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[scriver]

Ok, what was the point of that statement of yours then, enlighten me.

The point is that the EU has mandated and encouraged downsizing of the department to the point where it barely  exists, and that has had the obvious consequence  of weapon and drug smuggling increasing exponentially, as well as smuggling of stolen goods outwards getting out of control.

[Sheb]

Ok, what was the point of that statement of yours then, enlighten me.

The point is that the EU has mandated and encouraged downsizing of the department to the point where it barely  exists, and that has had the obvious consequence  of weapon and drug smuggling increasing exponentially, as well as smuggling of stolen goods outwards getting out of control.

Can you source that the EU mandated reduction in the size of the custom department, or is that more hyperbole? I tried to look it up quickly but couldn't find anything, and it seems weird as that's not a power the union has AFAK.

[scriver]

Apologies, those were meant to be separate. The EU mandates what the toll service can and can't do and the downsizing happens as a consequence.

[Sheb]

So basically, you blame the EU because since Sweden joins the custom union there is less work for the Swedish Customs to do so the Swedish government decided to downsize it, which led to an increase in smuggling? (I'm taking your word for the increase in smuggling since the EU became a thing, because google results are full of Breitbart stuff about people smugglers)

I mean, I would think that the Swedish Customs service would have kept enough staff to fullfill some of the needed services.

[ChairmanPoo]

Fun fact: Hitler was a customs official.

[scriver]

No, I am saying that since we joined the EU we are no longer allowed to search incoming traffic to the extent necessary to catch smugglers and as a result the smuggling has increased. The toll service has been downsized because there is no point in having them if they are not allowed to search or investigate incoming traffic.

[Jopax]

What sheb is asking for I think is some sort of written or researched proof of that completely logical claim.

[scriver]

An article saying the staff of the toll service has been nearly halved since 1994.
An opinion piece from 2004 describing how the department is going to be even more cut down after the 2004 expansion with the motivation that they are no longer needed to handle legal transports, but that the cuts include staff dealing with illegal transports


Article in the paper of a transport union about how smuggling has increased since 1994 and how the toll services has more trouble catching smugglers. It also also has this little fact window comparing confiscated goods in 1994 to 2012 (while noting again that the staff has been cut from over 3000 to 2200): Tullbeslag totalt i Sverige 1994 (sista året före EU-inträdet):

Cannabis 206 kg
Amfetamin 88 kg
Kokain 22 kg
Heroin 15 kg

Tullbeslag totalt i Sverige 2012:
Cannabis 1 500 kg
Amfetamin 171 kg
Kokain 26 kg
Heroin 6 kg*

The low number for heroin is noted as probably being a statistical anomaly as it was 33 kg in both 2011 and -10

An article about the rampant weapon smuggling
A police rapport from 2014 following up on the rapports of previous years showing an increase in confiscated weapons.

Finding any kind of combined statistics for alcohol smuggling over a lot of years proved a lot harder than I thought but there was a plethora of "this year smuggling of alcohol increased compared to last year" articles.

[smjjames]

Seems Wilder's PVV is largely financed by Americans. How is that legal?

Because it wasn't made illegal? Marine LePen is being financed by Russian banks herself. Washington DC would probably pout and go 'why are you locking us out? We wanna meddle.' If you tried to make it illegal. Not that we'd be able to do anything about it anyway.

[martinuzz]

The Turkish minister of foreign affairs was on his way to the Netherlands to hold a manifestation about the Turkish referendum in Rotterdam.

The Dutch government decided to cancel the flight's landing rights, and sent it back to Turkey.
Turkey has threatened the Netherlands with severe sanctions.

[Antioch]

The Turkish minister of foreign affairs was on his way to the Netherlands to hold a manifestation about the Turkish referendum in Rotterdam.

The Dutch government decided to cancel the flight's landing rights, and sent it back to Turkey.
Turkey has threatened the Netherlands with severe sanctions.

I still find it hilarious that the political campaigning in foreign countries is illegal according to the Turkish law.

[smjjames]

The Turkish minister of foreign affairs was on his way to the Netherlands to hold a manifestation about the Turkish referendum in Rotterdam.

The Dutch government decided to cancel the flight's landing rights, and sent it back to Turkey.
Turkey has threatened the Netherlands with severe sanctions.

I still find it hilarious that the political campaigning in foreign countries is illegal according to the Turkish law.

Funnier yet that they are breaking their own law.

[martinuzz]

Erdogan has responded by calling the Netherlands 'nazi-remnants and fascists'. Furthermore he announced that the foreign minister is now in a car, heading for the Netherlands over land instead of by plane, and he won't be stoppped.

[scriver]

Erdogan has responded by calling the Netherlands 'nazi-remnants and fascists'.

So he's saying he admires them?

[Sergarr]

Furthermore he announced that the foreign minister is now in a car, heading for the Netherlands over land instead of by plane, and he won't be stoppped.

According to my Russian sources, the Netherlands police has stopped the Turkish minister.

In other news, weather report indicates a large storm of nazi insults coming from Ankara into Europe.