To me this seems like any other big gov procurment. Which is bad of course but isn’t anything new. And I fail to see how this leads to authoritarinism especially in Europe. We have our own local home grown cliques that capture gov contracts.

because calling it authoritarianism makes it sound big and scary…

what you are describing… which is simply the routine processes that have gone on for 100s of years in governments… isn’t big and scary.

people like this need to look up the Dutch East India company.

that have gone on for 100s of years in governments… isn’t big and scary

When I look back there’s several governments I find scary.

Pointing these things out and running alarm bells is important. That is a systematic recurring problem doesn’t change anything about the problems at hand.

Are you saying “there have been things like this before so we should see it as normal and not do anything about it or point it out”?