4 ms·

I'd much rather have EU focus on the very real existential threats we're facing, instead of bullying (checks today's news) ... Ireland? Seriously, EU?

tekla 1y ago
It's easier to ban speech than to deal with the issues that cause the speech in the first place.
rich_sasha 1y ago
EU is financing rearmament and Ukraine deal, poaching scientists from the US, common economic and agricultural policies seem to be working. On the diplomacy front, hard to tell but they are showing a united and focused front against Trump. It is discussing some kind of closer cooperation with the UK. So in short, doesn't seem to be failing terribly at lots of things. Do you think the EU is so bandwidth-limited it cannot do other things while discussing hate speech laws with Ireland?
- stodor89 1y ago
  I do. I hope they'll prove me wrong, but the last decade or so has been a string of political failures. Crimea, Brexit, the war in Ukraine.. etc.
  - rich_sasha 1y ago
    Political failures compared to what other large bureaucracy? It is miles ahead, IMHO, US federal government or UN. Hard to compare to China. Crimea is complex, but I can't really see what the EU could have done to prevent Brexit, while keeping itself whole. UK was so desperate to leave, they ended up crashing out. I personally think the EU gets the blame for a whole load of things that are not really in their remit, while not getting the credit for other things it does well. Like hate speech laws, or the other things I listed.
    - surgical_fire 1y ago
      I even aegue that Brexit was a boon to EU. Despite losing a relatively large economy in the block, the results of Brexit were so embarrassingly disastrous for the UK, that even the far right parties in the mainland, that had the common talking point of leaving the EU, had to switch their rhetoric to "reform" the EU (which is weakening it from the inside). Leaving the EU became sort of unpopular.
bestouff 1y ago
Online propaganda is a real war weapon nowadays. EU focusing on mitigating it is rightfully a priority.
- AlecSchueler 1y ago
  And it seems increasingly clear that Ireland has become the main target in the disinformation war, and the main place where racist sentiments are being stoked. Absolutely tragic given Ireland's history of solidarity and anti colonialism
arp242 1y ago
You can say this sort of stuff about almost anything. I don't see how doing "the little stuff" (relatively) like this takes away from doing "the big stuff". It's not like "the EU" is a single person who only has 24/hours a day to spend.
IAmBroom 1y ago
False dichotomy. 5 meter penalty.

tekla 1y ago

It's easier to ban speech than to deal with the issues that cause the speech in the first place.

rich_sasha 1y ago

EU is financing rearmament and Ukraine deal, poaching scientists from the US, common economic and agricultural policies seem to be working. On the diplomacy front, hard to tell but they are showing a united and focused front against Trump. It is discussing some kind of closer cooperation with the UK. So in short, doesn't seem to be failing terribly at lots of things. Do you think the EU is so bandwidth-limited it cannot do other things while discussing hate speech laws with Ireland?

stodor89 1y ago
I do. I hope they'll prove me wrong, but the last decade or so has been a string of political failures. Crimea, Brexit, the war in Ukraine.. etc.
- rich_sasha 1y ago
  Political failures compared to what other large bureaucracy? It is miles ahead, IMHO, US federal government or UN. Hard to compare to China. Crimea is complex, but I can't really see what the EU could have done to prevent Brexit, while keeping itself whole. UK was so desperate to leave, they ended up crashing out. I personally think the EU gets the blame for a whole load of things that are not really in their remit, while not getting the credit for other things it does well. Like hate speech laws, or the other things I listed.
  - surgical_fire 1y ago
    I even aegue that Brexit was a boon to EU. Despite losing a relatively large economy in the block, the results of Brexit were so embarrassingly disastrous for the UK, that even the far right parties in the mainland, that had the common talking point of leaving the EU, had to switch their rhetoric to "reform" the EU (which is weakening it from the inside). Leaving the EU became sort of unpopular.

bestouff 1y ago

Online propaganda is a real war weapon nowadays. EU focusing on mitigating it is rightfully a priority.

AlecSchueler 1y ago
And it seems increasingly clear that Ireland has become the main target in the disinformation war, and the main place where racist sentiments are being stoked. Absolutely tragic given Ireland's history of solidarity and anti colonialism

arp242 1y ago

You can say this sort of stuff about almost anything. I don't see how doing "the little stuff" (relatively) like this takes away from doing "the big stuff". It's not like "the EU" is a single person who only has 24/hours a day to spend.

IAmBroom 1y ago

False dichotomy. 5 meter penalty.