European Politics

[JudasMyGuide]

How you can have a campaign in 2021 without talking about climate change, in Germany of all places, is beyond me.

I kid you not, just now I read in the news here in Czechia (a respectable website, really), that "the German campaign/election was dominated by the climate crisis"

I mean, I believe you, but what the fuck?

EDIT: See for yourself, if you're able

https://ct24.ceskatelevize.cz/svet/...-klima-den-pred-volbami-nektere-strany-lakaly

 

[Maturin]

I think nuclear power is a necessary evil in our present-day situation. We have to strive to get rid of it, but we can't do it just yet.
But that's not a topic. The nuclear plants are going to be shut down for good in Germany, there's been a majority for that for ten years. I just don't know where all the power for electric cars, buses, scooters etc. that are supposed to dominate traffic soon is supposed to come from but hey, who cares.

Yeah, the Greens in Sweden want to ban sales of fossil fuel based cars in 2025 and the sale of all fossil fuels by 2030. They also want to get rid of all nuclear power. Good luck!

 

[JudasMyGuide]

Yeah, the Greens in Sweden want to ban sales of fossil fuel based cars in 2025 and the sale of all fossil fuels by 2030. They also want to get rid of all nuclear power. Good luck!

At the risk of being perceived as a moon-calf simpleton at best and a bileful right-wing curmudgeon at worst, pray tell, where do they intend to get their electricity?

 

[Maturin]

At the risk of being perceived as a moon-calf simpleton at best and a bileful right-wing curmudgeon at worst, pray tell, where do they intend to get their electricity?

I imagine they believe wind and waterpower will be enough to support the whole of Sweden in 5 years time...

 

[Yax]

I imagine they believe wind and waterpower will be enough to support the whole of Sweden in 5 years time...

The problem is that the transmitting capacity between the north and the south is too little and it will take at the very least five years to upgrade it. I believe they intend to triple the capacity, but that should have been done ten years ago. Sweden has a power surplus in total at this point but have to export power from the north, partially due to the transmission problems and the fact that you can't really storage wind power. Water power creates 40% of Sweden's total power though and can sort of be stored. By far the best energy available. Don't know why nobody in the opposition ever talks about water power expansion...

 

[Maturin]

The problem is that the transmitting capacity between the north and the south is too little and it will take at the very least five years to upgrade it. I believe they intend to triple the capacity, but that should have been done ten years ago. Sweden has a power surplus in total at this point but have to export power from the north, partially due to the transmission problems and the fact that you can't really storage wind power. Water power creates 40% of Sweden's total power though and can sort of be stored. By far the best energy available. Don't know why nobody in the opposition ever talks about water power expansion...

I am in no way an expert or even knowledgable about waterpower, but I have been told it's sort of maximised already. Add the enormous environmetal destruction it puts on our streams and rivers... And the windpower turbines which break down all the time...

I just don't see how we could do this, at present.

 

[JudasMyGuide]

Add the enormous environmetal destruction it puts on our streams and rivers...

This is something that's unpopular to say, but I agree very much. It is another type of environmental damage, which is additionally almost irreversible.

I could write here a page or two about the effects of building a power-dam cascade on our longest river around the 50s-60s and how its surroundings are pretty much unrecognisable as a result (compared with, say, 100 years back), but it's Sunday and I do not wish to spend such a long time writing someting so sad for me.

However, I digress.

 

[LooseCannon]

The vast majority of Canadian power comes from hydroelectric sources, primarily through dams located in the north of Ontario and Quebec. These dams have significant ecological impact, but they are already there and produce tons and tons of power. I think dams are part of the solution for power - but like everything else, they need to be carefully evaluated to ensure their implementation doesn't cause more damage than needed.

More likely, further improvements from hydroelectric generation will come from enhancements to turbines rather than through additional damming.

Wind and solar are the power sources most likely to be used, but we need better energy storage strategies to ensure we can maintain power during down periods.

 

[Maturin]

BREAKING NEWS:

‘No indication of criminal intent’ in Muhammad cartoonist Lars Vilks’ death

Swedish artist, who had been attacked and threatened, died in car crash along with two police bodyguards

www.theguardian.com

A very unlikely "accident". This guy had the most expensive protection of a civilian in Swedish history. He's been the target of numerous assassination attempts, and now he dies (together with two police officers) in a car crash?

Weather was fine, there's a wire railing on the motorway spec'ed to withstand heavy vehicles and somehow the police SUV goes over that and fronts an oncoming truck, causing the vehicle to explode?

 

[Forostar]

EU to Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia:

"EU membership for you? Not now, please. When? We don't want to talk about that now"

[..] EU leaders “reaffirmed” in a post-summit communique that they were committed to enlargement of the bloc but unceremoniously ditched a proposal made by the Slovenian government to put a 2030 deadline on accession of the western Balkans six – Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia. [..]"

Serbia president lauds Russia ties at EU Balkans summit

Aleksandar Vučić’s comments come as EU leaders ditch proposal to put 2030 deadline for six western Balkan nations to join bloc

www.theguardian.com

 

[Magnus]

Wind

I suppose you know how damaging wind turbines are to environment?

