In an early draft, the Health Minister wanted to apply the 3G Rule to grocery stores and pharmacies, thereby bringing back dark memories of exclusion of 'certain groups' from public life
In other words, your governement is so far down the rabbit hole thay have to keep going, because any turn, any hesitation or doubt will open the floodgates for lawsuits and processess regarding the legality, constitutionality and necessity of all measurse taken these two years.
Because when politicians of disparate and different parties all defend the same policy it means they are either equally to blame for it, or make profit from, or both.
If they keep going at this rate, they'll have to unperson all of Sweden and Norway, possibly Finland and Denmark as well. Covid is a non-factor, it simply doesn't exist. And I don't mean in media, but in health care: if yoy cal a hospital or clinic, they ask the standard questions about fever, coughing fits, diarrhea and vomiting, which they pretty much always do anyway, seeing as person having such symptons can't use the main entrances and passageways.
Sure, there are diehards going around with masks and frantically demanding that the be given boosters every other week, but there's never been any shortage of neurotics, have there?
Do they use lead pipes for the water in your nation's parliament, perhaps?
'Because when politicians of disparate and different parties all defend the same policy it means they are either equally to blame for it, or make profit from, or both.'
My wife and I often speak about this issue, and while I maintain the evil-ness of the WEF, Big Pharma et al. (which my wife clearly sees, too), she usually insists that the politicians running the show are more stupid than evil. Of course, this doesn't discount the fact that they are doing evil things, but the main driving force is--stupidity and myopia. I fear both you and my wife are very much correct about this.
I'd add that the one thing these 'politicians' actually understand is the consequence of their actions, i.e., electoral defeat. Hence, in order to stay in or at least near (enough) the public trough, they all must keep going.
Interestingly, it might be that all matters 'Covid-19' are driving people nuts, for the following happened with respect to Mr. Zelensky addressing (for whatever reason) the Austrian parliament: both the Social Democrats and NEOS (small libertarian outlet) were opposed to this virtue-signalling exercise, so it didn't happen (so far). This suggests that 'even' the current two-minute hate-fast of the day isn't as uniformly supported by the spineless critters in parliament, at least not to the same degree as all matters 'Covd-19'.
I know about Scandinavia's approach, and I greatly 'enjoy' it, in particular with the heavy-handed measures meted out in Central Europe. Even though some (originally) German acquaintances stopped talking to us when they learned we're all a bit 'heretical' on the notion of all things Covid-19 (weird, but then again, I don't need to be friends with simply anyone), it shows that the propaganda works perhaps best on an individual level to pressurise people to conform.
In other words, it's the perfect tool for our thoroughly individualised and 'wokefied' present: whatever the mandates, it's about personal feelings (works the same with all matters Russian, by the way). Eugyppius wrote about this on his (I presume) Substack recently, about German opinion-leaders who kinda stated that mask mandates should stay, for otherwise those who continue to mask might feel like the neurotics you describe them above.
Re the lead pipes: maybe, but they're currently refurbishing the building. PVC pipes have different problems associated with them, mainly a shitload of toxic chemicals, incl. BPA, which is very problematic from the point of view of one's hormonal disposition. Copper pipes appear best, but the raw material is very expensive…
Electoral defeat is the only danger to modern politicians, if we disregard "lone gunmen".
Stupidity is to be preferred if the person is also what you say evil. I tend to disregard the notions of good and evil in the Manichean way they are oftne used, without resorting to realtivism or hiding behind the childish notion of nihilism, the latter sorely misunderstood as to mean "as all values are arbitrary, no values are real and therefore no values exist" (which is the same fallacy the relativists use too). What both of them were supposed to mean when they were new and revolutionary concepts in european thought, was "If no values are given by an external force - god(s) - and no such external umpire or judge of human action exists, it falls upon us humans both as group and individual to create, uphold and give meaning to any value we want to have or remove".
"I do this, it is my will become action, and I am the arbiter of said action." not "God/the party/the science/tradition wills me to act like this, thus it's not my choice and therefore not my fault".
Small wonder those resorting to relativism and nihilism balks at that.
But yes, I think they will use mandates to validate using manates, not even perceiving the issue. Sort of the US endless meddling in the ME; you'd think they'd learn from the french and the british empires...
Speaking of Scandinavia, I have noticed an increased influx of people from the Netherlands, Germany and Austria in the parts of Sweden adjoining Norway. Houses are cheap, villages are small, land is cheap and the communal spirit is strong, and the only African and ME migrants you meet are either fully assimilated (often second or third generaion) or congregating in the major municipal town, due to social services being centered there. In the closest village to me, we now have one family from the Netherlands, two from Germany, and one austrian. Next village over is the same, including an australian couple of all things.
