That's quite a good synopsis. All across Europe a wave of disaffection is getting exploited by the far right (and fuelled to no small extent by funding and disinformation from Voldemort). So focus is shifting back to local concerns over national or even international solutions.
The trouble is, the far right are unlikely to find any solutions to the problems either: aging populations still wanting their pensions but not wanting the young immigrants to come in to do the work that would actually fund them, farmers (who are heavily subsidised by the EU) wanting to leave the EU, rural citizens who want cheap fuel but ignore the impact of global warming.. the contradictions abound.
Millions of British voters will head to the polls today to elect a new House of Commons and government. Labour is slated to win by a landslide, though not for its own merits or those of its lacklustre leader, Keir Starmer â but simply because people are desperate to get rid of the incumbent Tory government. That said, itâs unlikely much will change: the Labour Party today is little more than a more culturally progressive (i.e., woker) version of the Conservative Party; on all major economic and foreign policy issues, the two are virtually indistinguishable: pro-war, pro-NATO, pro-Israel and neoliberal to the core. Unfortunately, the Labour Party lost its way a long time ago, well before Starmer â or even Blair â came along. The roots of Labourâs rightward shift can be traced all the way back to the crisis of the 1970s. (...)
In August 2013, the U.S. government formally acknowledged the U.S. role in the coup by releasing a bulk of previously classified government documents that show it was in charge of both the planning and the execution of the coup. According to American journalist Stephen Kinzer, the operation included false flag attacks, paid protesters, provocations, the bribing of Iranian politicians and high-ranking security and army officials, as well as pro-coup propaganda. The CIA is quoted acknowledging the coup was carried out "under CIA direction" and "as an act of U.S. foreign policy, conceived and approved at the highest levels of government". In 2023, the CIA took credit for the coup, contradicted by previous scholarly assessment that the CIA had botched the operation.
um.. are you srsly trying to draw some equivalence between the coup in Iran in 1953 and the pending collapse of Russia due to its insistence on waging a war of aggression on its neighbours and pursuing its own CIA-type hybrid campaign against the West? Looks like something got lost along the way there..
In August 2013, the U.S. government formally acknowledged the U.S. role in the coup by releasing a bulk of previously classified government documents that show it was in charge of both the planning and the execution of the coup. According to American journalist Stephen Kinzer, the operation included false flag attacks, paid protesters, provocations, the bribing of Iranian politicians and high-ranking security and army officials, as well as pro-coup propaganda. The CIA is quoted acknowledging the coup was carried out "under CIA direction" and "as an act of U.S. foreign policy, conceived and approved at the highest levels of government". In 2023, the CIA took credit for the coup, contradicted by previous scholarly assessment that the CIA had botched the operation.
no, it was McCarthyism and the US going off the rails post WWII in the mistaken idea that the ends justify the means. I would take the coup in Chile as an even better example.
I'm not the one reducing geopolitics to a black and white game here. That's you.
In August 1941, United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill met to discuss their post-war goals. In that meeting, they agreed to the Atlantic Charter, which in part stipulated that they would, "respect the right of all peoples to choose the form of government under which they will live; and they wish to see sovereign rights and self-government restored to those who have been forcibly deprived of them."<31> This agreement became the post-WWII stepping stone toward independence as nationalism grew throughout Africa.
What a great and noble way to sidestep. But since you're here. Is it an Anglo nobility/arrogance/hubris?
In August 1941, United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill met to discuss their post-war goals. In that meeting, they agreed to the Atlantic Charter, which in part stipulated that they would, "respect the right of all peoples to choose the form of government under which they will live; and they wish to see sovereign rights and self-government restored to those who have been forcibly deprived of them."<31> This agreement became the post-WWII stepping stone toward independence as nationalism grew throughout Africa.
High cost of living gives rise to declining living standards. See the UK. Or some Euro countries.
Social priorities at national level
At national level, almost half of respondents (48%) believe that addressing the high cost of living should be a main priority in their country, followed by low wages (35%).
I'll resist the temptation to take a couple of very easy shots here suffice to say that this is precisely why I think you are very confused:
1. You obviously think badly of "Neo-liberals" / "Neo-cons" yet have admitted to me you favour some kind of qualified autocracy.. so your beef with neo-liberals and Neo-cons can't be about them robbing you of your rights or wealth because you choose the one form of government that will definitely make you poorer with fewer personal rights.. that's what autocracy means. You don't get to have a say. You also get to pay taxes without any representation and the autocrat gets to build enormous palaces and basically not give a shit about the serfs struggling to survive, of which you most certainly will be one.
