I did change my mind about Europe. I know from an MMT POV its terrible, but I thought it was better than what the Brexit crowd had to offer. It's best to stay in and try to reform it, and dump the Euro, so countries can deficit spend again. Although Europeans have a lot in common, they are also too different to become one country at this present time.
George Monbiot is superb here. It's hard to figure him out: the left hate him because he supported the Syrian war, and I bet he's xenophobic about China and Russia too, but I found this video to be inspiring.
I'm not dogmatic, but his stance on Syria infuriated me too. How could he support another Western backed war in the Middle East?
“Farage and his ilk are just tools of something much bigger & much deeper than they are”
25 comments:
So you opposed Brexit and now you support it?
In this video, George Monbiot's position is 'none of the above'.
Boris took a stand in favour of Brexit, Jeremy sat on the fence, and thus the election went to Bojo.
That's around the wrong way. George Monbiot is happy with the EU, but says its better than Brexit. That's my position now. Stay in and try to reform it.
Putting in my two-penny worth, I believe that Chief Inspector Morse would have voted Remain.
(Died: 2000 (television) The Remorseful Day)
" Stay in and try to reform it."
Like that's an option. A fools errand.
Brexit is superior to anything on offer from the Corporate Kleptomaniacs and technocrats in the EU.
"Stay in and reform" is the position of those who want China in Europe - hence Varoufakis and the like.
The UK is fundamentally incompatible with the legalist EU. Fortunately there is no possibility of returning to the EU. The EU's vaccine disaster put paid to that.
It looks like I'm with Varoufakis then. I do tend to like him.
I support what Neil Wilson says above, and another reason why the EU is so terrible is its deep integration into, and support for, aggressive NATO expansion. Just think about the EU presidency and career of that stooge Anders Fogh Rasmussen, he of the arch neo-liberal tome "From Social State to Minimal State."
Or take Javier Solana, or the deeply corrupt Willy Claes.
The EU is unreformable and really just an instrument to empower European and US banksters.
"The EU's vaccine disaster put paid to that."
NW, it was the EU's banning of the AstraZeneca vaccine that hindered their vaccination rate.
In Canada, everyone demands an mRNA vaccine, and that is what most are getting. And we have a higher vaccination rate than the UK, too. No dummies in Canada ;)
"support what Neil Wilson says above, and another reason why the EU is so terrible is its deep integration into, and support for, aggressive NATO expansion."
There is no NATO expansion without the consent and blessing of the United States.
When, for example, France undertakes one of its habitual colonial adventures in French-speaking Africa, who do you think supplies the "bullets."? If the U.S. had said "no" to France's request to bomb Libya, Gaddafi would probably still be there. Seriously, the U.S. is NATO.
France is in Africa for more than just pleasing the Americans -- its whole industrial model is based around control of a Sahel and West-African comprador class, including access to minerals, agricultural products, and, of course, oil and gold (the latter under arrangements for the CFA franc). It is true that France's continuing colonial adventures are tolerated and supported by the US, and that France often acts as the US's agent, but France would strive to remain a colonial power whatever the tut-tutting from Washington.
It i also silly to think of NATO only in national terms, when most American military adventures do not reflect national interests, merely those of a small group of the US wealthy. NATO, from that point of view, without any credible threat, is the agent of a particular class or set of classes, and that is shown by its symbiotic relationship with European financial and political elites.
MR, France in its military operations wouldn’t last two weeks without US supplies and intelligence,
Greece knows this, that’s why they can’t rely only the French for military assistance against any Turkish invasion, especially in the eastern Mediterranean, no matter what the French promise (bless their hearts).
A plague on Neoliberalism wherever it's found EU, UK, US, etc. The ideology is about furthering the sociopathic greed element in competitive market economies. Much smoke being blown about in the above comments to obscure this reality!
"As of 16 July, 48.45% of Canadians are fully vaccinated against Covid-19, compared with 48.05% of Americans."
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-57869947
In the UK it is currently 71.1%.
https://coronavirus.data.gov.uk
Current Canada is 57.45% https://health-infobase.canada.ca/covid-19/vaccination-coverage/
Getting there, but as usual the British are there first ;-)
Yes, you're right. This world is complicated.
I think a lot of my stance on Europe is sentimental, as I like the liberal Europeans and its post Christian culture. But its brutal ruling class is very imperialistic, and Europe has a large xenophobic right-wing.
Still, when I see what Boris is doing, I shudder. His government is terrible! He is now trying to end free prescriptions for the over 60's. This had been EU directive. Those already over 60 will keep their free prescriptions. Most Tory supporters are older people, so Boris is pretecting his base. His base are so selfish that they couldn't care less about old people losing the free prescriptions. Even the over 60 Tory supporters probably couldn't care less either, because, "I'm alright, Jack!".
I did vote to leave, and I would have supported Jeremy Corbyn taking the UK out of Europe too, because he would have been able to implement his programmes better. I think that most people would support a centre left Labour Party if they were better informed. We get that kind of information here at MNE's.
Nova Scotia has reached its target vaccination rate. Remains to be seen if they will move the goalposts.
“ The EU's vaccine disaster put paid to that.”
What didn’t they want to pay for the vaccine?
Neil, I guess it's the source. I got the stats from ourworldindata.org. As of two days ago, they had...
U.K.: 56.4%
Canada: 57.6%
U.S.: 49.8%
It's a British idiom, M. It means "put an end to that." You see, I watch alot of British television, like Inspector Morse or Inspector Lewis episodes. It all started, btw, with Corrie Street way, way back...
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Binge mystery, comedy, drama, docs, lifestyle and more, from the biggest streaming collection of British TV ever.
From Bill Mitchell today:
The latest news from the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) (July 22, 2021) – Record output growth for manufacturers, but cost pressures & supply concerns loom large.
We learn that the CBI’s survey of 250 British manufacturing businesses has:
1. “reported output increasing in 16 out of 17 sub-sectors, led by the motor vehicles & transport equipment and food, drink & tobacco sub-sectors.”
2. “Manufacturers expect output to grow at an even quicker pace in the next three months – the strongest growth expectations on record.”
3. “total new orders grew at their quickest pace since 1974. This reflected domestic orders expanding at their fastest rate on record (since 1975), and the first rise in export orders since January 2019.”
4. “numbers employed in the sector grew at their fastest pace since 1973, and are expected to increase at a slightly faster rate in the next three months.”
5. “Business optimism growth remained strong by historical standards, despite slowing from last quarter. The outlook further ahead is also more positive, with investment intentions for plant & machinery and training & retraining improving to their strongest since 1988 and 2015, respectively.”
Think about the implications of that.
First, and I will follow up on this point later, it is another nail in the Brexit is a disaster argument.
Kaivey: it seems to me that Britain can still have all the benefits of the EU, in terms of scientific, cultural and business collaboration, so what is there now to be sentimental about? I am not British, but seem from afar, very little seems to have been lost or impeded.
Thomas Fazi sums it up best.
What Is Needed Is A Progressive Vision Of National Sovereignty
https://socialeurope.eu/needed-progressive-vision-national-sovereignty
And of course the book reclaim the state.
"He is now trying to end free prescriptions for the over 60's."
That's not the case is it. It's a realignment with the state pension age, which is where the exemption was in the first place.
https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/aligning-the-upper-age-for-nhs-prescription-charge-exemptions-with-the-state-pension-age/aligning-the-upper-age-for-nhs-prescription-charge-exemptions-with-the-state-pension-age
It's the rising pension age we should be talking about. That is unnecessary.
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