News for today's 2018

<br /> <br /><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2Bi10SKF3sUq1HtL3ptoS3s_bC1bRMT66tCW6x8UebROscL5HMKm00JaNDs_3N1f-D3OZUu_BSqAqiqg56j-pjqurAILirgRn8ZgM-r4m7pP6l_S4iDY4x05wWzWs8Zl0AJW6CTWKss2t/s1600/austerity-1-democracy-0.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2Bi10SKF3sUq1HtL3ptoS3s_bC1bRMT66tCW6x8UebROscL5HMKm00JaNDs_3N1f-D3OZUu_BSqAqiqg56j-pjqurAILirgRn8ZgM-r4m7pP6l_S4iDY4x05wWzWs8Zl0AJW6CTWKss2t/s320/austerity-1-democracy-0.png" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">DEPLETED EUROPEAN DEMOCRACY </span></b></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: blue;"><span class="hps"><b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;">Politicians are getting increasingly</span></b></span><b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;"> <span class="hps">tired</span>, citizens increasingly <span class="hps">frustrated</span>, <span class="hps">the</span> <span class="hps">pace</span> <span class="hps">and action</span> <span class="hps">requirements</span> dictated by<span class="hps">the financial markets</span> increasingly <span class="hps">dominant</span> <span class="hps">– High time for</span> <span class="hps">a strategy</span> <span class="hps">of slowing down.</span></span></b></span></span><br /><br /><i><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: blue;"><b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span class="hps"><span style="font-size: large;">Related topic: </span></span></span></b></span></span></i><br /><h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name"><i><span style="color: red;">REGIME CHANGE IN EUROPE, FROM DEMOCRACY TO FINANCE DICTATORSHIP? </span></i></h3><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: blue;"><b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span class="hps"><i><a href="http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2011/11/regime-change-in-europe-from-democracy.html"><span style="font-size: large;">http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2011/11/regime-change-in-europe-from-democracy.html</span></a></i></span></span></b></span></span><br /><br /><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: red;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">THERE ARE CURRENTLY 22 STATES IN THE WORLD WHICH EARN OVER 60% OF THEIR RESPECTIVE GDP FROM OIL (AND GAS), AND ARE RULED BY NON-DEMOCRATIC, AUTHORITARIAN REGIMES</span></b></span></span></i><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: blue;"><b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span class="hps"><i><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;">http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2012/12/europe-and-arab-spring-that-never-sprung.html</span></span></i> </span></span></b></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="hps"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Democracy as a</span></span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> <span class="hps">form of government,</span> <span class="hps">whose</span> <span class="hps">law</span> <span class="hps">emanates from the people</span>, has <span class="hps">ceased to exist, according to the perception</span> <span class="hps">of a growing</span> <span class="hps">number of EUROPEANS</span>. <span class="hps">The</span><span class="hps">law</span> <span class="hps">is no longer</span> <span class="hps">derived from the people</span>. People are<span class="hps"> just</span> <span class="hps">invited</span><span class="hps">to participate in elections</span>, <span class="hps">regardless of whether</span> this means to <span class="hps">have an actual choice on subject matter. </span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: blue;"><b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;">A SPECTER IS HAUNTING EUROPE: THE SPECTER OF HETERONOMY – IMF, ECB AND THE WORLD BANK</span></b></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;">After all, a specter is haunting EUROPE: the specter of heteronomy. The EUROPEANS, especially GREEKS, IRISH and PORTUGUESE, perceive their governments no longer as Governments per, but as a <b>lobbyist or even advocate of international organizations such as the IMF, the existence of which is not democratically legitimized</b>. Politicians, even in those European countries that are economically well off, follow obediently to the shouts of "financial markets" for fear of international rating agencies downgrading the credit rating of their country or increase the interest rate on government bonds.