Pro-democracy rally begins in Algeria, defying ban

[Gerald]

Hundreds of people are holding a pro-democracy rally in Algeria's capital Algiers, defying a government ban.

Scuffles broke out between the protesters and riot police and a number of people were reportedly arrested.

Algeria - like Egypt, Tunisia and other countries in the region - has recently witnessed demonstrations for greater freedoms and better living standards.

Public demonstrations are banned in Algeria because of a state of emergency still in place since 1992.

Heavy police presence

About 200 protesters gathered at Algiers' 1 May Square on Saturday morning.

They chanted "Bouteflika out!" - in reference to the country's President Abdelaziz Bouteflika.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12438015


Note: 12 February 2011 Last updated at 11:36 GMT

[STEED]

UK next, please.

[Gerald]

Originally Posted by STEED

UK next, please.

[goldorak]

Originally Posted by STEED

UK next, please.

Yeah just wait in line. First we have to

• kick out of power Sarko l'americain in France
• Berlusconi and his whores in Italy

Wind of change is needed in europe.

[STEED]

Originally Posted by goldorak

Yeah just wait in line..

As long as its not too long.

[Gerald]

But no, too big wind change, Berlusconi and his whores in Italy driving course, his own race let them be, it will certainly become a movie of it soon

[papa_smurf]

Originally Posted by goldorak

Yeah just wait in line. First we have to

• kick out of power Sarko l'americain in France
• Berlusconi and his whores in Italy

Wind of change is needed in europe.

Thats easy, just send in John "two jags" Prescott

[August]

Originally Posted by goldorak

Wind of change is needed in europe.

Be careful what you wish for.

Egyptians can actually improve their government. Europeans (and Americans) on the other hand really have no direction to go but backwards.

[goldorak]

Originally Posted by August

Be careful what you wish for.

Egyptians can actually improve their government. Europeans (and Americans) on the other hand really have no direction to go but backwards.

What americans need is a true representative democracy (and direct election of the president) with a number of viable political parties.
Not 2 that are for all practical purposes the same.

What europeans need is to forgo all this crazy nonsense of being more like americans (with all due respect to you). We like our welfare state even if we pay much more taxes than you do. We like free (or mostly free) education at all levels. We like a health care system that works. What we don't need is a corporatist state as the US has been for the last 2 decades. What we don't want is the destruction of all those advances that we gained as a civil society for the benefit of a number of corporations and private enterprises.
How do you say, profilts are private, whereas loses are spread over the taxpayers. ****** Greed is destroying american social fabric and it is starting to do the same damage in europe. The Dutch had it all figured out and 4 centuries ago. A pity that warning has gone unheard in the new and old continents.

[DarkFish]

Originally Posted by goldorak

What americans need is a true representative democracy (and direct election of the president) with a number of viable political parties.
Not 2 that are for all practical purposes the same.

What europeans need is to forgo all this crazy nonsense of being more like americans (with all due respect to you). We like our welfare state even if we pay much more taxes than you do. We like free (or mostly free) education at all levels. We like a health care system that works. What we don't need is a corporatist state as the US has been for the last 2 decades. What we don't want is the destruction of all those advances that we gained as a civil society for the benefit of a number of corporations and private enterprises.
How do you say, profilts are private, whereas loses are spread over the taxpayers. This is B U L L S H I T. Greed is destroying american social fabric and it is starting to do the same damage in europe. The Dutch had it all figured out and 4 centuries ago. A pity that warning has gone unheard in the new and old continents.

+1

But no worries. The America of now is on the brink of extinction. America simply doesn't have the necessary innovation. Only a few companies are still developing new technologies, most are just improving old ones. Production is moving to cheaper countries.
It won't be long before there's nothing left.

The world wealth and power will slowly shift to Asia (Japan as technology center, China as production center), with Europe as a good second place. America? Somewhere down below.

Bull**** what I tell you? Just open your eyes. It's happening already.


Also, kinda strange the most socialized and least individualistic country (Japan) is the best in innovation, the average Europe 2nd and the individualistic America 3rd. Is this just by chance?

[Betonov]

Originally Posted by goldorak

What americans need is a true representative democracy (and direct election of the president) with a number of viable political parties.
Not 2 that are for all practical purposes the same.

What europeans need is to forgo all this crazy nonsense of being more like americans (with all due respect to you). We like our welfare state even if we pay much more taxes than you do. We like free (or mostly free) education at all levels. We like a health care system that works. What we don't need is a corporatist state as the US has been for the last 2 decades. What we don't want is the destruction of all those advances that we gained as a civil society for the benefit of a number of corporations and private enterprises.
How do you say, profilts are private, whereas loses are spread over the taxpayers. This is B U L L S H I T. Greed is destroying american social fabric and it is starting to do the same damage in europe. The Dutch had it all figured out and 4 centuries ago. A pity that warning has gone unheard in the new and old continents.

I'd vote for you

[Oberon]

They do say that Democracy is the worst form of government, except for all the others. Once upon a time I would have been the first to shout to bring down the government of the UK, indeed I am often quite delighted to see discontent expressed against our government, however more often than not recently I do begin to ponder just what is the alternative? A military state? Total monarchy? Dictatorship?
Sometimes I think that when people have too much they can forget that they have more than many others. I'm not well off, and I'm lower class, but I am better off than the average Somalian, and even after Dave the chameleon has finished hacking the finances of this country to pieces, I will still be better off than the average Somalian or Zimbabwean. Even when old ladies have to fight crime, I will still be better off than the average African, and I can complain on the internet about my government and not have to use a proxy server or worry about getting a knock on my door at three in the morning, which makes me better off than the average Chinese person.

So, all in all, yes, Dave is useless, but then again there's been a procession of useless leaders for some decades all in it for their benefit and not ours...but would I want to bring down the government? Probably not, because human greed would just put another power hungry man or woman into the top spot for the cycle to begin all over again.

[TLAM Strike]

Originally Posted by Oberon

...however more often than not recently I do begin to ponder just what is the alternative? A military state? Total monarchy? Dictatorship?

Technocracy?

[Oberon]

Originally Posted by TLAM Strike

Technocracy?

Would anything get decided?

[August]

Originally Posted by goldorak

What americans need is a true representative democracy (and direct election of the president) with a number of viable political parties.
Not 2 that are for all practical purposes the same.

Right, like having multiple parties has really improved the quality of European governments.

What europeans need is to forgo all this crazy nonsense of being more like americans (with all due respect to you).

Yes, definitely, I dislike seeing European countries try to remake themselves as little Americas as much as I dislike seeing Americans try to turn us into copies of the countries our ancestors left behind.

But conversely and with all due respect right back atcha, what Europeans need to do is put your own houses in order first before you start dispensing advice to us.

If you're not us then we're not you either, and therefore your political advice, which makes perfect sense to you is nearly always off the mark when it's applied to our form of government.

We'll elect our President as prescribed by our constitution, which BTW is a lot more directly than European equivalents appointed by the ruling party du jour. We'll also have as many political parties as we want and we'll run our society the way we want.

You Europeans should do the same and vive la différence. As strange as it may seem I think being a bit different makes us our cross Atlantic ties stronger than weaker.