What really floored me was when the austrian lady remarked that they chose Sweden because ofour greater freedom. Tha, uhm, that is most empathically not how we think of ourselves. Culture shock for me. She was amazed that she could have goats and sheep and rabbits and chickens without any paperwork, as long as it was all for their own consumption and not sale. Is the control really that tight, that you must register animalseven when it's not acommercial venture?
If so, yikes. I'd never thought I'd see the day when central or western europeans consider us having greater freedom.
Ha, with respect to the latter aspect: yes, there's all kinds of regulations, rules, guidelines, etc. Having grown up in Austria, lived for a decade in Switzerland, and now here up North, I feel somewhat 'competent' to address this issue, however briefly:
First of all, cities and towns are typically larger in Austria (not so much in Switzerland), hence some of the federal and municipal laws and regulations forbidding the keeping of (small) livestock are justified--and justifiable--by sanitary considerations etc. Consider further the fact that Austria in particular (c. 84,000 km2) is much smaller and has about 9m inhabitants, most of whom live within 2 hours driving time of Vienna; population density plays a huge role in perceptions as well as zoning laws.
Second, the notion of 'freedom': I'd concur with that Austrian acquaintance of yours, but this might also be a function of how the (more recent) past distorts the human mind (memory) over time. Think--the past two years of Covid insanities in Central Europe, which perhaps contributes to rendering the comparatively sane North 'much more free' by comparison, which I think is spot-on.
Third, if you'd like to compare tax rates, too, well, what shall I say: top marginal tax rates in Austria (and Germany, for that matter) are 50% on income, and if you now think that only a few people such as high-powered lawyers (like my elder brother) would be in that bracket--think again: my mother-in-law (who was a nurse) was in that category, as were my parents (high school teachers). The average tax pressure on Austrians an Germans is in the range of 42-43%. By comparison, income taxes in Norway for the upper middle-class segment such as university professors (like myself) are 32%, but that may partially also be a function of social welfare provisions in Central Europe (where the annual gross salary is paid out in 14 instalments, as opposed to 12 over in Norway), which results in lower monthly wages in the former as opposed to the latter.
Also, upon second thought, I don't consider the current Austrian government 'my' government, by the way. Sure, call me out for hair-splitting here, but I didn't vote for either of these two parties, and the way they behave, it's certainly anything but the people that are on their minds.
Oh I know just the feeling. In the legalistic sense, mrs Andersson is most definitely my prime minister (or statsminister as it is in swedish), but in reality? I honestly can't say if I would help her if she was drowning, the bile runs that thick.
Fair point, which is also to say that I don't know.
I mean, sure, the WEF crew looks pretty much like Mr. Blofeld or the like, very much cartoon-ish (doesn't mean I don't take them seriously), but I am unsure as to 'vanity' and short-sightedness of the political caste is enough to explain the 'why'.
I have the feeling that most Austrians don‘t care about the rules anymore. Everybody is fed up, nearly everybody is tested positive now, especially the triple vaxxed. We know that the whole world is opening or has already opened and therefore the political farce is seen by everybody - except the Branch Covidians. We know that our politicians are highly corrupt, we know that this is only done in order to make sure that the testing companies get their fair share before going to hell in the end. But for me it‘s so crazy and alarming to see that - although we know - people still play along. „Ah, I am already used to wearing a mask, I don’t care.“ „But I was talking to a positively tested colleague yesterday therefore I‘d better wear a mask for some days in order to protect others.“ Aaaah, excuse me, but FFP2 masks are dust masks and don’t protect against viruses! „No, I don’t believe you, they DO protect at least a bit.“
Most people seem to like to play along. But I am not sure if they wouldn’t throw the masks in the garbage if the regime would end all mask mandates by tomorrow. I guess that about 20 % of people are so scared that they would keep wearing FFP2 for a long time but the majority would end this farce happily. I hope, at least. I don’t know…. I guess after Easter this whole shitshow will come to an end, nevertheless. Even in Austria and in Germany. Not sure about Vienna, though 🤣…
Please don’t consider visiting Vienna this year, it‘s a shithole (excuse my language today 😅). It had been the most livable city in the world in the last years (1st or 2nd place) but has sunk to 12th position in 2021 (Economist ranking). This says a lot, I guess…
In other words, your governement is so far down the rabbit hole thay have to keep going, because any turn, any hesitation or doubt will open the floodgates for lawsuits and processess regarding the legality, constitutionality and necessity of all measurse taken these two years.
Because when politicians of disparate and different parties all defend the same policy it means they are either equally to blame for it, or make profit from, or both.
