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OddObserver posted:So neutral their big wigs refuse to stand up in memory of Ukrainian soldiers killed fighting against Russia, and some of their priests even refuse to hold funeral services for them. Again, there's a difference between what local priests and even bishops do, and what Synod, i.e. UOC's local administrative council, proclaims in official documents. For example, that incident with bishop Onufri (just one bishop) was quickly addressed by UOC's press service people, who interpreted his alleged protest not as anti-Ukrainian, but as anti-war in general. http://zn.ua/UKRAINE/v-upc-mp-obyasnili-pochemu-mitropolit-ne-pochtil-pamyat-pogibshih-v-ukraine-stoya-175494_.html UOC is very afraid of any open confrontation with Ukrainian government, and try to keep their priests from any form of political involvement beyond regular social programmes.
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Jul 27, 2016 17:29
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steinrokkan posted:I don't think that matters either. Rumors are already circulating that Trump is trying to outsource potential policy making during his presidency to other GOP politicians in an effort to become a face of the office without having to actually care about anything. quote:One day this past May, Donald Trump’s eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., reached out to a senior adviser to Gov. John Kasich of Ohio, who left the presidential race just a few weeks before. As a candidate, Kasich declared in March that Trump was “really not prepared to be president of the United States,” and the following month he took the highly unusual step of coordinating with his rival Senator Ted Cruz in an effort to deny Trump the nomination. But according to the Kasich adviser (who spoke only under the condition that he not be named), Donald Jr. wanted to make him an offer nonetheless: Did he have any interest in being the most powerful vice president in history?
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Jul 27, 2016 17:33
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Thatim posted:Was russia always such a dick? To be honest, I only started following the developments in EE since the Krim and MH17. If the country was a person, I would assume it was acting like this due to a lack of attention
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Jul 27, 2016 17:35
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Paladinus posted:Again, there's a difference between what local priests and even bishops do, and what Synod, i.e. UOC's local administrative council, proclaims in official documents. For example, that incident with bishop Onufri (just one bishop) was quickly addressed by UOC's press service people, who interpreted his alleged protest not as anti-Ukrainian, but as anti-war in general. Onufri isn't "just one bishop". He is the head of the entire church!
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Jul 27, 2016 17:42
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Paging Brown Moses to the TRUMP/Pence 2016 thread
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Jul 27, 2016 17:43
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Spangly A posted:I'd be genuinely interested to see what happens if PiS hit that nerve right now, you'd expect the EU to make Syriza look like a compromise by comparison. Support for leaving the EU is less than 20% according to a recent poll, I'm sure they could get it up to 30-35% if they harp on about Poland stronk and sovereignty and evil homowest coming for Polish children or whatever but that's about their ceiling on this issue. Poland has benefited too much from being in Europe in too many ways for that to be a viable option for PiS.
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Jul 27, 2016 18:30
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I don't think PiS would want to get out of the EU either but it's possible they'd threaten it. Like a passive-aggressive threat that in the current state of the EU it can't afford antagonising its members. Also probably something about the EU limiting other country's sovereignty...by criticizing the government for limiting the sovereignty of its own citizens. Also to temporarily rub it in Tusk's face.
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Jul 27, 2016 18:40
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Palpek posted:I don't think PiS would want to get out of the EU either but it's possible they'd threaten it. Like a passive-aggressive threat that in the current state of the EU it can't afford antagonising its members. Also probably something about the EU limiting other country's sovereignty...by criticizing the government for limiting the sovereignty of its own citizens. Also to temporarily rub it in Tusk's face.
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Jul 27, 2016 18:48
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mobby_6kl posted:I don't think Tories wanted Brexit either yet here we are! The undercurrent of anti-EU sentiment was always strong in Britain, so there was a real thing to tap into. Besides, the real problem was that not all Tories acted against Brexit. When you get people who are part of the ruling establishment (like Boris Johnson) campaigning for something, that gives it legitimacy and enables it to happen. Meanwhile, Kaczyński doesn't want out, and nobody in PiS can do a Johnson and openly defy their boss. PiS is not a platform for challenging and negotiating views and positions, it's a hierarchic organisation with a singular leader role.
