Mastodawn

Martin Nutty Nov 23, 2023

2) #Wilders has been referred to as the #DonaldTrump of the #Netherlands.

Although the PPV gained 20 seats for a total of 37, Wilders will not have a free hand in the lower house. He’ll need to form a coalition government totaling 76 seats. The big question is which parties will be willing to enter government with the PPV?

https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/far-rights-wilders-seeks-form-dutch-govt-after-shock-election-win-2023-11-23/

#FarRight #Politics

Dutch election: Far-right's Wilders aims to be PM after shock win

Far-right populist <a href="/world/europe/geert-wilders-anti-islam-anti-eu-populist-who-could-be-next-dutch-pm-2023-11-22/">Geert Wilders</a> wants to be the Netherlands' next prime minister and would focus his efforts on curbing immigration, he said following a landmark <a href="/world/europe/praise-fear-after-dutch-populist-wilders-election-win-2023-11-22/">election win</a> that will have repercussions in the Netherlands and Europe.

Reuters

Martin Nutty Nov 23, 2023

3) #Poland appears to have turned its back on #FarRight politics with last month’s election yielding a significant loss of seats by the #RightWing Law and Order party

It’s likely that the next government will be formed by #DonaldTusk and his Civic Platform party in association with other parties from Poland’s left

All will not be smooth sailing for Tusk as he will need to contend with President Andrzej Duda of Law Order who wields veto power

#Politics #EuroPolitics

https://www.politico.eu/article/poland-president-andrzej-duda-not-abiding-incoming-pm-donald-tusk/

Poland’s President Duda signals Tusk will have bumpy ride as PM

The president and the prime minister will have to get along for two years. There’s already friction.

POLITICO

Martin Nutty Nov 24, 2023

4) My #Dublin hometown is in the news due to rioting triggered by a knife attack on school children.

Little is known about about the motives or identity of the attacker at this point. It seems #FarRight types concluded the perpetrator is a #migrant

in response to this insane attack, #HardRight types fomented a riot, organized through #SocialMedia and messaging apps. Fortunately nobody appears to have died but the breakdown in civil order is sobering

#MastoDaoine

https://www.thejournal.ie/readme/chaos-in-dublin-6231438-Nov2023/

Aoife Barry: I didn’t recognise the Dublin I witnessed yesterday - it was terrifying

The journalist and author was witness to much of the violence and disorder in Dublin last night.

TheJournal.ie

Martin Nutty Nov 25, 2023

5) This article was published 3 days prior to the #DublinRiots and gives a small sense of the odd alliance that is the #FarRight and how they use #SocialMedia to promulgate their dreck

What’s odd about the alliance? I find it head scratching that the associated ragey posts are directed at #Migrants, #ClimateChange, #ReproductiveRights, #Vaccines to name just 4 areas. All topics sure to drive wedges in #WesternDemocracy. The question is at the behest of who and why?

https://www.irishtimes.com/politics/2023/11/20/spread-of-false-information-on-social-media-soared-since-pandemic-study/

Influence of far right on social media in Ireland has grown since pandemic, says report

The worst offender is X or Twitter, which has removed many of the guardrails designed to curb misinformation, researchers found

The Irish Times

Martin Nutty Nov 25, 2023

6) Interesting to see #ElonMusk taking an interest in #IrishPolitics. I’m sure his astute analysis will make him even more beloved in the West’s most liberal democracy

Of course #Musk’s inherent #racism and #homophobia couldn’t resist the opportunity to pick a fight.

If I was #Elon, I’d be treading very carefully, I’m guessing that some rapier Irish with wit is forthcoming for the chief Twit

#EuroPolitics #SocialMedia #HateSpeech #Mastodaoine

https://www.joe.ie/amp/news/elon-musk-varadkar-tweets-786596

Elon Musk takes aim at Leo Varadkar in series of tweets about Ireland

Elon Musk has taken to his social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, to criticise Taoiseach Leo Varadkar in a series of tweets.

