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Iraq's new parliament elects speaker in first step towards establishing a govt | Reuters - 0 views

www.reuters.com/...t-session-statement-2022-01-09 iraq parliament govt politics
shared by kennyn-77 on 28 Jan 22 - No Cached
  • raq's new parliament elected Sunni lawmaker Mohammed al-Halbousi as speaker on Sunday, marking an important step towards establishing a new government three months after a national election.
  • When the session resumed Halbousi was elected for a second term as speaker, defeating Mashahadani, a former speaker of the first parliament set in 2006. Halbousi won with 200 votes, according to a statement from 329-seat parliament.
  • Parliament now has 30 days from the first session to elect the country's new president, who will then ask the largest bloc in parliament to form a government.
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  • Iran-backed Shi'ite political coalition Fatah and the State of Law coalition, which is led by former Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, submitted a document to the acting speaker requesting that their coalition be the largest bloc in parliament.
  • Lawmakers from Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr's party, which came first in the October election, strongly objected to the request, defending their position as the largest bloc.
  • Sadr is a populist who has positioned himself as a staunch opponent of both Iran and the United States. His bloc, already the biggest in parliament before the October election, will expand to 73 seats from 54. Its main rival for years, the Fatah bloc of factions linked to pro-Tehran militia, saw its parliamentary representation collapse in the election to just 17 seats from 48.
  • Under Iraq’s governing system in place since the post-Saddam Hussein constitution was adopted in 2005, the prime minister is a member of the Shi’ite majority, the speaker is a Sunni and the largely ceremonial role of president is held by a Kurd.
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FC96: The English Revolution: (1603-88) - The Flow of History - 0 views

www.flowofhistory.com/...FC96 revolution english england
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  • In religion, Elizabeth skillfully maintained peace in England while much of Europe was embroiled in religious wars. She did this by grafting moderate Protestant theology onto Catholic style ritual and organization.  She also blunted the ferocity of the religiously radical Puritans (Calvinists) by incorporating many of them into the hierarchy of the Church of England.  However, this put many Puritans into positions of authority where they could demand more sweeping reforms beyond the Queen's lukewarm Protestantism.  In addition, many of these Puritans were also members of the gentry (lower nobles) and middle classes who controlled the House of Commons in Parliament and voted on taxes.  Thus the issues of religion and money became even more tangled.
  • Religious wars, which threatened everyone's peace and security, and inflation, which made maintaining armies too expensive for rebellious nobles, also combined to help with the rise of absolutism in Europe.  This rising tide of absolutism would influence the Stuart kings of England to try to establish absolutism in their own realm in spite of popular opinion.  A less skillful and diplomatic ruler than Elizabeth would have trouble dealing with these new forces rising up in England.  Such an undiplomatic ruler succeeded Elizabeth in the person of James I (1603-1625).
  • While Elizabeth had so skillfully kept the issues of money and religion in check, James' absolutist beliefs and abrasive personality brought them to the surface.  As far as religion went, James fought the largely Puritan Parliament to keep the Church of England's Catholic style ritual, decorations, and hierarchy of clergy, over which he as king had control.  In money matters, king and Parliament clashed over James' growing requests for money to support his lavish lifestyle.  He also angered the middle class by raising customs duties, one of his main sources of revenue, to keep pace with inflation.  While James and Parliament never completely broke with one another over these issues, their constant squabbling did set the stage for the revolution that was to follow.
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  • While the individual events of the English Revolution could be somewhat involved and complicated, they did fit into a basic pattern.  Parliament and the ruler of England would clash over the issues of religion and taxes as the government became less decisive and/or reasonable.  This would trigger a reaction by Parliament that would bring in a new ruler, and then the process would start all over again.  This cycle would repeat itself three times over the next sixty years, with each successive stage feeding back into the aforementioned cycle as well as into the next stage
  • The first stage would see England plunged into civil war (1642-49) that would result in the beheading of Charles I and the rise of the Puritans and Parliament to power.  In the second stage, continued fighting over religion and money, this time between Parliament and its army, would bring in military dictatorship under Oliver Cromwell in the 1650's.  After Cromwell's death (1658) would come the third stage with the restoration of the monarchy (1661-88).  However, the old conflicts over money and religion would resurface in the reign of James II and lead to his overthrow by Parliament with the help of William III and Mary of Holland in 1688.
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Danish parliament approves plan to seize assets from refugees | World news | The Guardian - 1 views