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Jul 27, 2016 20:04
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Putin's been too busy sacking officials and stripping Crimea of it's autonomy to read DNC emails. Putin dismissed the ambassador in Ukraine, and 14 other senior government officials quote:Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree on dismissal of Mikhail Zurabov to the post of Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation in Ukraine. quote:Putin abolished the federal autonomy of the occupied Crimea Meanwhile, in Yalta - 
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Jul 28, 2016 12:43
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OddObserver posted:Onufri isn't "just one bishop". He is the head of the entire church! I'll concede that his appointment was an attempt by Moscow to get more influence in light of ongoing events, but ultimately he is still just one bishop even if his title may suggest otherwise. Unlike Patriarch's, Onufri's actions informed more by local church politics than by anything else. When he slips up, the official version is always that he meant nothing controversial, and he can never state his real position or confront anyone openly. HUGE PUBES A PLUS posted:Putin's been too busy sacking officials and stripping Crimea of it's autonomy to read DNC emails. I'm not exactly sure what it entails for regular Crimean citizens. It's still a republic, so they keep their local autonomy to some extent (at least when it comes to elections, constitution, official languages, etc.), but it's clear that Crimean political leaders would need to go an extra mile to get to federal budget money now. Maybe it's supposed to be an anti-corruption measure, but I'm doubtful that the regional government is less corrupt than what they have in Crimea.
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Jul 28, 2016 13:46
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Or maybe Putin enjoys some good treason just like another KGB goon but can't stand the idea of traitors within local government.
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Jul 28, 2016 15:53
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You need to replace those people comrade and then in a couple of years replace the replacement so that those new people are more loyal to Putin than to some local setups.
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Jul 28, 2016 16:14
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Vladimir Putin is very loyal to this cup of yogurt. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_5i4rFGQ9M8
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Jul 28, 2016 18:48
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Thatim posted:Was russia always such a dick? To be honest, I only started following the developments in EE since the Krim and MH17. If the country was a person, I would assume it was acting like this due to a lack of attention The 20 years after The End of History were very meager ones for Russia attention-wise
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Jul 29, 2016 06:08
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HUGE PUBES A PLUS posted:Vladimir Putin is very loyal to this cup of yogurt. Read the comments to be informed about the imminent doom of homonazi American agriculture.
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Jul 29, 2016 17:25
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http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/presidential-races/289907-trump-incorrectly-says-russia-isnt-in-ukraine Checks out
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Jul 31, 2016 20:36
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TheFallenEvincar posted:http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/presidential-races/289907-trump-incorrectly-says-russia-isnt-in-ukraine I prefer CNN's piece on that: http://www.cnn.com/2016/07/31/politics/donald-trump-russia-ukraine-crimea-putin/index.html
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Aug 1, 2016 17:04
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Goddamn, what is he even trying to say here:Trump posted:"OK -- well, he's there in a certain way. But I'm not there. You have Obama there. And frankly, that whole part of the world is a mess under Obama with all the strength that you're talking about and all of the power of NATO and all of this. In the meantime, he's going away. He takes Crimea."
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Aug 1, 2016 18:48
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Palpek posted:Goddamn, what is he even trying to say here: Its the ravings of an imbecile, don't try to parse it too hard or you'll hurt yourself. If that stupid orange rear end in a top hat gets elected hold on to your balls fellas cause its going to get rough worldwide.
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Aug 1, 2016 18:54
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Palpek posted:Goddamn, what is he even trying to say here: He was caught loving up but doesn't want to admit it, so he just word vomits the first thing he can think of to spin it as "Obama is bad, elect me."
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Aug 1, 2016 20:47
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Pretty sure Trump would fail a Turing test.
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Aug 1, 2016 21:27
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chitoryu12 posted:He was caught loving up but doesn't want to admit it, so he just word vomits the first thing he can think of to spin it as "Obama is bad, elect me." This is also the point that opponents of Trump failed to grasp for a long time. Trump doesn't care about things like facts, national security, or international relations. Trump cares about whipping up the crowd into a righteous outrage over people other than Trump by feeding them a simplistic us-vs-them story that makes sense on an intuitive level. If anyone calls him out on being a lying bastard, he at most adjusts the story while pretending he didn't and doesn't care beyond that. suck my woke dick fucked around with this message at 22:00 on Aug 1, 2016 |
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Aug 1, 2016 21:57
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I CANNOT EJACULATE WITHOUT SEEING NATIVE AMERICANS BRUTALISED!