JOE

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4nj2xzrz83o.amp

Martin Nutty

7) Unsurprisingly another clown has joined the mix. #DonaldTrumpJr ‘s shallowness, ignorance, narcissism and self-regard is only outstripped by the sorry twisted personage that is his father

Jr is the poster child for the implementation of a #wealthTax and the end to inherited wealth

#EuroPolitics #IrishPolitics #USPolitics #MastoDaoine

Elon Musk, Donald Trump Jr and the Irish hate speech row

Ireland's first Hate Speech Bill is causing serious debate at home and abroad.

BBC News

Martin Nutty Nov 26, 2023

8) While attempts by #FarRight, anti-democratic types are beaten back in some jurisdictions, #oligarch loving politicos, succeed in other jurisdictions, such is the case of #RobertFico in #Slovakia, known for his embrace of #Putin’s Russia

Fico’s party won the most seats in the Sep 30 election and quickly signed a coalition agreement which included the National party which sits on the #HardRight spectrum

#EuroPolitics #Politics

https://apnews.com/article/slovakia-fico-government-election-populist-coalition-smer-05d3154c6db33b22b96ba059a3e9eb67

Populist Slovak ex-prime minister signs coalition deal with 2 other parties to form a new government

A populist former prime minister of Slovakia who plans to end the country’s military support for Ukraine has signed a coalition agreement with the leaders of two other parties to form a new government. Robert Fico and his leftist Smer, or Direction won the Sept. 30 parliamentary election by capturing 42 seats in the 150-seat legislature. He needed to find coalition partners to rule with a majority. Fico has inked a deal with Peter Pellegrini, the head of the left-wing Hlas, or Voice, party and Andrej Danko of the ultra-nationalist and pro-Russia Slovak National Party.

AP News

Martin Nutty Nov 26, 2023

9) Last week was not a good one for democracy in #Argentina with the election of #JavierMilei, another #FarRight tin-pot

The new president is a poster boy for countries who cannot get their sh#t together. Since the end of the #DirtyWar, #LatinAmerica’s 2nd largest country has struggled with hyper inflation, a public finance crisis and an inability to take advantage of the extraordinary opportunities available within it’s borders

There will be more lost years

https://www.npr.org/2023/11/19/1214092698/javier-milei-a-radical-libertarian-populist-elected-president-of-argentina

Martin Nutty Nov 28, 2023

10) Interesting detailed analysis on the #Netherlands election from Paul Tullis in the #NYTimes. It seems there was a significant rural/urban divide in the vote with less densely populated regions supporting #GeertWilders’ Party for Freedom. The same left/right divide exists in America

While #Wilders’ and his PPV dramatically increased their number of seats from 17 => 37, the path to forming a coalition with a majority of 76 seats is questionable

#EuroPolitics

🔑 https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/28/opinion/geert-wilders-netherlands-right.html

Opinion | The Way Geert Wilders Won

The Netherlands, where rural areas are losing physicians, bus stops and schools while urban areas thrive, is fertile ground for a demagogue.

The New York Times

Martin Nutty Nov 28, 2023

11) Excellent piece from Fintan O’Toole on the #DublinRiots.

FOT rightly insists on complexity, reminds us #Irish of some other ugly #FarRight #DublinRiot history and does not mince words in calling those who stoked the violence what they truly are: #Fascist

#Fascists are “malignant narcissists” who will exploit any opportunity to further their cancerous goals. Marxists or migrants are simply grist for their mill, a quest for recognition and relevance

#Mastodaoine

🔑 https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/2023/11/28/irish-fascism-is-not-a-reaction-to-immigration-or-poverty-its-not-even-a-new-phenomenon/

Fintan O'Toole: Irish fascism is not a reaction to immigration or poverty. It’s not even new

It is grossly unfair to inner city communities to stigmatise them as the sources of a shameful night in Dublin

The Irish Times

#FarRight #MastoDaoine #Dublin #Ireland

12) There is no unitary explanation for last week’s #DublinRiots. Those who participated in violence had a reasons peculiar to their own experience. Much as we may wish for singular explanations, solutions to the street rage will likely be manifold, if there is enough courage to look at the event without bias and simplistic prejudice.

