Trump Meets Sebastian Kurz
In regards to auto tariffs, Trump said “The EU has been very difficult for many many years. We are negotiating with them and if we don’t make a deal we will do the tariffs.”
Make Austria Great Again
A year ago DW penned Make Austria Great Again — The Rapid Rise of Sebastian Kurz
Sebastian Kurz is having a moment. On Thursday he was the star speaker at the EU’s most prominent conference of conservatives, and next week he is to be the guest of honor at a lunch held by controversial US Ambassador to Germany Richard Grenell, who has described the 31-year-old [now 32] chancellor as a “rock star.” And just yesterday, he hosted Russian President Vladimir Putin on his first trip to west since winning reelection in March.
When a new wave of refugees seeking to relocate to Europe became a continent-wide concern in 2015, Kurz recognized Austrian voters’ anxiety over unchecked immigration. He called for tougher external border controls, better integration and stringent control of “political Islam” funded from abroad. He also organized the shutdown of the popular overland route through the West Balkans.
After only a few months in office, Kurz has proven his mettle as an arch-conservative. While he may support Austria remaining in the European Union, he has already marked out a path as an immigration hardliner. Most recently, he said he would actively seek a mandate for the EU’s border patrol agency Frontex to expand its work to northern Africa, in order to stop migratns attempting the Mediterranean crossing in the first place.
The government is also planning a slew of tougher immigration measures, including curbs on headscarves for girls, a drastic cut in the integration budget, as well as new measures that would force asylum seekers to had over their phones and large amounts of cash in order to be processed.
Black is Hot
Trump’s Strategy
Trump’s strategy is once again easy to spot.
Trump openly embraces anyone and everyone who challenges the EU establishment.
As noted in Raw Politics: Hungary Prime Minister Attacks Juncker and Soros in Billboard Ad the EU is splintering from within, and Trump is doing his best to help.
Mike “Mish” Shedlock
If the EU is so weak that the legally elected president of the United States meeting with the legally elected chancellor of Austria threatens it very existence…
It really wasn’t a great union to begin with.
Gosh. Imagine if the Russians ran some Facebook advertisements.
Noone who can print trillions of Euros, robbing everyone around then barren by way of debasement in the process, is “weak.’
The extreme right wing has been flourishing on the fear of immigrants in many democracies, but the pendulum swings, and it is probably at or past “peak fascist” – so enjoy it while you can.
Yeah, let’s agree to disagree on this. Ginning up hate to win votes by targeting people of a different color isn’t really “moderate” or “centrist” in any classification outside of the Heritage Foundation’s.
Fascism = enforcing existing immigration law.
Got it.
“Everything in the State, nothing outside the State, nothing against the State.” — Benito Mussolini on Fascism
“Fascism = enforcing existing immigration law.”
I’m not an expert on fascism, not being a fascist myself, but I’ll take your word for it since you seem to be far more aware of the inner workings of fascism.
It was very difficult to Google the experts and founders of fascism like Mussolini.
And finding how close their philosophy of the programs of fascism and role of government are mirrored in today’s democrat party.
This discussion highlights why “left” and “right” have become meaningless. In the central banker era, there are QE beneficiaries and everyone else, essentially haves and have nots. As long as this dumb system keeps rolling, the general population will keep getting poorer and angrier, even if they’re upset about different things.
National level policy making is less important than ever before too. The UK can Brexit or remain, people can argue about wages, immigration, or whatever, but the whole thing is trending irrevocably downward until the bankers are brought to heel.
Nothing benefits Juncker, Soros, and the rest of the well connected, more than their well indoctrinated underlings playing their designated roles, and “opposing” one another over one meaningless thing or another. Whether immigrants, gays, “health care,” “the planet,” “Islam” what have you. Instead of growing up and realizing that it’s the rabble in charge, that is the problem which needs removing. By any means necessary.
Yep, it’s a magician theatrically waving one hand for the crowd while the other covertly sets up the trick. We’re supposed to fight each other on politics, age, race, gender, religion, and whatever else.
Bankers aren’t as easy to hate because they’re generally calm, pleasant people in person. They don’t have to be jerks because they know they’re winning. If they want to mock regular people, they can do so from the privacy of their stately, wood paneled offices. Or maybe on their way home, especially after the gate guard waves them through.
And, as well, the “system” that ultimately benefits bankers and their ilk, also provide a ladder by which many are, to a much lesser extent, relatively and temporarily benefiting from the same rackets that keep feeding the bankers. Pumped up property and, to a lesser extent by now, stock, prices being the most obvious facets.