Politics & Stuff

[cosmicway 1,323]

8 minutes ago, YorkshireBlue said:

If you Google, spare ribs in a side street, I don't think you will find what your looking for 

'ere you are:

https://www.gastronomos.gr/exodos/poy-vgainoyme-gia-nostima-paidakia-stin-athina/120057/

You find me for Yorkshire.

[cosmicway 1,323]

Spare ribs in Yorkshire:

https://www.google.com/search?tbs=lf:1,lf_ui:9&tbm=lcl&q=spare+ribs+-+yorkshire&rflfq=1&num=10&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwj71Obpm7b_AhWD7qQKHV7XCUMQjGp6BAgdEAE&biw=1920&bih=969&dpr=1#rlfi=hd:;si:;mv:[[54.1540946,-1.0060048],[53.655804499999995,-1.7089994]];tbs:lrf:!1m4!1u3!2m2!3m1!1e1!1m4!1u2!2m2!2m1!1e1!1m4!1u1!2m2!1m1!1e1!1m4!1u1!2m2!1m1!1e2!2m1!1e2!2m1!1e1!2m1!1e3!3sIAE,lf:1,lf_ui:9

Look like wartime rations compared to Grk, but anyways.

[YorkshireBlue 3,122]

32 minutes ago, cosmicway said:

'ere you are:

https://www.gastronomos.gr/exodos/poy-vgainoyme-gia-nostima-paidakia-stin-athina/120057/

You find me for Yorkshire.

 

25 minutes ago, cosmicway said:

Spare ribs in Yorkshire:

https://www.google.com/search?tbs=lf:1,lf_ui:9&tbm=lcl&q=spare+ribs+-+yorkshire&rflfq=1&num=10&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwj71Obpm7b_AhWD7qQKHV7XCUMQjGp6BAgdEAE&biw=1920&bih=969&dpr=1#rlfi=hd:;si:;mv:[[54.1540946,-1.0060048],[53.655804499999995,-1.7089994]];tbs:lrf:!1m4!1u3!2m2!3m1!1e1!1m4!1u2!2m2!2m1!1e1!1m4!1u1!2m2!1m1!1e1!1m4!1u1!2m2!1m1!1e2!2m1!1e2!2m1!1e1!2m1!1e3!3sIAE,lf:1,lf_ui:9

Look like wartime rations compared to Grk, but anyways.

Got issues you pal, why exactly are you googling spare ribs in Yorkshire? Oh wait it's because you have the same sense of humour as an house brick and a joke went completely over your head....

[cosmicway 1,323]

7 minutes ago, YorkshireBlue said:

 

Got issues you pal, why exactly are you googling spare ribs in Yorkshire? Oh wait it's because you have the same sense of humour as an house brick and a joke went completely over your head....

We were debating the usefulness of google.
You making a philosophical debate into star wars.
Ok, we 're not fighting again.

Edited June 9, 2023 by cosmicway

[Fernando 6,455]

In other news, what you guys made out of this "Whistleblower" of UFO?

House of Representatives to hold hearing on whistleblower’s UFO claims

Oversight committee to investigate allegations that US has possession of ‘intact or partially intact’ alien vehicles

The House of Representatives plans to investigate claims that the US government is harboring UFOs after a whistleblower former intelligence official said the US has possession of “intact and partially intact” alien vehicles.

James Comer, the Republican chair of the House oversight committee, said the committee would hold a hearing into claims by David Grusch, who led analysis of unexplained anomalous phenomena (UAP) within a US Department of Defense agency, that the government had been collecting non-human craft for “decades”.

Grusch, who left the government in April after a 14-year career in US intelligence, told the Debrief that information on these vehicles was being illegally withheld from Congress.

 

“There will be oversight of that,” Comer told NewsNation. “We plan on having a hearing.”

Comer said he had heard about Grusch’s claims, but added: “I don’t know anything about it.”

The timing of the hearing is not yet determined, but a source familiar with the matter said a date is expected to be announced in the next few weeks. Tim Burchett and Anna Paulina Luna, Republican members of Congress from Florida and Tennessee, respectively, will lead the oversight committee investigation.

Burchett is working closely with House oversight committee leaders to prepare for a hearing, the congressman’s office said. The witness list for the hearing has not yet been set, so it is unclear whether Grusch will publicly testify before the oversight committee.

“Congressman Burchett’s office is working through logistics, including a witness list of the most credible witnesses and sources who would be able to speak openly at an unclassified hearing,” a spokesperson said.