www.theguardian.com/...-to-seize-assets-from-refugees danish parliament plan assets refugees world
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  • David Crouch in Copenhagen and Patrick Kingsley in London Tuesday 26 January 2016 12.55 EST Last modified on Tuesday 26 January 2016 14.21 EST Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share via Email Share on Pinterest Share on LinkedIn Share on Google+ Share on WhatsApp Shares 5,011 5011 save-for-later__label sa
  • The bill presented by the centre-right minority government of the prime minister, Lars Løkke Rasmussen, was approved after almost four hours of debate by 81 of the 109 lawmakers present, as members of the opposition Social Democrats and two small rightwing parties backed the measures.
  • “There’s no simple answer for a single country, but until the world comes together on a joint solution [to the migrant crisis], Denmark needs to act,” MP Jakob Ellemann-Jensen of Rasmussen’s Venstre party said during the debate.
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  • ocial Democrat Dan Jørgensen addressed opponents of the bill, demanding: “To those saying what we are doing is wrong, my question is: What is your alternative?
  • “The alternative is that we continue to be [one of] the most attractive countries in Europe to come to, and then we end up like Sweden.”
  • We’re simply applying the same rules we apply to Danish citizens who wish to take money from the Danish government,” Knuth said.
  • “Morally it is a horrible way to treat people fleeing mass crimes, war, rapes. They are fleeing from war and how do we treat them? We take their jewellery.”
  • “A Danish citizen could be searched in an extreme case if the municipality has a suspicion of fraud, but you need court permission to do so. For refugees, you would not need a court permission.”
  • The law introduces restrictive measures on asylum seekers that increasingly hinder their ability to apply for asylum in Denmark. We are particularly concerned by reduced social benefits and restricted access to family reunification. We are also concerned that refugees with temporary protection are only allowed to reside in Denmark for one year and yet are only able to apply for family reunification after three years.”
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Gunman Panics Canadian Capital, Killing Soldier in Rampage - NYTimes.com - 0 views

www.nytimes.com/...canada-parliament-gunfire.html canada capital killing rampage politics crisis islam terrorism
shared by qkirkpatrick on 23 Oct 14 - No Cached
  • The heart of the Canadian capital was thrown into panic and placed in lockdown on Wednesday after a gunman armed with a rifle or shotgun fatally wounded a corporal guarding the tomb of the unknown soldier the National War Memorial, entered the nearby Parliament building and fired multiple times before he was shot and killed.
  • It was the second deadly assault on a uniformed member of Canada’s armed forces in three days
  • Law enforcement authorities in Washington said their Canadian counterparts had identified the assailant as Michael Zehaf-Bibeau, who had changed his name from Michael Joseph Hall, and said he had been a convert to Islam
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  • The shootings came amid heightened concern among Canadians about terrorist attacks
  • As the police locked down buildings in downtown Ottawa and asked stores to close, an eerie still, broken only by screaming emergency sirens, descended on the district.
  • The easy access to the grounds of Parliament Hill reflected the general Canadian view that an attack was unlikely. Mr. Harper and other members of his cabinet, however, have frequently warned that terrorist attacks might come to Canada.
  • “If you can kill a disbelieving American or European — especially the spiteful and filthy French — or an Australian, or a Canadian, or any other disbeliever from the disbelievers waging war, including the citizens of the countries that entered into a coalition against the Islamic State, then rely upon Allah, and kill him in any manner or way however it may be
  • qkirkpatrick on 23 Oct 14
     