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chitoryu12 posted:He was caught loving up but doesn't want to admit it, so he just word vomits the first thing he can think of to spin it as "Obama is bad, elect me." No wonder he's trying to duck the debates. Hilary's going to murder him with near impunity.
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Aug 1, 2016 22:05
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Young Freud posted:No wonder he's trying to duck the debates. Hilary's going to murder him with near impunity. Eh, the people who are going to vote for Trump are going to vote for Trump. Anyone who was swayed by him already isn't going to change when he continues to just spew the first thing to come to his mind unfiltered regardless of whether or not it makes sense. The good news is that he's been so undeniably awful and crazy that all but the craziest and stupidest Republicans are also pushing away from him as a matter of principle.
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Aug 1, 2016 22:06
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Palpek posted:"OK -- well, he's there in a certain way. But I'm not there. You have Obama there. And frankly, that whole part of the world is a mess under Obama with all the strength that you're talking about and all of the power of NATO and all of this. In the meantime, he's going away. He takes Crimea." Here is my attempt to parse it: "Putin is not just in Ukraine, it's more complicated. I wouldn't have gone into Ukraine, like Obama did. Obama turned this whole part of the world into a mess. We are such a strong country and NATO is so powerful, yet Obama still turned it into a mess. And while we're making a mess, Putin just leaves as a winner and is going away. He takes Crimea and leaves Ukraine alone." These are the ramblings of a lunatic with no public speaking skills and a tenuous grasp of politics. You should not elect this man to the office of POTUS, you would regret it.
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Aug 2, 2016 16:12
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waitwhatno posted:Here is my attempt to parse it: Solid attempt. Here is my interpretation: "Putin is not in Ukraine, don't you know? There are no Russian troops in Ukraine and those satellite photos are fake and besides, you can't trust our dishonest media. Putin himself says there are no Russian troops in Ukraine, and that should be enough for everyone. Obama is a weak sissy president, whereas I will be strong, not unlike Putin himself. Together we will be strong, Putin and I. My campaign manager worked for the ousted president of Ukraine". The US should not under any circumstances elect this man. He is either dumb as poo poo or he is actually trying to take the side of Russian talking points about the conflict. I don't know which would be worse.
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Aug 2, 2016 17:45
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Fabulous Knight posted:Solid attempt. Here is my interpretation: Does anyone have the pictures from Yanukovich's compound? I seem to remember a golden loaf of bread. Putin sure has a set type of useful idiot he prefers.
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Aug 2, 2016 18:46
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Skeesix posted:Does anyone have the pictures from Yanukovich's compound? I seem to remember a golden loaf of bread. I've been to Kyiv last weekend, and the central square is swarming with people offering tours to the residence. Unfortunately, I didn't have enough time to go there. They still have ostriches there that tourists can feed. As for the golden loaf, apparently, it was a joke present from some bakery owner, and it's not actually made of gold. Unlike Yanukovich's toilet.
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Aug 2, 2016 18:50
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Paladinus posted:I've been to Kyiv last weekend, and the central square is swarming with people offering tours to the residence. Unfortunately, I didn't have enough time to go there. They still have ostriches there that tourists can feed. Main residence:   View from near the building down to the river:  In the sauna:    Not really golden! Petting zoo:   So I haven't seen the golden loaf or anything like that, but it was definitely a bit rich for a president of a broke country. A few more shots from his compound and the city, you can even see some homonazis! http://imgur.com/a/Bx9wg
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Aug 2, 2016 19:56
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Thatim posted:Was russia always such a dick? To be honest, I only started following the developments in EE since the Krim and MH17. If the country was a person, I would assume it was acting like this due to a lack of attention Someone has to, Turkey and Poland are still mad they no longer get to be the dicks of the region.
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Aug 3, 2016 10:20
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Pyromancer posted:Someone has to, Turkey and Poland are still mad they no longer get to be the dicks of the region. Ehhhh, Poland was never a dick on anything approaching Russia's level.
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Aug 3, 2016 10:49
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Aumanor posted:Ehhhh, Poland was never a dick on anything approaching Russia's level. At times they approached it. But it's been a very long time since those times.
