Random News Stories

[The Good Reverend Roger]

Every hundred years, we gotta do this.

Because humans are dumb.

[Cain]

The alternative candidate, incidentally, is a former Dean of the Social Sciences and Economics faculty of the University of Vienna, a member of the Green Party and a self-proclaimed "son of refugees" (his family fled the Soviet invasion of Estonia).

The polls are close enough that it's down the postal vote count tomorrow...but it really could go either way. 

[LMNO]

Well then.

By this time tomorrow night, Austria may have voted the Freedom Party's candidate in as President.

For those of you unfamiliar with the Freedom Party, it is probably one of Europe's best known "fascism-lite" parties, its first leader a former Nazi party official no less (Anton Reinthaller, Minister of Agriculture in the Seyss-Inquart administration in Austria, and member of the SS).  It was almost single-handedly responsible for turning immigration into a political issue in Austria, historically advocating pan-Germanism and castigating the welfare state.  It is closely aligned with the French Front National, Vlaams Belang, Swedish Democrats, Danish Freedom Party, Alternative for Germany...the usual suspects.

In theory, Austria's presidency is a figurehead, a ceremonial figure...but on paper, the office has powers more comparable to, say, France or Russia's semi-presidential system than say Israel or Ireland.  These powers have not been used in the past much...but that may change.  The Freedom Party already forms part of a coalition government with the more traditionally conservative Austrian People's Party, and in theory the next Parliamentary elections are in 2018.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-36353200

Forgive my ignorance, but how does a known member of the SS not get put on trial for war crimes?

[Cain]

It's a good question, given the SS was in and of itself made a proscribed organization after the war.

Basically, he had friends in high places.  The Austrian post-war government charged him with treason over the Anschluss, and he was convincted on lesser charges related to that.  He got 3 years jail time.  His age also may have been a factor...he was 50 by the end of the war, 55 by the end of the trial, and had served as a junior officer in WWI. 

Some of his pre-war opinions may also have helped him here...he was known for being a more "moderate" Nazi when it came to questions of violence, and voiced the opinion that anti-Semitism harmed the Nazi movement internationally, well before the Holocaust was ever on the cards.  It may have been a political calculation that the far-right in Austria was better off with him leading it than some other Austrians with even worse political views (Austria was under joint Allied-Soviet occupation until 1955, and the British were secretly preparing the Austrian military for conflict during this time).

[LMNO]

Thanks for that.  I can see political expediency and realpolitik having a say in the matter.  Still....

[LMNO]

While we've got you on the line, how much is the lifting of the Vietnam embargo is really about China?  All of it?

[Cain]

Pretty much, though edging Russia out of the Vietnam arms market is also a factor (Russia being the main supplier of Vietnamese arms).

But it's like 95% about China.

[Cain]

Surprisingly good news: Austria elected the Green candidate.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-36362505

The official result is expected to be announced shortly.

Mr Hofer had led Mr Van der Bellen by 51.9% to 48.1%, the interior ministry said, after counting on Sunday.

But the 750,000 postal votes - roughly 12% of Austria's 6.4 million registered voters - swayed the result.

[LMNO]

Let the experiment begin!

[Cain]

Well, lets not count our chickens before they've hatched.

The UK referendum on the EU has yet to happen.  If that goes badly, as I'm fearing it might, then everything will go to shit.  The effects might not be immediate, but give it 5-10 years and I wouldn't be surprised to see a lot of Europe looking a lot more like Austria had the Freedom Party won.

[Junkenstein]

In other news, Erdogan's been called a sheep fucker in poem form, Turkey and Germany have procedeed to lose their shit over it.

I suspect this guy went the the Chris Morris school of media relations.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B%C3%B6hmermann_affair

[axod]

DoNT know if it's already news, but supposedly discordianosm is having a resurgence, according to vice
https://www.vice.com/en_uk/read/the-discordian-revival-chaos-festival

[Junkenstein]

No problems with the festival's T+C's. Co-op's are cool, right?
http://festival23.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Articles-of-Association-NotWork-23-Ltd.pdf

84. Any Director may act in a professional capacity for the Co-operative and
s/he or her/his firm shall be entitled to remuneration for professional
services. Provided that nothing shall authorise a Director or their firm to
act as auditor of the Co-operative.
85. The Co-operative may pay any reasonable expenses which the Directors
properly incur in connection with their attendance at meetings or
otherwise in connection with the exercise of their powers and the
discharge of their responsibilities in relation to the Co-operative.

Nothing suspicious there. The list of people involved are practically non-entities so I'm figuring this is just some easy grift for a few of them. 92/93 aren't much better covering application of surplus and dissolution. 110 implies members may be hit for money because reasons which can then just be used to pay directors as per 84.

Can't say i'll be surprised if the thing just falls apart and all the cash vanishes. It's practically set up that way.

[Vanadium Gryllz]

No problems with the festival's T+C's. Co-op's are cool, right?
http://festival23.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Articles-of-Association-NotWork-23-Ltd.pdf

84. Any Director may act in a professional capacity for the Co-operative and
s/he or her/his firm shall be entitled to remuneration for professional
services. Provided that nothing shall authorise a Director or their firm to
act as auditor of the Co-operative.
85. The Co-operative may pay any reasonable expenses which the Directors
properly incur in connection with their attendance at meetings or
otherwise in connection with the exercise of their powers and the
discharge of their responsibilities in relation to the Co-operative.

Nothing suspicious there. The list of people involved are practically non-entities so I'm figuring this is just some easy grift for a few of them. 92/93 aren't much better covering application of surplus and dissolution. 110 implies members may be hit for money because reasons which can then just be used to pay directors as per 84.

Can't say i'll be surprised if the thing just falls apart and all the cash vanishes. It's practically set up that way.

It sounds like it could be interesting - unfortunately I am otherwise engaged that weekend and £84 for what sounds like a bunch of stoned 'individuals' expressing their creativity sounds somewhat steep. You may well be right about it being some kind of scam.

[P3nT4gR4m]