Feelings and responsibility

[gonger]

netforce10, I was of course exaggerating a bit to show how absurd the idea is, that a single state - not to mention a single politician! - can move the whole EU in a certain direction.
IMHO it is a good thing that the power representation is under-proportional, because otherwise small countries (Malta, Luxembourg, Estonia, Cyprus,...) would have nothing to say at all. This would thwart the whole purpose of the EU, and lead at absurdum its motto: "In Varietate Concordia" ("United in Diversity").

[Dilihin]

...Most countries are doing well economically, and those who are not are unsurprisingly on top of the Corruption lists.

Your argument is totally invalid, Finlands economy is totally trash but its 3rd LEAST corrupted nation.
On top of that, EU mostly benefits countries which can afford to pay for it (eg. Germany). Some smaller countries have even chanced their basic laws because of EU. EU shouldn't decide laws of countries. I'm just waiting that some bigger EU countries (eg. france) leave EU so smaller countries like Finland can leave it aswell. Of course, i wouldn't mind if the EU got total overhauling.

[gonger]

Dilihin, while things could definitely be better for Finland, the situation is not that bad. Economy is back at growth. Slow in comparison to almost all other EU countries, but growing:
http://www.focus-economics.com/countries/finland
http://www.helsinkitimes.fi/finland/finland-news/domestic/14617-bank-of-finland-raises-growth-forecast-for-2017-to-1-6.html
https://www.bofbulletin.fi/en/economic-outlook/

But I confess that I was unaware of the crisis in Finland. With all the troubles in Greece, Italy, Portugal, somehow Finland was never really in the focus of news, at least not in Germany / Luxembourg. Why so, one wonders...

Three cheers to Finland for their fight against corruption. You are right, they are ranked 3rd best, and not only in the EU, but a list of 176 countries:
https://www.transparency.org/news/feature/corruption_perceptions_index_2016

But what do you mean with "EU mostly benefits countries which can afford to pay for it (eg. Germany)"?
Germany profits because EU makes trade easier than ever, and Germany is a trading country - we import many raw materials, and export goods.

[Dilihin]

While the economy is currently slighty better than a bit before, the future is certainly not looking as bright. ofc it is indeed possible that it will stay growing, which i certainly hope for.

Gonger, What i mean is that Germany has more influence than some countries and benefits more from things like Euro than smaller countries like Finland. My views are quite limited as i don't have as much time as i want to read about things, but as far as i know, atleast Finland doesn't benefits as much as Germany from EU and it's more free trade.

And i'm not suprised at all that Finland slipped from your mind, Finland is, afterall, quite peacefull sector so there is really not much anything happening out here (Finland is mostly trees anyway.... )

[gonger]

While the economy is currently slighty better than a bit before, the future is certainly not looking as bright. ofc it is indeed possible that it will stay growing, which i certainly hope for.

I share this hope. I know some Fins here in Luxembourg, and they are charming people.

Gonger, What i mean is that Germany has more influence than some countries and benefits more from things like Euro than smaller countries like Finland. My views are quite limited as i don't have as much time as i want to read about things, but as far as i know, atleast Finland doesn't benefits as much as Germany from EU and it's more free trade.

Not so sure about the influence (see my previous posts in this thread), but I totally agree that Germany is maybe the country that benefits most from the EU. We are really depending on trade, since our natural raw materials are limited.

And i'm not suprised at all that Finland slipped from your mind, Finland is, afterall, quite peacefull sector so there is really not much anything happening out here (Finland is mostly trees anyway.... )

It did not really slip from my mind, but I honestly cannot remember it being mentioned in German news that Finland was (and to a degree still is) in an economical crisis. I guess it got somehow lost between all the reports about Greece, especially. Still, I should have expected some mention of it...

[Dilihin]

Perhaps it's because that situation in Greek escalated a bit more than Finland, where the debt is just steadily rising.

[LigH]

Greece is a good example of the political advantage of Germany in the EU: Hardly any other country voted so vehemently against a debt cut and for a kind of "reforms" which mainly hits the poor. The credits don't help Greece recovering, only paying debts and interests back to the (mainly German) banks.

And Gonger will know best what a great couple Juncker and Oettinger are in the European Commission. Conservative governments know well which kind of representatives they support. Sometimes I wonder how they define the term "people" in the phrase "for the benefit of people"; possibly those with an above-average income. The rest is only noticeable when elections are scheduled.

[MishkaL1138]

BOOOOORIIIIIIIING

[Dilihin]

BOOOOORIIIIIIIING

Start new topic? 

[Can-ned Food]

Poor ol' Luxembourg.

[Dilihin]

Poor ol' Luxembourg.

I don't get this meme, want to clarify a bit?

[gonger]

I don't get this meme, want to clarify a bit?

The head is, roughly, in the shape of Luxembourg.

[Dilihin]

I don't get this meme, want to clarify a bit?

The head is, roughly, in the shape of Luxembourg.

Yes, i get that, but how is the hospital related to it at all?

[Can-ned Food]

It is a scene from one of the more surreal David Firth cartoons.

http://www.fat-pie.com/pulch.htm 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-2x8i0ewGdM

[Volki]

What do you mean there? You are in favour of racism in France? And Germany and France should take up their century-long wars again?
And why revolt against something that most people appreciate?

I take it you took in all of the mainstream journalism on Le Pen and didn't consider they might be lying.

I'm in favor of reducing empires to rubble before they are made permanent. I'm in favor of the exact kind of policies necessary to protect citizens over non-citizens. I'm in favor of no European cultures going extinct in the way Macron wishes they have.

Why revolt? Because your governments are actively working against its citizens. Some of the most amazing contradictions arise from European progressivism.

"We want diversity!" Yet you believe European cultures do not exist or do not deserve to exist. You kill cultures, you kill diversity. And you're importing cultures which follow a conqueror religion.

"We need immigration for the economy!" Okay, but here's another, better idea: incentivize your own citizens to marry and procreate. Stop with the anti-sex feminism and celebrate traditional families.

"We want peace in the Middle East!" But you're just fine with Saudi Arabia. And just fine with taking in millions of refugees* instead of trying to stop the conflicts, or even admitting who the real aggressors are in the conflicts themselves. This even leads back to "needing immigration", which presents some incentive to want conflict and more refugees.
*(Most are economic migrants.)

"We tolerate people of all kinds: gay, trans, all races, and religions!" Yet Islam is on the rise, and it's the most intolerant of the mainstream religions. It's like the most backwards version of Christianity on steroids. Condolences to the liberal upper-class Muslims who have reformed their faith, but the vast majority has scholars who actively work against reformation and keep them in the stone-age of religion.

It's like most people have heard these contradicting lines so many times they've forgotten what a contradiction is and expect it to be mainstream for party policy.