Merkel's racist lies | 133 comments (133 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)

Juncker (4.00 / 4)

I'm surprised Juncker's public call for privatisation in Greece wasn't discussed in this thread. Here are some parts of it:

Juncker calls for 'soft restructuring' of Greece's debt | EurActiv

"Greece does not entirely respect the economic adjustment programme which we had agreed upon when we have put at the disposal of the Greek authorities guaranties to the amount of €110 billion. Therefore Greece needs to adopt, in the next few days, additional corrective measures concerning the budget deficit which continues to aggravate, instead of diminishing," he said.

This is as in Neoliberalism 101: if the prescribed cure doesn't work, it is never because the diagnosis or the cure was wrong, but because it wasn't implemented radically enough.

Juncker added that Greece should adopt measures "of very large scope" to address the problem of its weak growth potential, and that the country should conduct privatisation "in a measure exceeding imagination, even Hellenic imagination".
Greece should rapidly privatise assets from its public sphere to the amount of €50 billion, as well as its national heritage, in a way that would bring its debt to sustainable levels in the medium and long term, Juncker went on.

Words fail.

_{*Lunatic*, n.

One whose delusions are out of fashion.}

by DoDo on Thu May 19th, 2011 at 10:31:58 AM EST

Re: Juncker (4.00 / 2)

It was posted in the salon by afew.

Economics is politics by other means

by Migeru (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Thu May 19th, 2011 at 10:39:14 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Juncker (4.00 / 8)

This is a call for plunder. And Papandreou went along with it 100%.

Meanwhile as the conservative leader Antonis Samaras seems less than willing to commit his party to following the perscriptions of the troika (a bluff: he wants his own version of pretty much the same policy, just like DoDo has described happening in Hungary), the Serious People have ganged up on him, with the goal of forcing him into a coalition government that will, they assume, strengthen the political support and serve as a mandate for austerity. This under the auspices of the MSM. This is the sort of rhetoric that 95% of Serious news sources is innundated with...
Despite this, Public Issue, a polling company published the results of a survey that reported that:

62% of Greeks think that the memorandum with the troika has harmed the country and the same percentage is against it (13% it benefited the country - 15 support it), 16% think that there is no alternative (69% think there are alternatives). 77% do not trust the Prime Minister to manage the economy (22% trust him). 75% have a negative view of the IMF (69% last year), and 74% of DSK (49% last year). 69% believe that the IMF must leave Greece now (up 4% from 6 months ago). Only 52% have a negative view of the ECB (vs 33% positive) and 61% of Trichet. 59% have a positive view of the EU (up three points from 6 months ago). 53% want to bargain and default on at least a part of the public debt. 17% want to default completely and unilaterally. 33% think that the country needs a revolution and 56% deep changes. Greeks support strikes (74 - 20) and protests & marches (69 - 25) and are marginally not supportive of electoral abstention (45 - 54) and public deprecation and jeering of politicians (43 - 54)... 78% vs 21, believe that a social explosion is impending...

The road of excess leads to the palace of wisdom - William Blake

by talos (mihalis at gmail dot com) on Thu May 19th, 2011 at 01:38:14 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Juncker (4.00 / 3)

IOW, the perfect ground for a Right Wing Populist political party to take control of the government.

Shit.

HOW MANY times does this have to happen before the Left wakes the ^@#$^! up?

She believed in nothing; only her skepticism kept her from being an atheist. -- Jean-Paul Sartre

by ATinNM on Thu May 19th, 2011 at 01:46:27 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Juncker (4.00 / 5)

In fact 48% of respondents believe that the ground is fertile for an extreme right wing party (vs 27% for an extreme let wing party)...

The powers that be are using immigration and the fear of immigrants as a barrier to a shift towards the left. Thus they are fanning the flames of fascism. And it seems that the elites are not completely uncomfortable with that...

The road of excess leads to the palace of wisdom - William Blake

by talos (mihalis at gmail dot com) on Thu May 19th, 2011 at 01:52:26 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Juncker (4.00 / 2)

Historic evidence suggests the monied interests do rather well under Fascism.

She believed in nothing; only her skepticism kept her from being an atheist. -- Jean-Paul Sartre

by ATinNM on Thu May 19th, 2011 at 02:01:12 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Juncker (4.00 / 2)

I have quoted Michal Kalecki before: Political Aspects of Full Employment (1943)

One of the important functions of fascism, as typified by the Nazi system, was to remove capitalist objections to full employment.
The dislike of government spending policy as such is overcome under fascism by the fact that the state machinery is under the direct control of a partnership of big business with fascism. The necessity for the myth of 'sound finance', which served to prevent the government from offsetting a confidence crisis by spending, is removed. In a democracy, one does not know what the next government will be like. Under fascism there is no next government.
The dislike of government spending, whether on public investment or consumption, is overcome by concentrating government expenditure on armaments. Finally, 'discipline in the factories' and 'political stability' under full employment are maintained by the 'new order', which ranges from suppression of the trade unions to the concentration camp. Political pressure replaces the economic pressure of unemployment.

Economics is politics by other means

by Migeru (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Fri May 20th, 2011 at 05:04:23 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Juncker (4.00 / 4)

That is probably a difference with us.

The anti-immigrant narrative is mostly absent. Mainly for 4 reasons:

African immigrants are a thing of the past. They are here for many decades.
East Europeans are normally highly praised (e.g. learning Portuguese in months)
Brazilians. Brazil is seen as the proud part of the Portuguese speaking work. In fact now and then people start talking about our "tropical vocation" (as opposed to "European vocation")
Retired Northern Europeans. Treated as superior race.

On the other hand, some nostalgia of the old times (no debt, no austerity, everybody knew its place, ...) can play well into the hands of the hard-right.

Around here the fascists pool around 0.1% . But if there were, in a couple of years, a military coup - it might easily be received with apathy.

by cagatacos on Thu May 19th, 2011 at 02:11:56 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Juncker (none / 0)

No other traditionally weak group to pour hatred and blame at - ethnic, religious or sexual minorities?

Sweden's finest (and perhaps only) collaborative, leftist e-newspaper Synapze.se

by A swedish kind of death on Thu May 19th, 2011 at 05:00:22 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Juncker (none / 0)

Nope.

There is blame, alright.

Politicians, unemployed drawing on benefits, civil servants...

by cagatacos on Thu May 19th, 2011 at 06:32:06 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Juncker (4.00 / 2)

This is a call for plunder. And Papandreou went along with it 100%.

Note the dates: Papandreou's promise in your link was on 14 May, Juncker's call on 17 May. Papandreou was reacting(?) to earlier reported behind-the-scenes ECB/IMF pressure. Juncker was apparently saying "not enough".

_{*Lunatic*, n.

One whose delusions are out of fashion.}

by DoDo on Thu May 19th, 2011 at 02:12:03 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Juncker (4.00 / 7)

There are two dynamics at play.

Often, for political purposes, people will say things they know are not true. "Greeks need to implement austerity measures..." as though Greece hasn't. "Greeks need to change the retirement age..." as though it hasn't.
Papandreou promised privatization, whereas Junker wants collateral. Big difference. With privatization, Papandreou and Greece can refuse to sell if they don't get their price in the market. If you put up collateral, however, you allow a creditor to seize your assets.

The Greeks are refusing to put up collateral.

by Upstate NY on Thu May 19th, 2011 at 05:00:32 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Merkel's racist lies | 133 comments (133 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)

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