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Greenlanders appear to understand as well as the rest of the EU that the current US administration is only capable of ludicrous offers and a deeply abusive rela

Greenlanders appear to understand as well as the rest of the EU that the current US administration is only capable of ludicrous offers and a deeply abusive relationship. > A poll from January shows that only 6% of Greenlanders are in favor of joining the U.S., with 85% against it.

epolanski 9mo ago
This won't bother at all this administration. Say what you want but presidential democracies where presidents are elected by popular vote are a disaster for stability and democracy. What's happening with this doing and undoing in the US (or Russia, Belarus, Hungary and countless other presidential republics) fully displays why this is a terrible political system: 1. Winner takes all. You may have been voted by 50% + 1 (even less) citizens but the other half is totally not represented like in a parliament. 2. No parliament/party that you need to have backing of. In a parliamentary democracy the prime minister won't just lose opposition's votes, but has to govern in a way that its own party won't boot you. 3. Single person can claim popular mandate. Often in opposition to the parliament/senate whatever. So you end up in situations like the disaster in Poland where government and president are from different parties and the government gets vetoed everything. 4. Extremely hard to remove. A prime minister is a vote of no confidence away from losing its seat. The president can ask them to resign in extreme situations. A president? Removing them is beyond difficult. Honestly this is such an obvious disaster to have people vote for a president rather than a parliamentary prime minister. The last parliamentary democracy to turn authoritarian has been Sri Lanka 50+ years ago. It's very hard to get so bad so fast in parliamentary republics. Honestly I can't comprehend Americans thinking their constitution is some holy grail. It's old and has been written centuries ago without all the experience we have in modern democracies. Eastern Europe too has made very bad choices with similar setups and democratically elected presidents. Say what you want but Germany or Italy have built in way more resilience to these absurdities by having the parliament elect the president which forces them to elect mostly neutral unbiased figures that will support and oversee whoever ends up being in government.
- cmrdporcupine 9mo ago
  Yes, I guess I'm biased by living in a Westminster system (which isn't perfect, I'd prefer Germany's structure like you say, but) I think you're entirely right that the American republic system is just broken. I think we'll look back on it in 100 years as an absolutely awful way to run government because it effectively created an "elected" "king" role and gave them real powers -- and then let that king get more and more powers over 100 years until, effectively, they have a rotating (for now) despot. The Westminster system "solves" this problem by having an actual king but giving them zero powers. The German system I think you're right is superior. Ireland also seems to have a nice system. Americans are very enamoured with their constitution, and it has some good words in it. Too bad they don't seem like they want to actually defend it with the real source of power .. which is not words, or "well-armed militias" [almost always the wrong kind], but feet in the street. And that's not even getting into the complete and total dysfunction of their two party structure.
  - cloche 9mo ago
    The leader of the US was actually supposed to function as a king. Washington was offered the role of king for the new country however he rejected it which ended up leading to the presidential role. It's strange how much reverence Americans place in the presidential role as if it were actually a king.
    - cmrdporcupine 9mo ago
      It's also strangely martial. Commander in chief, first president a general, all that stuff. The blurring of the executive and the military, the adoration of troops and war, etc. All very strange(?) for a country whose military has only ever been really involved in outside interference and war and not defense of homeland. "Thank you for your service" is an odd phrase to hear to non-Americans -- service for what? The US is at no risk of invasion. Hegseth is a low-IQ fascist fool, but renaming to Department of War is at least acknowledging reality. The Trump government just mostly says the formerly quiet part out loud.
ranit 9mo ago
> Greenlanders … as well as the rest of the EU … This might be off-topic for the main discussion, but worth to point out: Greenland is not a part of EU.
- layer8 9mo ago
  Greenlanders are EU citizens, however: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greenland_and_the_European_Union https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greenland_and_the_European_Uni...
  - ranit 9mo ago
    Thanks for the clarification.
- nephihaha 9mo ago
  Not off topic at all. For what its worth, the Isle of Man, Jersey and Guernsey and the Faroe Islands have never been in the EU either. Gibraltar has been though, and has a land border with the EU unlike these other territories.
nephihaha 9mo ago
"Greenlanders appear to understand as well as the rest of the EU" Greenland has never been in the European Union, even though it is effectively a Danish colony. It left its predecessor, the EEC, many years ago. Its interaction with the other EU member states is minimal.

