Politics The EU is killing Europe

[primer]

Todays graph 53.2 euros / 56.2 US

Some time ago we were at .9 US and Aussie at parity with US, an anomoly. The main driving force our interest rate used to be higher compared to US and we aren't a loco economy.
The interest rate plus a cyclical commodity boom.

NZ economy is service and trading partners are manufacturing..nah we don't need that. Yet the fallen Kiwi Aussie value is evidence of the real value of the economies.
Everyone started playing the Japanese low interest rate printing stimulus to create more spending, not a real fix.

Be interesting to see what happens when ICE removes the low cost workers. You will be trading amongst yourself. I don't see what a short term tariff gains.
Trump can grumble about EU not buying US cars. Actually the BMW plant those models sell in EU. But China has taken over. Son is working on a geothermal project and gets a company ute from another company. Its Chinese and its ok . Hard thing for a Hilux man to say.
We will be soon buying more stuff likely from Vietnam, who would have thought but the competitive advantage of quality has gone.

 

[Picanha]

Thing is also with German car manufacturers that they produce some models only at some plants.

Examples is the BMW X series which originates in Spartanburg.

In 2024 BMW opned the first metal stamping plant on US soil.

https://www.press.bmwgroup.com/deut...-engagement-in-den-usa-weiter-aus?language=de

How does that work with tariffs?

 

[PEMM]

Thing is also with German car manufacturers that they produce some models only at some plants.

Examples is the BMW X series which originates in Spartanburg.

In 2024 BMW opned the first metal stamping plant on US soil.

https://www.press.bmwgroup.com/deut...-engagement-in-den-usa-weiter-aus?language=de

How does that work with tariffs?

You when importing to EU? They would pay tariffs if they are in effect. And then in time have another plant for EU market.

Margins on cars is something like 5%-10%, so customer will in the end pay most of the tariff as price increase.

 

[thelistener]

Interesting subject as a EU skeptic myself.
But given your bullet points you have to seperate what are caused and aided by EU and what are national choices to have a meaningful discussion.
EU did not force Germany shut down their nuclear plants, EU did not stop Finland's new nuclear reactor, nor did EU stop the flow of migrants through belarus and Russia it was Poland's, Finland's own choice and policy, EU did not force Germany or Sweden to decrease defense spending etc.

There are Europe wide issues and some of those are aided by EU policy, but ultimately most of them are national.
I think its disingenuous to blame EU on poor national energy policy, migrant policy or defense policy and then wish that EU will solve them overnight. What i've seen is that EU is and will try to address these issues (as we have all seen) but ultimately EU is not a federation and nations need to fix it themselves unless EU federalizes in this current climate more rapidly.

edit. I think i made by point clear but just to drive home my point;
Blaming EU for Germany shooting itself in the foot for the past 20 years in national policy decisions and now EU is trying to help germany solve them is ridiculous when there are genuine problems with the EU.

edit 2. I have seen this increasingly for the past 6 months; EU is bad (on issues mainly caused by national decisions) and we need an European solution to this problem, but EU is, even as a concept still bad. EU's decision making is so slow, all talk and no action, and at the same time giving more power to EU that would speed things up is vehemently opposed.
Like make up your f***ing mind already.

Just wanted come back with this

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It's totally possible to reverse course without "burning europe" in the process. Don't throw the baby out with the bathwater.
edit. and mostly done by social democrats btw

 

[Chazman]

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[Ivan le Fou]

Glad the EU is doing so well it can afford that kind of spending.

If only the well being of its people had been of equal importance. Like health, education, retirement, etc...

"but Buuurt!! the people can't be good if they have been subjugated by a foreign country which is totally going to happen!!!"

In the end, the EU has money. The EU has the means to solve issues. Just, not the ones people actually need.
Accommodating migrants? No problem.
Financing foreign actors? No problem.
Re-armement? You go it chief.
Grants for woke BS? Say no more.

And then what? Let me guess, renewed calls from our elected leaders to make more sacrifices? Tighten our belts even more?
Because we are in this together? This is the patriotic thing to do?

We are in this together? Really? Or have we been put in that mess by a handful of incompetent individuals?
Saying "we are in this together" is like a dude drilling holes in a ship, causing it to take water and sink, and telling the rest of the crew: we must work together to fix the problem.

And what, since when is "patriotism" a good thing? Hasn't it been considered to be bad for years? Haven't we been told it was not progressive to be patriotic? Or is it a very selective and picky patriotism?

 

[skaw]

sticking to the 800bn proposal:

The alternative is to discuss things out and out and out and out until it is too late (maybe it is too late) and we are F***ed by facts and reality again.