Let’s stipulate that the rioters did not participate motivated out of satisfaction with their current life situation.

https://www.irishtimes.com/life-style/people/2023/12/02/the-most-disadvantaged-neighbourhood-in-ireland-the-dublin-street-providing-housing-for-many-of-the-citys-homeless/

13) Looking at the landscape of #SocialProblems in #Ireland, lack of affordable housing may be one of the triggering items for the #DublinRiots.

Let me be clear, not everyone struggling with the #IrishHousingCrisis riots, but it is likely one of the fault lines used by #FarRight agitators to trigger violence especially when tied to #migration pressures

The #IrishTimes has an excellent article ⬇️ on those whose housing circumstances are challenging

#MastoDaoine

‘The most disadvantaged neighbourhood in Ireland’: The Dublin street providing housing for many of the city’s homeless

Our reporters investigate support workers’ concerns about the huge concentration of homeless accommodation on Dublin’s Gardiner Street, with fears the area will be ‘ghettoised’

The Irish Times

#DublinRiots #MastoDaoine
#IrishNews #ItishPolitics
https://www.wired.com/story/far-right-calling-for-ireland-civil-war

Martin Nutty Dec 5, 2023

14) #Wired with the story on how American #FarRight figures are amplifying their fringe counterparts in #Ireland

Just as #Stalin and #Lenin encouraged global communist revolution through the #Comiterm, we now have #ElonMusk and #Putin stoking a #Fascisterm aimed at undermining western democracies

Ireland is a plaything for these #garchs

America’s Far Right Is Calling for Civil War in Ireland

Following last week’s riots in Dublin, an alliance between far-right, anti-immigration influencers in the US and Ireland continues to grow.

WIRED

Martin Nutty Dec 15, 2023

15) Good article from @tpm_rss_bot detailing the transatlantic #GlobalFarRight connections. Interesting to see the constant use of the word #populist spouted by #GOP types when describing the #AFD etc

The #Fascisterm is alive for those that are paying attention with their cross border hatred for #migrants, #LGBTQI community, #ClimateCrisis mitigation, and democracy

#USPolitics #EuroPolitics #Politics

https://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/the-maga-movements-links-with-the-global-far-right-were-on-full-display-at-trumps-latest-party

The MAGA Movement’s Links With The Global Far Right Were On Full Display At Trump’s Latest Party

As a tuxedoed former President Donald Trump stood on a stage in Manhattan on Saturday night and doubled down on past quips about being a “dictator,” at least one member of the audience had real ties…

TPM – Talking Points Memo

Martin Nutty Dec 15, 2023

16) Martyn Turner of the @irishtimes with a pithy, on point depiction of the #GlobalFarRight and its puppet master

#FarRight #USPolitics #EuroPolitics #Politics #HardRight #Putin #UkraineWar #cartoon #cartoonist

https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/cartoon/2023/12/15/martyn-turner/

Martyn Turner

December 15th, 2023

The Irish Times

Martin Nutty Dec 17, 2023

17) While arson makes for dramatic imagery and will stoke fears of the #FarRight in Ireland, it is important to get a clear eyed view of #HardRight activity in #Ireland.

There’s a good opportunity for quality #journalism to dig deeper in understanding the extent and scale of this ugly radicalism. A data driven approach would be helpful and then follow up with solutions to defang this fringe madness

#Irish #Mastodaoine #IrishMastodon

https://www.irishtimes.com/ireland/2023/12/17/fire-at-galway-hotel-due-to-host-70-asylum-seekers/

Fire at Galway hotel due to host 70 asylum seekers

Ross Lake House Hotel in Rosscahill had been named by the Department of Integration as an accommodation centre

The Irish Times

#Fascism #HardRight #Mastodaoine

Martin Nutty Jan 9, 2024

16) Excellent article from Fintan O’Toole on the deep roots of #AntiSemitism in Europe and how the #Gaza war has created a space for the #FarRight to resurrect its usual cocktail of ugly conspiracism

