EU already absorbed Switzerland in this pic despite them not wanting it, so there’s that.
Undid Brexit too already
No Iceland either 😔
Or Canada.
What? That hasn’t happened yet? Oh, sorry. That’s the problem with being from the, er, can’t say. Temporal prime directive and all that.
Switzerland is 100% dependent on the EU.
That’s not true.
They are completely landlocked by the EU and their Airspace.
Also most of their imports/exports go there.
They don’t even farm enough to sustain themselves. So yes, obviously it’s true
Landlocked does not mean dependent.
They also are not completely dependent which 100% means.
Last time I looked into imports and exports of countries Switserland was around 50-60%.
Of course it does mean that.
If the EU wants, they can fuck up Switzerland quite badly.
All they have to do is to close the borders and airspace.
The claim was “100% dependent” which is extremely incorrect.
Not a single country in the world is 100% dependent.
Furthermore, the threat of an attack does not imply dependence.
That phrasing was obviously hyperbole, since 100% dependence isn’t even a well-defined statement (you can not assign a simple percentage to degree of dependence). Using it as a point to argue against is misguided at best, disingenuous at worst. You should read it as “it is definitely dependent [to a high degree]” rather than “it is entirely dependent”.
The top US export is oil.
If you want to do something, wean yourself off oil. Big push for solar, wind, and anything else that doesn’t rely on digging up bits of dinosaurs.
Electric vehicles, public transport, bikes, walking.
And as an added bonus, the world gets a little cleaner. Might be important, you know.
> In 2023, renewable energy represented 24.5% of energy consumed in the EU, up from 23.0% in 2022.
They’re working on it a lot faster than (most of) the rest of the world!
In 2022, renewable energy sources contributed 31% of the electricity used in Texas. Fucking Texas.
Get those numbers up. Those are rookie numbers.
The insane thing is that renewables has been increasingly more cost efficient and more ROI than fossils for a long time, especially in places like Texas. Wind and sun for days. Investments in tech and production pay off big time, and obviously keep paying off long-term.
It is just oil subsidies and profiteering holding almost all of society back for decades. But things can change.
One of the ironies of the Texas electricity grid - ERCOT - is how it accidentally created huge incentives for new solar and wind energy by trying to prop up the natural gas markets.
ERCOT operates via an auction system, wherein the electricity carriers put in bids for GWhs and producers meet those bids. When demand is low, electricity is very cheap - $10-25 MWh. But it rise rapidly during a heat wave, peaking at $3000 MWh in some instances. Gas plants don’t have any incentive to sell onto the grid at this point, so they turn themselves off until the price rises. But when a bunch of gas plants operate as a cartel, they can coordinate when they release electricity and drive up the price.
The problem is that the auction price is set on the last GWh sold but it applies to the entire sale of energy for the auction cycle. So if you’re selling continuously across the day, you can accidentally trip into a ahem windfall when gas producers surge the price.
Because green producers can’t really control how much they put out onto the grid, they’re at the mercy of the market. But if they know, in advance, that the gas companies are going to fuck with things, they can anticipate enormous profits during these strategic moments. And because wind/solar don’t need a supply chain like gas does, you can just keep building and building and building wherever you find opportune spots for harvesting (which Texas has in spades).
So the gas companies inadvertently kicked off a green energy boom by their periodic price spike scheme.
Renewable energy development being rapidly accelerated by gas companies price gouging with artificial scarcity… thereby causing Texas to move toward a post-scarcity energy economy… magnificent. What a strange world.
Don’t worry Texas is going to fix that. They’re getting ready to pass a bunch of laws that limit renewable energy usage in Texas.
They’ve been making a lot of threats. But there’s a ton of money in renewables, too. It’s a hard lift
It’s way more than just threats. They’re already passing legislation.
https://pv-magazine-usa.com/2025/04/16/texas-senate-passes-anti-solar-wind-bill/
The Senate passes a lot of bugnuts bills. Watch the House calendar if you want to see what has a chance of actually passing. It took Abbott nearly a decade to get his watered down voucher bill through, in large part because the calendars committee guy hated the idea and would book the legislation at the tail of every session.
This is what I always have to bring up when people go “bUt cHInA!”. So what? Energy independence is valuable and should be pushed for.
The almighty Nordic cock and balls
Norway should really check a doctor
Dang! Cannot unsee anymore
I can’t unsee Putin screaming at Poland at the balcans, seeing both goes together quite nicely
Why is the forsaken UK still on the map ?
