The Off Topic Topic

[HVC]

I got an alert that DG's warranty expired and that if I did not pay to renew it my car would be taken.
.

I keep calling DG to let him know his warranty expired, but he just keeps hanging up on me.


@Jacob We have enough lawyers for one

[Eddie Teach]

Get the hint already, Hilario.

[DGuller]

Another one from a while ago that I remember was a collections call from the "cable company".  Apparently I owed a lot of money to the cable company, and if I didn't pay up, my service would be cancelled.  To be fair, my autopay stopped working, and I did indeed have a large balance outstanding, so they must've had good intel that time.

[Zanza]

There are three candidates for president of the Christian Democratic Union, Germany's conservative party, and whoever is elected is likely to be Merkel's successor as chancellor (although the Bavarian governor is also a possible candidatefor that).

The three candidates are Armin Laschet, Norbert Röttgen, and Friederich Merz. All three are white males, 55-65 years old, Roman Catholic, lawyers having graduated from the same university, all from the same federal state.

I guess after years of having a female, protestant, non-lawyer they dont do diversity this time...

[celedhring]

 

[The Brain]

So much for global warming.

[The Larch]

Government crisis in Italy. Old habits never die.

Italy facing political crisis after ex-PM withdraws party from coalition

Loss of Matteo Renzi's Italia Viva party comes as country struggles with Covid and economic crises

Italy has been plunged into chaos after former prime minister Matteo Renzi withdrew his Italia Viva party from the country's ruling coalition in a largely unpopular move that could end in fresh elections.

The political meltdown, which leaves the prime minister, Giuseppe Conte, without a parliamentary majority, comes at the worst possible time for Italy as it struggles to contain the coronavirus pandemic and emerge from economic quagmire.

Renzi announced the resignation of his two ministers, Teresa Bellanova and Elena Bonetti, following weeks of clashes over a variety of issues including Italy's post-Covid economic recovery plan.

Conte could now either offer his resignation to the president, Sergio Mattarella, who could give him a mandate to try and forge a new alliance, or go to parliament for a vote of confidence.

But if he opts for the latter, it is unclear if he'll secure enough support to fill the gap left by Italia Viva's 18 senators. Other possible outcomes include Mattarella putting together a broad-based government of national unity or, failing that, calling elections.

Renzi's manoeuvre has left observers baffled over his motives. His popularity has severely plummeted since he was forced to quit as premier after his failed referendum in late 2016 and Italia Viva attracts less than 3% of voters in opinion polls.

In an Ipsos survey on Wednesday, over 70% of Italians said now was not the time for a political crisis and that they couldn't understand Renzi's motives, other than merely pursuing his own interests.

"It's much more difficult to leave a government post than to cling to the status quo," Renzi said as he announced the resignations. "We are experiencing a great political crisis, we are discussing the dangers associated with the pandemic. Faced with this crisis, the sense of responsibility is to solve problems, not hide them."

Renzi's original gripe was targeted at Conte's plans for spending the €223bn Italy is poised to receive in loans and grants from the EU to reboot its economy, arguing that the money risked being squandered on handouts rather than wisely invested. His suggestions were taken onboard and the recovery plan was changed and approved by the cabinet late on Tuesday night, albeit with Bellanova and Bonetti abstaining from the vote.

Renzi said earlier on Wednesday the plan was a "step forward" but reiterated his grievance over Italy not tapping the EU's bailout fund – the European stability mechanism (ESM) – in order to shore up the health service. The Five Star Movement (M5S), the largest ruling party, has always resisted this over fears it would leave Italy beholden to strict EU austerity rules.

"I don't understand Renzi's strategy," said Mattia Diletti, a politics professor at Rome's Sapienza University. "Looking from the outside it really looks like a lose-lose strategy ... or maybe there is something for real that we don't know yet."

"I don't believe Renzi thinks in terms of the big picture, or what the country really needs ... he's not Winston Churchill," added Diletti.