Austin Hacker, a spokesman for the committee, told the Guardian in a statement: “In addition to recent claims by a whistleblower, reports continue to surface regarding unidentified aerial phenomena. The House oversight committee is following these UAP reports and is in the early stages of planning a hearing,” Hacker said in a statement.

“The National Defense Authorization Act for 2022 created the All-Domain Anomaly Resolution Office which coordinates among the Department of Defense, the intelligence community, Nasa, and other federal agencies to study UAPs.

“Americans, who continue to fund this federal government work, expect transparency and meaningful oversight from Congress.”

Luna addressed her appointment in a tweet on Wednesday.

“Thank you @RepJamesComer! Very happy to announce @RepTimBurchett and myself will be working with the @GOPoversight team to lead out the investigation into UAPs (UFOs),” Luna said.

Grusch made his claims in an interview with the Debrief journalists Leslie Kean and Ralph Blumenthal, who previously exposed the existence of a secret Pentagon program that investigated UFOs.

He said the US government and defense contractors had been recovering fragments of non-human craft, and in some cases entire craft, for decades.

“We are not talking about prosaic origins or identities,” Grusch told the Debrief. “The material includes intact and partially intact vehicles.”

Grusch said analysis determined that this material was “of exotic origin” – meaning “non-human intelligence, whether extraterrestrial or unknown origin”.

According to the Debrief, Grusch’s knowledge of non-human materials and vehicles was based on “extensive interviews with high-level intelligence officials”. He said he had reported the existence of a UFO material “recovery program” to Congress.

In the Debrief article, Grusch does not say he has personally seen alien vehicles, nor does he say where they may be being stored, but in a follow-up interview with NewsNation, he insisted his story was accurate.

“We’re definitely not alone,” Grusch said. “The data points, quite empirically, that we’re not alone.”

Jonathan Grey, a current US intelligence official at the National Air and Space Intelligence Center (Nasic), confirmed the existence of “exotic materials” to the Debrief.

“The non-human intelligence phenomenon is real. We are not alone,” Grey said.

“Retrievals of this kind are not limited to the United States. This is a global phenomenon, and yet a global solution continues to elude us.”

Grusch told the Debrief that he had filed a complaint with the intelligence community inspector general. That complaint contained classified locations, program names and other data, the Debrief said.

Nick Pope, who spent the early 1990s investigating UFOs for the British Ministry of Defence, said the existence of that complaint could hamper the oversight committee investigation.

“As an active complaint it is very difficult to get into the substance of the testimony, because it constitutes interference with an ongoing investigation,” Pope said.

Pope added: “So, for anyone who thinks great, the hearing will determine whether David Grusch’s allegations are correct or not, I think an awful lot of [what is said in the hearing] is going to be: ‘That’s the subject of an ongoing investigation and we can’t discuss it.’”

Pope said to find out whether Grusch’s claims about alien craft are true, “we need a few key pieces of information”.

“Number one is the project name or office name. Number two is who is the person in charge of that – the director, the commanding officer, whoever it is? Thirdly, what agency is it embedded in?”

Grusch’s claims came after a series of credible sightings and reports over the past two years.

In 2021, the Pentagon released a report on “unidentified anomalous phenomena” – the term is preferred to UFO by many extraterrestrial enthusiasts and investigators – which found more than 140 instances of UAP encounters that could not be explained.

The report followed a leak of military footage that showed apparently inexplicable happenings in the sky, while navy pilots testified that they had frequently had encounters with strange craft off the US coast.

Following renewed interest in UFOs the Pentagon established the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) in 2022, to investigate unexplained phenomena.

In April this year Sean Kirkpatrick, the director of AARO, told the Senate armed forces committee that the office had “found no credible evidence thus far of extraterrestrial activity, off-world technology or objects that defy the known laws of physics”.

 

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jun/08/ufo-house-representatives-hearing-investigation

[Fulham Broadway 16,838]

1 hour ago, Fernando said:

In other news, what you guys made out of this "Whistleblower" of UFO?

House of Representatives to hold hearing on whistleblower’s UFO claims

Oversight committee to investigate allegations that US has possession of ‘intact or partially intact’ alien vehicles

The House of Representatives plans to investigate claims that the US government is harboring UFOs after a whistleblower former intelligence official said the US has possession of “intact and partially intact” alien vehicles.

