... head of European Commission (EC), to Victor Orban, Hungarian PM.

Fair enough, but also Juncker must know that Hungary just flirts with certain un-European ideals such as death penalty - lest they be ousted from the Union.

This will never stand, in the community. As fenno-ugrian, I regret deeply the current state of affairs in Hungary - but also quite dislike the hypocrisy of Jean-Claude.

J-C Juncker went about as the finance minister of Luxembourg to enable European corporate tax evasion scheme for highly profitable companies such as Amazon.

And yet he insisted to become the EC president, after being so disloyal to European tax cohesion.

"Hello to you too, Money Launderer and Tax Evasion Abetter" might have said Orban, be he quick witted. Probably not. ;-)

The death penalty discussion is a fantasy, as Juncker knows it - but the topic of disloyal tax evasion on European scale is an actual fact.

Hence I think Jean-Claude is a hypocritical dick-head, with a full hard-on in fact, in view that him becoming the EC head reduces the credibility of European solidarity, tax cohesion and democracy de facto. Not just in fantasy, as with Orban.

I state this because I am pro EU, btw.

I'm no fan of Junker (the EU's devastating hypocrisy towards Greece suffices for that), but are you sure you have all the required elements on the what-he-meant why-he-said-it how-he-said-it, etc ?

It's a strange quote, but could be uttered in jest with a lot of different background stuff. There is a spectacularly juvenile aspect of interpersonal relationships, in there (lololol), which isn't necessarily a bad thing in itself...

My interpretation is that Juncker was wielding his purportedly "dry wit" - when he hardly had any moral ground to it. This be the man who abetted corporate tax evasion on European scale, possibly still on-going in LUX, while insisting to preside over EC.

In practical terms, I do think that press freedom is in fact compromised in Hungary - but hopefully people are not losing their lives over it, as happens all to often with critical reporting. Meanwhile, I do see the issue that moving out of HU is in practice difficult for free press, due to living standard difference.

But as said, I do not think J-C Juncker has any moral high-ground, in view of his record and the fact that he did not give up his EC president role even when the Lux corporate tax scheme came to light.

My point being: J-C was happy to enable quite severely disloyal things - and now he quips about fantasy ideas, as if he would be qualified.

Let me state again: death penalty will NEVER stand with EU, and this is how it should be. As to J-C Juncker - maybe he should be reflecting on his own un-European deeds, and not necessarily as EC president. Then I would find him, in fact, more qualified to criticize Orban.

And who elected Juncker exactly? Some nerve to be calling someone a dictator.

Oh, there is the video record. And not too sorry to say I am quite willing to think this is in character.

In view that he actually did not do the EU the greater favour of stepping down, when his pan-European morality (over purely local Lux one, which does not after all cover a whole lot of EU) was quite well brought into question.

But HS (Helsingin Sanomat) analyses said at the time: sometimes, maybe, it is best to think it takes one, to know one. In this case, tax fraudsters, and only EU citizens are qualified per default.

I get where you're coming from - and I do agree. The reality is, though, that he is the president of the European Commission and that he has to actually point out these things. Of course, you can just as well accuse him of being a hypocrite, but we won't get someone else in his stead for a while.

You know, this would be a nice opportunity to discuss some realities of political dynamics in Eastern Europe, or Balkans for that matter. A lot of EU hypocrysy there. But since you're more concerned with corporate related hypocrisy...

Calling the legal arrangements tax evasion is misleading. What you have is blatant subsidization of large corporations. Only these are able to structure themselves as having HQ "offshore", so to speak. What's in it for the EU? Obvious: employment and being able to say Europe is high-tech. My opinion is it's misguided policy, but where's the hypocrysy, where's the disloyalty? Only in the fact they can't admit publically these are their goals, as they imply failure, for despite the Lisbon whatever goals, where are the EU born Microsoft, Facebook, Google or Amazon? Crickets...

Now, there's an element specific to Amazon, of consciously not having profits to be taxed. That's called re-investment, and I would assume you have no issue with it, since the pseudo-profits are going into remuneration, infrastructure or RnD rather than stock and dividends. And in case you forgot, there is taxation of investment purchases (it may be offset) and payroll.

Great . Now this forum will be invaded by the lunatic FIDESZ / Orbán cultists . Fuck them .

The European Parliament does.

You thought some guy just decided one day to start calling himself the President of the European Commission?

Really? Oh wait, you're an American, NVM...

Huh? What are you Europeans up to? I haven't been able to keep up with you guys lately because all of this FREEDOM has been keeping me busy here in MURICA. B)

What freedom ? The one that controlled by FBI or the one that controlled by CIA ? Or the one that controlled by giant companies ?

The one not controlled by a dictator. ;>

* laughs * False dream . Time to wake up . The US president is a puppet . Try to find out who's pulling the strings .

The Telegraph

16 April 2014

The US is an oligarchy, study concludes

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/10769041/The-US-is-an-oligarchy-study-concludes.html