'cause we know this relationship has its ups and downs but isn’t over yet
Right, like the UK is a sibling that you hated growing up, but as adults it’s not so bad and you know you’re going to be friends again once they go through their binge drinking phase.
Not only EU beurocrats are slow to process informations 😖
Data from the general population https://github.com/twosheds2/wiki-eugraph
Still too close. The mistake of Brexit was taking such an important decision based on a slim majority, you need at least an absolute majority, 66%.
I would put it more that there should have been an agreement on what Brexit would be pursued. The pro-Brexit camp promoted all forms of Brexit while there wasn’t a good idea on how Brexit would be implemented.
The UK still hasn’t solved the trilemma.
Interesting. Are those poll results sampled amongst the general population, or something more specific like from the parliament ?
Our island is full of idiots but I swear we can make this up to you
The continent is full of idiots too. Their are no reasons for us to feel superior about this on this side of the pond.
France, Germany and Italy are giving it a good go too. I think our position on Ukraine has made the UK a lot of friends in Europe. That and voting out the Tories.
Switzerland and Liechtenstein are also not member states, and Estonia’s islands are not shown.
Scotland has islands on this map, but in a really weird way: all of the five biggest ones are missing, and I’m 95% sure that one of the two depicted is actually a peninsula that the map has chopped off from the mainland
Alternatively we can just assume Norway took the islands back
They bothered to remove the non-EU Balkan states and Norway, but filled up Switzerland. This map is just terrible.
Waiting for the George Costanza move
Weird map. The non-Union Balkan states and Norway are cut out, but Switzerland is filled in.
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fuk switzerland, free riding mfers
Some of you European federalists seem keen to annex and rule to ensure a full and strong federation.
Switzerland spends a fraction of what their neighbors do on defense as a portion of GDP, which they get to do because of the benevolence of those neighbors. They’re “neutral” because they know that their neighbors are peaceful which they take full advantage of while contributing nothing. Of course their neutrality also conveniently allows them to harbor the money of the worst people and regimes in the world, going all the way back to Nazi Germany.
they’re not really the neutral banking country anymore. a lot of the money fled after they started freezing Russian accounts following the Ukraine invasion.
Which is why you would want the EU to enter undeclared war on Switzerland, invading the country and replacing their local government, killing and arresting anyone who would resist.
We have too many traitors like Orban in the EU. The work against us.
Economically and culturally, Europe is already a superpower. Militarily it isn’t, and maybe that’s not a terrible thing. Politically, it just seems to have a bias for moving slowly and by consensus, although it responded quickly to COVID and the assault on Ukraine, so it can do what’s needed?
Militarily it isn’t
Tell that to Libya, French colonies, etc.
Europe still has more than enough military to continue murdering people with darker skin.
Unite, but first, launch Orban into space, one-way-ticket kind-of way.
Get this, there’s already a thing called the European Union - almost like we’re already pretty united! :)
I don’t really think further unification is the goal here.
USA misunderstand that European State are nowhere similar to US states. If you expect Germany France and Poland to go federal and have common institution for security defense etc… let me tell you it will not happen, we were at war 80 years ago and we’re not even having the same language. Ain’t no way do I’m trusting anybody else than France to represent and defend France
We are not truly united, not yet. The shadow from the east seeks to divide us and corrupt us. Only together we can face it. So sharpen your weapons and train your body because before long we will have to defend our way of life.
The Enemy is already trying to damage our morale. He wants to leave us divided, indecisive, feeble. If we show to be united and determined we will end this war before it comes to our door
Europa is too pure and regulated to be hegemony.
Do you think the US became a superpower by being kind and egalitarian and taking it slow? Nah, they came out the gate swinging, uppercut to Hiroshima and a roundhouse to Nagasaki, and it only got worse from there. They watched the old European powers withering under the weight of colonialism and insurrection in Indochina and southeast Asia and said “I’ll have a piece of that”.
You don’t become Hegemon by standardizing power grids and phasing out coal. You become Hegemon by selling your soul to the MIC, spinning up black site torture rooms in countries most people don’t even know the names of, funnelling guns and drugs to everyone who will take them, and bringing a fucking bandolier of hand grenades to every knife fight.
Maybe Europe doesn’t need to be a hegemony. Maybe instead Europe should just be a self-reliant world power, capable of standing up for itself against other large powers like the US, China, and Russia.
capable of standing up for itself against other large powers like the US, China, and Russia.
