4 ms·

> which has seen her hit with a four-year prison sentence, to be served with an electronic tag, and a five-year ban from running for office Arguably burying th

> which has seen her hit with a four-year prison sentence, to be served with an electronic tag, and a five-year ban from running for office Arguably burying the lede a bit. Meanwhile, with absolutely no apparent irony: > "More and more European capitals are going down the path of violating democratic norms," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters in a briefing when asked about the decision. I hadn't realised it was a democratic norm to just allow politicians to do random crimes because they're so special. Also: > Matteo Salvini, Italy's far-right deputy Prime Minister said that the ruling against le Pen was a "declaration of war" by the EU that would not dissuade her far-right allies. In which the EU somehow controls the French courts.

lesuorac 2y ago
> I hadn't realised it was a democratic norm to just allow politicians to do random crimes because they're so special. You must've not been paying attention to the US ... I'm not even talking about the president. Lower level things like Bridgegate [1] resulted in everybody involved receiving no punishment (eventually). [1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Lee_lane_closure_scandal https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Lee_lane_closure_scandal
- rsynnott 2y ago
  Ah, well, that's America for you, they've always been weirdly okay with criminal politicians. But more broadly, no, it is not a democratic norm that politicians should be allowed to commit multi-million euro frauds with no consequences.
  - quitit 2y ago
    Seems like this is the true meaning of "american exceptionalism".
  - Agingcoder 2y ago
    It used to be the case in France too. For a truly incredible version of it see the helicopter affair : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacques_Toubon?wprov=sfti1#Controversial_actions https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacques_Toubon?wprov=sfti1#Con... In many ways, sending high profile politicians to prison or semi-prison ( Sarkozy, now Le Pen ) is new.
- HWR_14 2y ago
  Bridgegate resulted in no punishment, but not because politicians are special. It was because of their lawyers attacked legal nuances of their specific convictions.
  - SpicyLemonZest 2y ago
    In a sense, I guess, but the legal nuances are part of a general pattern that politicians are special. The Supreme Court has essentially legalized political bribery, for example; after McDonnell v. US you can accept bribes for setting up a meeting or scheduling an event, and after Snyder v. US you can accept bribes for anything at all so long as you do the thing you're being bribed for first. (These cases were based, yes, on legal nuances of the specific convictions: McDonnell's actions didn't constitute an "official act", and Snyder's after-the-fact bribes were technically not bribes at all but "gratuities".)
    - HWR_14 2y ago
      These legal nuances don't seem like that. The court held that creating a traffic jam between states did not violate a civil right to travel between states (because that right does not exist). And that it wasn't fraud because it just made people's lives miserable as opposed to depriving them of something physical. What crime do you think was committed?
      - hedora 2y ago
        Intentionally interfering with emergency services, for one. Try blocking a major bridge in your home town for a day and see what crimes you're charged with.
        transcriptase 2y ago
        In Canada as long as it’s in support of a sufficiently left-wing cause you won’t be charged with anything.
      - SpicyLemonZest 2y ago
throwawaymanbot 2y ago
[dead]
quitit 2y ago
> "More and more European capitals are going down the path of violating democratic norms," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters in a briefing when asked about the decision. Sounds like they're upset that their investment just went up in smoke.
lenkite 2y ago
If Marine Le Pen was found guilty of embezzlement of using EU funds, so should a swath of other politicians. So should the prime EU candidate for embezzlement: Ursula von der Leyen! She awarded expensive contracts to many external consultants without any bidding. A formal parliamentary inquiry even found evidence of nepotism but no charges were brought since she is the champion poster girl of the EU bureaucracy. The EU has fully lost the right to lecture the third world about democracy since it has now transmogrified itself to a self perpetuating, corrupt cabal. There will always be something propped up and selectively applied to cancel any so-called right-wing politicians who have a favored chance of winning elections. All anti-establishment politicians are auto-applied the "right wing" category. They will also be labelled Russia-bot/Putin-bot for the icing on the cake.
- grimblee 2y ago
  Though in this case its not "so called right wing" but straigth up neo-nazis, so good ridance. Give me a thousand corrupt liberal over even one fascist in power, thanks.
- zolbrek 2y ago
  I would very much like to know the contents of VdL's Signal messages with Pfizer's CEO for one. I don't think we ever got any transparency on that particular issue.
scotty79 2y ago
Welcome to the world as seen from the eyes of decades long russian psyop target.

