[OFF TOPIC] Politics Thread

[Olympian1010 7,976]

18 minutes ago, Monzanator said:

 

To win any election you need money though. Most of the monarchies in the world have been either overthrown or serve as ceremonial puppets anyway. Most political parties have learned how to dominate the system, USA has seen zero options beyond Dems and GOP for what, 160 years? Senate and Congress don't have even ONE member from outside of these two parties since how long? Politicians have truly learned how to use democracy into their own favor hence we have all these political families and all that nonsense. There is no real choice in most democracies anyway. You vote for the same two parties over and over again. The communists regimes have had one ruling party, the oh-so ideal democracy has two in most cases. That is some upgrade indeed Call me again if Libertarian Party votes just one member of the Congress! I suspect that won't happen in the next 50 years and beyond

There’s currently 2 independents in the US Senate (though only 1 is a true independent) 

 

I agree that two party politics kills democracy though. The best democracy would be one that bans political parties, has mandatory voting, and restricts the amount of money that can be spent lobbying and campaigning. 
 

Do I think that will ever happen? Probably not, but at least the idea is there.

[Agger 1,663]

3 hours ago, Monzanator said:

 

To win any election you need money though. Most of the monarchies in the world have been either overthrown or serve as ceremonial puppets anyway. Most political parties have learned how to dominate the system, USA has seen zero options beyond Dems and GOP for what, 160 years? Senate and Congress don't have even ONE member from outside of these two parties since how long? Politicians have truly learned how to use democracy into their own favor hence we have all these political families and all that nonsense. There is no real choice in most democracies anyway. You vote for the same two parties over and over again. The communists regimes have had one ruling party, the oh-so ideal democracy has two in most cases. That is some upgrade indeed Call me again if Libertarian Party votes just one member of the Congress! I suspect that won't happen in the next 50 years and beyond

 

Though I do agree about the US (but that is mainly due to the terrible idea of First Past the Post), I would say that zero options for 160 years isn't really true. At least Wallace and Roosevelt should be mentioned as actual alternatives to the two parties in presidential elections (though they were former members). You could even mention Perrot and John Anderson.

And as mentioned, there are independents in the senate and independent/third-party congressmen/-women aren't really unheard of, though it is indeed on the decline.

[Monzanator 4,502]

11 minutes ago, Agger said:

 

Though I do agree about the US (but that is mainly due to the terrible idea of First Past the Post), I would say that zero options for 160 years isn't really true. At least Wallace and Roosevelt should be mentioned as actual alternatives to the two parties in presidential elections (though they were former members). You could even mention Perrot and John Anderson.

And as mentioned, there are independents in the senate and independent/third-party congressmen/-women aren't really unheard of, though it is indeed on the decline.

 

Ross Perrot was a billionaire who was no different than Donald Trump other than running as independent. @Olympian1010 wants to restrict money involved in politics, how is that even possible when billionaires like Perrot or Blomberg are the third option? Power always means money, always! Even if a country is downright poor, people who are in charge always have enough wealth to enjoy. It happened in the communist regimes as well. The otherwise most modest man in power in global history was probably Stalin but hell, he's the worst example of a world leader you will ever find.

[Wumo 3,002]

@hckosice

 

I have been following the polls for the upcoming parliamentary election in Slovakia. It seems the days of the current government coalition are over. Smer-SD are bleeding voters. ĽSNS gain voters, but at the same time ZA ĽUDÍ and Progresívne Slovensko + Spolu are also on the rise. Do you have any thoughts on what a government coalition could look like after the election? 

 

You may ask, why is a Dane interested in a parliamentary election in Slovakia? The short answer is I have had three roommates from Slovakia, so I have heard much about Slovakian culture and discussed Slovakian politics, as I tend to discuss politics with those people around me. Through the many conversations with my former roommates, Slovakia and its culture and people now have a very special place in my heart. 

[hckošice 14,829]

30 minutes ago, Wumo said:

@hckosice

 

I have been following the polls for the upcoming parliamentary election in Slovakia. It seems the days of the current government coalition are over. Smer-SD are bleeding voters. ĽSNS gain voters, but at the same time ZA ĽUDÍ and Progresívne Slovensko + Spolu are also on the rise. Do you have any thoughts on what a government coalition could look like after the election? 

 

You may ask, why is a Dane interested in a parliamentary election in Slovakia? The short answer is I have had three roommates from Slovakia, so I have heard much about Slovakian culture and discussed Slovakian politics, as I tend to discuss politics with those people around me. Through the many conversations with my former roommates, Slovakia and its culture and people now have a very special place in my heart. 

 

3 SVK Roommates ? You had to listen a lot about hockey these days, right? 

[hckošice 14,829]

55 minutes ago, Wumo said:

@hckosice

 

I have been following the polls for the upcoming parliamentary election in Slovakia. It seems the days of the current government coalition are over. Smer-SD are bleeding voters. ĽSNS gain voters, but at the same time ZA ĽUDÍ and Progresívne Slovensko + Spolu are also on the rise. Do you have any thoughts on what a government coalition could look like after the election? 

 

You may ask, why is a Dane interested in a parliamentary election in Slovakia? The short answer is I have had three roommates from Slovakia, so I have heard much about Slovakian culture and discussed Slovakian politics, as I tend to discuss politics with those people around me. Through the many conversations with my former roommates, Slovakia and its culture and people now have a very special place in my heart. 

 

and now about the topic.