To do that, it needs to consolidate power in some way, a way to compile all resources of united/allied countries and leverage them against other powers. IE: they would need to be hegemonic in the exercises of power necessary to maintain control.
People are repulsed by the word “hegemony” because it’s scary and often used to describe authoritarians, but we literally need to get to a single-world-government as soon as possible to secure our survival as a species. The problem is right now if we set that up, the cretins of the world would vote the very worst people to lead that world-government because the very worst people keep shoving propaganda up the asses of our most stupid people and we keep letting them.
Fair enough. I just googled the meaning of “hegemony” and it said “leadership or dominance, especially by one state or social group over others”. So what I mean is that Europe doesn’t necessarily need to be dominant in the world, but it should be able to stand up for itself.
we literally need to get to a single-world-government as soon as possible to secure our survival as a species
I’ve thought about that a little bit. Perhaps such a government could help resolve disputes. It could perhaps prevent terrible wars like those in Gaza, Ukraine, and Sudan. Maybe a single world government will happen at some point, in the distant future.
We would need to get to a post-scarcity civilization first. Something we could actually do if we all decided collectively we wanted it more than our immediate rewards and if we had guidance in that direction and leadership that also wanted it.
So yeah, probably a thousand years from now when AI runs the planet or when we’re all dead and the apes and robots can make utopia.
It has a lot more to do with humans being humans universally, everywhere you go, and people are as vulnerable to Putin’s and other wealthy crime lord’s tactics in Europe as they are in fucking Crimea or Venezuela, it’s just that people broadly think themselves too immune to social messaging to ever vote against their own best interest.
Such as dissolving the largest economic and social union Europe and maybe the world has ever seen just because enough people saw scary stories on TV about what would happen if they didn’t vote for Brexit.
A “world order” is literally the thing we need most to secure our future, and it’s the one thing individual people are most scared of, because the people who want to retain power are doing everything they can, without limits, to preserve that power and sow fear in every dumbass out there with a TV or computer.
It’s hard to get them to agree on anything let alone actually coordinate real world actions together. You are going to be waiting a long time.
Sadly a lot of MEPs are in cahoots with Russia and hell bent on destroying the EU.
Cahoots is a strong word. They’re all ethnic nationalists who sympathize with the wave of anti-Muslim hysteria echoing through the continent.
But when push comes to shove, they’ll start shooting at one another over the border happily enough.
or they just like money and power and ride the racism wave
Part of the problem is that - between mass media and the industrial exploitation of foreign workers - there’s enormous profit to be made in bigoted social policies.
The money feeds the media cycle. The media cycle generates economic growth for misery profiteers. You can blame this on The Russians if you like, as United Russia has cemented itself in the foundation of this cycle of misery. But (until very recently and even then still kinda) they’re bound up in the same web of systematized ethnic-nationalism as their neighbors.
The Saudis, the Turks, the Italians, the Israelis… vast economic empires are predicated on the profitability of hate.
I
generallyagree yes. I would go so far as to say that most people in politics be them conservative like or democrat like are in politics for the seat. Sure their perspective may vaguely align with their party but most will jump ships without reservations if their seat is in jeopardy. The very few who are in really to defend their ideals or democracy, it is harder for them to go far if their ideals don’t align well with power and deception both of which are currently entrenched in politics in many countries like Russia, Turkey, USA etc etc. And you said yourself actors with money also interject into this to make the relation between money/power and politics are self feeding cycle so that those without are forced to remain outside mostly.
At least for the Dutch alt-right party Forum voor Democratie there’s definite proof that they get money from Russia
Henk Otten is a multi millionaire who made his mint as an apparatchik of Dutch finance capital. I’m sure you can draw lines back to a dozen different countries in the region, but these calls are coming from inside the house.
Might as well claim Jaime Diamon or David Solomon is a Russian foreign agent.
No, it isn’t a strong word at all. They are literally being paid by Putin. They exploit racism and bigotry, right wing populism, in their campaigns, but they aren’t necessarily doing that out of personal conviction.
Being a superpower means making decisions. The EU has problems with that: EU’s responses to anything are too slow and too weak. Deep concerns isn’t a language of power.
The inefficiency of democracy is not a flaw, it’s a fundamental feature
I would say it is more of a tradeoff. Being able to quickly make decisions is nice. But I rather have a strong and democratic parliament than a president as powerful as a medieval monarch.