epolanski 9mo ago

This won't bother at all this administration. Say what you want but presidential democracies where presidents are elected by popular vote are a disaster for stability and democracy. What's happening with this doing and undoing in the US (or Russia, Belarus, Hungary and countless other presidential republics) fully displays why this is a terrible political system: 1. Winner takes all. You may have been voted by 50% + 1 (even less) citizens but the other half is totally not represented like in a parliament. 2. No parliament/party that you need to have backing of. In a parliamentary democracy the prime minister won't just lose opposition's votes, but has to govern in a way that its own party won't boot you. 3. Single person can claim popular mandate. Often in opposition to the parliament/senate whatever. So you end up in situations like the disaster in Poland where government and president are from different parties and the government gets vetoed everything. 4. Extremely hard to remove. A prime minister is a vote of no confidence away from losing its seat. The president can ask them to resign in extreme situations. A president? Removing them is beyond difficult. Honestly this is such an obvious disaster to have people vote for a president rather than a parliamentary prime minister. The last parliamentary democracy to turn authoritarian has been Sri Lanka 50+ years ago. It's very hard to get so bad so fast in parliamentary republics. Honestly I can't comprehend Americans thinking their constitution is some holy grail. It's old and has been written centuries ago without all the experience we have in modern democracies. Eastern Europe too has made very bad choices with similar setups and democratically elected presidents. Say what you want but Germany or Italy have built in way more resilience to these absurdities by having the parliament elect the president which forces them to elect mostly neutral unbiased figures that will support and oversee whoever ends up being in government.

cmrdporcupine 9mo ago
Yes, I guess I'm biased by living in a Westminster system (which isn't perfect, I'd prefer Germany's structure like you say, but) I think you're entirely right that the American republic system is just broken. I think we'll look back on it in 100 years as an absolutely awful way to run government because it effectively created an "elected" "king" role and gave them real powers -- and then let that king get more and more powers over 100 years until, effectively, they have a rotating (for now) despot. The Westminster system "solves" this problem by having an actual king but giving them zero powers. The German system I think you're right is superior. Ireland also seems to have a nice system. Americans are very enamoured with their constitution, and it has some good words in it. Too bad they don't seem like they want to actually defend it with the real source of power .. which is not words, or "well-armed militias" [almost always the wrong kind], but feet in the street. And that's not even getting into the complete and total dysfunction of their two party structure.
- cloche 9mo ago
  The leader of the US was actually supposed to function as a king. Washington was offered the role of king for the new country however he rejected it which ended up leading to the presidential role. It's strange how much reverence Americans place in the presidential role as if it were actually a king.
  - cmrdporcupine 9mo ago
    It's also strangely martial. Commander in chief, first president a general, all that stuff. The blurring of the executive and the military, the adoration of troops and war, etc. All very strange(?) for a country whose military has only ever been really involved in outside interference and war and not defense of homeland. "Thank you for your service" is an odd phrase to hear to non-Americans -- service for what? The US is at no risk of invasion. Hegseth is a low-IQ fascist fool, but renaming to Department of War is at least acknowledging reality. The Trump government just mostly says the formerly quiet part out loud.

ranit 9mo ago

> Greenlanders … as well as the rest of the EU … This might be off-topic for the main discussion, but worth to point out: Greenland is not a part of EU.

layer8 9mo ago
Greenlanders are EU citizens, however: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greenland_and_the_European_Union https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greenland_and_the_European_Uni...
- ranit 9mo ago
  Thanks for the clarification.
nephihaha 9mo ago
Not off topic at all. For what its worth, the Isle of Man, Jersey and Guernsey and the Faroe Islands have never been in the EU either. Gibraltar has been though, and has a land border with the EU unlike these other territories.

nephihaha 9mo ago

"Greenlanders appear to understand as well as the rest of the EU" Greenland has never been in the European Union, even though it is effectively a Danish colony. It left its predecessor, the EEC, many years ago. Its interaction with the other EU member states is minimal.