Europe of Sovereign Nations will now face a process that could see it stripped of its status as a European political party, losing funding in the process. Far-right MEPs from other groups opposed the decision. #EuropeNews
I would go further, democracy must defend itself. It’s an embarrassing failure to allow anti-democratic parties to gain power through democratic means.
Well, this is democracy undermining itself. Parties with millions of supporters don’t just randomly pop up for no reason. They come about due to real people having real problems.
Banning parties is a good way to become blind to that.
That is just a pragmatic argument, independent of my conviction that every citizen should have a right to equal representation, a right to be heard. No ifs’ and buts’ and no “but not like that” if I find their opinions unpalatable.
It is the same foundation I stand on to assert my own right. I will have my say. If that were taken away, I’d be inclined to tear it all down.
One very angry person can do a lot of damage today. How about the ten million who voted for AFD in the most recent German election? Or maybe just the seventy thousand who are active members? They are surely more extreme than you or I. That’s more people than there are jail cells in Germany right now.
It is definitely far too late for this, it should’ve been done 10 years ago, but better late than never. The cancer should’ve been surgically removed when it was small, now it has grown very large and removing it means losing an arm and half a lung but that’s no reason to give up and let it overtake the rest of the body.
These groups are themselves anti-democratic. Democracy is allowed to defend itself.
I would go further, democracy must defend itself. It’s an embarrassing failure to allow anti-democratic parties to gain power through democratic means.
Well, this is democracy undermining itself. Parties with millions of supporters don’t just randomly pop up for no reason. They come about due to real people having real problems.
Banning parties is a good way to become blind to that.
That is just a pragmatic argument, independent of my conviction that every citizen should have a right to equal representation, a right to be heard. No ifs’ and buts’ and no “but not like that” if I find their opinions unpalatable.
It is the same foundation I stand on to assert my own right. I will have my say. If that were taken away, I’d be inclined to tear it all down.
One very angry person can do a lot of damage today. How about the ten million who voted for AFD in the most recent German election? Or maybe just the seventy thousand who are active members? They are surely more extreme than you or I. That’s more people than there are jail cells in Germany right now.
It is definitely far too late for this, it should’ve been done 10 years ago, but better late than never. The cancer should’ve been surgically removed when it was small, now it has grown very large and removing it means losing an arm and half a lung but that’s no reason to give up and let it overtake the rest of the body.