 

Sadly ĽSNS is going to finish in second place in the elections because the advantage for these Nazis morons is that their voters are extremely dedicated and disciplined, all those brainwashed dickheads will vote and the party will reach around 18%. Now, The good news is that they will only be there basically for nothing, because no one (any of the other parties going to be voted) will cooperate or communicate with them. Basically lost seats in the parliament. But yes I agree, it´s really embarassing and a shame for our country to have such creatures in the parliament.

 

their leader was in court today because he will be accused of sympathizing with Nazism. his party allegedly helped selected "poor families" sending them checks amounting to EUR 1488. I don't have to explain you the connection of these numbers to a certain former German "leader". https://www.noviny.sk/krimi/506400-marian-kotleba-sa-postavil-pred-sud-trestneho-cinu-sa-mal-dopustit-odovzdanim-seku-so-sumou-1488

 

Even if SMER the leading party of the last decade will lost many votes (due the very known corruption cases and the murder of the journalist and his fiance https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Ján_Kuciak) they will still win the elections but there no chance for them to form the governement coalition (maybe if the will cooperate with ĽSNS, but I doubt about)

 

So the coalition will be IMO this time left sided "Progresivne Slovensko-Spolu" the party of the president Zuzana Čaputová and "Za Ľudí" the party of the former president Andrej Kiska with some other left/Center parties like OĽANO and the christian-democratic party KDH will very likely had the majority in the 150 members slovak parliament.

 

 

[Wumo 3,002]

2 minutes ago, hckosice said:

 

3 SVK Roommates ? You had to listen a lot about hockey these days, right? 

Well, only of them was a massive ice hockey fan, HC Banská Bystrica is his club. Some great years he has had.  But with Slovan back, it's going to be a tough season. The two others only sparsely followed ice hockey, sometimes they would watch a match with the national team. One of them was Slovakian-Hungarian and she was more a football fan. Me and my roommate, the HC Banská Bystrica fan, convinced the other two to follow biathlon more. Let's say Kuzmina was quite popular in our apartment. 

[Wumo 3,002]

4 minutes ago, hckosice said:

 

and now about the topic.

 

Sadly ĽSNS is going to finish in second place in the elections because the advantage for these Nazis morons is that their voters are extremely dedicated and disciplined, all those brainwashed dickheads will vote and the party will reach around 18%. Now, The good news is that they will only be there basically for nothing, because no one (any of the other parties going to be voted) will cooperate or communicate with them. Basically lost seats in the parliament. But yes I agree, it´s really embarassing and a shame for our country to have such creatures in the parliament.

 

their leader was in court today because he will be accused of sympathizing with Nazism. his party allegedly helped selected "poor families" sending them checks amounting to EUR 1488. I don't have to explain you the connection of these numbers to a certain former German "leader". https://www.noviny.sk/krimi/506400-marian-kotleba-sa-postavil-pred-sud-trestneho-cinu-sa-mal-dopustit-odovzdanim-seku-so-sumou-1488

 

Even if SMER the leading party of the last decade will lost many votes (due the very known corruption cases and the murder of the journalist and his fiance https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Ján_Kuciak) they will still win the elections but there no chance for them to form the governement coalition (maybe if the will cooperate with ĽSNS, but I doubt about)

 

So the coalition will be IMO this time left sided "Progresivne Slovensko-Spolu" the party of the president Zuzana Čaputová and "Za Ľudí" the party of the former president Andrej Kiska with some other left/Center parties like OĽANO and the christian-democratic party KDH will very likely had the majority in the 150 members slovak parliament.

 

 

I hope it will be a center-left government who will be in charge after the election. 

 

Is it really discussed SMER would consider cooperating with ĽSNS? I know SMER's politics have been quite populistic and to a certain degree, anti-immigration, but to me it seems like a giant step to the far-right to cooperate with ĽSNS? Would they really be that desperate? I know they have been in coalition with SNS, and they are already pretty far-right, but to cooperate with ĽSNS would set a new standard in Slovakian politics. 

[hckošice 14,829]

9 minutes ago, Wumo said:

I hope it will be a center-left government who will be in charge after the election. 

 

Is it really discussed SMER would consider cooperating with ĽSNS? I know SMER's politics have been quite populistic and to a certain degree, anti-immigration, but to me it seems like a giant step to the far-right to cooperate with ĽSNS? Would they really be that desperate? I know they have been in coalition with SNS, and they are already pretty far-right, but to cooperate with ĽSNS would set a new standard in Slovakian politics. 

 

There a huge difference between SNS and ĽSNS now

 

SNS (Slovak National Party) is not far-right by any mean nowadays after the split of the party, in the past under the rule of the notorious drunk "Mr. let's sit in tanks and erase Budapest" Ján Slota https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ján_Slota are thankfully gone forever, now they are publicly claiming the fight against the far right. Alread in the current governement they are in coalition with the Hungarian minority party MOST-HID 

 

But yes any cooperation with ĽSNS would be really sad and honestly dangerously worrying. So far I noticed only a very limited amount of their members saying about eventual future cooperation also with this party, but it´s really only 2 or 3 peoples + one other party in the past (SME RODINA) indicated the possibility of cooperation with them, but if you ask me I think no one will be so stupid to do that. ĽSNS will gain some seats in the parliament, but we can call them literally as blank seats. I don´t see anyone publicly going to show himself working with nazis. So even SMER very likely will not do that as well, their new leader (current prime minister Peter Pellegrini) for sure  won't allow it.

[Olympian1010 7,976]

Fun little video: