Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[martinuzz]

Oops wrong thread, moved

[scriver]

Can you share why? As an American I'm pretty oblivious to the topic.

Can you share why? As an American I'm pretty oblivious to the topic.

Probably two reasons
1. Countries like Sweden and Finland have been traditionally very neutral to try avoid getting into conflicts with neighbours. It hasn't always worked out, but traditions are traditions, and there is an argument to be made in avoiding getting tangled alliances
2. Joining NATO could in future result in pressure from NATO allies to take joint action against Russia, or get involved in another Iraq or Syrian war in the event that Iran, Turkey, USA, UK or France does something stupid again. Which is pretty likely all things considered

Kinda sorta. I apologise if my language is particularly bad down below, I have been having trouble formulating myself all day for some reason

1, Our neutrality is important to me, both for practical and ideological reasons.
   -1a, Our neutrality has afforded us over 200 years of peace, which is of course the longest continual period of peace we've ever had. It's open to debate how much peace we are in these days as we do get involved in wars, conflicts, and peace-keeping abroad (I debate that it myself) but official peace is still better than nopeace.
   -1b, It's basically part of my national identity to be honest

2, Sweden has a lot of diplomatic swingspace for such a relatively small and quite frankly insignificant country. I don't know how much it actually is because of it but at least here the narrative is that it's because our neutrality enables us to be seen as a mediator on the international scene. I think this is beneficial both for Sweden and our relations with the world but also for the world itself. Yes, I realise how arrogant that sounds as a type it out but I'm being honest here

3. A common argument that I used to agree whole-heartedly with is economic, that instead of spending millions on military we could spend it on social and development stuff. These days I feel we have to spend more budget on our defence in case, so I am a bit clove-hearted in this argument, but I still agree with it to some extent, and would prefer we have control over how much we spend and on what rather than it being bound by treaty.

4, Being forced into being complicit with American/British/French bad stuff is a big one. I'd rather we keep to ourself over in our little corner of the world rather than ally with countries invading others over banana supply or ravaging Africa's coastline and depleting it of fish.

As a general rule I don't see nato as a force of good in the world, I simply prefer it to the alternative if I were forced to make a choice. Plague or Cholera, basically.

Also, Denmark is in it

[EuchreJack]

Also, Denmark is in it

Thank you for restoring the terrible Europe related humor. 

[martinuzz]

The secret real reason is that NATO won't allow Sweden to join until they give up their bioweapons.
Geneva Convention does not allow the use of surströmming.

[Loud Whispers]

Personally I think Sweden should join NATO just because the likelihood of Russia invading Gotland or Denmark seizing control of NATO is never 0%

[martinuzz]

The EU member states and the European parliament have come to an agreement on the new Digital Markets Act, which is intended to prevent big tech companies from abusing their power.

'The EU has been giving big tech companies fines of unprecedented height for harmful practices the past years. The new DMA legally forbids those practices, and creates a fairer, more competitive economic space for new companies', says the French minister of Digital Affairs.

The new rules forbid tech companies from ranking themselves higher in internet search algorithms, and forbids them from re-using gathered data.
Online advertising is also bound by more strict rules and regulations.
Also, messenger services are now obliged to make users be able to communicate with other messengers. This should prevent just a few companies dominating the market.

Breaking the new laws brings huge fines. 10% of yearly income for first offense, 20% of yearly income for repeat offense.
Companies can even be broken up if they keep breaking the law. For example, Meta could be forced to sell WhatsApp or Instagram, if they break the rules more than 3 times in 8 years.

The DMA will apply to companies that make 7.5 billion euros or more profit per year, a market value of 75 billion or more, operate in at least 3 EU countries, and have 45 million or more users.

It will come into effect in 2023. Some of the big tech companies have already asked for more time to prepare.

[martinuzz]

Since a few weeks, the CEO of the Belgian branch of the dutch PostNL mail service has been in prison, and today his remand has been extended.
He is suspected of running a criminal organisation, human trafficking, forgery, and prohibited posting.

This is because PostNL, like every other big mail and delivery company nowadays, uses subcontractors of subcontractors of subcontractors to hire  their local mail delivery employees.
It has come to light that at the bottom of the chain, there's many illicit little employment firms that get their employees from a pool of illegal immigrants, and severely underpay them, or worse.

Belgian authorities have decided not to go for the small fish, but sue the main company's CEO personally for creating the circumstances that make these practices possible.
Many PostNL depots have been raided by police and financial authorities, some depots have been shut down.

If the case succeeds, many more CEO's should start rethinking their business model or face prison (and brand their company a criminal organisation) 
UPS, Amazon, Uber, Deliveroo, etc. better start worrying.

I applaud Belgium's actions in this. I hope more countries will follow example.

https://www.volkskrant.nl/nieuws-achtergrond/topman-postnl-belgie-blijft-voorlopig-vastzitten-op-verdenking-van-runnen-criminele-organisatie~b2d79c18/

[Iduno]

Belgian authorities have decided not to go for the small fish, but sue the main company's CEO personally for creating the circumstances that make these practices possible.
Many PostNL depots have been raided by police and financial authorities, some depots have been shut down.

Hell yes, go Belgium.

[martinuzz]

After Western countries announced 2 days ago that they would start providing heavier weaponry, the Czech Republic kicked off by delivering multiple T-72 tanks and BVP-1 armoured infantry vehicles to Ukraine.

[Some Grue]

This is because PostNL, like every other big mail and delivery company nowadays, uses subcontractors of subcontractors of subcontractors to hire  their local mail delivery employees.

Oh, this is similar to how we build routes here in Poland. Or at least, we built it around Euro 2012. The main contractor was paid, he cut his margin and pays his subcontractors. But somewhere in the chain the companies disappears and the subcontractors of subcontractors left with nothing but bankruptcy.

[martinuzz]

In France, Macron is only marginally ahead in the election polls. Extreme right Le Pen is right behind him.
26.5% for Macron, 24% for Le Pen.


Please France, do not vote Le Pen. One nuclear nazi state is quite enough, we don't need another one.

Seriously. Putin friend (and Hitler worshipper) Le Pen becoming president of France is the most disastrous thing that could happen to Europe, and NATO.

[JoshuaFH]

I thought it was a poor standard of education that enabled far right sentiments to flourish, but doesn't France have good education?

[dragdeler]

Before Marine it was her dad, FN has been a thing since at least the 80's France is more unembarrassed when it comes to military and far right stuff (like britain  ) it took the germans until +-2010 to dare make a similar party.

[brewer bob]

I thought it was a poor standard of education that enabled far right sentiments to flourish

Isn't that more like a popular myth? Radical right populist parties have quite a significant support among well-to-do middle-class voters (I think this was the case with NSDAP, too), iirc.

[dragdeler]

They'll argue economic anxiety all the way to the lynching that is fore sure, rearing their ugly souls.

Though stoppit with the education equals wisdom stuff, pretty sure nobody managed to make a stank against german missiles, and these observations can definitly be shortened to that anecdote.