I made no secret of the fact that I hoped that the results of the Polish election, whatever they turned out to be, would lead to a moderation of the Law and Justice government’s fiercely confrontational attitude toward virtually all surrounding countries. Russia and Germany, of course, headed the list of pariah states, in the view of the Law and Justice government, but they were by no means the only two countries singled out for rhetorical slams. Big Serge points to one sign that this may be in the works. This possible development may also single a continuing distancing of Poland from its outrageously foolish war on Russia.
Interesting insights as ever. However, I have to disagree about Tusk. He really IS an evil EU apparatchik who would dearly love to "evolve" Poland into oblivion or at the very least destroy it's conservative social identity. However, as you say, he will be nicely hemmed in by argumentative coalitionists. That, hopefully, will keep him on the straight and narrow. And as another blogger said after the results, those 8 million or so L&J supporters aren't going anywhere.
Donald Tusk is an evil apparatchik or devious tool of the EU? I wonder why?
One possibility:
"Although the financial flows between the Member States and the EU budget represent only a part of EU policy, they are nevertheless a particularly important one. ... Accordingly, in 2021 ten states paid more into the EU budget than they received from it; they were thus net contributors. 17 states were net recipients. ...In terms of net recipients, Poland leads with EUR 12.9 billion. It is followed by Greece with EUR 4.7 billion and Hungary with EUR 4.3 billion. ..."
Yep. Vicky Nuland has been very quiet recently. I wonder if she's doing an HRC style drunken, bottle-throwing sulk, or more ominously, in a team huddle with her fellow reptilians, planning the next "project"?
I had thought we were done with the neocons a couple decades ago when Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz and friends exited...little did I know. I wonder how deep the bench really is...
There will always be neocons and their ilk, Cass, because there will always be power-crazed psychopaths. However, a sane society would severely limit their pathways to power and try to avoid the situations where they rise to the surface.
Interesting insights as ever. However, I have to disagree about Tusk. He really IS an evil EU apparatchik who would dearly love to "evolve" Poland into oblivion or at the very least destroy it's conservative social identity. However, as you say, he will be nicely hemmed in by argumentative coalitionists. That, hopefully, will keep him on the straight and narrow. And as another blogger said after the results, those 8 million or so L&J supporters aren't going anywhere.
Donald Tusk is an evil apparatchik or devious tool of the EU? I wonder why?
One possibility:
"Although the financial flows between the Member States and the EU budget represent only a part of EU policy, they are nevertheless a particularly important one. ... Accordingly, in 2021 ten states paid more into the EU budget than they received from it; they were thus net contributors. 17 states were net recipients. ...In terms of net recipients, Poland leads with EUR 12.9 billion. It is followed by Greece with EUR 4.7 billion and Hungary with EUR 4.3 billion. ..."
https://www.iwkoeln.de/en/studies/berthold-busch-bjoern-kauder-samina-sultan-net-contributors-and-net-recipients-in-the-eu.html#:~:text=In%20terms%20of%20net%20recipients,billion)%20take%20the%20other%20places.
Disagree about what? I never said he wasn't evil.
A "devious tool of the EU". We use different vocab, but I think we are saying the same thing.
Yep. Vicky Nuland has been very quiet recently. I wonder if she's doing an HRC style drunken, bottle-throwing sulk, or more ominously, in a team huddle with her fellow reptilians, planning the next "project"?
I'd love to be wrong, but I can't imagine her and the Kagans going away.
Maybe the best we can hope for is that they will be marginalised and will wile away their lives in obscurity.
I had thought we were done with the neocons a couple decades ago when Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz and friends exited...little did I know. I wonder how deep the bench really is...
There will always be neocons and their ilk, Cass, because there will always be power-crazed psychopaths. However, a sane society would severely limit their pathways to power and try to avoid the situations where they rise to the surface.
Exactly.