European Politics
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@Victor-Meldrew said in European Politics:
Yep, I'm fully aware of the sensitivity as three of my grandparents were Irish, Only one emigrated for economic reasons - one married a non-Irish woman and the other, Patrick, joined the Army (and actually fought at Gallipoli). Both were effectively forced out of Ireland for their "non-Irish" choices and there were thousands of similar stories.
I've seen some of the books used from the late 1800's right up until the 1930' to "educate" Irish children about the "evil English". Pretty vile stuff way up there with the worst anti-Semitic propaganda of that era - whipped up, as ever, by the religious bigots. The reality of the mid-1800's is far more complex and nuanced than simplistically blaming the brits for genocide.
As Schama puts it, Ireland was Europe's last great Reformation struggle.
I wasn’t really replying to you, more @Antipodean particular post and only then in relating how sensitive of a subject it is for some.
FWIW I do not agree with all of the things @The-Irishman says, nor my perception of his tone. As @Dodge said, it is a hugely complex situation, with a lot of dodgy history on both sides.
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Yeah, realise you weren't replying to me and didn't mean to butt in but your post was interesting and intrigued me - not least the Gallipoli angle which has a personal connection.
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@Victor-Meldrew said in European Politics:
Yeah, realise you weren't replying to me and didn't mean to butt in but your post was interesting and intrigued me - not least the Gallipoli angle which has a personal connection.
The Gallipoli thing was simply about national sensibilities. Always a good idea to tread carefully around such things.
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@Catogrande said in European Politics:
@antipodean said in European Politics:
@The-Irishman said in European Politics:
@mariner4life said in European Politics:
I find the irony of the Irish of all people complaining about immigration to be pretty funny
I find this comment, quiet frankly, ignorant and uneducated. 10 million Irish have emigrated since the 1800's, mainly triggered by genocide committed by the brits.
It's a strange way to commit genocide by permitting hundreds of thousands to migrate to Liverpool, Bradford, Manchester, etc.
You may not be aware of just how delicate this subject is for many Irish. The only thing I can think if anywhere near this for you guys would be dismissing the sacrifices made at Gallipoli. Not quite the same thing but very close in terms of national emotion.
Having ancestry from Kerry, Longford, Waterford, etc. I'm aware of the deep antipathy many Irish have for the English. Hand in hand with that antipathy in what appears to be an equal measure is ignorance. I don't deny the Irish were poorly treated but my response was to the hyperbole; genocide.
And as it turns out, there's a pervasive myth in Australia about Gallipoli too; blaming the English for the failure when the truth of the matter is the landings could've and should've been a success had the troops pushed forward. They didn't and the Turks were afforded the time to reinforce.
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Apology accepted 😎
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Interesting. European manufacturers coming under increasing pressure as productivity falls and competition bites. Coming under pressure from Chinese (& Korean) competitors in e-cars while having a big export market in China makes EU protectionism pretty much impossible. Rock and hard place.
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@Victor-Meldrew I wonder how much the increasing cost of energy is hurting.
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@Victor-Meldrew it’s no secret that VW electric cars are not up to the same standard as their ICE cars.
They’ve needed to go back to the drawing board for a while, first step here
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That's one issue, also complacency, but the key thing seems to be falling productivity . Not just a car industry or German thing either - France is seeing similar falls.
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France is interesting - they just had a huge merger but also their EVs could do well (better than VW who hyped so much and delivered/priced not so well). Plus there is the France-Japan connection, a lot may depend on their new EV platform and their batteries.
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I think the key point is how the EU is going to react if, as seems likely, the likes of VW start to struggle in the electric car market. The reaction from the Chinese when von der Leyen suggested anti-dumping duties on Chinese cars was pretty clear - try to block Chinese imports and you'll pretty much lose one of your biggest export markets.
As an aside, it isn't just VW's e-cars. Local VW/Skoda dealer tells me warrantee claims have risen sharply in the last 2-3 years on their standard fare and the supply chain is stuffed with up to 10 weeks back-order on some basics like wheels
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oh oh! i know this one!
ahem
Fuck off we're full!
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@mariner4life said in European Politics:
oh oh! i know this one!
ahem
Fuck off we're full!
What's Ireland's version of the Shire? Oh, that's right, they don't have beaches any sane person wants to swim at. So I guess there goes that craic.
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Geert Wilders struggling to form a government in NL - this is not too surprising given the position.
We've been having fun at work with the Dutch at work. Whenever there are 3 of them together, pointing out that one of them, statistically, must have voted for him. So far, it's 100% denial across the board.
Still think the impact of this election result hasn't truly sunk in, Europe wide.
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Still think the impact of this election result hasn't truly sunk in, Europe wide.
I don't think the impact of the disconnect between (for want of a better word) the lowest/poorest 40% of society and the people who run a country's institutions has sunk in in the entire West at all. It's still seen by them as as a temporary aberration rather than a serious issue