Nicknamed the "Demolition Man", Renzi was appointed prime minister in early 2014 after ousting Enrico Letta from power. He then resigned as leader of the centre-left Democratic party in March 2018 after a poor performance in the general elections.

Renzi in effect orchestrated the Conte-led coalition between the PD and M5S after the collapse of the coalition government of M5S and Matteo Salvini's far-right League in August 2019. He then left the PD to establish Italia Viva, a centrist force that he said would "do politics differently".

Wolfango Piccoli, the co-president of the London-based research company Teneo Holdings, said Renzi was trying to regain space at the centre of politics.

"But firstly, his party is lucky if it gets 3% of the vote, and secondly and most importantly, he is one of the most despised and untrusted politicians in the country, and he's not aware of that," he added.

But regardless of what happens next, Piccoli said Italy would still end up with a government ill-equipped to face the country's challenges.

"That is the real drama here," he added. "Because regardless of who will be prime minister or whether Renzi is in or out, we're still going to have a coalition government with a bunch of political parties who are only there for one main reason: to avoid early elections."

Italia Viva, M5S and PD would be trampled upon if a national ballot is held any time soon. Meanwhile the opposition, which is made up of the League, its fellow far-right partner, Brothers of Italy, and Silvio Berlusconi's Forza Italia, could potentially secure more than 50% of the vote.

[Sheilbh]

Government crisis in Italy. Old habits never die.

I always think Italian politics is like a big prestige TV series - I have zero doubt that it's really interesting and that I'd really enjoy it, I just don't have the time to properly catch up on the previous 48 series. But I still enjoy it when I watch the odd episode.

[celedhring]

Government crisis in Italy. Old habits never die.

I always think Italian politics is like a big prestige TV series - I have zero doubt that it's really interesting and that I'd really enjoy it, I just don't have the time to properly catch up on the previous 48 series. But I still enjoy it when I watch the odd episode.

I'm the complete opposite. It's like a procedural show. You know it's always the same shit and you can see the trite hackneyed plot twists from a mile away, but you can't help get sucked in any time it's on.

[Sheilbh]

Trite hackneyed plot-twist 1 - Renzi was a baddie all along

[The Larch]

Trite hackneyed plot-twist 1 - Renzi was a baddie all along

As if he ever was a goodie.  I mean,  he entered national politics by couping and deposing another member of his own party as prime minister.

[Barrister]

Government crisis in Italy. Old habits never die.

I always think Italian politics is like a big prestige TV series - I have zero doubt that it's really interesting and that I'd really enjoy it, I just don't have the time to properly catch up on the previous 48 series. But I still enjoy it when I watch the odd episode.

Ooh!  Do Canadian politics next!

[Sheilbh]

Trite hackneyed plot-twist 1 - Renzi was a baddie all along

As if he ever was a goodie.  I mean,  he entered national politics by couping and deposing another member of his own party as prime minister.

This may just be the Anglo-Saxon media but he definitely had an arc as modernising, reformist candidate taking on the party bosses (like Blair or Macron) only to turn out to be less impressive and ultimately a villain (like Blair or Macron ) and now he just feels like a chaos agent.

[celedhring]

Government crisis in Italy. Old habits never die.

I always think Italian politics is like a big prestige TV series - I have zero doubt that it's really interesting and that I'd really enjoy it, I just don't have the time to properly catch up on the previous 48 series. But I still enjoy it when I watch the odd episode.

Ooh!  Do Canadian politics next!

A well-reviewed young adult show. It might be actually compelling, but I don't bother checking it out 

[Sheilbh]

Ooh!  Do Canadian politics next!

The One Show/early evening light entertainment - I know it's on, I know some people like it, I know it has a a charming "nice young man" as the host but I never watch and for some reason find the host infuriating.

(This is untrue regarding Matt Baker, the host of the One Show: he's a national treasure)