I am going to disagree here… we are very “radicalized” with words on social media, but, but a few outliers, with more composure in real life. In the past people I perceive (maybe unfounded) were far more spoken when felt disfranchised. Now, I give you that this situation will probably not endure for a decade longer.
It is militarily paper tiger, it has been for a while, but it has effectively incapacitated the masses for action (info overload). While in the 1960s they took reign by suppressing news, now the technique is news saturation that paralyses the masses. Also, I see politicians far more trigger-easy with using nuclear weapons if need be than ever since 1950s (ironically not Trump!). It is very worrisome.
Completely agree… yet with a saturation of information available today, it is so hard to dedicate time to events a century old to apply the learning to today’s world. Our filters are saturated and clogged and unable to process data efficiently anylonger.
Thanks Cowbee! The audiobooks format is welcome too.
Just got that in Audiobook… I have to confess no much into reading non-fictional staff from that long ago but I recognize it may be relevant. I have this and Tepora’s The Finnish Civil War for this weekend.
Thanks, I have no read anything from those times so I don’t know nor I want to speculate. Now, my fear from what I have observed in the last decade is real. However, living in Asia I did not have that feeling… are they blind there or is just that in the West that we sense the worse is coming.
Genuine questions, no malice here:
Do you think the solution to what is described in the article is a solution proposed more than a century ago still valid for today’s illnesses? How people fell in 1910s, same as today?
Knowing how the world ended in two mayor wards and one hundred million violently killed, wouldn’t a solution less incendiary be better? Our weapons today are infinitely more powerful than in 1910s and truly, I see politicians far more willing to use them than in 1960s.
Again… if Sanchez did more (and I don’t think he is such a great guy, but at least he is right here), his shaky coalition would fall and elections would be called. I think he will still win, but polls says the Right would win being Israel’s beloved VOX the king maker and you will see Spain participating in the genocide like UK or Germany does… there are your “results”!
Again, Spain should do far more, I ultimately trust on Spaniards here, but I understand one may want to proceed more cautiously here.
I don’t know beepers, but any small or middle size country, in this convoluted world, should either heavily diversify in weaponry (Pakistan today) develop their own (France 1960s and Sweden 1980s) or just heavily and unequivocally declare themselves neutral but develop enough defenses to become a pain in the ass (Finland 1950-1990s or Switzerland 1900-2010s). Any other way, you will end up heavily exploited to the bone, when not dragged into an unwanted war)
To help understand what is happening in Spain:
This government is a a very precarious situation, even before the ongoing genocide. It is form by a delicate coalition. Now, Spain has traditionally been very sympathetic for the Palestinian cause, and the majority of parties reflect that sentiment.
Spain is a NATO country so as such it needs mainly US weaponry that US, oddly, to say the least, assigns Israel to be the distributor of critical parts.
Spain has an army military elite and a Police force (Guardia Civil) that is very linked to the Franco dictatorship so these tend to quietly push their weight for the Israel’s side of things.
Grande-Marlaska is the Interior minister in this coalition. He is from the ruling Socialist Party, but he is well known for years to be very right-wing on many aspects, among them, to side with Israel and working to undermine Spanish position on Gaza. He is the ultimate person to authorize purchases many of these purchases we hear about. The president should had fired him long ago, but, I presume, would severely risk the coalition and cause votes to leave to the Right.
Since a decade, there is a very right-wing political that, like in most on Europe, is disrupting the political panorama. Nothing bad, per se, but this political party (VOX) was very, very strangely was finance early on by the “People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran”, a anti-Iranian organization… why are anti-Iranial organizations doing financing extreme-right wing parties in Europe should been raising some eyebrows but did not. What I do highly suspect is that these groups are not being financed by disgruntled Iranians but some other entity with deeper pockets and with even more eager to see a regime change in Iran.
Spain police forces, like in most of the world, tend to exaggerate claims of terrorism arrest. Let’s not even go that most these terrorist groups have actually links to some western intelligence groups, but overwhelming majority of arrest are for " distributing terrorist links", aka to pass links of joining Al-Qaeda in Syria (oh, the irony!) or passing videos that you would have found on Twitter anyways… it is a bit like when peer-to-peer file sharing was deemed as clear copyright violation and sent to prison but that you find exact music now in YouTube and composers still get nothing but this is now legal and YouTube lauded as a success story.
Now there is a case of an attempt of assassination of right-wing politician (Vidal-Quadras) that very early on was blamed on an Iranian agent… there is no proof at all that Iran is behind, probably the only intel on the individual was provided by the CIA or Mossad and happily the Guardia Civil takes it without any further question. Of course, the Cui Bono here never applies in these cases… why would Iran attack politicians of the country in Europe more sympathetic to Palestine and even Iran is never asked… same as why “Islamist” ISIS never attacks Israel but only to countries that Tel-Avid has in the bull-eye at the moment and the occasional attack to Europe to make them remember how bad Islam (ironically, to blame the countries that ISIS is actually attacking!!!).