🔑 https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/2024/01/09/its-striking-how-brazen-and-open-the-incitement-against-irish-jews-has-become/

Fintan O'Toole: Gemma O’Doherty’s The Irish Light comes unbidden through my letterbox

Hatred of Jews is not a ‘response’ to Israeli violence, but the mass killing of Palestinian civilians creates a space in which it can show itself in all its naked savagery

The Irish Times

Martin Nutty Jan 19, 2024

16) There has been much talk in #Germany's media about a recent meeting held by #FarRight politicos in Postdam

Attendees had the oportunity to listen to the musings of Martin Sellner, an #Austrian politician, who provided his thoughts on mass deportation and the need for "remigration"

Because, you now #fascism worked so well the first time under Hitler

#ExtremeRight #EUPolitics #Politics

https://www.dw.com/en/german-remigration-debate-fuels-push-to-ban-far-right-afd/a-67965896

German 'remigration' debate fuels push to ban far-right AfD

Far-right groups in Germany reportedly have a plan for the mass deportation of millions of citizens. Lawmakers from the far-right Alternative for Germany party are implicated.

Deutsche Welle

Martin Nutty Jan 19, 2024

17) You can read the full report here from @correctiv_org, a German nonprofit investigative journalism who broke the #Potsdam story

#FarRight #Germany #EUPolitics #Politics
https://correctiv.org/en/top-stories/2024/01/15/secret-plan-against-germany/

Secret plan against Germany

This article is also available in Turkish, Arabic and German. Versions in French and Russian can be found at partner media sites The Insider and Mediapart. Bit by bit, the brightly lit dining hall of a countryside hotel near Potsdam fills with people. There are about two dozen of them, a mix of AfD members, […]

correctiv.org

Martin Nutty May 11, 2024

18) A few times a year, there’s an article which can shift or clarify my thinking around murky #Geopolitics issues.

Such is the case with the latest from @anneapplebaum who has provided an incisive piece of analysis and a framework explaining the strategy behind the #disinformation campaigns being waged by autocratic governments against Western democracies

Requires reading for those that want to understand the perilous we’re living in

#FarRight #Fascism #Politics

https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2024/06/china-russia-republican-party-relations/678271

Russia and China Are Winning the Propaganda War

Autocrats in China, Russia, and elsewhere are now making common cause with MAGA Republicans to discredit liberalism and freedom around the world.

The Atlantic

Martin Nutty Mar 14, 2024

16) Good to see that the #Netherlands politicans have scuttled #GeertWilders chance to become #Holland's next Prime Minister

In a multi party #democracy where coalition building and consensus building are required, the retrograde #politics of the #FarRight narrow power possibilities for bigoted types

#GlobalFarRight #FascistTerm

https://www.politico.eu/article/wilders-wont-be-next-netherlands-prime-minister-he-says/

Wilders abandons pursuit of Netherlands PM job

Coalition talks had reached impasse after other party leaders refused to support far-right election winner as prime minister.

POLITICO

Björn Heile Dec 5, 2023

@mnutty There is something deeply ironic about this too, cos, nasty and unpleasant though those riots were, how do they compare to the daily reality of mass shootings that Americans have learned to regard as normal and that the right insist is a price worth paying for the 'right to bear arms'?

Martin Nutty Dec 5, 2023

@polarbear

There is a virtue to living in a country where guns are not broadly available. Guns + rage are not a good combination as witnessed in the US

I would also that #Putin and #Musk would certainly like to see a destabilized #Ireland which is likely the most liberal of the Western Democracies. Even though the country is small its citizens are not interested in tugging their forelocks in deference to #garch types.

Ericka Simone Dec 6, 2023

@mnutty don’t fall for it #Ireland. You guys are so much better than us.

Kevin Russell Dec 18, 2023

@mnutty

Its odd that they think they are allowed to call for civil war inside Ireland, without consequence.

There is a long culture of long memories for such willful violence against the Irish.

