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[Loud Whispers]

Didn't that come up too?

Nah, it's a different hacking incident.

Last time it was the Ministry of Foreign affairs getting hacked, this time it was the Ministry of Economic thingies. Though the incident dates from early this year, we were only informed about it now.

Anyway, it turns out that it wasn't even us who found out about our systems being infected. We got a polite hint from the US about it.

I like to imagine everyone's hackers stumble upon one another in Belgian cyberspace and do the equivalent of WWI pilots waving hello at one another.
Belgium should just do a russia and switch to pen and paper.

[XXSockXX]

Now, the post-European elections mayhem is really going to be fun. The Lisbon Treaty says that the EP has to vote for Commissions president, on a suggestion from the Council. Now, basically everybody within the EU institutions agree that the Council isn't going to choose one of the five candidate, because they don't want to create a precedent of the Parliament actually choosing the Commission's president. On the other hand, every parliamentary group is dead set in favor of electing the candidate. It's going to be a contest of will between those two institutions.

Rumour has it that Merkel agreed to give the position to Schulz, as part of the CDU/SPD coalition agreement. Officially the CDU supports Juncker of course, but they have almost been hiding him in the campaign so far (which is as Merkel-centric as everything they're doing currently). It's only a rumour of course, and it isn't really mentioned in the coalition agreement. Still realistically it's going to be either Schulz or Juncker, with the EVP and PES being the biggest parties.

[Sheb]

It's EPP in English :p.

Anyway, Junker should be acceptable to the Council. He was the chief of the Eurozone after all. But no one actually know who will win the elections. Thanks to the Tories leaving the EPP, polling only gives them a 3-seats lead over the PES.

Oh, and that's another thing to think about. The UK aren't in the EPP anymore. They don't care of Junker, and they'll try to negotiate as hard as they can, because Cameron needs something to show before the 2017 referendum. Which means they'll try to block everything.

[XXSockXX]

Well, ultimately it isn't going to make a huge difference who becomes president of the Commission, without a clear majority in parliament and the national governments doing their thing, he isn't going to be all that influential.
I did almost forget about the Tories leaving the EPP (damn acronyms) though, that could make things more interesting (or chaotic and blockaded).

[Sheb]

It does though. One of the major limits to the Parliament's power is that it cannot initiate legislation. The Commission has that power.

Also, Steelworkers in Mariupol have taken control of the city from pro-Russian separatists. They are also deployed in Donetsk and five other cities. Good news, but it really show of fuckingly useless the Ukrainian Army is, if a bunch of workers with bats can do a better job than them.

[Helgoland]

Might be an issue of acceptance by the population - I wouldn't object to a regiment of Westphalians in my city, but with Bavarians I'd shoot to kill*.







*Just kidding. Knee-capping is much more effetive.

[misko27]

It does though. One of the major limits to the Parliament's power is that it cannot initiate legislation. The Commission has that power.

Also, Steelworkers in Mariupol have taken control of the city from pro-Russian separatists. They are also deployed in Donetsk and five other cities. Good news, but it really show of fuckingly useless the Ukrainian Army is, if a bunch of workers with bats can do a better job than them.

I've been advocating a swift and deadly response for a while, but let me defend them as diplomats, if not soldiers:

Ukraine is pinned in the classical chess conception of the word; any move they make with the army would expose them to a Russian response. Even if it didn't provoke an attack (I personally suspect it wouldn't), it would give Muscovy a far greater license to claim both publicly and in diplomatic negotiations that Ukraine is out of control, attacking it's own citizens, and must devolve power to the regions. The aim of that, of course, is to permanently cripple the central government, keeping it dependent on Russia while Russia solidifies influence in east Ukraine. This has been their plan for a while, and I have been saying so. To attack is to play into Russia's hands.

Unaffiliated workers, however, far from having the connotations of a government vs. it's people, in fact it instead shows support-on-the-ground. It's the biggest showing of what polls in the region have suggested: Most eastern Ukrainians support Unity and Security as their main priorities, which is in fact what these soldiers are going on about. I didn't expect so large a reaction though.

[LordSlowpoke]

the workers aren't unaffiliated, the oligarch literally told them to go out there and do things

i mean it's right there

The workers who took to the streets on Thursday were among the hundreds of thousands in the east who are employed in metals and mining by Ukraine’s richest man, Rinat Akhmetov, who only recently went beyond paying lip service to Ukrainian unity and on Wednesday issued a statement rejecting separatism.

Though the workers had differing views of the new government in Kiev, the Ukrainian capital, on the whole they supported the patrols to restore order, employees and managers said. “Everybody can have their own opinion, but not at work,” Sergei Istratov, a shift boss at the factory, said. “At work, you have to do what the factory demands.”

i'm done with you bastards, you discuss ukraine all you want i don't give a flying fuck just don't hold me responsible when you spark another shitstorm

[Ukrainian Ranger]

I'd not say that they are unaffiliated. They appeared right after  "People Donetsk Republic" decided that it is a great idea to gather taxes from local oligarch... And then, suddenly, workers of the steelwork plant owned by that oligarch started to form self-defense units showing wonders of self-organization

I am  not saying that this workers aren't interested in United Ukraine, because both water and iron ore comes from Ukraine. Only coal is local.

BTW, cities that totally rely on coal mining are absolutely calm. Because people here understand that coal mines across the border are closed long, long time ago and Russia will do the same with newly acquired lands

While the cities that currently under control of insurgents are more industrial. With noticeable chunk of their production going to Russia. For example economy  of one captured city is based on that Factory 16 500 workplaces in ~170 000 sized city mean something... And when owner of that Factory is Pro-Russian....

[Loud Whispers]

I'd not say that they are unaffiliated. They appeared right after  "People Donetsk Republic" decided that it is a great idea to gather taxes from local oligarch... And then, suddenly, workers of the steelwork plant owned by that oligarch started to form self-defense units showing wonders of self-organization

The free market fixed it

[Sergarr]

"Oligarchs" and "Free market" do not sit quietly together

[Sheb]

RT got another take on the story. In their versions, the steelworkers are opposing the Kiev government.

[Loud Whispers]

"Oligarchs" and "Free market" do not sit quietly together

Because they're both good at starting riots

[Mictlantecuhtli]

RT got another take on the story. In their versions, the steelworkers are opposing the Kiev government.

Warning: RT comments may make your head implode.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

hopefully Kiev's junta days are numbered and its protagonists will have no place to hide. Money talks louder than anyone else.... Their own sponsors are turning against them in the face of their incompetence and failed policies. Would be nicer if the people of Kiev lynched them of course

 

You know the funny thing is, NYT presented this as steel workers chasing out "pro-Kremlin militants from the city". Whatever the he.ll US journalists were smoking must have been from Kerry's secret batch of good stuff.

The propaganda machine is strong in Russia. It literally breeds ignorance.

[scriver]

Those seem no different than any other news site comments to me.