If they keep going at this rate, they'll have to unperson all of Sweden and Norway, possibly Finland and Denmark as well. Covid is a non-factor, it simply doesn't exist. And I don't mean in media, but in health care: if yoy cal a hospital or clinic, they ask the standard questions about fever, coughing fits, diarrhea and vomiting, which they pretty much always do anyway, seeing as person having such symptons can't use the main entrances and passageways.
Sure, there are diehards going around with masks and frantically demanding that the be given boosters every other week, but there's never been any shortage of neurotics, have there?
Do they use lead pipes for the water in your nation's parliament, perhaps?
It appears that way, doesn't it?
'Because when politicians of disparate and different parties all defend the same policy it means they are either equally to blame for it, or make profit from, or both.'
My wife and I often speak about this issue, and while I maintain the evil-ness of the WEF, Big Pharma et al. (which my wife clearly sees, too), she usually insists that the politicians running the show are more stupid than evil. Of course, this doesn't discount the fact that they are doing evil things, but the main driving force is--stupidity and myopia. I fear both you and my wife are very much correct about this.
I'd add that the one thing these 'politicians' actually understand is the consequence of their actions, i.e., electoral defeat. Hence, in order to stay in or at least near (enough) the public trough, they all must keep going.
Interestingly, it might be that all matters 'Covid-19' are driving people nuts, for the following happened with respect to Mr. Zelensky addressing (for whatever reason) the Austrian parliament: both the Social Democrats and NEOS (small libertarian outlet) were opposed to this virtue-signalling exercise, so it didn't happen (so far). This suggests that 'even' the current two-minute hate-fast of the day isn't as uniformly supported by the spineless critters in parliament, at least not to the same degree as all matters 'Covd-19'.
I know about Scandinavia's approach, and I greatly 'enjoy' it, in particular with the heavy-handed measures meted out in Central Europe. Even though some (originally) German acquaintances stopped talking to us when they learned we're all a bit 'heretical' on the notion of all things Covid-19 (weird, but then again, I don't need to be friends with simply anyone), it shows that the propaganda works perhaps best on an individual level to pressurise people to conform.
In other words, it's the perfect tool for our thoroughly individualised and 'wokefied' present: whatever the mandates, it's about personal feelings (works the same with all matters Russian, by the way). Eugyppius wrote about this on his (I presume) Substack recently, about German opinion-leaders who kinda stated that mask mandates should stay, for otherwise those who continue to mask might feel like the neurotics you describe them above.
Re the lead pipes: maybe, but they're currently refurbishing the building. PVC pipes have different problems associated with them, mainly a shitload of toxic chemicals, incl. BPA, which is very problematic from the point of view of one's hormonal disposition. Copper pipes appear best, but the raw material is very expensive…
Electoral defeat is the only danger to modern politicians, if we disregard "lone gunmen".
Stupidity is to be preferred if the person is also what you say evil. I tend to disregard the notions of good and evil in the Manichean way they are oftne used, without resorting to realtivism or hiding behind the childish notion of nihilism, the latter sorely misunderstood as to mean "as all values are arbitrary, no values are real and therefore no values exist" (which is the same fallacy the relativists use too). What both of them were supposed to mean when they were new and revolutionary concepts in european thought, was "If no values are given by an external force - god(s) - and no such external umpire or judge of human action exists, it falls upon us humans both as group and individual to create, uphold and give meaning to any value we want to have or remove".
"I do this, it is my will become action, and I am the arbiter of said action." not "God/the party/the science/tradition wills me to act like this, thus it's not my choice and therefore not my fault".
Small wonder those resorting to relativism and nihilism balks at that.
But yes, I think they will use mandates to validate using manates, not even perceiving the issue. Sort of the US endless meddling in the ME; you'd think they'd learn from the french and the british empires...
Speaking of Scandinavia, I have noticed an increased influx of people from the Netherlands, Germany and Austria in the parts of Sweden adjoining Norway. Houses are cheap, villages are small, land is cheap and the communal spirit is strong, and the only African and ME migrants you meet are either fully assimilated (often second or third generaion) or congregating in the major municipal town, due to social services being centered there. In the closest village to me, we now have one family from the Netherlands, two from Germany, and one austrian. Next village over is the same, including an australian couple of all things.
What really floored me was when the austrian lady remarked that they chose Sweden because ofour greater freedom. Tha, uhm, that is most empathically not how we think of ourselves. Culture shock for me. She was amazed that she could have goats and sheep and rabbits and chickens without any paperwork, as long as it was all for their own consumption and not sale. Is the control really that tight, that you must register animalseven when it's not acommercial venture?
If so, yikes. I'd never thought I'd see the day when central or western europeans consider us having greater freedom.