#Ireland #irlanda #u #eire

Becksy Dec 3, 2023

@mnutty that gives too much credence to the rioters. They didn’t have a political agenda or pent up dissatisfaction. To suggest such is a smear on the thousands of other poor people who have decency and peacefulness in their value system. This was mindless violence, ignorance, racism and thuggery. A minority just looking for an opportunity to let off steam. Egged on by social network influencers who should be thrown in jail for a long time for inciting racial hatred.

@Becksy

I don’t think I impugned poor people anywhere in my comments, nor did I make reference to poverty. My point here is that the reasons behind individual acts of violence are likely manifold. “Thuggery” does not emanate from a vacuum, nor does the drive to “let of steam” come without precedence.

In no way do I think the acts of violence perpetrated should go without legal redress, however if we want to protect democracy and avoid a repetition, causation needs to be addressed

Becksy Dec 3, 2023

@mnutty I agree. But I suspect the underlying causes are already evident including a creeping acceptance of right wing doctrines such as racism and nationalism. This fuelled by social media. The speed of communications today is unprecedented but so is 5he growth of fake news, inaccuracies and irresponsible influencers.

Martin Nutty Dec 4, 2023

@Becksy

There is certainly #FarRight agitation at play with the #DublinRiots.

But would rioting have happened if the no way demagogues’ agitation gad been directed at rich tech companies based in #Dublin

Some are just driven by the opportunity for “agro”

#MastoDaoine

ashtime🍄Dec 4, 2023

@mnutty @Becksy well the responsibility for the rioting lies at the Gardaí as acts of violence, deliquency or hatred are usually not sanctioned. The causes of racism&xenophobia are usually multifaceted, however in this case they're definitely present in the society for quite some time, but until Covid were not actually something publicly acceptable. 1/2

ashtime🍄Dec 4, 2023

@mnutty @Becksy You are forgetting that Eusteuropeans are paid 40-20% less(depending on the job) than anyone else in Ireland, and that Nkencho and that little girl without a medal are not isolated cases. Hate is also fueled by lack of education and proper inclusion, anti-discrimination programmes. Then again, to address these you first have to admit that you have a problem.

Martin Nutty Dec 4, 2023

@ashtime @Becksy

Well I think most pols recognize there is a problem now. Plenty of talk about a step up in enforcement and updating the legal code. That seems appropriate to me. However is that not paired up with addressing the underlying inequality \ disillusionment \ non-participation \ educational deficit issues, then it will only be a matter of time before another explosion

ashtime🍄Dec 4, 2023

@mnutty @Becksy well words don't equal to action necessarily in Ireland. Unfortunately, I already have seen 'fluff' pieces in the media focusing on the 'class' aspect of the riots-some of the main figures are actually quite well off-and not really addressing it more broadly. We already have 3 attacks on immigrants (that is publicly known) since the riots and it was avoided to mention that the victims were not ethnically Irish in most of the outlets.

Becksy Dec 4, 2023

@ashtime @mnutty I’m no expert but personally I feel the riot would not have happened had there not been a stabbing done by a guy mistakenly taken for an immigrant and then fuelled by malicious undesirables on Twitter. It wasn’t caused by poverty, nor anything done by the Guards. It was hooligans letting off steam. Opportunistic. No doubt academics will be looking for reasons for years to come.

kasilas Jan 9, 2024

@Becksy @ashtime @mnutty absolutely, without the real-time fanning of Twitter and, moreover, Tiktok, the "riot" would have been almost unremarkable.

The real-time coverage of what was a "relatively" small riot was insane. It made it seem much larger and over a wider area than it was.

Surely, Ireland must at least defer video uploading and sharing of rioting in Ireland for a couple of hours.

Martin Nutty Jan 9, 2024

@kasilas

The platforms involved, both messaging and social media are not controlled by the Irish government. There was talk about changing Irish law to reflect the ugly reality of this #SocialMedia age. Issuing and then getting all the tech actors to comply with take down notices would be challenging over the short duration of this event. It all unfolded over a few hours

kasilas Jan 9, 2024

@mnutty A near zero effort solution is simply to delay uploads/downloads of new video content from within a certain area during riots.