    A Gunman entered the Canadian Parliament building and opened fire. He killed a Canadian armed forces man before being shot and killed. The attacker appeared to have been motivated by Islamic Extremism, which is also the second deadly event in 3 days in Canada. Many people are becoming panicked over the recent events.
  • mollyharper on 23 Oct 14
     
    http://www.cnn.com/2014/10/22/world/canada-shootings-hero/index.html?hpt=wo_c1 Kevin Vickers is being called a "hero" for taking down the gunman.
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The Iran Election: What's at Stake - The New York Times - 0 views

www.nytimes.com/...iran-elections-q-and-a.html iran election new york times politics culture
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  • Iranians will elect a Parliament that passes laws and a clerical council that is technically in charge of naming a successor to the supreme leader when he dies.
  • The supreme leader has final say on all matters of religion and state. But he also needs to balance the demands and interests of competing power centers like the Revolutionary Guards and the judiciary.
  • Parliament and the Assembly of Experts are officially independent powers, but parliaments — particularly the departing one — take their cues from him.
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  • the movement was decapitated after its political leaders voiced support for the millions of people who took to the streets to challenge the fairness of the vote.
  • reformists
  • force during the presidential contest of 2009
  • Anyone can apply to be a candidate (men and women, clerics and laypeople), but in both elections, the Parliament and the assembly, they are then vetted by the Guardian Council to ensure they are “good Muslims” and support the Islamic republic.
  • signed up to participate in these elections
  • most — of them reformists
  • But many Iranians look upon the elections as an opportunity to cast a “revenge vote,” the only occasion they have to come back at the hard-liners many of them intensely despise.
  • Parliament to carry through on the second part of his promise
  • ran’s foreign policy, firmly controlled by the supreme leader, is unlikely to change
  • A hard-line victory would not endanger the nuclear deal, since Ayatollah Khamenei signed off on it. But a huge turnout for the moderate and reformist factions might allow Mr. Rouhani to at least continue establishing relations with Europe with less pressure and obstacles raised by the hard-liners.
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Far-Right Parties Struggle to Unite in European Parliament - 0 views

foreignpolicy.com/...pean-parliament-poland-hungary europe
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  • In much of Europe, the far-right is thriving. Hard-line anti-immigrant parties rule Poland and Hungary. In Italy, Matteo Salvini’s League tops the polls and wields significant power after entering a national unity government. In France, National Rally leader Marine Le Pen is President Emmanuel Macron’s most fearsome rival, while Spain’s Vox has steadily bled support from the mainstream conservatives since its creation in 2013. But Europe’s far-right is finding it a lot harder to translate the power it has at home into influence across Europe, even though hard-line nationalists occupy more seats in the European Parliament than ever before.
  • In the current European Parliament, the far-right is divided into two relatively small groups. Identity and Democracy includes the League, as well as France’s National Rally and a smaller delegation from Alternative for Germany (AfD). The other hard-right bloc is European Conservatives and Reformists, dominated by Poland’s Law and Justice Party. While traditionally more mainstream—it used to host Britain’s Conservative MEPs—this group is also to the right of the EPP and includes such immigration hard-liners as Brothers of Italy and Spain’s Vox.
  • international cooperation might seem strange. But ever since the 2014 European elections and the subsequent creation of the Europe of Nations and Freedom group—a Le Pen-led assembly of far-right European parties in the European Parliament that later became Identity and Democracy—the continent’s far-right parties have shown a growing appetite for international alliances,
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  • Uniting the far-right camp, however, is easier said than done. The deepest rift concerns the relationship with Russia.Poland’s Law and Justice is staunchly anti-Russian and has reaffirmed its ties to the West and the United States especially. In contrast, the League, National Rally, and AfD have all opposed EU sanctions on Moscow, with representatives of the three parties visiting Russian-annexed Crimea on multiple occasions. AfD delegations have repeatedly met with top Russian officials in recent months, and Le Pen even held face-to-face talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in early 2017, in what many viewed as a ringing endorsement by the Kremlin in the thick of the French presidential campaign.
  • Another potential obstacle is between parties that have governed and those that have only shouted from the cheap seats.To Law and Justice or Fidesz, which, despite a populist bent, have run their countries for years, leaders like Le Pen, who never has, can still appear toxic. It’s true that Le Pen has sought to rebrand her party by shedding overtly racist and anti-Semitic language of the old days. But “she is still seen as an eternal outcast, somebody who never played a government role,” said Pawel Zerka, of the European Council on Foreign Relations.
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Turkey parliament moves country toward presidential system | Fox News - 0 views