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Aug 3, 2016 14:09
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Ages ago in this thread, there was some mention of how Romania has become one of the least corrupt post-Soviet countries in eastern Europe because they basically let an EU legal task-force come in and and start cleaning house. From mulling it over in my head the only thing that I can thing of that has a reasonable chance of success is popular support for anti-corruption measures in the population and an outside and relatively impartial force comes in and fixes it. It certainly won't come from the government itself as they are the ones who benefit from it. Which countries have taken on corruption and have managed to clear it out? What has worked and what has not? Xerxes17 fucked around with this message at 15:42 on Aug 3, 2016 |
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Aug 3, 2016 15:40
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  Xerxes17 posted:Which countries have taken on corruption and have managed to clear it out? What has worked and what has not? Slovenia tried to take on a couple big corrupt dudes at times... ... nothing came of it.  There's a bigwig or two from construction bubble companies in prison, but no politicians.
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Aug 3, 2016 15:56
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Xerxes17 posted:Ages ago in this thread, there was some mention of how Romania has become one of the least corrupt post-Soviet countries in eastern Europe because they basically let an EU legal task-force come in and and start cleaning house. From mulling it over in my head the only thing that I can thing of that has a reasonable chance of success is popular support for anti-corruption measures in the population and an outside and relatively impartial force comes in and fixes it. It certainly won't come from the government itself as they are the ones who benefit from it. Poland has done a mixed job on corruption. They've managed to mostly wipe out petty corruption (bribing cops to not get a ticket, bribing doctors to jump the queue, having to bribe civil servants to do their jobs, being able to buy drivers licenses, etc...), but nepotism is still rife in many professions and your success is often determined by who you know (or are related to) rather than your merits. As to large scale institutional corruption, its hard to say for sure but I'm going to guess its thriving quite well if not quite so brazenly anymore.
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Aug 3, 2016 16:15
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Xerxes17 posted:Which countries have taken on corruption and have managed to clear it out? What has worked and what has not? There were some measures introduced in Slovak Republic previously by previous government, like increased transparency in public procurements, but those changes were reverted or made useless since then by current government. So I suppose there might be some anti-corruption changes coming from government, but in EE people are usually blind to corruption of their favorite political parties.
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Aug 3, 2016 16:42
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^^^ Definitely quite a bit of progress made in CZ. 15 years ago or so it wasn't unusual to slip a cop some cash if you get pulled over, and nowadays this is pretty much unthinkable. Of course if you have some friend there you could have some strings pulled for you, a friend of mine got a bunch of speeding tickets dismissed this way recently. There's still a lot of shenanigans going on with defense and other procurement, of course. Xerxes17 posted:Ages ago in this thread, there was some mention of how Romania has become one of the least corrupt post-Soviet countries in eastern Europe because they basically let an EU legal task-force come in and and start cleaning house. From mulling it over in my head the only thing that I can thing of that has a reasonable chance of success is popular support for anti-corruption measures in the population and an outside and relatively impartial force comes in and fixes it. It certainly won't come from the government itself as they are the ones who benefit from it. I don't think this is ever a problem, is it? Tons of people/parties run on on an "anti-corruption" platform and people loving love it, but of course one they get into power, poo poo-all gets done actually because they now stand to benefit from that corruption. As you say, the critical part is getting an independent agency to manage the efforts, as otherwise everything would get obstructed in the regular courts. The problem with that is that the politicians have to really, actually want it which they usually don't because they'd be the first against the wall because they're all dirty as hell.
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Aug 3, 2016 16:52
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From the Trump campaign thread, seems relevant. https://twitter.com/samsteinhp/status/760838261128458240
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Aug 3, 2016 17:07
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Dwesa posted:Well, there is a High State Attorney in Czech Republic Lenka Bradáčová that manages to be impartial, is said to incorruptible and brings some causes to court, but due to a limited scale, success is also limited. So you probably need a strong leader with a strong support of general population (she was voted as most influential Czech women several times in a row) to the point that halting anticorruption measures would cut your own support among voters if you are a corrupt politician yourself. Well, the previous Czech prime minister is currently awaiting trial for bribing politicians by offering them lucrative positions in the public service and the government. That's certainly a good start.
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Aug 3, 2016 17:08
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