 

[Dr. Eddies Wingman]

BREAKING NEWS:

‘No indication of criminal intent’ in Muhammad cartoonist Lars Vilks’ death

Swedish artist, who had been attacked and threatened, died in car crash along with two police bodyguards

www.theguardian.com

A very unlikely "accident". This guy had the most expensive protection of a civilian in Swedish history. He's been the target of numerous assassination attempts, and now he dies (together with two police officers) in a car crash?

Weather was fine, there's a wire railing on the motorway spec'ed to withstand heavy vehicles and somehow the police SUV goes over that and fronts an oncoming truck, causing the vehicle to explode?

Well, it was wat happened, wasn't it? I mean, do you suggest that the car didn't go through the wire railing? Do you think the accident was not actually an accident? Then tell me how you could orchestrate something like that?

 

[Magnus]

I know very well how you could orchestrate something like that in my part of the world - but not Sweden, I hope.

 

[Maturin]

Well, it was wat happened, wasn't it? I mean, do you suggest that the car didn't go through the wire railing? Do you think the accident was not actually an accident? Then tell me how you could orchestrate something like that?

First thing - the guy visited an art installation simulating a police car crash the day before... What I mean to say is, this is going to be the conspiracy theory focus in Sweden for the next 40 years. There's so many questions here... Most of them actually well grounded, at the moment.

The whole thing is super-unlikely on another level. So many things that have to coincide to make something like this happen, and to this person.

I'm personally about 50/50 on unlikely accident and assassination, until the murder investigation is done.

The facts: a 4,5 ton armored, bulletproof and bombproof Range Rover with puncture-safe tyres lost control and went through the wire railing at a speed of around 160 km/h, crashed into an oncoming truck and exploded, basically.

Leading theory: Tyre explosion at high speed.

 

[TheTalisman]

Well, it was wat happened, wasn't it? I mean, do you suggest that the car didn't go through the wire railing? Do you think the accident was not actually an accident? Then tell me how you could orchestrate something like that?

Well, to start with, how often do you think this occurs for a regular citizen driving a car in the western world?

Does your tire just explode straight of out nowhere, driving on a well maintained motorway?

Or can this "accident" perhaps be related to Lars Vilks security status, being protected by police 24/7 for the last 15 years and him having a 100 000 dollar bounty on his head, placed by jihadists, for his drawings of their beloved prophet?

What do you think?

 

[Brigantium]

Some fossil and some nuclear is likely the only option at the moment, but I'd like to see some real effort to commit to renewable energy, not paying lip service to it in the belief that nuclear and/or hydrogen will be the happy answer to everything in a few years' time. Good use of local and domestic level energy schemes could also help free up some of the reliance on the massively overcharging utility firms, and the reliance on imported fuel (the supply of which the likes of Russia can screw around with for fun constantly).

New build, and refurbing of old buildings, making best use of the technology now available to cut down on excessive energy use, is possible.

Probably messes up the financial products industry and money-for-doing-nothing investment racket, but arguably they're just careering towards ruin anyway.

 

[Dr. Eddies Wingman]

What do you think?

I think that traffic accidents with a deadly outcome happen frequently enough that I'll wait for the police investigation to reach its conclusion before speculating further.

Unlikely does not equal intentional.

Of course, Vilks had enemies, there was a reason why he was under police protection. But I don't see it very likely that jihadists would be able to sabotage the police car and much less control the circumstances when the tire blew. But unlikely does not equal impossible either, and the investigation will hopefully provide clear answers.

 

[jazz from hell]

Meanwhile, Sebastian Kurz talks about presumption of innocence as well.

 

[Forostar]

Croatia joins Greece doing filthy pushbacks. Bastards.

German media records Croatian police pushing back migrants – DW – 10/07/2021

A monthslong investigation by several European media partners included footage of Croatian police beating migrants trying to cross the EU border from Bosnia into Croatia. Such "pushbacks" are considered illegal.

www.dw.com

EU executive demands probe into alleged migrant pushbacks in Greece, Croatia

The European Union's executive called for an investigation on Thursday into illegal migrant pushbacks after a report by German media outlets Der Spiegel and ARD documented what they said were Greek and Croatian officials carrying out such operations.

www.reuters.com

 

[Magnus]

Some fossil and some nuclear is likely the only option at the moment, but I'd like to see some real effort to commit to renewable energy, not paying lip service to it in the belief that nuclear and/or hydrogen will be the happy answer to everything in a few years' time. Good use of local and domestic level energy schemes could also help free up some of the reliance on the massively overcharging utility firms, and the reliance on imported fuel (the supply of which the likes of Russia can screw around with for fun constantly).

New build, and refurbing of old buildings, making best use of the technology now available to cut down on excessive energy use, is possible.

Probably messes up the financial products industry and money-for-doing-nothing investment racket, but arguably they're just careering towards ruin anyway.

Putting turbines in flush toilets is an obvious solution.
And don't forget you heard it here first.