www.foxnews.com/...oward-presidential-system.html
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  • Turkey parliament moves country toward presidential system
  • Published January 15, 2017 Associated Press Facebook0 Twitter0 Email Print ISTANBUL –  Turkey's parliament has moved a step closer to approving a constitutional reform package that would pave the way for a presidential system. In a session that ended late Sunday in Ankara, a majority of lawmakers voted in favor of the final article in the controversial package presented by the ruling party.
  • Critics see the changes as a bid to cement outsized powers already exercised by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
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Egypt's Parliament Expels Lawmaker Who Dined With Israel's Ambassador - The New York Times - 0 views

www.nytimes.com/...d-with-israels-ambassador.html Egypt Israel relations
shared by maddieireland334 on 06 Mar 16 - No Cached
  • Egypt’s Parliament on Wednesday expelled a well-known television personality turned lawmaker over a dinner he had with the Israeli ambassador — a vote that exposed a raw nerve in the mostly tranquil relationship between the two countries.
  • Although Egypt and Israel enjoy close security cooperation, particularly in the struggle against Islamist extremists in Sinai, many Egyptians view Israel with hostility over its policies toward the Palestinians, and public interactions with Israeli officials are considered taboo.
  • That fear, he said, has its basis in a conspiracy theory: that Israel has secretly been helping Ethiopia build the dam as a means of hurting Egyptian interests.
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  • Afterward, the speaker of Parliament, Ali Abdel-Al, said that Egypt respected all of its diplomatic commitments, including those with Israel, and that Mr. Okasha had been punished for meeting a foreign diplomat without permission.
  • After the shoe-throwing episode, Mr. Koren told Israel’s Channel 10 television in a telephone interview that he had spoken with Mr. Okasha, who assured him that he was undeterred.
  • Mr. Koren noted that he had met with Mr. Sisi and other Egyptian officials and that relations between the two countries were “very good.”
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Gloves Come Off (Again) in Ukraine's Parliament - The New York Times - 0 views

www.nytimes.com/...in-in-ukraines-parliament.html politics history ukraine parliament activity
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  • A brawl erupted after Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk was dragged from the podium, which led to other members rushing in to join the scuffle.
  • The prime minister, Arseniy P. Yatsenyuk, had been answering questions at the rostrum and apparently angered a member of Parliament, Oleg Barna, with one response. Mr. Yatsenyuk had deflected a criticism of his cabinet’s energy policy by noting the energy minister is a member of Mr. Barna’s party.
  • Mr. Barna handed the bouquet to the perplexed Mr. Yatsenyuk, then set upon him, apparently trying to lift and carry off the prime minister, who resisted only by clutching the wooden rostrum. The brawl ensued as supporters of Mr. Yatsenyuk rushed to his defense, and then fought with backers of Mr. Barna.
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  • “It’s not a European action, but we won’t overcome this evil any other way,” he told journalists.
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Saving Europe by Destroying It From Within - WSJ - 0 views

www.wsj.com/...ing-it-from-within-11550188679 europe eu reform nativist Parliament
shared by Javier E on 20 Feb 19 - No Cached
  • A much-discussed new report from the pro-EU European Council on Foreign Relations sums up the problem from this perspective right in its title: “How Anti-Europeans Plan to Wreck Europe and What Can Be Done to Stop It.”
  • The years since the last election in 2014 have seen the emergence across Europe of parties united only by their skepticism of more Europe.
  • Meanwhile, institutional changes within the Parliament and the EU at large have vested real power in the body, while allowing a large plurality of members to steer (or obstruct) its business. As the ECFR notes in its alarmist report, with one-third of seats a euroskeptic bloc could strangle trade deals, dictate policy on economic sanctions against Russia, throw a wrench into complex negotiations for the EU’s next seven-year budget, and much more.
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  • You can sympathize with the pro-EU crowd. They’ve believed for years that a more powerful Parliament elected by a more enthused population would form the democratic basis for more European integration. Now that the first two elements have finally materialized, those ornery voters are dragging the thing in a completely different direction.
  • The mistake is to think this is bad for the EU. Instead, and without intending to, the insurgents may actually save it
  • This emerging unconventional bloc (which may or may not coalesce into a formal alliance in Brussels) can’t properly be described as euroskeptic. Some of its constituent parts are, including Germany’s Alternative for Germany and Marine Le Pen’s National Rally in France.
  • Expect this internally divided bloc to fail on most substantive policy challenges it tries to raise. But also expect the European Parliament to become more colorful, and perhaps more meaningful to ordinary voters
  • Critics are right on the policy merits on some of these matters. It would be a serious mistake for the EU to go wobbly on Russian sanctions, for instance. Ms. Le Pen’s trade protectionism would be a disaster for Europe’s economy.
  • But those are questions of wisdom, not existence, and ought to be debated as such. So-called euroskeptics help by reframing these debates in terms of what’s good for Europeans rather than what’s good for European institutions
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Italy election: Projections point to hung parliament - BBC News - 0 views

