this post was submitted on 23 Sep 2025
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59
West sends wrong message with health funding cuts, defense spending increases-Spain's Sanchez (www.reuters.com)
submitted 1 week ago by schizoidman@lemmy.zip to c/europe@feddit.org
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Sanchez said security also required dealing with climate change and global heath.

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[–] Scotty@scribe.disroot.org 8 points 1 week ago

[Sanchez] speaking at a Reuters Newsmaker event during the Gates Foundation's annual Goalkeepers meeting in New York, Sanchez said security also required dealing with climate change and global heath.

I recently made a remark about Reuters, and this is the second time. I used to think of it as a independent media agency, but of late I doubt this is the case any longer. This article's content is just highlighting one of Reuters' own events, and conveying an absurdly biased view as the Russian threat to Europe is not even remotely taken into account. If you invited Sanchez and Gates to an event, and then reports exclusively what they have said, you know what you get.

This is not independent reporting, let alone research. It has nothing to do with journalism imho.

[–] randomname@scribe.disroot.org 4 points 1 week ago

In other news, "Russia sends wrong message with invasion of a neighbouring country, increases military spending, sabotage acts and airspace violations of European countries, while at the same time cutting social welfare for is own citizens."

[–] Lembot_0004@discuss.online 4 points 1 week ago (3 children)

I disagree. The situation demands more defenses. And increasing them is a good message.

Health cuts? That's not a goal. If anyone has an idea how to not decrease health funding while keeping defense spending -- don't be shy and tell.

But I remember there was some official who said that all these war things are totally irrelevant to Spain because Russia is too far away.

[–] Quacksalber@sh.itjust.works 9 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (2 children)

Simply take on more debt. Accept that over the past decades a deficit in defense has been accrued and now you turn that deficit into a monetary deficit. That is easier to handle than cutting health care.

[–] zaphod@sopuli.xyz 7 points 1 week ago

Or properly tax the rich.

[–] zwerg@feddit.org 5 points 1 week ago

Also, spend that money locally or in the EU to stimulate the economy.

[–] trollercoaster@sh.itjust.works 8 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

Actually, cutting back on the healthcare sector in return for increased defence spending is contrary to both defence and healthcare. Because what will you need in case of war? A working healthcare sector, because any war will inevitably increase the workload of the healthcare sector, since wars are fought with bullets, bombs and other things that are quite dangerous to one's health, not with cotton balls.

On the other hand, we shouldn't see everything through the lens of spending, because in both the healthcare and the defence sector, you can very easily buy a whole lot of nothing for a shitload of money, thanks to corruption, bureaucracy, and corporate greed. Unfortunately, politicians seem to be too stupid (and/or corrupt) to see anything from any other side than the spending aspect. Also there are large parts of the political spectrum who very much like to cut back on anything health and social and will use any excuse they can find to justify it to the public. The finally realised need for better defence is just a welcome excuse for those people to sell cutbacks they have been wanting all along.

[–] koper@feddit.nl 4 points 1 week ago (2 children)

You are afraid because politicians told you to be afraid. They don't want you to notice that you're getting robbed at home to benefit the weapons industry.

The reality is that Russia is weaker than everyone expected and they can't even take on Ukraine. The idea that they would simultaneously start a war with NATO is simply laughable. Even without the US, NATO already spends significantly more on defense than Russia's full-blown war economy. On top of that, NATO has nuclear weapons.

Cutting healthcare spending will cost lives. Not your hypothetical lives, but real people who die from curable illnesses while waiting for care. Those deaths are guaranteed.

[–] Lembot_0004@discuss.online 5 points 1 week ago (1 children)

You are afraid because politicians told you to be afraid.

I'm not from the EU. From Ukraine. So I know what Russia is capable of. And they are not as stupid as you might want them to be. They won't attack just right away. They will start with cutting cables, neo-nazi political parties funding and getting into the parliaments, drones/jets crossing the border, explosions on warehouses and factories (you're here), and then upscaling and widening the process. This also cost lives. Just not right now, later.

The problem is serious and must be addressed.

I'm not defending the cut of healthcare specifically. I'm not a fan of cutting any social programs. But defense is mandatory.

[–] OfCourseNot@fedia.io 2 points 1 week ago (1 children)

This is not a military budget problem, the thing is Spain, or France, Germany... have already powerful enough militaries to have ended the war twenty times over. But wars, as Ukraine has showed, aren't fought or won with money, but with lads being killed and killing the other side lads. The members of the European militaries live pretty comfortably, a pretty good wage just to play boyscouts, try telling them they have to go to die bleeding in the cold Russian steppe..

[–] Lembot_0004@discuss.online 2 points 1 week ago

Money-related thing. I, as a Ukrainian wartime ex-soldier, can tell you that there is a HUGE difference between being a soldier with a rifle and a few grenades in the 50 cm "trench" and a soldier with a few machineguns in their unit, a few mortars and a dozen guys with drones being helped with artillery, aviation and whatnot. Money can improve the latter. And that is extremely important. Even boyscouts could be fierce warriors with such a background.

[–] termidoriano@lemmy.ml 1 points 1 week ago

Thank you for some sanity amid these warmongering comments.

[–] Hotznplotzn@lemmy.sdf.org 3 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Mr. Sanchez has been fighting for his own political survival amid ongoing corruption scandals involving his wife and high figures of his own party, contracted China's Huawei for the Spanish judicial wiretap system, and now echoes Russian narratives. This is a distraction from his own troubles imo. He is a disgrace for Spain and Europe.

[–] koper@feddit.nl 9 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Countries must also "face the reality that we have in the eastern flank of Europe, which is this neo-imperialism of (Russian President Vladimir) Putin, vis-a-vis countries such as Ukraine, but not create this false, or fake trade-off between aid and defense expenditure," Sanchez said.

How does this "echo Russian narratives"? Or is anyone who questions unlimited spending automatically a Russian spy?

[–] Hotznplotzn@lemmy.sdf.org 3 points 1 week ago

Oh, yeah, they don't forget to mention the Russian threat - only then to immediately change the subject and criticize European spending.

It may help that Spain and Russia are geographically far apart and does not view Russia’s actions in Ukraine as a direct threat. The two countries have also limited economic relations. Just ~15% of Spain's crude oil imports come from Russia, while Russian gas is not consumed at all in the Iberian peninsula. Back in June this year, however, Spain's EU Commissioner Teresa Ribera tried loosen Brussels' plan to ban Russian gas (you'll find reports on that across the web).

Spain's position even more resembles Moscow's than the West's on some major issues. Spain is one of only five EU countries that still hasn’t recognized the independence of Kosovo, and still rejects Kosovo's EU candidacy.

Spain only reluctantly supported EU sanctions against Russia already after Moscow's invasion of Crimea in 2014, swinging permanently between the 'Russian threat' narrative and an obvious desire to engage with Moscow (Russia returned the favor: Its counter-sanctions did not include Spanish wine and olive oil, only a few food exporter were affected, and Russian tourists continued to secure a steady income stream for Spain).

Mr. Sanchez has a similar stance when it comes to China as I mentioned above, often obstructing the common EU position.

Mr. Sanchez spreads Russian talking points here.