Double-edged sword, as it were.
I recognise you’re just expressing frustration towards current affairs – a frustration I often share, but:
Decisions require a mandate and the reason the EU has problems making decisions about some things is that it wasn’t designed to address them in the first place.
It’s simply a slightly over-grown trading union with occasional federalist aspirations.
Responding to tariffs - fast and coordinated.
Responding to external military threats - scattered and complicated.
Tap for spoiler
As a sidenote: According to John Bolton Trump, at least during his first term, was completely oblivious to how the European Union worked and was somehow also under the impression that Juncker, then president of the European Commission, got to decide the NATO budget. Crazy, right?
That’s why the EU’s response to defense was based on financial instruments.
To become a “superpower” and/or make quick decisions regarding e.g. military threats, it would need to actually become a state-like entity and begin building several bureaucratic arms it currently lacks which doesn’t usually happen overnight. Not to mention establishing actual policies.
Before we get to that stage though, a consensus between member states needs to be formed and all manner of legal documents drafted. Centralising power means less independence for member states which is usually a hard sell. It would likely also require member states to alter their constitutions which could be an incredibly slow process even without resistance from all the respective governments. Not to mention the fact that a popular vote in all member states might be a good idea democracy-wise.
I’m not saying necessarily it’s something we shouldn’t pursue and hey, under extraordinary circumstances even bureaucracy can move quickly but it is a huge deal and moving quickly could also mean skirting around established democratic principles. (Actually iirc European bureaucracy is generally quite efficient as is –contrary to popular belief)
I guess I wrote this in the hopes of fighting disillusionment even though it’s not the core message here. We’ll do what we have to and I’m positive we’ll get to wherever we need to be in order to survive and thrive in this century. It will require patience, nerve and active participation from all of us though.
Last thing I want us to become is like the folks over in the States claiming it’s all already over. (A minority, I hope)
Sorry for the wall of text, I guess I had some stuff pent up.
One thing I remember from the Brexit “debate” was that many viewed the prospect of the EU having an army as a terrible thing that couldn’t be allowed.
“It’s the Germans wanting to re-militarize under a different flag”
Fast-forward 6 years and Russia invaded Ukraine and the mood has certainly shifted on that one.
“Come on Germany. Get those factories going.”
True.
Maybe they need to appoint someone to be in charge, who can make decisions and really get things done.
I like a democratic parliament more. Otherwise we may have a Trump in Europe. I don’t want a singe person as powerful as a medieval monarch to decide over about half a billion people.
Otherwise we may have a Trump in Europe.
You have at least two, and arguably more, right now. Historically you’ve had some real fucking doozies too, people that make Trump look like a school child.
I don’t want a singe person as powerful as a medieval monarch to decide over about half a billion people.
That’s what you’ll get eventually.
Cant tell if youre being sarcastic or not
Always
Or just move their chair-rooted asses a little bit faster? Using modern XXI-century communication means would also be nice. Having a roadmap won’t harm.
I must say that I am prepared to die to defend Europe. It is maybe one of the last causes truly worth fighting for
If even quarter of people feel like me then we cannot be beat, we cannot be defeated. We will meet there on the Vistula river to stand against the darkness
It will only be after my cold dead body that the orcs will destroy this beautiful land. The mountains, the fields, the cities, rivers and forests, the peaceful, good people.
A duty is more fitting word. We ought to protect things that are rare and precious. If everyone simply runs away before aggressor then everything is lost for certain. An orc won’t stop just because you go on your knees and hope they will have mercy. They are not people, they are orcs.
I won’t judge those that won’t be there if the time comes because I understand them perfectly. However, if we all run there will be no one to stop the enemy from destroying our remarkable, precious Europe.
If we just give it up without a fight then we would betray everything we believe in.This isn’t just about land and borders. It is fight for European values against the darkness of Russia. A struggle so our idea of the just, equal and diverse society prevails. We must protect this idea at all costs.
Anyone who is enjoying the accepting queer community and tolerance of Europe should consider to be there if the time comes. This is what we will fight for and die for if needed.
Not because some politician tells us to do it but because there is no other place in the world where people truly can be themselves with dignity and without fear. There is nowhere to run, this is the first and maybe the last place where you can be truly free.
We just have to through the Bell riots and WW3, but then it’s all tea. Earl gray. Hot. From thee
WW3 is scheduled for later this decade
