tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3753486518085091399.post7382192262455536651..comments2024-03-29T03:41:12.499+13:00Comments on Bowalley Road: Lengthening ShadowsChris Trotterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09081613281183460899noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3753486518085091399.post-78261521407462292912012-05-14T07:52:26.977+12:002012-05-14T07:52:26.977+12:00Right now, while I'm writing this, Chrysi Avgi...Right now, while I'm writing this, Chrysi Avgi has started to negotiate with Greece President about the possibility to form a government. It probably won't happen, the're will be election in June. But the symbol, Nebulas ! The symbol !Coquecigruenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3753486518085091399.post-52711858732029621112012-05-13T23:24:02.839+12:002012-05-13T23:24:02.839+12:00notes : alliances between National Front and UMP (...notes : alliances between National Front and UMP (Sarkozy's party) are here and there on their way for June elections. <br />Chrysi Avgi is far closest to Metaxas fascism than the colonels regime.Coquecigruenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3753486518085091399.post-5235561441903469402012-05-12T16:34:15.750+12:002012-05-12T16:34:15.750+12:00"The problem with Greece and France was the p..."The problem with Greece and France was the proletariat where accustomed to welfare handouts, and were not prepared to give them up."<br /><br />Bullshit, the problem with the Greeks at least is that like many middle class people here they didn't pay their taxes.guerilla surgeonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3753486518085091399.post-11548863045994686702012-05-11T22:07:07.482+12:002012-05-11T22:07:07.482+12:00Chris
The EU is failing because it is based upon ...Chris<br /><br />The EU is failing because it is based upon a false premise. Namely that Nationhood is a failed construct, and that peace and security can only be found by a 'United Europe' under the unelected elite of the European Parliament.<br /><br />The EU, epitomized by a common currency was a vain attempt post WWII to destroy Nationalism, boarder controls, and ultimately sovereign nation states in favor of this utopian dream.<br /><br />The problem is that the Greeks are not Germans.<br /><br />They have a different culture, different values, and a different work ethic.<br /><br />The EU Elite thought it impossible that there could exist an "EU" without Greece, the founding crucible of western civilization.<br /><br />So they granted them entry.<br /><br />The problem was that upon entry to the EU successive Greek Governments borrowed heavily, widened welfare, introduced retirement at 55 years of age, and generally spent the borrowed money to stay elected like there was no tomorrow.<br /><br />Well, tomorrow has arrived, and those that voted to put these profligate politicians into power, don't like the fact that they now have to 'man up' and pay their bills.<br /><br />Understandably, the Germans who don't retire until their mid or late 60's have no sympathy for these profligate Mediterranean wastrels.<br /><br />This is not about socialism, or neo-liberalisim. It's about living beyond your means, lies, damed lies, and the ultimate consequences.<br /><br />It will end in tears for the Greeks, for sure, and sadly for much of what we know as Western civilization.Brendan McNeillhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02741263914308842497noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3753486518085091399.post-28926635692309529372012-05-11T16:26:57.109+12:002012-05-11T16:26:57.109+12:00The problem with Greece and France was the proleta...The problem with Greece and France was the proletariat where accustomed to welfare handouts, and were not prepared to give them up, NZ parallels of working for families and student loans is the leftist way of capturing the middles class in a welfare trap. If National had the balls to scrap these they would be gone before lunch as well. This is costing 4 billion a year that we borrow to keep these luxuries in place. The cost of successive governments over the years has finally catching up with them with and socialist Europe placing an interest milstone round future generations necks.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3753486518085091399.post-23420363734238062002012-05-11T15:19:28.186+12:002012-05-11T15:19:28.186+12:00You sparked some further thought on my part, Chris...You sparked some further thought on my part, Chris, regarding some wider implications of austerity measures:<br />http://localbodies-bsprout.blogspot.co.nz/2012/05/austerity-measures-create-anorexic-weak.htmlDave Kennedyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12428353657153292616noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3753486518085091399.post-8188799452120910902012-05-11T12:57:19.396+12:002012-05-11T12:57:19.396+12:00The problem with this post is it falls into the tr...The problem with this post is it falls into the trap of assuming that neo-liberalism is primarily an economic doctrine and its supporters are therefore open to compromise. I suppose this may have been the case twenty years ago, but it isn't anymore. Now I would argue that neo-liberalism is more and more viewed by its followers as an alternative political ideology that offers a solution to a perceived crisis in the West. Most importantly, I think that as an ideology, neo-liberalism is fundamentally unappeasable, and the Western democracies in seeking a compromise with the financial elites are committing a fundamental mistake. I think that the neo-liberals understand history very well. The general neo-liberal response to the election of anti-austerity governments has not been to soften their zealotry and recognise that in a pluralist society politics is the art of the possible; rather the response has been to simply demand that democracy be done away with as an unacceptable obstacle to their ideological goal. If the neo-liberals of global capitalism can't they can't get what they want from democracy, they'll simply back something else - probably by encouraging military coups and quasi-fascist regimes that they feel they can manipulate to impose their ideology on the population.Sanctuaryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03107330732524823291noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3753486518085091399.post-91152084146324430652012-05-11T11:38:46.045+12:002012-05-11T11:38:46.045+12:00Good post.
Still, while everything said in it is...Good post. <br /><br />Still, while everything said in it is true, we aren't there yet. Paxton's five stages of fascism holds that it isn't a problem until conventional conservative elites ally with the far right (they do so because it is he only means to defend their privilege). That has not happened in any serious form in Greece or France and where it has happened in the US with the Republicans and he Tea Party, the latter are fairly mild in comparison with European far right parties. <br /><br />More troubling is that the left parties don't seem to have a coherent platform. Still, good luck to Syriza.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3753486518085091399.post-28202968057490771612012-05-11T11:27:19.914+12:002012-05-11T11:27:19.914+12:00When a country's workforce and infrastructure ...When a country's workforce and infrastructure is maintained during a recession it is then able to immediately respond and take advantage of an upturn. <br /><br />Now that National has allowed the wasting of our construction industry, let 1/4 of our young people remain unemployed, reduced the capacity of our state and regulatory services-our ability to take advantage of an upturn in the world economy will be limited. We will be left collecting the crumbs of opportunity, while other countries leap in first.Dave Kennedyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12428353657153292616noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3753486518085091399.post-76516077747875014872012-05-11T10:50:19.744+12:002012-05-11T10:50:19.744+12:00A brilliant post...perfectly balanced and horrendo...A brilliant post...perfectly balanced and horrendously accurate.<br /><br />"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it."Victornoreply@blogger.com