cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/1520894
Consumer Choice Center, a libertarian outfit, has advocated against green regulations in the EU without being registered as a lobbying group, DeSmog can reveal.
The US-based organisation – which has links to a network of fossil fuel funded think tanks and advocacy groups – has opposed climate-friendly measures in Europe, such as the phase-out of petrol cars and green farming reforms, despite being removed from the lobby register over a year ago. …
The kinds of rhetoric CCC uses to influence EU policy bears a striking resemblance to the populist rhetoric that was so successful in getting US voters to demand the privatization/dismantling of the public regulatory state. In essence it boils down to arguing that Brussels, like Washington DC, shouldn’t have the power to regulate businesses on behalf of its citizens because it should be left to consumers to make those decisions on their own.
This sort of rhetoric presents itself as being about empowering the individual, but when the individual is then free to choose from options that are harmful to important things like public health or the environment, are they really better-served when consumers making those retail choices in an unregulated business environment causes serious problems? Is that a sufficient reason for non-regulation of polluting industry, or against the right of the EU to regulate business on behalf of its citizenry?
When you consider that populist appeals to rugged individualism and non-regulation have consistently led to markets with glaring externalities and monopolism where they have been applied, it looks very much like when Koch dollars are spent to influence politics it’s entirely an exercise in subverting the ability of nations to regulate business that would much rather not be regulated no matter how harmful its externalities might be.
How do these people live with themselves…
Good ole republican mega donors destroying the world one step at a time.
OP is a China shill. Review his post and comment history. He’s spamming all the news communities with stuff like this.
Does that make the news… False?
Sure, DeSmog isn’t the most well-known site, but EUobserver has also reported in this: https://euobserver.com/eu-political/157247
Is journalism biased because it doesn’t agree with your worldview? That’s one hell of an authoritarian take.
Edit: For context, EUobserver is one of the most influential news sources for EU officials. It’s widely considered to be reputable and fair in its journalism.
Is journalism biased because it doesn’t agree with your worldview? That’s one hell of an authoritarian take.
Really feels like we are in that sort of a world these days where if something comes from someone you don’t like or agree with it must automatically be fake.
The legacy of 2016
It’s not fake but also not relevant. Good news provides context in addition to simple event facts. The best propaganda is based in truth. The intent here is to promote the idea that the West is rotten and corrupt through and through.
They only get these facts because of a transparent society so antiwestern propagandists have always had an easier time supporting that narrative.
Our takeaway should be that they system is working and ensuring that political interest groups are kept in check and transparent within society. Less liberal societies would simply jail them and hide the evidence.
Deleted my reply because you said it perfectly.
Propaganda and strategic narratives is literally my profession. Take everything I say with a grain of salt. Just because I believe it does not mean I’m not being strategic. Educate yourselves. Learn how journalism works. Learn its limitations. Experience the world and try not to take it too seriously.
Sad but true.
I’m not disputing the story. I think knowing the OPs motivation for posting it is useful info.
OP is a China shill. Review his post and comment history
Yips, his user’s descriptiom translated:
“The Maoist uprising against the landlords was the largest and most comprehensive proletarian revolution in history, resulting in the almost complete redistribution of land among the peasants”
But, he forgot to add that Mao did this while forcing tens of millions Chinese farmers into starvation, during the Great Leap Forward.
deleted by creator
is the story OP shared something made up or not credible?
I’m not disputing the story. I think knowing the OPs motivation for posting it is useful info.
I don’t know if that’s true but even if it where, it would be irrelevant.
Ban them or something, us Americans need to fuck off
To me it seemed that the oil industry is not really pushing back on these big changes to green energy (US auto makers all making EVs, giant number of residential solar, etc). But it seems that I am wrong, here they are pushing back.