www.bbc.com/...world-europe-43272700 politics crisis policy Italy parliament
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  • Italy is on course for a hung parliament after voters backed right-wing and populist parties, vote projections based on partial results suggest.Ex-PM Silvio Berlusconi's right-wing coalition looks set to win the most seats in the lower house of parliament.
  • Though no party will be able to rule alone based on the early poll figures, the surge of support for populist outfits has been compared with Brexit and the election of Donald Trump in the US.Vote projection figures put the Eurosceptic, anti-establishment Five Star Movement in second place, after the centre-right coalition.
  • The anti-establishment Five Star party was founded in 2009 by comedian Beppe Grillo, who denounced cronyism in Italian politics. Current leader Luigi Di Maio has pledged a universal basic income schemeMatteo Renzi's Democratic Party has partnered with three smaller parties to form a centre-left, pro-EU bloc that has staked its campaign on proposals to revive the economy. Mr Renzi resigned as PM in December 2016.
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  • More than 600,000 migrants have made the treacherous journey from Libya across the Mediterranean to reach Italy since 2013.The huge number of arrivals has upset many Italians - with politicians, including from the mainstream, toughening their rhetoric as a result.
  • Italy's economy has started to expand once again. But nearly 10 years on from the global financial crisis, Italy's gross domestic product - or total economic output - remains 5.7% lower than pre-crisis levels.
  • Italy is the EU's fourth-largest economy and the gains by populist and far-right parties are a major concern in some European capitals and in Brussels.Contenders have lined up to blame EU budget rules for hampering economic recovery. Five Star and the League had promised to hold a referendum to leave the euro but later dropped that rhetoric.
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The U.K. Election Wasn't That Much Of A Shock | FiveThirtyEight - 0 views

fivethirtyeight.com/...uk-election-hung-parliament
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  • Despite betting markets and expert forecasts that predicted Theresa May’s Conservatives to win a large majority in the U.K. parliamentary elections, the Tories instead lost ground on Thursday, resulting in a hung parliament. As we write this in the early hours of Friday morning, Conservatives will end up with either 318 or 319 seats, down from the 330 that the Tories had in the previous government. A majority officially requires 326 seats.1Although, there are some ambiguities on account of Sinn Fein, the Irish nationalist party which traditionally does not take its seats in parliament, and the Speaker of the House of Commons, who traditionally does not vote.
  • There were also a lot of events during the campaign, but the compressed time frame makes them hard to sort out from one another. How much did the Conservative manifesto hurt the Tories? Did terrorist attacks in Manchester and London work against them? Was May’s perceived softness toward President Trump a factor, especially after Trump began to attack London Mayor Sadiq Khan? Given the results of the French election, is there an overall resurgence toward liberal multiculturalism in Europe, perhaps as a reaction to Trump? We don’t know the answers to these questions, although we hope to explore some of them in the coming days. We do know that elections around the world are putting candidates, pollsters and the media to the test, and there isn’t a lot they can be taking for granted.
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Catalonia's bid for independence from Spain explained - BBC News - 0 views

