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Posts by Tacitus  

Joined: 6 Jul 2017 / Male ♂
Warnings: 1 - Q
Last Post: 1 day ago
Threads: Total: 2 / Live: 1 / Archived: 1
Posts: Total: 1385 / Live: 928 / Archived: 457

Displayed posts: 929 / page 4 of 31
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Tacitus   
3 May 2025
News / Will PiS be happy if AfD wins elections in Germany? [1303]

Thing is that is also such a blah-wishy-washy paragraph, free for the taking for every political uses!

That is why we have courts who decide what still follows the law and what does now.

Leftists love to call Rightists, or anybody not being left, as Nazis!

And rightists can sue again this description or e.g. fascist. Of course courts may also decide that based on public statements from the person in question, this may actual count as a factual description (e.g. Höcke).

and who decides which is an undemocratic party?

Ultimately this will be decided by the German Constitutional Court.

Before that another court will decide whether or not the recognition by the Verfassungsschutz is justified.

The AfD are not victims here. They just reap the consequences of their actions. There have been man voices even inside the party who have warned in the last few years that the party was attracting and promoting the wrong kind of people. Their two past leaders Petry and Meuthen wanted to against those extremists, but ended up disgraced and leaving the party.

And if that is not enough, every time the AfD gets a victory or some influence, they immediately use it to confirm those fears. That disgraceful performance by the senior president of the Landtag in Thuringia comes to mind.

And don't liking their opinions can never be a reason for a ban

True. And if the AfD is banned, it is not because the Court decides that they don't like their pension plan, but because they are found to be actively working against the democratic order of Germany.
Tacitus   
3 May 2025
News / Will PiS be happy if AfD wins elections in Germany? [1303]

Blah! You can't ban feelings!

One can feels as much hatred as one wants. Inciting others however... .

That's the only thing what counts! Or else it's back to the DDR!

I am more concerned about not getting back to the Third Reich. That 2nd paragraph was added because the politicians who drafted the constitution had painfully learned that letting people spread lies and hatred can result in murderous consequences.
Tacitus   
3 May 2025
News / Will PiS be happy if AfD wins elections in Germany? [1303]

There is a thing called freedom of opinion

Basic law, article 5

(1) Every person shall have the right freely to express and disseminate his opinions in speech, writing and pictures and to inform himself without hindrance from generally accessible sources. Freedom of the press and freedom of reporting by means of broadcasts and films shall be guaranteed. There shall be no censorship.

(2) These rights shall find their limits in the provisions of general laws, in provisions for the protection of young persons and in the right to personal honour.

One such law is e.g. § 130 StGB (incitement to hatred, Holocaust denial and so on). This really shouldn't be news.

The Left is known to scream at Demos

Please don't make me defend the Left party, but which prominent Left party politician has made such statements?
Tacitus   
2 May 2025
News / Will PiS be happy if AfD wins elections in Germany? [1303]

Did you read the published summary?

I' ll have a closer look at it during weekend, but from what I've heard so far, it looks like they gathered a lot of damaging material. If indeed pretty much every prominent AfD politician has been observed spreading hatred against migrants in public, then it will become very difficult for the AfD to refute this classification.
Tacitus   
2 May 2025
News / Will PiS be happy if AfD wins elections in Germany? [1303]

You seem not to be a die hard Merz supporter, while at the same time, no particular fan
either of the former Chancellor

I am cautiously optimistic. At least when it comes to his foreign policy, he'll be in a much stronger position than Scholz since a) his foreign minister is from his party b) he now has the financial freedom due tot he reform of the debt brake and c) the biggest pacifists in the SPD are now weakened as a result of the election.

You never responded to my private mail, by the way.

Apologies, I havent looked in my mails for years.
Tacitus   
30 Apr 2025
News / Will PiS be happy if AfD wins elections in Germany? [1303]

Well, the incoming chancellor Friedrich Merz certainly has his work cut out for him. What we now need is nothing short of a second Adenauer. He has to reform the German economy, solve the refugee crisis and coordinate the European response to the Russian threat in the East. And then there is the Trump situation. He has to show leadership where Scholz failed to do so.