Ha, with respect to the latter aspect: yes, there's all kinds of regulations, rules, guidelines, etc. Having grown up in Austria, lived for a decade in Switzerland, and now here up North, I feel somewhat 'competent' to address this issue, however briefly:
First of all, cities and towns are typically larger in Austria (not so much in Switzerland), hence some of the federal and municipal laws and regulations forbidding the keeping of (small) livestock are justified--and justifiable--by sanitary considerations etc. Consider further the fact that Austria in particular (c. 84,000 km2) is much smaller and has about 9m inhabitants, most of whom live within 2 hours driving time of Vienna; population density plays a huge role in perceptions as well as zoning laws.
Second, the notion of 'freedom': I'd concur with that Austrian acquaintance of yours, but this might also be a function of how the (more recent) past distorts the human mind (memory) over time. Think--the past two years of Covid insanities in Central Europe, which perhaps contributes to rendering the comparatively sane North 'much more free' by comparison, which I think is spot-on.
Third, if you'd like to compare tax rates, too, well, what shall I say: top marginal tax rates in Austria (and Germany, for that matter) are 50% on income, and if you now think that only a few people such as high-powered lawyers (like my elder brother) would be in that bracket--think again: my mother-in-law (who was a nurse) was in that category, as were my parents (high school teachers). The average tax pressure on Austrians an Germans is in the range of 42-43%. By comparison, income taxes in Norway for the upper middle-class segment such as university professors (like myself) are 32%, but that may partially also be a function of social welfare provisions in Central Europe (where the annual gross salary is paid out in 14 instalments, as opposed to 12 over in Norway), which results in lower monthly wages in the former as opposed to the latter.
Also, upon second thought, I don't consider the current Austrian government 'my' government, by the way. Sure, call me out for hair-splitting here, but I didn't vote for either of these two parties, and the way they behave, it's certainly anything but the people that are on their minds.
Oh I know just the feeling. In the legalistic sense, mrs Andersson is most definitely my prime minister (or statsminister as it is in swedish), but in reality? I honestly can't say if I would help her if she was drowning, the bile runs that thick.
Austria’s Health Minister Johannes Rauch and his Satanist Green Party (and ÖVP, I guess) should be declared non grata in every decent country. it's starting to happen to Canada's evil puppet: https://rumble.com/vyb8ec-justin-trudeau-humiliated-and-called-a-dictator-in-eu-parliament.html
Judging by the look on Mr. Trudeau's face, he clearly didn't expect *that* reaction.
Incidentally, I wrote about this way back in November, if you're interested:
https://fackel.substack.com/p/make-austria-a-pariah-again
Thank you, Henrik, for bringing this up!
mr. roaches is bucking the trend ... yeah well, surely he got his marching orders from somewhere. wonder why though ...
Fair point, which is also to say that I don't know.
I mean, sure, the WEF crew looks pretty much like Mr. Blofeld or the like, very much cartoon-ish (doesn't mean I don't take them seriously), but I am unsure as to 'vanity' and short-sightedness of the political caste is enough to explain the 'why'.
Let's wait for a better weather then we should march against all Ministers, as the Austria one, in EU there are many I tell you!
I don't think we the people should wait for better weather. Time is of the essence.
The longer these absurd things are in place, the harder they are to get rid off.
I have the feeling that most Austrians don‘t care about the rules anymore. Everybody is fed up, nearly everybody is tested positive now, especially the triple vaxxed. We know that the whole world is opening or has already opened and therefore the political farce is seen by everybody - except the Branch Covidians. We know that our politicians are highly corrupt, we know that this is only done in order to make sure that the testing companies get their fair share before going to hell in the end. But for me it‘s so crazy and alarming to see that - although we know - people still play along. „Ah, I am already used to wearing a mask, I don’t care.“ „But I was talking to a positively tested colleague yesterday therefore I‘d better wear a mask for some days in order to protect others.“ Aaaah, excuse me, but FFP2 masks are dust masks and don’t protect against viruses! „No, I don’t believe you, they DO protect at least a bit.“
Most people seem to like to play along. But I am not sure if they wouldn’t throw the masks in the garbage if the regime would end all mask mandates by tomorrow. I guess that about 20 % of people are so scared that they would keep wearing FFP2 for a long time but the majority would end this farce happily. I hope, at least. I don’t know…. I guess after Easter this whole shitshow will come to an end, nevertheless. Even in Austria and in Germany. Not sure about Vienna, though 🤣…
Please don’t consider visiting Vienna this year, it‘s a shithole (excuse my language today 😅). It had been the most livable city in the world in the last years (1st or 2nd place) but has sunk to 12th position in 2021 (Economist ranking). This says a lot, I guess…