In Spain, awkward things are happening since Spain position on Gaza. In spite economically performing good in an ailing Europe, nation-wide blackouts happen for first time, bullet trains cannot run because someone “steals” copper lines, private calls gets release (always in only one side, that is!), etc.
So yeah, that is why Spain says one thing, but them a contract with Israel gets signed, and Spain gets shunned for not wanted to spend more in military… Lets be frank, the overwhelming majority to purchase US weaponry… I would love to Spain dedicate that extra defense spending in diversifying its weaponry on Chinese J-35 (1/2 operating costs of F-35 anyways) and you will see if increase defense is actually Europe’ s rational or the facade behind a massive Money Laundering.
For visa holders and green cards they have been doing that for a decade at least, I wonder if it is optional for them too.
Regarding opting out, we should. It is inconvenient, we get faces, but we should.
I cannot agree more with the impression that the American is falling into authoritarianism… but why I have the feeling the originator of these comments are either a Democrat or an European.
The entire West has been falling into authoritarianism since a while ago, Trump just makes it more obvious, but the trend has been established way before he came. His presidential powers were given by many Congresses before him. The same happend in the EU, where the Commission has been allowed way, way more powers than the instituted in the Treaty of Lisbon (2007), let alone Maastricht Treaty (1992)
Inside the EU countries parliaments I see the same erosion.
But of course, lets all blame Trump so we can get back to normal… because whether you care about immigrants, discrimination, speech freedoms, wars, poverty, famine, etc… it was so much better in 2024!
In Western countries, anything relate to house maintenance. Since inflation is posed to increase far more in services like plumbing, electrical, carpentry, etc., it is good to known the basics. It is really not that complicated and the tools required can be justified just by no calling a professional even the first time. Now, do not cheap out in doing a good work, you may no realize it now, but it pays to do so. There is so much content online on how to do something it is really easy nowadays… and you partner will admire you like you never though possible!
America is in a very bad situation in current freedoms and, worse yet, the trajectory is wrong-headed too. However, Europe is in no shape or form in any better situation. The erosion of liberties is really appalling in both side of the Atlantic.
Now, the question is if Americans have given up. Mostly do, specially since it has become clear that millions of voices can be silence with just a resourceful lobby. However, the lack of social net in the US, if a crisis like 2008 ensures again, Americans will demand changes like never before. I see more possibility of real change in the US than in Europe if both are affected by a similar recession.
I see your pain. You know better, but from outside to someone that goes frequently to Canada, yes, the Canadian downfall happened in the last 10 years. But I also travel to other countries and no matter what parties rules, all had a similar fate… UK, Germany, Netherlands, France, Australia… That tells me one thing, or our democracies are an illusion and nothing changes with the major parties or so there is like a virus in the air that affected the West.
I always have been a bit into the prepper mentality, but it does smells very fishy when it is not talked by individuals or small communities but rather organized from the top-down nation-states… The reason is because the former us driven by a “just in case” theme while the other is “preparing the population for war”; Both are very different in nature, one is purely defensive while the other is always coupled with strong offensive measures, not to mention it also polarizes people into war-like environment and censorship of dissidents.
I hear you, I am worry too. But again… this is a risk at the European level, not at the Spanish one; in Spain, it simply would not pass today. with a different government, of course, it can… Of all freedoms, this one concerns me the least, simply because it is mostly impossible to enforce for citizens.
Back to the original question though, of the 8 requirements, this one on privacy we could leave as a contentious point. But it is because law, it will affect all EU contenders ( and Switzerland will be pressured to oblige too soon after)
Ad someone who goes to Canada every two months in the last 15yrs, I had witnessed the regression not only in the liberties, but also mood of the people. No one would have guessed a decade ago how a country with so much potential and human capital would had become in this state! I would not only blame the Liberal party though… it is something bigger than them, same in the US… and most of the West.
Again, that seems to be a personal vendetta of the minister Grande-Marlaska that keeps going secretly against the government policy (like the recently Israeli munition purchase that wast promptly canceled). No parliament debate on encryption or even public debate has been brought up at all. If it does, the minute it comes up, it would be turned down swiftly by the current coalition government. The President has no made any statement on banning encryption either, nor I think he would either. However, he did talk on identification on social media, but he will not spearhead that, nor it is doable to implement for now.
If there is such a compromising “list” it would have been made disappear long ago so I would not even demand “the list”. Now, there should be a report if what was confiscated from Epstein and some form of proof it has not been tampered with, that is what should be demanded.