www.bbc.com/...world-europe-29478415 independence spain policy
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  • Catalonia is one of Spain's wealthiest and most productive regions and has a distinct history dating back almost 1,000 years.
  • efore the Spanish Civil War it enjoyed broad autonomy but that was suppressed under Gen Franco.
  • When Franco died, the region was granted autonomy again under the 1978 constitution and prospered as part of the new, democratic Spain.
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  • Catalonia's pro-independence leaders then went ahead with a full referendum on 1 October 2017, which was also declared illegal by Spain's constitutional court.
  • Carles Puigdemont - then Catalan president - fled abroad with several other leaders. Many who remained were arrested and charged with treason.
  • n a febrile atmosphere the separatist majority in the Catalan parliament declared independence on 27 October.
  • Separatists won a slim majority. The following May, Catalonia's parliament swore in Quim Torra as their new president, after Madrid blocked several other candidates. Mr Torra vowed to continue fighting for independence.
  • Using the Article 155 emergency powers, Madrid dissolved parliament, sacked its leaders and called a snap election for 21 December.
  • Demonstrators took to the streets in fury and have repeatedly clashed with police in some of the worst street violence to hit Spain in decades.If the separatists do ever manage to split away, it would be hard for Catalonia to win recognition internationally.
  • Catalonia has its own language and distinctive traditions, and a population nearly as big as Switzerland's (7.5 million). It is one of Spain's wealthiest regions, making up 16% of the national population and accounting for almost 19% of Spanish GDP.
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Netanyahu Gets the First Crack at Forming a New Government in Israel - The New York Times - 0 views

www.nytimes.com/...ahu-israel-new-government.html politics israel
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  • Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel was asked by the president on Tuesday to try to form a new coalition government, offering a possible path for him to remain in office even as he stands trial on corruption charges.
  • While the country remains split along the traditional fault lines of secular and religious, right-wing and left-wing and Jewish and Arab, the main rupture has increasingly come to revolve around the polarizing figure of Mr. Netanyahu himself.
  • A political survivor and Israel’s longest-serving prime minister, Mr. Netanyahu has spent the last 12 years in office. But after four inconclusive elections in two years, he and his allies have failed to win enough support to ensure a parliamentary majority that could decisively end the country’s political deadlock.
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  • Mr. Netanyahu now has 28 days to try to cobble together a coalition that could command a majority of at least 61 in the 120-seat Parliament, with the possibility of an additional 14-day extension.
  • If he fails, the president, Reuven Rivlin, could task another candidate or refer the choice of a candidate to Parliament.
  • Still, even Mr. Rivlin expressed doubts about Mr. Netanyahu’s chances of success, a day after he met with representatives of all 13 parties elected to Parliament and received their recommendations for the premiership.
  • In order to form the kind of “full-on right-wing government” Mr. Netanyahu promised his voters, the prime minister would need the support of another small right-wing party that has been sitting on the fence. He would also need the far-right flank of his potential coalition to agree to rely on the support of a small Arab, Islamist party that has become a potential kingmaker.
  • Mr. Rivlin referred to the legal and constitutional debate that has been roiling Israel, saying he was well aware of the criticism.
  • “It is the role of the Parliament to decide on the substantive and ethical question of the fitness of a candidate facing criminal charges to serve as prime minister,” he added.
  • “The president fulfilled his duty and he had no choice,” Mr. Lapid said shortly after Mr. Netanyahu was tasked with trying to form the government. “But giving the mandate to Netanyahu is a shameful disgrace that tarnishes Israel and casts shame on our status as a law-abiding state,” he added.
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Brexit impasse: An election may be the only way - CNN - 0 views

www.cnn.com/...index.html policy politics
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  • One step forward, two steps back. That seems to be the pace at which the UK is moving towards its exit from the European Union, even as it nears its current Brexit deadline at the end of the month.
  • Boris Johnson finally won a vote on a Brexit deal in Parliament -- only to have his hopes dashed minutes later, when MPs rejected his three-day timetable to rush the legislation through the Commons.
  • On Tuesday, Johnson won the first parliamentary vote on the legislation designed to implement his deal. The bill passed the confusingly named second reading by by a decent majority, too -- 329 votes to 299. But some Labour MPs who dislike the deal say they voted in favor so that it could move onto the next phase, when amendments can be added.
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  • Johnson's vote on his deal was indicative of its level of support in Parliament, but it wasn't definitive. There still has to be a "meaningful vote" on his pact, and an amendment which passed on Saturday means that every piece of his agreement also needs to be supported in Parliament before Britain can leave the EU.
  • Given the likelihood of an extension, Johnson on Thursday opted to come good on his pledge to call an election rather than stomach a lengthy delay.
  • The ball is now in the court of the opposition Labour party, which must agree to the election if it can go ahead.
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Putin is sending a message to the world with his shock announcement - CNN - 0 views

