> 1. In the UK the Scottish National Party gets public money for being in Parliament, yet has the stated goal that the UK should cease to exist. SNP MPs aren't thrown in prison or banned from politics. That's because the UK is a democracy.
SNP is a very particular case in that Scotland is a country, and the UK is a country made up of countries.
Also, Scotland is not trying to abolish the UK, it would still be a United Kingdom of England, Wales, and Northen Ireland.
> 2. 2. Flanders has independence parties that poll highly and take part in regular politics without being banned from Belgian politics.
Again, you are speaking of a portion of a country that desires independence. This is not the same as abolishing the country. Belgium would not cease to exist.
I could bring up movements that desire the separation of Catalonia and Basque Country in Spain too.
> 3. MEPs themselves are frequently arch Euro-nationalists. They get public money and then campaign to effectively abolish the countries they represent, demanding their national governments be replaced by the EU institutions. This is of course not considered illegal.
Replacing national institutions with more EU integration is not trying to abolish the existence of that country. You are extrapolating something there in a weird slippery slope.
> She's been banned from politics entirely and given a prison sentence. That meets the threshold for something being forbidden.
Perhaps she should not have engaged in embezzlement. Good that she was banished. It is important to respect the rules in place, else they become irrelevant and more politicians would feel emboldened to break them.
> It honestly sounds like you'd have been happy with all the other attempts to unite Europe under a single government that happened in the 20th century.
Nice way to try to paint me as a Nazi while you are crying about Le Pen of all people.
Protip, I am not the Nazi in this conversation.
> Not only are you delighted by this clearly despotic move, you think it should be illegal to even be against the EU at all: a purist argument for the EU as totalitarian dictatorship.
EU is far from being totalitarian, and far from being a dictatorship. If it was we wouldn't have to handle Orban being a pain in the ass for every initiative.
In fact, it is so democratic that things move slooooowly, because it needs a lot of consensus for things to move forward. It's a price I agree to pay, even if Orban is the cost for it.
> You should really think about whether that's the place you want to be, philosophically.
I am very much in favor of more EU integration, and I certainly vote for pro EU politiciand and parties for that matter. EU federalization should be the goal for me.
> Especially as frustration over the EU's undemocratic approach was the primary reason the UK left.
SNP is a very particular case in that Scotland is a country, and the UK is a country made up of countries.
Also, Scotland is not trying to abolish the UK, it would still be a United Kingdom of England, Wales, and Northen Ireland.
> 2. 2. Flanders has independence parties that poll highly and take part in regular politics without being banned from Belgian politics.
Again, you are speaking of a portion of a country that desires independence. This is not the same as abolishing the country. Belgium would not cease to exist.
I could bring up movements that desire the separation of Catalonia and Basque Country in Spain too.
> 3. MEPs themselves are frequently arch Euro-nationalists. They get public money and then campaign to effectively abolish the countries they represent, demanding their national governments be replaced by the EU institutions. This is of course not considered illegal.
Replacing national institutions with more EU integration is not trying to abolish the existence of that country. You are extrapolating something there in a weird slippery slope.
> She's been banned from politics entirely and given a prison sentence. That meets the threshold for something being forbidden.
Perhaps she should not have engaged in embezzlement. Good that she was banished. It is important to respect the rules in place, else they become irrelevant and more politicians would feel emboldened to break them.
> It honestly sounds like you'd have been happy with all the other attempts to unite Europe under a single government that happened in the 20th century.
Nice way to try to paint me as a Nazi while you are crying about Le Pen of all people.
Protip, I am not the Nazi in this conversation.
> Not only are you delighted by this clearly despotic move, you think it should be illegal to even be against the EU at all: a purist argument for the EU as totalitarian dictatorship.
EU is far from being totalitarian, and far from being a dictatorship. If it was we wouldn't have to handle Orban being a pain in the ass for every initiative.
In fact, it is so democratic that things move slooooowly, because it needs a lot of consensus for things to move forward. It's a price I agree to pay, even if Orban is the cost for it.
> You should really think about whether that's the place you want to be, philosophically.
I am very much in favor of more EU integration, and I certainly vote for pro EU politiciand and parties for that matter. EU federalization should be the goal for me.
> Especially as frustration over the EU's undemocratic approach was the primary reason the UK left.
And that worked super well for the UK lol.