Quote from: Richard Hakluyt on Today at 09:23:53 AMYes, I think that is the story. There is nothing wrong with decentralisation per se, but it is easy to become prey for centralising predators. In our own time the EU is one of the best places to live in the world, with prosperity and great culture, but it is militarily and politically impotent when faced with an aggressive shithole like present day Russia.I can't remember his name now but that comparison reminds me of the neo-Medieval theory in international relations. I think it's from the English school.
QuoteSimilarly, the French got to stomp around the HRE causing havoc for about 200 years (1618-1815). The HRE was fine as a culture and civilisation, but it took the rise of Prussia to stop the great powers using it as their sandpit.I'm rather more sympathetic to the French on that one, but I am very anti-Habsburg

QuoteThe midpoint of the EU campaign in 1587. From that standpoint I don't think it was obvious that centralizing was a superior state building strategy. The two western European countries with a centralizing drive - England and France - seemed trapped in endless cycles where they would thrive under strong monarchs, only to collapse back into confusion and civil strife during the reigns of weak monarchs or long regencies. And of course that pattern would continue into the mid-1600s. On the flip side, city states like Venice or city leagues like the Hanse seemed a viable alternative model. The HRE and the Habsburg agglomeration had all sorts of problems but managed to project resilience and exert power pretty consistently. The Ottomans were at their height despite granting significant degrees of regional autonomy horizontally and within regions through the millet system.Maybe. In terms of 1587 - you've got Elizabeth and Henri IV at around that time who are both monarchs who subsequently provide very important role models/patterns for English and French leaders. So in some sense you're right that there are still cycles of violence to go - and perhaps because of that these are proto-golden ages looked back to nostalgically by subsequent generations.
Quote from: Tamas on November 17, 2025, 09:10:30 AMI can see why people find the Right more comforting - no discussions or arguments in the open, gives you the illusion of things going swimmingly.Nicest possible way - that's mad



QuoteReading daily news that have standards yet craves controversy for clicks, like the Guardian, is very exhausting.I sort of agree. I get we're not in a world like 1930 when the BBC could announce "There is no news today" and cut to a piano concert
But for example I saw this today:QuoteMoJ to remove right to trial by jury for thousands of cases in controversial overhaul
Exclusive: Courts minister says change needed to stop criminals opting for juries to delay cases, sometimes by years, and clear huge backlog
Quote"Reeves is rumoured to be raising income tax, this is really bad according to a lot of people"So on this - I don't think this is a media problem, I think this is a Reeves problem.
"Reeves won't be raising the income tax, this is really bad according to a lot of people"
Quote"Labour isn't tackling immigration so Reform is surging, this is really bad according to a lot of people"On both of these - I've always said for the government to succeed they need to really upset a lot of the Guardian columnists.
"Labour is trying to address immigration, this is really bad according to a lot of people"
"We don't build anything, this is really bad according to a lot of people"
"Somebody almost built something, this is really bad according to a lot of people, luckily somebody else intervened in time"
Quote from: Valmy on Today at 02:44:19 PMYou can be put to death for saying things? Talk about cancel culture.
Quote from: The Brain on Today at 03:05:48 PMIIRC back in the day in Sweden an order had to be obviously illegal for you not having to follow it.
Quote from: PJL on Today at 02:35:01 PMHonestly, the way things are going, being ruled by AI doesn't sound much worse than what is already happening.
Quote from: Zanza on November 19, 2025, 12:35:16 PMGermany should check whether it can join the UK/Japan/Italy project instead.
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