www.cnn.com/...index.html putin politics
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  • Earlier in the day, Vladimir Putin had announced his plan to push through reforms that would make his successor as president less powerful, by redistributing power in such a way that the Russian parliament and office of prime minister will have greater clout. He thanked the resigning members of the government for their service, but said that "not everything worked out."
  • In the last two years, Putin's approval ratings have taken a dip, partly a result of unpopular pension reforms and a stagnating economy. 2019 was also riddled with street protests over municipal elections as Russia's fragmented opposition expressed discontent with what they see as a president and the ruling elite that have overstayed their power.
  • Those changes appear to be a redistribution of power, giving parliament the power to appoint a prime minister, who will then appoint a cabinet to be approved by parliament. In Putin's own words: "In this case, the president will be obliged to appoint them; that is, he will not have the right to reject parliament-approved candidacies."The Russian constitution forbids Putin from standing for re-election as president in 2024. However, there is nothing stopping him from becoming prime minister, as he did in 2008, when he and Medvedev swapped roles for four years.
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  • By taking steps to tighten his grip on power, Putin is also sending a message to the wider world. More Putin in Russia means more Putin on the international stage. And if the last few years have taught us anything, that means a Russia willing to go to extraordinary lengths to act as a direct rival for influence to the US-led world order -- and create more headaches for America and its allies.
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Opinion | Far-Right Protesters Stormed Germany's Parliament. What Can America Learn? - ... - 0 views

www.nytimes.com/...any-parliament-us-capitol.html new york times germany parliament US crisis trump
shared by leilamulveny on 09 Jan 21 - No Cached
  • On Aug. 29, during a demonstration in Berlin against government restrictions to rein in the spread of the coronavirus, several hundred protesters climbed over fences around the Reichstag, the seat of Germany’s national Parliament, and ran toward the entrance. They were met by a handful of police officers, who pushed the crowd back and secured the entrance.
  • Still, even if the German protesters weren’t able to enter the building, the shock was similar: an assault on a democratically elected legislature. Some of the German protesters were far-right activists; several waved the “Reichsflagge,” the black, white and red flag of the German Empire, the colors of which were later adopted by the Nazis.
  • Was it a sign that our democracy was under threat? Or was this just a bunch of extremist rioters exploiting a blind spot in the police’s strategy?
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  • American protesters wanted to overturn an election; Germany’s wanted to overturn a set of policies. And most importantly, while some far-right populist politicians backed the Berlin demonstrations, they did not have the support of the country’s leader.
  • What connects the protesters on both sides of the Atlantic is a deep distrust in officials and a belief in conspiracy theories. In fact, many in both countries believe in the same conspiracy theories. The QAnon conspiracy theory, which holds that President Trump will defend the world from a vast network of Satanists and pedophiles, is shockingly popular with many in Germany’s anti-lockdown movement, as it is with the president’s fiercest partisans at home.
  • The similarity that struck me most, however, was how aimless and lost some of the rioters both in Berlin and Washington appeared to be once they had reached their target
  • Is this their revolution? A bunch of selfies?
  • It seems like protesters on both sides of the Atlantic long for some sort of control, and want to assert their power over legislative headquarters that they see as representative of their oppression. But all they get in the end is a cheap social media surrogate
  • Political compromise, and ultimately, reconciliation, starts with recognition. But real-world politics cannot follow those who become believers in their alternate realities. A different strategy is needed.
  • Instead, to protect our democracies, we must watch them, contain them, and take away their guns.
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Suspect in South Africa's Parliament Fire Is Sent for Psychiatric Check - The New York ... - 0 views

