The EU thread

[Josquius]

Trump pretending to be super anti China and all about containing them (less pronounced today than in the past it's true) is an interesting contest with his deciding to destroy US aid.
If combating China was your real goal you'd be vastly increasing the US aid budget.

Also going tariff crazy around the world - this will really help level the playing field and water down the tariffs on China.

China are no doubt very happy right now.

[Sheilbh]

Apologies for the X link but can't find this clip anywhere else (only the longer speech) - but Draghi is absolutely right giving the keynote address to the European Parliament. In this case it's on his report on competitiveness (which is right), but it goes for more than just the areas he was looking at in that report and is a more general critique:
https://x.com/JulienHoez/status/1891909381169488373

Key point after listing various things Europe has decided not to do like public debt, single market (I assume he's meaning in services and finance), creating a capital markets union etc, he finishes: "So when you ask me what is best to do now? I say I have no idea - but do something!"

[Legbiter]

"A pivotal moment for Europe is here.

We are ready to mobilise up to €800 billion to help EU countries increase defence spending.

We'll present our proposals to all EU leaders at today's European Council meeting."





That pic.... 

[Valmy]

Are they putting yellow warpaint on or something?

[Razgovory]

They are spreading cheeks...

[Valmy]

They are spreading cheeks...

Yeah well we will see who gets fucked and who doesn't.

[Jacob]

They are spreading cheeks...

Ah, so legbiter is sharing Russian propaganda?

[Razgovory]

Who can tell with him?  He's nuttier than I am.

[Legbiter]

Ah, so legbiter is sharing Russian propaganda?

This exact pic was posted on the European Commission's twitter feed.     https://x.com/EU_Commission/status/1897574565427266040

Either you get the joke or you don't. And if you don't count yourself lucky.

[Josquius]

I mean, good they're not spending too much of the money on graphic design I guess?

[Sheilbh]

As someone who spends a lot of time on EU sites - design (and usability generally) is not a strong point.

This is good news though. Interesting to see how it'll work (extent European v national for example) - and, I think, still too low. By way of contrast the covid recovery was in total about €2 trillion - but a good starting point and a bit of a taboo breached.

[crazy canuck]

Not just a bit of a taboo, I did not think I would see the day that we all cheered on Germany rearming itself. 

https://youtube.com/watch?v=uXdtafGdIVM&si=mJYNVy_Sfcw71iHD

[Sheilbh]

Yeah - I'm not sure that's a taboo at this point. Just impatience

It's been three years since the Zeitenwende - I think that "as a German" tweet joke was posted by Syt in 2022. And I would defend Scholz and the Zeitenwende as sincere, but a slow moving, tanker of a political system....at this point with most of the money spent I sadly think it was probably less than the sum of its parts - although maybe I'm wrong?

Edit: A thought on this - is the bigger, motivating shock for Germany less the invasion of Ukraine or Trump?

[Jacob]

Ah, so legbiter is sharing Russian propaganda?

This exact pic was posted on the European Commission's twitter feed.     https://x.com/EU_Commission/status/1897574565427266040

Either you get the joke or you don't. And if you don't count yourself lucky.

I guess I'm lucky, because I don't get it.

[Legbiter]

"Poland must pursue the most advanced capabilities, including nuclear and modern unconventional weapons. This is a serious race - a race for security, not for war."

https://x.com/PremierRP_en/status/1898002064380227905

A sardonic joke on Languish becomes reality within 5 months or so.