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Bannon told German envoy he views EU as flawed construct, wants per nation relations
- Thread starter chadskin
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Sho_Nuff82
Member
Note to conservatives - taking advice from an actual Nazi on how to divide Western Europe probably won't go well.
Patriotism is what you should be striving for over nationalism; loving your country for what it has done, not loving your country in spite of what it does.
Patriotism is what you should be striving for over nationalism; loving your country for what it has done, not loving your country in spite of what it does.
Fallout-NL
Member
Both of those concepts are antiquated if you ask me.
Flawed sure. But good as a whole nonetheless
Sure. But there's a world of difference between thinking the EU is a flawed construct and actively wanting it to collapse.
Just as any other form of government ever invented by mankind.
there's certainly some EU countries / nationalist parties within those countries that'd gladly throw the EU under a bus to tighten their bilateral relationship with the US.
It's kinda literally what the whole "America first, [our country] second" was satirizing.
Appealing to German populist nationalist movements implies a wanting for a different kind of European construct.
I disagree with him.
Look, the EU is far from perfect, but the way he says it makes it seem like the sheer idea of a european union is inherently a bad idea. It's not.
Tezzeractor
Member
Please stop trying to tear the world apart.
Bannon argues the whole idea of a pan-European Union made up of various nation states is flawed.
weremichael
Member
Both seem to devolve into jingoism, so I'm with you. Let's move past these archaic forms of tribalism.
He is very very wrong. It is absolutely necessary to keep the European economies strong enough. It is not good enough, but giving in to those nationalist movements will only make it worse. The only hope is that Trump is a big enough shock effect.
dripdripsplash
Member
Flawed in some parts yes, but hugely succesfull in securing peace in a region which was marred by them before it's establishment.
Without EU, the European nations will delve into chaos, the advancement of the West and it's position isn't something that was natural and god given, it is something which has evolved over time and EU is product of that evolution.
Funky Papa
FUNK-Y-PPA-4
Talk about burying the lede.
This is literally the Russian strategy. Trying to break the EU from within by approaching each nation separately to seed discord.
UberTag
Member
Anyone that wants to seriously discuss U.S. policy would behoove themselves to always go directly to President Calamity Bannon. Trump will do and think whatever the Steves and their right-wing media outlets tell him to and dealing with him means you also have to burden yourself with the baggage that is placating his ever-starved ego.
Yeah let's go back to nationalist governments.
Worked so well back in the days (1910-1945)
Palculator
Unconfirmed Member
Who would ever unite states? Madness.
-Plasma Reus-
Service guarantees member status
I shudder to think how this administration will react to the EU building it's own army....
Kill Your Masters
Member
Every man made political system is flawed and will always be, not mich to argue here.
For bannon the flaw is simply that it exists at all.
Yeah, we should disassemble the organisation that secured peace in europe for the longest timeperiode ever.
Palette Swap
Member
Yeah, that "flawed construct" quote really buries the actual issue, which is splintering the EU.
(Hence everyone reacting to a platitude)
(Hence everyone reacting to a platitude)
Again with the bilateral contracts. Is there no one who could explain the EU to them?
We're not talking Russia here.
Familienoberhauptvogel
Banned
Not any more flawed than any national government or democracy as a whole.
Sure. But I would certainly argue that it is far less flawed than the United States system of government.
Steve Bannon is a flawed construct. Getting really tired of these guys tearing up the last 60 years or so of (relative) peace and stability in favor of their high school-level "philosophy" that boils down to little more than Nazi fanboyism.
The EU is flawed but it beats the alternative, dozens of spheres of influence living in discord while Russia picks them off one by one or they collapse under their own weight.
The EU is flawed but it beats the alternative, dozens of spheres of influence living in discord while Russia picks them off one by one or they collapse under their own weight.
It is literally what he is saying. That is what bilateral treaties and cheering for nationalist movements means. He hopes to divide and conquer, break up the Union.
Costa Kid
Member
A Europe without the EU is more flawed.
Zvonimir Boban
Banned
Western democracy is a flawed construct, let's dismantle all of our governments while we're at it.
Yes, he want it to go away.
PJV3
Member
Funky Papa
FUNK-Y-PPA-4
He wants bilateral relations, which are generally a huge no-no because they greatly undermine the EU. That's the old Russian (and to some degree Chinese) strategy. Divide and conquer.
CarpeDeezNutz
Member
I am still dumbfounded that this dude is in the White House. Trump needs to bring in bat boy to his cabinet.
ClosingADoor
Member
It's nice to want things, but the Germans are not going to abandon the EU because the US says so.
Free movement? Need cooperation on immigration and labor regulations.
Free financial transactions? Need to streamline financial regulation to avoid tax loops and other problems.
Free transfer of goods? Need the same rules everywhere.
Most of the problems are actually because the nations don't want to give control to the EU for more stuff, so you end up with these messy situation where you have free movement of people, but not the same immigration laws for example.
Can't have an economic union without the same laws, so I don't know what you think needs to be different.
Free movement? Need cooperation on immigration and labor regulations.
Free financial transactions? Need to streamline financial regulation to avoid tax loops and other problems.
Free transfer of goods? Need the same rules everywhere.
Most of the problems are actually because the nations don't want to give control to the EU for more stuff, so you end up with these messy situation where you have free movement of people, but not the same immigration laws for example.
Exactly the things Bannon *cough* Russia *cough* doesn't want.
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