lesuorac 2y ago

> I hadn't realised it was a democratic norm to just allow politicians to do random crimes because they're so special. You must've not been paying attention to the US ... I'm not even talking about the president. Lower level things like Bridgegate [1] resulted in everybody involved receiving no punishment (eventually). [1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Lee_lane_closure_scandal https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Lee_lane_closure_scandal

rsynnott 2y ago
Ah, well, that's America for you, they've always been weirdly okay with criminal politicians. But more broadly, no, it is not a democratic norm that politicians should be allowed to commit multi-million euro frauds with no consequences.
- quitit 2y ago
  Seems like this is the true meaning of "american exceptionalism".
- Agingcoder 2y ago
  It used to be the case in France too. For a truly incredible version of it see the helicopter affair : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacques_Toubon?wprov=sfti1#Controversial_actions https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacques_Toubon?wprov=sfti1#Con... In many ways, sending high profile politicians to prison or semi-prison ( Sarkozy, now Le Pen ) is new.
HWR_14 2y ago
Bridgegate resulted in no punishment, but not because politicians are special. It was because of their lawyers attacked legal nuances of their specific convictions.
- SpicyLemonZest 2y ago
  In a sense, I guess, but the legal nuances are part of a general pattern that politicians are special. The Supreme Court has essentially legalized political bribery, for example; after McDonnell v. US you can accept bribes for setting up a meeting or scheduling an event, and after Snyder v. US you can accept bribes for anything at all so long as you do the thing you're being bribed for first. (These cases were based, yes, on legal nuances of the specific convictions: McDonnell's actions didn't constitute an "official act", and Snyder's after-the-fact bribes were technically not bribes at all but "gratuities".)
  - HWR_14 2y ago
    These legal nuances don't seem like that. The court held that creating a traffic jam between states did not violate a civil right to travel between states (because that right does not exist). And that it wasn't fraud because it just made people's lives miserable as opposed to depriving them of something physical. What crime do you think was committed?
    - hedora 2y ago
      Intentionally interfering with emergency services, for one. Try blocking a major bridge in your home town for a day and see what crimes you're charged with.
      - transcriptase 2y ago
        In Canada as long as it’s in support of a sufficiently left-wing cause you won’t be charged with anything.
    - SpicyLemonZest 2y ago

throwawaymanbot 2y ago

[dead]

quitit 2y ago

> "More and more European capitals are going down the path of violating democratic norms," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters in a briefing when asked about the decision. Sounds like they're upset that their investment just went up in smoke.

lenkite 2y ago

If Marine Le Pen was found guilty of embezzlement of using EU funds, so should a swath of other politicians. So should the prime EU candidate for embezzlement: Ursula von der Leyen! She awarded expensive contracts to many external consultants without any bidding. A formal parliamentary inquiry even found evidence of nepotism but no charges were brought since she is the champion poster girl of the EU bureaucracy. The EU has fully lost the right to lecture the third world about democracy since it has now transmogrified itself to a self perpetuating, corrupt cabal. There will always be something propped up and selectively applied to cancel any so-called right-wing politicians who have a favored chance of winning elections. All anti-establishment politicians are auto-applied the "right wing" category. They will also be labelled Russia-bot/Putin-bot for the icing on the cake.

grimblee 2y ago
Though in this case its not "so called right wing" but straigth up neo-nazis, so good ridance. Give me a thousand corrupt liberal over even one fascist in power, thanks.
zolbrek 2y ago
I would very much like to know the contents of VdL's Signal messages with Pfizer's CEO for one. I don't think we ever got any transparency on that particular issue.

scotty79 2y ago

Welcome to the world as seen from the eyes of decades long russian psyop target.