James Comer, the Republican chair of the House oversight committee, said the committee would hold a hearing into claims by David Grusch, who led analysis of unexplained anomalous phenomena (UAP) within a US Department of Defense agency, that the government had been collecting non-human craft for “decades”.

Grusch, who left the government in April after a 14-year career in US intelligence, told the Debrief that information on these vehicles was being illegally withheld from Congress.

 

“There will be oversight of that,” Comer told NewsNation. “We plan on having a hearing.”

Comer said he had heard about Grusch’s claims, but added: “I don’t know anything about it.”

The timing of the hearing is not yet determined, but a source familiar with the matter said a date is expected to be announced in the next few weeks. Tim Burchett and Anna Paulina Luna, Republican members of Congress from Florida and Tennessee, respectively, will lead the oversight committee investigation.

Burchett is working closely with House oversight committee leaders to prepare for a hearing, the congressman’s office said. The witness list for the hearing has not yet been set, so it is unclear whether Grusch will publicly testify before the oversight committee.

“Congressman Burchett’s office is working through logistics, including a witness list of the most credible witnesses and sources who would be able to speak openly at an unclassified hearing,” a spokesperson said.

Austin Hacker, a spokesman for the committee, told the Guardian in a statement: “In addition to recent claims by a whistleblower, reports continue to surface regarding unidentified aerial phenomena. The House oversight committee is following these UAP reports and is in the early stages of planning a hearing,” Hacker said in a statement.

“The National Defense Authorization Act for 2022 created the All-Domain Anomaly Resolution Office which coordinates among the Department of Defense, the intelligence community, Nasa, and other federal agencies to study UAPs.

“Americans, who continue to fund this federal government work, expect transparency and meaningful oversight from Congress.”

Luna addressed her appointment in a tweet on Wednesday.

“Thank you @RepJamesComer! Very happy to announce @RepTimBurchett and myself will be working with the @GOPoversight team to lead out the investigation into UAPs (UFOs),” Luna said.

Grusch made his claims in an interview with the Debrief journalists Leslie Kean and Ralph Blumenthal, who previously exposed the existence of a secret Pentagon program that investigated UFOs.

He said the US government and defense contractors had been recovering fragments of non-human craft, and in some cases entire craft, for decades.

“We are not talking about prosaic origins or identities,” Grusch told the Debrief. “The material includes intact and partially intact vehicles.”

Grusch said analysis determined that this material was “of exotic origin” – meaning “non-human intelligence, whether extraterrestrial or unknown origin”.

According to the Debrief, Grusch’s knowledge of non-human materials and vehicles was based on “extensive interviews with high-level intelligence officials”. He said he had reported the existence of a UFO material “recovery program” to Congress.

In the Debrief article, Grusch does not say he has personally seen alien vehicles, nor does he say where they may be being stored, but in a follow-up interview with NewsNation, he insisted his story was accurate.

“We’re definitely not alone,” Grusch said. “The data points, quite empirically, that we’re not alone.”

Jonathan Grey, a current US intelligence official at the National Air and Space Intelligence Center (Nasic), confirmed the existence of “exotic materials” to the Debrief.

“The non-human intelligence phenomenon is real. We are not alone,” Grey said.

“Retrievals of this kind are not limited to the United States. This is a global phenomenon, and yet a global solution continues to elude us.”

Grusch told the Debrief that he had filed a complaint with the intelligence community inspector general. That complaint contained classified locations, program names and other data, the Debrief said.

Nick Pope, who spent the early 1990s investigating UFOs for the British Ministry of Defence, said the existence of that complaint could hamper the oversight committee investigation.

“As an active complaint it is very difficult to get into the substance of the testimony, because it constitutes interference with an ongoing investigation,” Pope said.

Pope added: “So, for anyone who thinks great, the hearing will determine whether David Grusch’s allegations are correct or not, I think an awful lot of [what is said in the hearing] is going to be: ‘That’s the subject of an ongoing investigation and we can’t discuss it.’”

Pope said to find out whether Grusch’s claims about alien craft are true, “we need a few key pieces of information”.

“Number one is the project name or office name. Number two is who is the person in charge of that – the director, the commanding officer, whoever it is? Thirdly, what agency is it embedded in?”

Grusch’s claims came after a series of credible sightings and reports over the past two years.

In 2021, the Pentagon released a report on “unidentified anomalous phenomena” – the term is preferred to UFO by many extraterrestrial enthusiasts and investigators – which found more than 140 instances of UAP encounters that could not be explained.