If we want to stay positive, there is currently a window of opportunity with European leaders who understand the urgency of the situation and are willing to cooperate. This window may close with the end of Macrons's term in 2 years, so one can only hope that they use it.
Tacitus   
24 Apr 2025
History / Is there any part of Polish history that's at least a bit glorious? [239]

yeah, sure, you must know what you are talking about - so give me some good example

Everything related to the Disciplinary Chamber of the Supreme Court for instance.

EU court upholds €320M fine against Poland for violating rule of law

politico.eu/article/eu-court-upholds-320-million-fine-against-poland-violating-rule-of-law/

The Polish government should consider suing the responsible PiS politicians for reimbursement.
Tacitus   
24 Apr 2025
History / Is there any part of Polish history that's at least a bit glorious? [239]

It is a fact, and everybody agrees it is a fact.

Nobody does. A closer look at how the EU operates and how much it favours smaller countries shows how ridiculous the idea is that Germany, or any other country could dominate the EU.

Do you know how many German seats are in the European parliament? Or how many votes German ministers have in the European council meetings and elsewhere, where unanaminous voting is not needed?

Usually less than what would be representative of the German population size relative to other EU members, and very, very from even a simple majority. In the EU, you need other countries to agree with you if want your agenda approved. And Poland under PiS has been very bad at reaching a consensus with other leaders not named Orban. Of course instead of admitting that offending pretty much every other EU member in some way or other was not a winning strategy, it is of course easier to blame Germany for it.

like what damage precisely?

To the rule of law, and the reputation of the judiciary in general. They did so incredibly short-sighted and egoistically, and from what I have read, it will take some time to undo the damage.

Though I suppose one good came out of it. This precedent made the parties in Germany realize that the German judiciary was also vulnerable under the current rules, and implemented changes to the German constitution that prevents similar misconduct by any future government.
Tacitus   
24 Apr 2025
History / Is there any part of Polish history that's at least a bit glorious? [239]

and the German EU

Always amusing to see that kind of PiS deflection. The PiS government managed to alienate every other EU country except Orban's Hungary, but it ultimately all boiled down to a nefarious plot from Berlin, which of course also runs the EU.

Leaving aside the stereotypes, that view always betrayed a profound lack of insight into how the EU works (per consensus with rules favouring the small countries). The fact that Putin's proxy Hungary has such veto power should really disapprove any such notions.
Tacitus   
24 Apr 2025
History / Is there any part of Polish history that's at least a bit glorious? [239]

like what damage, if you don't mind going into details

Internally they did incredible damage to the rule of law, while externally they severely harmed Poland's international reputation and standing in Europe.

In a sense PiS got lucky that they got voted out when they did because they otherwise would now be forced to explain the dead end they positioned Poland into.
Tacitus   
24 Apr 2025
History / Is there any part of Polish history that's at least a bit glorious? [239]

Of course, Poland got rid of communism and PiS in free elections.

Those two achievements both really impressive and it sent a message that went beyond Poland.

The first showed that Soviet hegemony over Eastern Europe was not set in stone (or as other say, the first stone was removed from the Berlin wall during the protests inGdansk) and the second that democratic backsliding could be reversed. Thanks to that, Poland seems no longer in danger of following in the footsteps of Orban's Hungary.
Tacitus   
22 Apr 2025
Off-Topic / Is Islam a threat to western society? [167]

LGBT pervs are welcome.

Sadly no. They are no longer as shunned as they were before, but the church is still shamefully backwards on that issue.

The church looked away when their priests abused little children and was lenient with serial rapists amongst their ranks, but heaven forbid if two men love each other or a married couple discovers that after 30 years of marriage, they are simply no longer compatible.... .
Tacitus   
22 Apr 2025
Off-Topic / Is Islam a threat to western society? [167]

Religion is generally losing appeal in modern societies. There are signs that the same is happening in countries that have no freedom of religion like Iran.