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: blue;"><b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;">EVEN THOSE EUROPEAN COUNTRIES THAT ARE ECONOMICALLY WELL OFF, FOLLOW OBEDIENTLY TO THE SHOUTS OF "FINANCIAL MARKETS"</span></b></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="hps"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;">Democracy</span></span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;"> <span class="hps">in the eyes</span> <span class="hps">of many EUROPEANS</span>, <span class="hps">not only in GREECE</span>, IRELAND and PORTUGAL and ITALY, <span class="hps">has become</span> <span class="hps">unfair.</span> <span class="hps">Docility</span> <span class="hps">is deemed appropriate</span>, otherwise and increase in <span class="hps">debt service coverage margin is imminent</span>.</span></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">A political statement of the legendary Austrian Chancellor Bruno Kreisky (</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">22 January 1911 – 29 July 1990</span>)</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJZ7m4ZufbFswhRmp3e1RBppxvAypwY-DiVgPxgk6PwOeqTDWdNInyxnS6-J_LmDhaXTWjR_Bo5PwflWpycHcBlVImYTCVotnStLUTpvaV0hajYXTwIYr9E_JIbFkMUnzj7gL4iiKN_eAA/s1600/16042_THUMB_IPAD.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJZ7m4ZufbFswhRmp3e1RBppxvAypwY-DiVgPxgk6PwOeqTDWdNInyxnS6-J_LmDhaXTWjR_Bo5PwflWpycHcBlVImYTCVotnStLUTpvaV0hajYXTwIYr9E_JIbFkMUnzj7gL4iiKN_eAA/s400/16042_THUMB_IPAD.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> <span lang="EN"></span></span></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">"I prefer dept of a couple of billion shillings rather than a few hundred thousand unemployed" is no longer conceivable. "Deficit spending" to support the welfare state to pay for a "New Deal" would be severely punished by the "markets". </span></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">For the markets don’t feel obliged to heed to demands by society, not even the ideas of the founder of “National Economics”, Adam Smith seems to prevail: "No society can flourish and be happy, if the vast majority of its members are poor and miserable."</span></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: blue;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;">SOCIAL DEMOCRACY, CAPITALISM OR CLOSE ENCOUNTER OF THE THIRD KIND?</span></b></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="hps"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;">Heteronomy equals loss of freedom.</span></span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;"> <span class="hps">And thus</span> <span class="hps">the</span> <span class="hps">central achievement</span> <span class="hps">of liberal societies</span> is at stake<span class="hps">:</span> liberty<span class="hps">.</span> <span class="hps">Liberty, of being able to</span> choose over one’s own future and that of future generations: T<span class="hps">o</span> <span class="hps">preserve a social</span>N<span class="hps">ational-State</span>, or <span class="hps">submit ourselves</span><span class="hps">to the system of</span> <span class="hps">free-market</span> <span class="hps">world trade</span>? <span class="hps">Or is there</span> <span class="hps">a third option?</span> The option which is never up for <span class="hps">discussions?</span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: blue;"><b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;">EUROPEAN DEMOCRACY RECEIVED SERIOUS COMPETITION BY AUTOCRATIC REGIMES</span></b></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">The exhausted democracy is represented by a growing number of politicians who have reached the point of </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">fatigue</span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">. "Actually, politics is in need to reduce its pace and relax, enter a “reflection loop” in order to think about fundamental topics," says the president of the GERMAN Federal Constitutional Court, Andreas Voßkuhle. And he's right. Democracy takes time, needs - as the former SPD leader Franz Müntefering once put it - a "humanly possible" pace. "Democracy can only survive by not destroying the patterns of action by the speed of events."</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSWF7KCMYqO3HSvKGGLMyncNmhZyCwU5NeF68fDjrM84kKVRXlriH4JLT8ZRuy9tBbktXcALPfnVjDHCPh3TKi4ud0sUsEMl3Ikwa0arthBCfsk2WL-hDtPhBzzLCTA6SwgTRiB-hl4xMM/s1600/a6da270f226bca5264797536b7fe8253.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSWF7KCMYqO3HSvKGGLMyncNmhZyCwU5NeF68fDjrM84kKVRXlriH4JLT8ZRuy9tBbktXcALPfnVjDHCPh3TKi4ud0sUsEMl3Ikwa0arthBCfsk2WL-hDtPhBzzLCTA6SwgTRiB-hl4xMM/s200/a6da270f226bca5264797536b7fe8253.