Sunday, February 4, 2018

Yanis Varoufakis - A pan-European living wage as a condition for authentic Freedom of Movement

Yanis Varoufakis as a true liberal is very pro open borders and immigration. His proposals here seem quite good which could help stop economic migration. The idea of economic migrants traveling all around Europe trying to find a decent wage is deeply unpleasant, especially if when they get settled they find that they have to have to move again. People are not like machines or cargo.

Research has shown that young children changing too many schools when they are young can psychologically harm them. See below. 

Many professionals do travel about quite a lot looking for an exciting career with a top wage which sounds terrific, but most people just want to stay near their families and friends. KV


Britain used to have wage councils that set the minimum wage per sector. Mrs Thatcher saw to it that they were abolished, together (effectively) with trades unions and council houses – thus yielding the present Precariat-Proletariat whose palpable anger and frustration is evident across the land. There is no doubt that we need to bring back a modernised for of wage councils. Not just in the UK but across Europe! It is the only way we can safeguard genuine freedom of movement. Here is why:
The oligarchs in Eastern Europe, and elsewhere, want the freedom of moving their money around and the freedom to export surplus labour from their country - people who would rather stay at home if a living wage were available locally. These oligarchs must be told in no uncertain terms: Your freedom of movement (and that of your money) is conditional on legislating a living wage in your own country for your citizens. This is a condition for being part of a European free movement area. And this condition must be imposed by the EU! Why does Brussels think it has a right to come to, say, Greece, to impose cuts to the lowest of the low pensions? How about imposing, instead, across Europe a minimum living wage and pension which terminates instantly involuntary migration, and thus safeguards genuine freedom of movement?
This is one of four short articles extracted from the debate that followed this meeting at the House of Commons, in which I presented the left-wing case for a Norway Plus Brexit agreement. To read/listen to that presentation, click here.

Time Health - Study: Switching Schools May Give Your Kids Psychotic Symptoms

Changing schools can be a wrenching social and emotional experience for students, say researchers from Warwick Medical School in the U.K. And the legacy of that struggle may be psychosis-like symptoms of hallucinations and delusions.
Dr. Swaran Singh, a psychiatrist and head of the mental health division at Warwick, became curious about the connection between school moves and mental health issues after a study from Denmark found that children moving from rural to urban settings showed increased signs of psychoses. The authors also noted that the students had to deal with not just a change in their home environment, but in their social network of friends at school as well.
Daily Mail

Moving house can harm your children: Disruption can damage youngsters educational abilities and social skills


  • Study followed nearly 20,000 US children from kindergarten to eighth grade

  • They found that young children suffered socially during house moves

  • Older children and adolescents saw their maths and reading ability affected

  • The impacts occur even if the youngsters do not have to change schools
There can be many obvious benefits to moving home - to get more space, to be closer to work and schools or to start a new job.However, a new study has found that children in families who relocate several times, it can have a negative impact on their performance at school and their ability to make friends.

4 comments:

NeilW said...

A living wage isn't sufficient. You need a pan European living job - otherwise the abuse just moves to hours, health insurance, distance from job, conditions, etc.

The Beveridge condition has to be restored - more job offers than people that want them.

Kaivey said...

I was thinking that, Neil, a job guarantee would sort that out.

Ralph Musgrave said...

Varoufakis's idea just means more subsidy for Greece paid for by Germany and other core countries. If Germans etc are OK with that, then fine. But I'm 95% sure they won't be.

Kristjan said...

EU is really worth fighting for http://www.spiked-online.com/newsite/article/the-eu-is-the-enemy-of-the-working-classes/21089#.WnuNIrxl_Z7