The report followed a leak of military footage that showed apparently inexplicable happenings in the sky, while navy pilots testified that they had frequently had encounters with strange craft off the US coast.

Following renewed interest in UFOs the Pentagon established the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) in 2022, to investigate unexplained phenomena.

In April this year Sean Kirkpatrick, the director of AARO, told the Senate armed forces committee that the office had “found no credible evidence thus far of extraterrestrial activity, off-world technology or objects that defy the known laws of physics”.

 

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jun/08/ufo-house-representatives-hearing-investigation

Soon as I heard that on the news - I thought book coming out.....

Aliens travelling either millions of light years, or from the next galaxy crash their craft on earth 🤔

[cosmicway 1,323]

Yet another theory of mine proved correct after what happened with Sturgeon.
The party funds ! Who could imagine someone was going to check into those ?
It's like cheating your wife, which I have done.
She asked me to buy fish fingers and I bought the cheaper brand - go figure I said.

[YorkshireBlue 3,122]

14 hours ago, cosmicway said:

Yet another theory of mine proved correct after what happened with Sturgeon.
The party funds ! Who could imagine someone was going to check into those ?
It's like cheating your wife, which I have done.
She asked me to buy fish fingers and I bought the cheaper brand - go figure I said.

Don't think that means you cheated your wife, just means your a tight arse.

[OneMoSalah 8,776]

14 hours ago, cosmicway said:

Yet another theory of mine proved correct after what happened with Sturgeon.
The party funds ! Who could imagine someone was going to check into those ?
It's like cheating your wife, which I have done.
She asked me to buy fish fingers and I bought the cheaper brand - go figure I said.

Reading too much into it. Far too much but thats what happens when you take everything in mainstream media as gospel. 

As a Scot, the feeling here has been that and always been more about her husband and another bloke who was the SNP’s chief executive and treasurer being involved. If the bloke wasn’t her husband it wouldn’t of had the media coverage it has had either - and probably would of been wrapped up by now or at least proven. Still not 100% sure how its taken this long and basically 0 progress has been made.

But seems the Tory’s, Labour and the media are trying to throw her under the bus to try and ultimately dissuade or tarnish the SNP and/or the idea of Scottish Independence - which she was the face of for years and years. She resigned in February but again, why has she been arrested months later? Then not charged with anything and released on the same day pending “investigation” …. it is ironic as they’ve been investigating her husband and the other fella for ages. In fact they’ve been investigating these missing funds since 2021. 

It is also convenient timing as it has happened at a time when there seems to be a lot going on with this Yousaf bloke and Keir Starmer of Labour due to the differences in opinions and issues going on with the deposit return scheme between Holyrood and Westminster. An Independence vote being top of Yousafs list was also mentioned not too recently if things didn’t settle in a way that suits the SNP. So aye very very very convenient timing.

Sturgeon has always split the board in Scotland but the feeling I’ve gotten is that she’s maybe guilty by association as opposed to committing what they are accusing her husband and the other bloke of. But that means so are a lot of other people.

Edited June 12, 2023 by OneMoSalah

[YorkshireBlue 3,122]

12 minutes ago, OneMoSalah said:

Reading too much into it. Far too much but thats what happens when you take everything in mainstream media as gospel. 

As a Scot, the feeling here has been that and always been more about her husband and another bloke who was the SNP’s chief executive and treasurer being involved. If the bloke wasn’t her husband it wouldn’t of had the media coverage it has had either - and probably would of been wrapped up by now or at least proven. Still not 100% sure how its taken this long and basically 0 progress has been made.

But seems the Tory’s, Labour and the media are trying to throw her under the bus to try and ultimately dissuade or tarnish the SNP and/or the idea of Scottish Independence - which she was the face of for years and years. She resigned in February but again, why has she been arrested months later? Then not charged with anything and released on the same day pending “investigation” …. it is ironic as they’ve been investigating her husband and the other fella for ages. In fact they’ve been investigating these missing funds since 2021. 

It is also convenient timing as it has happened at a time when there seems to be a lot going on with this Yousaf bloke and Keir Starmer of Labour due to the differences in opinions and issues going on with the deposit return scheme between Holyrood and Westminster. An Independence vote being top of Yousafs list was also mentioned not too recently if things didn’t settle in a way that suits the SNP. So aye very very very convenient timing.

Sturgeon has always split the board in Scotland but the feeling I’ve gotten is that she’s maybe guilty by association as opposed to committing what they are accusing her husband and the other bloke of. But that means so are a lot of other people.