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">The fact is that democracy, in the early stages of the modern epoch and through election processes and dynamic legislation had the reputation for being able to respond promptly to the needs of society, nowadays received serious competition by autocratic regimes. The main criticisms addressed towards the democratic system: democracy is slow in response; produce too much variability - for example, in economic decision-making processes – thus is in the medium terms, politically difficult to evaluate. Which in part explains the attractiveness of RUSSIAN and CHINESE financial markets - the predictability of these political systems promises safe returns.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"></span></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: blue;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;">ALWAYS IN THE LIMELIGHT </span></b></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="hps"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;">Democracy</span></span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;"> <span class="hps">has</span> evolved of being a <span class="hps">"24/7</span>" <span class="hps">show.</span> P<span class="hps">oliticians</span> nowadays are committed 24 hours, <span class="hps">seven days</span> <span class="hps">a week and</span> are <span class="hps">constantly</span>exposed to t<span class="hps">he “media – democracy”</span> limelight<span class="hps">.</span> <span class="hps">For</span> <span class="hps">reflections</span><span class="hps">between cause and effect remain</span> <span class="hps">little</span><span class="hps">or no time</span>. T<span class="hps">ime</span> <span class="hps">pressure</span><span class="hps">and responsibility</span>, <span class="hps">workload</span> <span class="hps">and</span> <span class="hps">the</span> <span class="hps">comparatively</span><span class="hps">low</span> salaries are seldom highlighted in general public debates. <span class="hps">This</span> <span class="hps">may</span> <span class="hps">the reason</span> <span class="hps">for lack of potential</span> young successor politicians in the current worldwide democratic political landscape.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA6vagJ2NVpDO08oscKxfNcWIJZjxJYzCltRATRvhT6EDb8aCDemFCk7wJh8lqI7zaY-EQmtHgP6FW8cF0eQNSh7Q2Fizv8t0T2EWCywdCedz3u9mukNj1TX9Do4yIfALbGatdl5ik7k9M/s1600/eurozone_2255355b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA6vagJ2NVpDO08oscKxfNcWIJZjxJYzCltRATRvhT6EDb8aCDemFCk7wJh8lqI7zaY-EQmtHgP6FW8cF0eQNSh7Q2Fizv8t0T2EWCywdCedz3u9mukNj1TX9Do4yIfALbGatdl5ik7k9M/s320/eurozone_2255355b.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span class="hps"></span></span></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">A successful WESTERN EUROPEAN style democratic system will only sustain by bethinking its strengths and roots: the equal rights debate and participation by all Democrats in the design of "res publica", our public affairs. This requires dialogue which cannot be done between power napping, speed dating and multitasking. Rejecting "Hurry Sickness" also means to give politicians the chance to cancel two or three not so important appointments without the fear of political repercussions, in order to focus on people and content, rather than heed to the pressures and demands enforced upon politicians by lobbyists.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"></span></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="hps"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;">Such approach in most likelihood will open up</span></span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;"> <span class="hps">new strategies,</span> to oppose the <span class="hps">threats of loss of liberty through</span> heteronomy, in order to regain s<span class="hps">overeignty, and thus</span> preserve <span class="hps">democracy.</span></span></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span lang="DE-AT" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;">By Michael Kerbler, via DER STANDARD</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="hps"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;">Original article published in German. Translated by Geopolitical Analysis and Monitoring </span></span></span></div>

EUROPEAN DEMOCRACY AT A CROSSROAD

DEPLETED EUROPEAN DEMOCRACY Politicians are getting increasingly tired , citizens increasingly frustrated , the pace and action requir...

EUROPEAN DEMOCRACY AT A CROSSROAD

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