I don't want to be an elected representative who has to make decisions like this. It is irrelevant what you do, it is irrelevant if the decisions are necessary, people will always find bits and pieces trying to negate those decisions.

Didn't mean you especially @Ivan le Fou ..I'd agree to the things you mentioned to a certain point. But i am really happy that we have this "wake up call" now despite so many other issues in place.

 

[Musashi]

Die Trump-Männer don’t like the idea of the Polish government making Poland great again and introducing a “big tech digital tax”.
U.S. digital companies have been earning a fvckton of money in Poland for a few tens of years not paying any taxes and they expected this situation to continue forever.

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[Ivan le Fou]

sticking to the 800bn proposal:

The alternative is to discuss things out and out and out and out until it is too late (maybe it is too late) and we are F***ed by facts and reality again.

I don't want to be an elected representative who has to make decisions like this. It is irrelevant what you do, it is irrelevant if the decisions are necessary, people will always find bits and pieces trying to negate those decisions.

Didn't mean you especially @Ivan le Fou ..I'd agree to the things you mentioned to a certain point. But i am really happy that we have this "wake up call" now despite so many other issues in place.

Oh yes, a wake up call is indeed a good thing.

Would have made things much easier if it had occurred sooner.

And/or if lots of cuts and liquidations had not happened.

 

[haze99]

Austria

Teens arrested after teacher 'suffers

An Austrian school teacher, 29, was allegedly raped by three young men 'for several hours' on two separate dates last year, prosecutors say. Her Vienna apartment was also set on fire.

www.dailymail.co.uk

 

[haze99]

Just roll out your pray rugs Madrid. You will all be facing east soon, if this is your tepid response, to grift, lazy, lawbreaking reprobates.

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[Ivan le Fou]

Madrid is in Castille.

Guess it is time for another boy to be named Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar.

 

[Chazman]

DATA: Majority of UK Electoral Districts Prefer Farage Over Keir Starmer as Prime Minister.

New polling data from the firm with the best record during the 2024 U.S. Presidential election has revealed that Nigel Farage, leader of Reform UK, is

thenationalpulse.com

 

[downsizer]

DATA: Majority of UK Electoral Districts Prefer Farage Over Keir Starmer as Prime Minister.

New polling data from the firm with the best record during the 2024 U.S. Presidential election has revealed that Nigel Farage, leader of Reform UK, is

thenationalpulse.com

UK isn't in the EU anymore mate.

 

[Chazman]

UK isn't in the EU anymore mate.

I was going to say EU adjacent. Farage pushed through Brexit and should he become leader, it would certainly exert pressure on Europe and EU.

 

[Chazman]

What? Someone want to explain this to me?

https://twittercom/vonderleyen/status/1899066282558853213

 

[Mike1976]

What? Someone want to explain this to me?

https://twitter.com/vonderleyen/status/1899066282558853213

The EU has long dreamt of taking over control of the extremely high savings and pension funds from northern European countries.

Money printer only goes brrrr so far.

For example 17 million Dutchmen have over €600B in savings in early 2025. Pension funds aren't fully known, but last year these funds invested €1.123T(rillion) in global funds.

Just imagine how many delusional green projects the EU could fund with that much money, how many more jihadists they could house with that.

 

[PEMM]

The EU has long dreamt of taking over control of the extremely high savings and pension funds from northern European countries.

Money printer only goes brrrr so far.

For example 17 million Dutchmen have over €600B in savings in early 2025. Pension funds aren't fully known, but last year these funds invested €1.123T(rillion) in global funds.

Just imagine how many delusional green projects the EU could fund with that much money, how many more jihadists they could house with that.

Yep, more formally:

It aims to unlock funds to boost the EU's sustainable competitiveness, support innovation, drive the clean transition and promote digital and tech diffusion. It will focus on increasing returns on savings for EU citizens and financing opportunities for businesses.

https://finance.ec.europa.eu/news/c...k-savings-and-investments-union-2025-02-03_en

Hopes and dreams fund.

If they actually wanted Europeans to prosper, they would concentrated on making the market more open to businesses by slashing bureaucracy and limiting competition. Instead they keep making it worse.

 

[Chazman]

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[Ivan le Fou]

Yep, more formally:


Hopes and dreams fund.

If they actually wanted Europeans to prosper, they would concentrated on making the market more open to businesses by slashing bureaucracy and limiting competition. Instead they keep making it worse.

They don't want Europeans to prosper.

They want to make sure we keep on paying their salaries.