www.nytimes.com/...a-parliament-fire-suspect.html
shared by criscimagnael on 12 Jan 22 - No Cached
  • The man suspected of setting fire to South Africa’s Parliament buildings in Cape Town was committed to a psychiatric hospital on Tuesday to determine whether he is fit to stand trial on terrorism and other charges.
  • But prosecutors said he might not be “compos mentis,” or fully sane.
  • If Mr. Mafe is found mentally fit to stand trial, he will face charges that include terrorism, illegal possession of explosives, arson, theft and housebreaking. His legal team has previously indicated that he intends to plead not guilty
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  • He is the only suspect in the destruction of the historic buildings that housed the National Assembly and the offices of lawmakers, the governing African National Congress and several opposition parties.
  • On Tuesday, as the judge, Zamekile Mbalo, ordered Mr. Mafe committed to a psychiatric hospital in Cape Town for 30 days, the suspect appeared visibly distressed. He shook his head from side to side, breathing heavily as he clutched his belongings in a shopping bag. His lawyers said he would go on hunger strike to protest his continued detention.
  • Mr. Mafe’s lawyer, Mr. Mpofu, a former anti-apartheid activist and now a prominent member of an opposition party, has a reputation for taking on politicized cases. He defended a group of veterans accused of briefly holding the defense minister hostage during a meeting over unpaid benefits. Mr. Mpofu is also a lawyer for Jacob Zuma, the former president, appearing on his behalf to appeal his arrest on contempt of court charges last year.
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Extinction Rebellion's future is far less radical than its past | Rupert Read | The Gua... - 0 views

www.theguardian.com/...-radical-unite-positive-action radical extinction rebellion climate change activism illegal response politics
shared by Javier E on 08 Nov 23 - No Cached
  • Five years ago last week, Extinction Rebellion was launched in Parliament Square. Back then, a principal term of criticism lobbied at XR was that it was “alarmist”. Five years on, it’s plainly visible that it was not.
  • In the past few months the process of climatic decline has dramatically accelerated, and we are exceeding many of the supposed worst-case scenarios laid out in climate models. We are plainly hurtling towards 1.5C of global over-heat, long before most seemingly well-informed people thought we would.
  • it was never able to recover its reputation from the Canning Town incident in October 2019, when rebels inexplicably stopped underground trains running – to much public criticism
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  • Since then, it has struggled to assert itself as a credible vehicle for truly mass mobilisation.
  • Many significant organisations and movements have emerged in its wake. The most attention-grabbing have been from the recent, even more radical flank of the UK’s climate movement – first Insulate Britain and then Just Stop Oil – who have blocked the M25, stopped test matches and much more.
  • many in the broader climate movement now feel that action that disrupts the general public has become counterproductive – as XR came to learn
  • Citizens already feel the alarm has been raised. Right now, they don’t need further reminders: they need a journey into positive, effective action that they feel includes them.
  • I moved on from XR in 2020, judging it likely that it had achieved most of what it was capable of achieving (a huge raising of climate consciousness – not to mention a parliamentary declaration of climate and environment emergency, a net zero law, and a parliament-backed citizens’ assembly on climate).
  • what is now plainly obvious is that the most important achievement of XR may turn out to be the space it opened up for a new, moderate flank in the climate movement to emerge.
  • XR successfully dragged the whole eco-agenda into the light of day
  • this has made it both necessary and possible for a wave of novel organisations and initiatives to fill the vacuum; groups such as Wild Card, Community Climate Action, Lawyers for Net Zero, Purpose Disruptors and Zero Hour.
  • many of the successes of historical movements that inspired XR (the Suffragettes, for instance) followed a similar pattern: an agenda-shift prompted by radical-flank initiatives paving the way for actual political success by more moderate agents of change.
  • in order to make any real impact on the desperate situation we are slipping into, movements must now unite people in campaigns that they can actually get on board with. That means acting with others where they live, or work or pray – and within the law.
  • XR itself knows this is the way forward, and seems to have learned from past mistakes. As of 2023, it will no longer disrupt the public
  • XR’s new strategy, optimistically titled “Here comes everyone”, plans to build on the clearest success of the movement so far. In April, it mobilised about 60,000 people – considerably more than at any previous moment in its history – in a peaceful march on the climate crisis
  • If there is to be any chance of achieving a transformative adaptation to the self-imposed threat of ecological collapse, it’s going to require not just a minority, but most of us, to step up.
  • In decades to come, the only question our children will have any real interest in is: now that it’s becoming clearer what can effectively achieve change, how will you act? And once you knew, what did you do?
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UK Parliament Set to Launch 'Fake News' Inquiry - 0 views

www.breitbart.com/...t-set-launch-fake-news-inquiry
shared by fischerry on 17 Jan 17 - No Cached
  • UK Parliament Set to Launch ‘Fake News’ Inquiry
  • A prominent British parliamentary committee is set to launch an inquiry into so-called “fake news”, claiming the phenomenon is undermining democracy.
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