Of course, those in the know can bypass it, but if you can damp the feedback for most, that is enough. More elegant solutions are also known (e.g., fast-acting bots for sporting copyright policing of fans streaming from stands).

If you removed the safe harbour provisions, i.e. added liability, the tech companies would implement solutions in days.

Martin Nutty Jan 9, 2024

@kasilas

I think you’re likely right. There are those that will complain you’re putting bureaucratic sand in the gears

I’d add that in the Dublin Riots case, messaging apps such as telegram appear to have been used heavily. This was not just a social media phenomenon

Any technical solution would also need to be implemented on messaging platforms

kasilas Jan 9, 2024

@mnutty that's fair, but blocking (possibly end to end encrypted) messaging apps is trickier.

I think the low-lying fruit flow of pausing real-time video sharing is a good start.

Martin Nutty Jan 10, 2024

@kasilas

Frankly I don’t expect to see this kind of regulation coming out of the States but I do think it’s far more likely to emerge in the EU who have a much more skeptical view of tech bro Dom

@ashtime @mnutty arguably the Irish authorities (SF excepted) and media have sensibly tried to play this down. Ireland is regarded as one of the safest countries in the world and Dublin is hugely multicultural. The dreadful events were hopefully one-off and not typical for Dublin. I’m heading up to Dublin this evening. Am I worried about safety? Absolutely not. I’m an immigrant and 50% of my employees are too. We embrace and welcome diversity.

ashtime🍄Dec 5, 2023

@Becksy @mnutty Look, you do you. Everyone has the right to their opinion, that doesn't mean that opinion is a fact. I am glad to hear that you feel safe. I don't think that this is a one-off thing or that the fact the majority of people in Ireland are inclusive will prevent hateful violence or be a comfort to people who are being attacked, racially abused or discriminated against without any consequences for the perpetrators.

@ashtime @mnutty there will be consequences for the perpetrators. Did I say otherwise? Already 100+ are being processed through the criminal justice system. CCTV camera and social media footage is being scoured and dawn raids are happening.

ashtime🍄Dec 5, 2023

@Becksy @mnutty Sorry we crossed wires here, I am not talking about the so called 'rioters', where some promised actions until they come in front of the courts don't mean anything. I am talking about everyday racists/xenophobes-didn't hear that they arrested anyone for the machete attack or racial abuse of trainer nurses in Cork.

@ashtime @mnutty and out of interest where are you located? Nobody on this thread supports racism of facism. Sadly it exists the world over and us enjoying a resurgence. The Irish authorities will deal with it in their own way, which is subtly different to the populist approach in Tory Britain but many would say more effective.

ashtime🍄Dec 5, 2023

@Becksy @mnutty I am not saying that anyone here is supporting it, just pointing out that words and laws are not enough-they have to be applied and our Gradaí are not doing that+politicians are very bad at communicating. I think this also answers your question.

@ashtime @mnutty fair play. I’m not Irish by origin and have seen a lot worse elsewhere but zero tolerance is the only acceptable standard.

karelhavlicek 🇪🇺Dec 13, 2023

@ashtime 🇮🇪 🇨🇿 🇪🇺

Becksy Dec 3, 2023

@mnutty I’ll bet not one of those thugs has visited a soup kitchen or food bank in their lives. Don’t give them oxygen or excuses. They knew exactly what they were doing. It wasn’t protest. It was racism then when the flames were fanned it became an excuse to cause mayhem and steal a pair of new trainers.

@Becksy

Interesting you use of the word “thugs”. I often think, given a bad set of circumstances, that I might have ended on the wrong side of the law - There but for the grace of good fortune go I

Chances are, you know somebody in your life directly or indirectly who has done something terrible because of a bad run of luck or unfortunate circumstances

Might that be the case with some of the #DublinRiot participants? Should we look the other way and simple reduced them to “thugs”?

David Nice Dec 3, 2023

@mnutty Any other way we can read this? I don't sign up to the Irish Times as I wouldn't read it very often. I do read FO'T's articles in the New York Review of Books, where I'm fully paid up even if I don't read the hard copy as often as I should.