The General Political Thread

[Duuring]

Start a neo-fascist renewal movement for FSE?

[StevenChilton]

Not sure what's wrong with William's comment, albeit the term 'neo-fascist' is too strong a word when looking at M5S/AfD/UKIP/PiS/etc. It's eurosceptic populism rather than neo-fascism that's the EU's biggest problem.

[Duuring]

With two of the three eurosceptic factions in the EP about to go tits up, the third one losing half its membership and eurosceptic parties losing their hard edge left right and centre, I wouldn't exactly call it a problem.

[William]

Not sure what's wrong with William's comment, albeit the term 'neo-fascist' is too strong a word when looking at M5S/AfD/UKIP/PiS/etc. It's eurosceptic populism rather than neo-fascism that's the EU's biggest problem.

Yeah, that's what we pointed out in class but it was the author's terms. We just agreed that right-wing populism and that it seems to be a recurring trend in Western countries, despite how open Western countries try to be. It was mostly just a political discussion on whether state sovereignty would survive globalization but we got into a lot of bigger discussion on immigration and the role of NGO's and MNC's in international politics.

[Duuring]

1.Status quo
2.Status quo is challenged
3. Some people don't like it because they perceive the status quo as beneficial and oppose challenge.

Yeah, really sounds like something unique to the EU of the last decade.

[StevenChilton]

1.Status quo
2.Status quo is challenged
3. Some people don't like it because they perceive the status quo as beneficial and oppose challenge.

Yeah, really sounds like something unique to the EU of the last decade.

Except he never claimed it was unique, because it isn't, merely that it was happening.

Not sure what's wrong with William's comment, albeit the term 'neo-fascist' is too strong a word when looking at M5S/AfD/UKIP/PiS/etc. It's eurosceptic populism rather than neo-fascism that's the EU's biggest problem.

Yeah, that's what we pointed out in class but it was the author's terms. We just agreed that right-wing populism and that it seems to be a recurring trend in Western countries, despite how open Western countries try to be. It was mostly just a political discussion on whether state sovereignty would survive globalization but we got into a lot of bigger discussion on immigration and the role of NGO's and MNC's in international politics.

Your class must have a really left-wing bias lol-European populism isn't just on the right (see Syriza, Podemos, Jeremy Corbyn, M5S to an extent, etc).

[Toffee]

Populism is just appealing to the people, it’s a pretty non partisan concept since it can happen on either side of the spectrum

[Duuring]

Some political scientists don't even consider populism an ideology like the left-right divide, but a style or strategy. I don't necessarily agree with that, but yes, there's left-wing populism, but no, it's not a copy-paste of right-wing populism with leftist ideas. 

[Toffee]

Some political scientists don't even consider populism an ideology like the left-right divide, but a style or strategy. I don't necessarily agree with that, but yes, there's left-wing populism, but no, it's not a copy-paste of right-wing populism with leftist ideas.

I would agree that it is more of a way of doing things rather than an ideology

[StevenChilton]

Some political scientists don't even consider populism an ideology like the left-right divide, but a style or strategy. I don't necessarily agree with that, but yes, there's left-wing populism, but no, it's not a copy-paste of right-wing populism with leftist ideas.

There's a *lot* of cross-over as they all like to cast themselves as anti-establishment which takes on familiar forms. Corbyn basically adopted Trump's tactics in terms of bashing the media and the elites and blaming all ills on certain targets (Mexicans, the rich, Blairites, Hillary, etc). His team even bragged about doing so: https://www.politico.eu/article/revealed-jeremy-corbyn-labour-plan-to-copy-donald-trump-playbook/

Corbyn's team bash the BBC even more than Trump bashes CNN...You also get a big whiff of antisemitism with Corbyn's Labour, same with a lot of the alt-right. The guy is constantly Jew baiting:
https://www.thejc.com/news/uk-news/social-media-storm-breaks-over-corbyn-s-jew-free-holocaust-memorial-day-statement-1.457496

[Toffee]

Steven it's actually funny if you think anything about Corbyn's memorial statement in anti-Semitic. Just because he didn't literally use the word Jew that doesn't mean he hates them. He said 'We should never forget the holocaust: the millions who died, the millions displaced and cruel hurt that their descendants have suffered'. That is quite clearly referring to Jews.

I'll be the first to admit that hearing the news of the cancellation of the investigation into anti-Semitism in the party troubles me, but at least give some credible evidence rather than trying to bullshit us.

[StevenChilton]

The Holocaust has a broad definition-it's not just Jews who were killed but also the disabled, gypsies, Poles, etc. He knows what he's doing. In and of itself I'll admit it's hardly anything and ordinarily I'd say it was a minor PR blunder, but it fits a pattern of behaviour of which this is the latest example. You can't hang out with jew-hating organisations, share platforms with antisemites and whitewash investigations in antisemitism and still expect to be given the benefit of the doubt. I mean come on, his record is awful...

[Toffee]

Yes it does refer to more than just the Jews, but the key is that it includes Jews. As I said, I also worry about the state of the Labour party but this whole affair about the memorial statement is a desperate attempt at news.

If I was leader of the Labour party though, I would want that investigation to be continued. It does worry me and, at times, makes me consider the fact that I'm a member of the party. It would be nice for Jeremy Corbyn to just come out and denounce anti Jewish groups and reiterate and clarify his statement.

[Edwin]

Jeremy Corbyn, provocateur and member of the alt-right. 

[Riddlez]

And remember we used to think Milliband was a joke