Your a Scot!!! That actually explains alot tbh.

[cosmicway 1,323]

5 hours ago, OneMoSalah said:

Reading too much into it. Far too much but thats what happens when you take everything in mainstream media as gospel. 

As a Scot, the feeling here has been that and always been more about her husband and another bloke who was the SNP’s chief executive and treasurer being involved. If the bloke wasn’t her husband it wouldn’t of had the media coverage it has had either - and probably would of been wrapped up by now or at least proven. Still not 100% sure how its taken this long and basically 0 progress has been made.

But seems the Tory’s, Labour and the media are trying to throw her under the bus to try and ultimately dissuade or tarnish the SNP and/or the idea of Scottish Independence - which she was the face of for years and years. She resigned in February but again, why has she been arrested months later? Then not charged with anything and released on the same day pending “investigation” …. it is ironic as they’ve been investigating her husband and the other fella for ages. In fact they’ve been investigating these missing funds since 2021. 

It is also convenient timing as it has happened at a time when there seems to be a lot going on with this Yousaf bloke and Keir Starmer of Labour due to the differences in opinions and issues going on with the deposit return scheme between Holyrood and Westminster. An Independence vote being top of Yousafs list was also mentioned not too recently if things didn’t settle in a way that suits the SNP. So aye very very very convenient timing.

Sturgeon has always split the board in Scotland but the feeling I’ve gotten is that she’s maybe guilty by association as opposed to committing what they are accusing her husband and the other bloke of. But that means so are a lot of other people.

The Scots don't want independence.
There would have been a new American revolution by now if they wanted, as BJ said a new referendum could not be allowed.
It looks somewhat strange but explainable.
In 2014 they voted for indy by 45%, close call.
In 2016 they voted for remain by 63%.
So at first sight the 18% difference is more than likely to yield an additional 6% for indy.
But if indy wins in 2014 then the Scots keep freedom of movement with both EU and UK.
Now only with EU (who let's accept will allow Scotland to join).
So no majority for independence.

[OneMoSalah 8,776]

4 hours ago, cosmicway said:

The Scots don't want independence.
There would have been a new American revolution by now if they wanted, as BJ said a new referendum could not be allowed.
It looks somewhat strange but explainable.
In 2014 they voted for indy by 45%, close call.
In 2016 they voted for remain by 63%.
So at first sight the 18% difference is more than likely to yield an additional 6% for indy.
But if indy wins in 2014 then the Scots keep freedom of movement with both EU and UK.
Now only with EU (who let's accept will allow Scotland to join).
So no majority for independence.

I am sorry but how would you know? Do you live in Scotland? Do you follow the politics here? 🤣 Your going off of old statistics from almost 10 years ago and have plucked up this 6% yield nonsense out of thin air.

As someone who lives in Scotland and has done their entire life let me fill you in on a few things. Since 2014 there has been a lot of things that have happened that have changed the mind of many who didn’t want Independence then. Brexit/leaving the EU being the main one as Scotland didn’t want to leave as well as multiple broken promises after the first Indy Ref - which most seen coming. 

The want for Independence has certainly increased since 2014. This last year has maybe strained that a bit with the SNP in the spotlight due to these allegations but even then, Brexit definitely accelerated the want for it. Younger folk in Scotland are much more politically active now which will undoubtedly push the numbers but there are no doubt people from the 55% who will be for it now. Whether it happens or not is a different story and personally I am not that bothered either way (just like in 2014) - as there is still a lot of questions to be asked/answered but sometimes maybe it is best to face those things in the moment than to ask about them beforehand.

Bit of advice, don’t talk about what you don’t know. Using 10 year old stats and phrases like “likely yield” and “American revolution” when talking about politics in Scotland or the UK just makes you look like a bit of a clown if I am honest. 

Edited June 12, 2023 by OneMoSalah

[cosmicway 1,323]

5 minutes ago, OneMoSalah said:

I am sorry but how would you know? Do you live in Scotland? Do you follow the politics here? 🤣 Your going off of old statistics from almost 10 years ago and have plucked up this 6% yield nonsense out of thin air.

As someone who lives in Scotland and has done their entire life let me fill you in on a few things. Since 2014 there has been a lot of things that have happened that have changed the mind of many who didn’t want Independence then. Brexit/leaving the EU being the main one as Scotland didn’t want to leave as well as multiple broken promises after the first Indy Ref - which most seen coming. 