Iran's secular shift: new survey reveals huge changes in religious beliefs

theconversation.com/irans-secular-shift-new-survey-reveals-huge-changes-in-religious-beliefs-145253
Tacitus   
22 Apr 2025
Off-Topic / Is Islam a threat to western society? [167]

Did he do anything particulary to modernize the church though? He appointed some women to powerful positions in the vatican, but he still denied them the right to become priests.
Tacitus   
5 Apr 2025
News / Presidential elections 2025 - the race has commenced!!! [665]

Can there really be peace and harmony between truth and lie?

It depends. If the lie is that Ukrainians are truly Russians and are just waiting for their liberation from the Kiev regime by Russia than peace is rather difficult.

But if the dispute is about whether some jewish prophet from more than 2000 years was the messiah or not. That is something everyone should make out for himself, and thankfully we live in countries that give everyone that freedom.
Tacitus   
4 Apr 2025
News / Presidential elections 2025 - the race has commenced!!! [665]

Please calm down.

I am perfectly calm. I pointed out what he did. If you don't think that was an antisemitic attack and find it fit to ridicule it as an attempt to suppress a fire hazard so be it.

You might but it would be wrong

It would be wrong from your point of view. But not according to their believes to which they are entitled to in Poland.

Apparently they're simply lukewarm

Seems like they underwent their era own Enlightenment.
Tacitus   
4 Apr 2025
News / Presidential elections 2025 - the race has commenced!!! [665]

What do you find anti-Semitic about this?

Braun violently interrupted of a holy ceremony and insulted the jewish faith and its' followers as satanic (an accusation that has sadly a long history in antijudaism/antisemitism).

Jesus or Saint Virgin Mary in judaism's heaven, then it is no heaven at all but hell.

Might as well argue that Christians practice idolatry because from the jewish point of view our worship of him violates monotheism.That doesn't give them the right to violently interrupt a mass at christmas.
Tacitus   
4 Apr 2025
News / Presidential elections 2025 - the race has commenced!!! [665]

Grzegorz Braun: Polish MP who doused Hanukkah candles loses immunity

google.com/amp/s/bbc.com/news/world-europe-68014535.amp

After extinguishing the candles, the politician described Hanukkah as "satanic" and said he was restoring "normality". He later said that "those who take part in acts of satanic worship should be ashamed".

Not much ambiguity there. That was clearly an antisemitic incident.
Tacitus   
4 Apr 2025
News / Presidential elections 2025 - the race has commenced!!! [665]

Someone whose surname is the German word for "brown" (maybe "Braun" has a different meaning in Polish) who hates jews is running for president in Poland.

Well, the world is full of endless possibilities.
Tacitus   
31 Mar 2025
News / Poles say a big YES to our European Union [996]

I mean yeah, Brexit made the UK poorer and less influential than it would have been otherwise, but aside from that, no harm done... .
Tacitus   
24 Mar 2025
News / Building regional alliance to stabilize Eastern Europe. [236]

Tac, after you mark the part of the text you want to copy look to the left/down corner...

Interesting. My mistake seems to have been that I clicked on that button before I marked the quotes. Well, you never stop learning I guess.

He's too useful to the Germans covertly pushing their pro Russian agenda.

Just a reminder that it was the Polish PiS government who prevented Hungary from losing its' voting rights in the EU. And now he has Fico who backs him up... .
Tacitus   
19 Mar 2025
News / Building regional alliance to stabilize Eastern Europe. [236]

@jon357

It had a larger population than half of the current member states.

People from the GDR accounted for only 1/4 of the votes. The population of the GDR was smaller than the population the largest West German state NRW. All East German states put together dont' have a blocking minority in the Bundesrat on most issues. Even if the people of the GDR voted all together in strong contrast to the rest - which they dont, there are strong regional differences - it would not paralyze the system. Contrast that with the veto power of a very small country like Hungary in the EU. As it stands now, neither the EU nor Turkey is ready for membership. Maybe in a few decades, but for now that is a pipe dream.

To quote a poster, all you do is select the text you want to quote and press the quote button.

I did just that. That saves one step, but still no name in the quote.