related, and we're not cancelling the bilaterals.

[Zanza]

Schengen is part of the Bilaterale II and if you cancel freedom of movement, you cancel the Bilaterale II as well. Schwexit.

[Hamilcar]

Schengen is part of the Bilaterale II and if you cancel freedom of movement, you cancel the Bilaterale II as well. Schwexit.

We won't cancel the bilaterals. We'll get an exception/compromise like the Brits. The Brexiteers are our best friends right now. 

[Hamilcar]

I'm kind of sympathetic to the right wing opinion here that if the EU wants to play hardball, we'll just charge transit fees through the Alps. Those tunnels ain't free.

[Martinus]

Schengen is part of the Bilaterale II and if you cancel freedom of movement, you cancel the Bilaterale II as well. Schwexit.

Schengen is not an essential part of the freedom of movement and, AFAIK, the deal with Switzerland does not require them accepting Schengen. People get confused about this, but Schengen is a relatively late addition to the EU set up and the case of the UK, which was never part of the Schengen, proves it is quite optional.

[Martinus]

A misguided multikulti policy.

Germany never really had a multikulti policy, that was just by accident because politicians were inactive and rather looked away while parallel societies established themselves. What Germany did lack though and what leads to the current issues with parallel societies is an integration policy for immigrants. Actively setting a integration policy has been a very recent development and is still not where it should be.

Has any country ever had a multikulti policy, then? I mean, these days, every time you mention the policy in the context of an European country, you get told that they never had it. Now, I get that France didn't really have it, but I thought Germany was actually a poster child of multiculturalism.

[Hamilcar]

Has any country ever had a multikulti policy, then?

Canada?

[Zanza]

I'm kind of sympathetic to the right wing opinion here that if the EU wants to play hardball, we'll just charge transit fees through the Alps. Those tunnels ain't free.

Hmm, land transport doesn't seem to be a policy area where I would try to build pressure as a land-locked enclave. The other side can just reciprocate with transit fees of their own...?