The want for Independence has certainly increased since 2014. This last year has maybe strained that a bit with the SNP in the spotlight due to these allegations but even then, Brexit definitely accelerated the want for it. Younger folk in Scotland are much more politically active now which will undoubtedly push the numbers but there are no doubt people from the 55% who will be for it now. Whether it happens or not is a different story and personally I am not that bothered either way (just like in 2014) - as there is still a lot of questions to be asked/answered but sometimes maybe it is best to face those things in the moment than to ask about them beforehand.

Bit of advice, don’t talk about what you don’t know. Using 10 year old stats and phrases like “likely yield” and “American revolution” when talking about politics in Scotland or the UK just makes you look like a bit of a clown if I am honest. 

You are using 10 year old stats and claim the percentage in favour of independence is bigger now.
Then if the extra percentage does n't come from the 63 - 45 = 18% where would it come from ? Scottish Tories ?
But the Scots have become tame peoples now, everyone can see and the issue with the Sturgeons is neither here nor there.

 

[cosmicway 1,323]

What a fool Cameron was.
He is history now but it's worth to discuss the foolishness of the character.
In 2014 he proclaims the brexit referendum.
I was expecting him to declare himself in favour of brexit or declare himself neutral, which meant brexit rather wins easily.
But he declared himself a remainer, thus making remain look like favourite.

What he wanted to do was bring back to the fold the sheep from UKIP, while at the same time he was not worried about the pro-european Tories.
It was a vote catching idea to proclaim the referendum.
But they would n't return if remain won and much more so they would n't return with Cameron prime minister and a remainer !
So what was he doing ?
If he played the brexiter's role his original vote catching plan was going to work. If he played the neutral's role it was probably going to work.
But the way he did it what good was it to him a remain win ? His party would shrink.
And what joy was brexit for him ? He 'd have to resign, as he actually had to do in the real timeline.
I rate him below BJ for cleverness.

[OneMoSalah 8,776]

1 hour ago, cosmicway said:

You are using 10 year old stats and claim the percentage in favour of independence is bigger now.
Then if the extra percentage does n't come from the 63 - 45 = 18% where would it come from ? Scottish Tories ?
But the Scots have become tame peoples now, everyone can see and the issue with the Sturgeons is neither here nor there.

 

Fuck me you really contradicted yourself. Give it a rest pal. Wouldn’t know up from down going off the nonsense you’ve put in here regarding Scottish/British politics, maybe stick to the Greek ones eh?

[YorkshireBlue 3,122]

12 minutes ago, OneMoSalah said:

Fuck me you really contradicted yourself. Give it a rest pal. Wouldn’t know up from down going off the nonsense you’ve put in here regarding Scottish/British politics, maybe stick to the Greek ones eh?

Haven't you heard? He cheats on his wife with cheap fish fingers 🤣🤣🤣

[cosmicway 1,323]

29 minutes ago, OneMoSalah said:

Fuck me you really contradicted yourself. Give it a rest pal. Wouldn’t know up from down going off the nonsense you’ve put in here regarding Scottish/British politics, maybe stick to the Greek ones eh?

What is the contradiction ?
Name the contradiction.
I believe the Scots don't want independence anymore.
In 2019 SNPs were expecting over 50% and they got 45%.
Then the stopped demaning immediate referendum.
 

[Vesper 28,796]

Silvio Berlusconi, Italian prophet of right-wing populism, dead at 86

https://www.liberalpatriot.com/i/127761746/silvio-berlusconi-italian-prophet-of-right-wing-populism-dead-at

 

What happened? Former Italian prime minister and media mogul Silvio Berlusconi died in Milan at age 86. Berlusconi served as a prime minister three times in the 1990s and 2000s, and his two-plus decades in politics was plagued by multiple sex and corruption scandals—including his notorious “bunga bunga” sex parties that were first revealed in 2010.

Why does it matter? Berlusconi’s political success as a media figure turned right-wing populist paved the way not just for the current right-wing Italian government but right-wing populist figures around the world, including Donald Trump in the United States and Boris Johnson in Great Britain. Though he never attained Italy’s highest office after leaving it for the last time in 2011, Berlusconi’s wider political legacy will remain with us for the foreseeable future.

TLP’s take: As comical as Berlusconi could seem, he represented the leading edge of right-wing populism as it would emerge and evolve in the 2010s. He created a model for politicians like Trump, and the world would probably have been better off if he’d never entered politics.