2. I actually don't think you want autocracy. You just think you do because you've swallowed too much Russian propaganda and have such a keen awareness of how modern income inequality is hurting a large share of the population in the West that you think autocracy must be better than what we have. Maybe you have romantic notions of how wonderful things were in the GDR, with its paucity of goods, crumbling infrastructure, filthy air and Stasi. If you do, you are being pretty bloody selective in your memories. I for one most definitely DO NOT want that.
3. You lump Europe in with the neo-liberal /neo-con west, totally overlooking the screeds of European law that is out there to protect consumers and keep the market in check. This is in stark contrast to what Neo-liberalism is all about.
4. Finally you think I am a neo-liberal / neo-con type guy. Ask Lazy. Pretty sure he'll assure you than I am nothing of the kind. I even support the idea of universal basic income for God's sake.
And finally, a fact check. Living standards in Europe have NOT been constantly declining. On the contrary, Europe is an amazing success story.
Yes, I am fully aware that the winds of change are sweeping in favour of the nationalist reactionaries. History always seem to be two steps forward, one step backwards, or even two or three if we are unlucky.
IMO tThe current wave of nationalism is a pure protest vote by people who feel threatened by change. This demographic is being milked by opportunists of all kinds, from you-tube grifters through to Putin-versteher. The only question that remains is how long will it take for people to realise they were duped. It is basically Brexit all over again and I am pretty certain it is going to be just as disastrous.
I surrender my weapons. You are the better pretender. On all ends - the Gelukpa recedes.
Yet your bubble is counting for the "other half" which may well be less than 35 per cent in the long run while culture wars and tribal interests will weigh in globally. Some 15k years ago, man on Earth was ahead of today in moral standards, or so mankind's oldest scriptures still tell us.
Mistery and myths may well remain a thing for man, even if current winds preside.
Enzo, you keep being a PITA as semper incapabile to step out of your neo-liberal / neo-con fascist bubble of global political "West" which will go down soon and sooner.
The Ukraine war together with the neo-liberal politics of your kins mechanistically resulting from it are de facto the reason why living standards in Europe have kept declining so that the people start craving for political alternatives in considerable amounts, finally.
I'll resist the temptation to take a couple of very easy shots here suffice to say that this is precisely why I think you are very confused:
1. You obviously think badly of "Neo-liberals" / "Neo-cons" yet have admitted to me you favour some kind of qualified autocracy.. so your beef with neo-liberals and Neo-cons can't be about them robbing you of your rights or wealth because you choose the one form of government that will definitely make you poorer with fewer personal rights.. that's what autocracy means. You don't get to have a say. You also get to pay taxes without any representation and the autocrat gets to build enormous palaces and basically not give a shit about the serfs struggling to survive, of which you most certainly will be one.
2. I actually don't think you want autocracy. You just think you do because you've swallowed too much Russian propaganda and have such a keen awareness of how modern income inequality is hurting a large share of the population in the West that you think autocracy must be better than what we have. Maybe you have romantic notions of how wonderful things were in the GDR, with its paucity of goods, crumbling infrastructure, filthy air and Stasi. If you do, you are being pretty bloody selective in your memories. I for one most definitely DO NOT want that.
3. You lump Europe in with the neo-liberal /neo-con west, totally overlooking the screeds of European law that is out there to protect consumers and keep the market in check. This is in stark contrast to what Neo-liberalism is all about.
4. Finally you think I am a neo-liberal / neo-con type guy. Ask Lazy. Pretty sure he'll assure you than I am nothing of the kind. I even support the idea of universal basic income for God's sake.
And finally, a fact check. Living standards in Europe have NOT been constantly declining. On the contrary, Europe is an amazing success story.
Yes, I am fully aware that the winds of change are sweeping in favour of the nationalist reactionaries. History always seem to be two steps forward, one step backwards, or even two or three if we are unlucky.
IMO tThe current wave of nationalism is a pure protest vote by people who feel threatened by change. This demographic is being milked by opportunists of all kinds, from you-tube grifters through to Putin-versteher. The only question that remains is how long will it take for people to realise they were duped. It is basically Brexit all over again and I am pretty certain it is going to be just as disastrous.