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Noam chomsky on Greek debt crisis

29/4/2015

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PictureNoam Chomsky (Duncan Rawlinson)
Noam Chomsky is a famous American linguist, philosopher and cognitive scientist but is also known for his political commentaries and activism for social justice. Most of his career was spent at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Chomsky is now 87 but still regularly comments on recent events. In a 2005 poll, Chomsky was voted the "world's top public intellectual".

Chomsky sees hopeful signs in the rise of such parties as Podemos in Spain, Syriza in Greece but also in independence movements in Latin America that are all fighting against disastrous economic policies saying: “Hopefully there is finally an uprising of the people against the devastating economic and social policies deriving from the bureaucracy and the banks, and this is promising. It must be." In an earlier interview on Democracy Now, described the EU reaction to the election of Syriza as "extremely savage". Given that control of events so far has been in the hands of the banks and EU bureaucracy it seems unlikely that any debt will be written off.

In an interview with Euronews, Chomsky argued that Greek debt should be written off just as happened with German debt in 1953, eight years after World War II. He also claimed that EU austerity policies inflicted on Greece were ruining the country. Chomsky is hardly alone in the belief that EU policies hurt Greece. Many liberal economists such as Paul Krugman have expressed similar views.

Chomsky noted that the Syriza-led government had an election mandate to change policies that led to 50 per cent of young people being unemployed and almost 40 per cent of Greeks living below the poverty line. When asked about other countries also facing huge debt loads such as Spain and Portugal, Chomsky maintained that their debt too should be written off.

Related reading
EU FInance Ministers make plans for greek default

Sources:
Greek Reporter
Noam Chomsky
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EU Finance Ministers make plans for Greek default

27/4/2015

1 Comment

 
PictureHeadquarters of IMF in Washington DC
At a meeting of the Eurogroup finance ministers in Riga Latvia on Friday, there was no breakthrough deal with Greece. The chair of the group of 19 finance ministers, Jeroen Dijsselbloem said that he hoped the meeting would create a sense of urgency that a deal had to be reached soon.

Many ministers criticized Greek finance minister Yanis Varoufakis for failing to come up with a list of reforms the group could accept. Greece has refused to budge so far on "reforms" to pensions and other demands that would go contrary to the anti-austerity program the main government party, Syriza, promised voters they would implement.

However, such measures are part of the requirements of the extended bailout loan. Creditors have made it clear that no cash will be released until they are satisfied the terms will be met. So far there is no sign that Greece is willing to do so.

Given the impasses so far, it is not too surprising that German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble hinted that the group was beginning to develop plans for a possible Greek default on its debt payments. Asked by reporters after the Friday meeting whether the finance ministers were working on a "Plan B" in case negotiations for funding Greece fail, Schaeuble said: “You shouldn't ask responsible politicians about alternatives.” He said that if he answered in the affirmative he could trigger panic. Schaeuble suggested that secrecy was necessary and drew a parallel with plans for German reunification in 1989.

French Finance Minister Michel Sapin said that there is just plan A: "There is only one plan, and that's Greece in the euro. Greece in Europe." The earliest next date for a deal is on May 11, just one day before Greece is scheduled to make a large payment to the International Monetary Fund(IMF). Pierre Moscovici, the EU top economic official warned:"We should move faster, because time is running out, financial difficulties are there as well as the commitments made. Greece must remain in the eurozone." Since May 2010 Greece has relied on a bailout loan of 240 billion euros to keep afloat. Austerity conditions imposed have ruined the economy which has shrunk by one quarter and also increased unemployment with almost half of young people unemployed and about a quarter overall.

In an article, in Al Jazeera, Mark Weisbrot, suggests that the strategy of  Greek's creditors is to make things so difficult for the left-leaning Syriza government in Greece that support for it will be undermined and it will be ultimately replaced. Already the lack of a deal and possible exit from the eurozone has caused huge runs on Greek banks and depositors worry that their euros may eventually be turned into drachma with huge losses in value. The European Central Bank is cutting off liquidity to the Greek banks as well, as Varoufakis has complained. Weisbrot notes that even many IMF economists believe that the demands being made on  the Greek government are too severe.

Reza Moghadan, former head of the IMF European department wrote recently in the Financial Times:  “Europe is demanding implementation, in the next few weeks, of a long and comprehensive list of actions that previous governments were unable to deliver in the space of a few years.”  

These impossible demands make sense if the aim is for eventual "regime change". However, it is not clear what good this would do as long as the creditors continue the present policy of demands that are politically disastrous for any Greek government to try and satisfy. However, insisting on continuing disastrous policies seems to be a hallmark of  EU negotiations with Greece


Sources: 
http://news.yahoo.com/greece-offers-concessions-talks-creditors-063638117--sector.html
http://www.dw.de/finance-minister-sch%C3%A4uble-hints-at-preparations-for-a-plan-b-on-greece/a-18408886
http://www.ctvnews.ca/business/there-is-only-one-plan-and-that-s-greece-in-the-euro-french-official-says-1.2344674
http://www.voanews.com/content/plans-for-potential-greek-exit-from-eurozone-played-down/2734353.html
1 Comment

Mexican teenager forcibly returned to Houston Woman

25/4/2015

4 Comments

 
Picture
Alondra Luna Nunez a 14-year-old Mexican was removed by force from her school, after a court hearing, then taken against her will to the US to live with Dorotea Garcia in Houston Texas who thought that Nunez was her daughter.

Garcia apparently saw Alondra in Guanajuato Mexico. She told a Houston TV station that when she first saw Alondra she knew that it was her daughter. In 2007 Garcia's daughter was allegedly abducted by her father and taken to Mexico. The identification of Alondra as her daughter resulted in a petition for her return by US authorities. The case was then forwarded to Judge Cinthia Mercado.

In spite of the fact the Alondra's parents presented Judge Mercado with a number of documents identifying Alondra as their daughter, including baptismal records, a birth certificate and family photographs.

Mercado nevertheless decided in favor of Garcia and claimed: "Our only job is to resolve whether the child is to be returned or not".

A video showing her being removed from her school kicking and screaming by Mexican federal police went viral prompting demands for an investigation. The government has announced recently that there will be an investigation. Some reports also say she was taken to another court and was dragged screaming from there as well and turned over to Interpol agents who took her to Houston.When she arrived in Houston, Alondra asked for a DNA test to show that she was not Garcia's daughter. The test was carried out at the Mexican consulate in Houston and showed that she was not Garcia's daughter.

Alondra left for Mexico and a reunion with her parents in Guanajuato on Wednesday.

Garcia and her relatives both apologized for the incident to Alondra before she left Houston and also phoned when she arrived home to ask her forgiveness. The parents and Alondra blame the judge for the incident.

While Alondra was terrified at first at being separated from her parents, when she arrived in Houston, she recorded  a video and even posted to social media telling her parents in Mexico not to worry: "I'm fine, I see that the United States is nice. I don't understand anything they are saying because everything is in English".

The parents and Alondra blame the judge for rejecting the evidence they had presented including the fact that Garcia's daughter had a scar on her eyebrow rather than on her nose as Alondra has.


Sources:
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2015/04/mexican-girl-forcibly-returns-home-150424073707367.html
https://youtu.be/yb9P7bBT1IY

4 Comments

Saudi Yemen bombings renewed hours after due to end

24/4/2015

1 Comment

 
PicturePresident Hadi and John Kerry
Just two hours after operation "Decisive Storm", the Saudi-led bombing of Yemen, was supposedly ended, there were renewed airstrikes on a number of targets. The operation had supposedly met its goal although the goal was originally to restore President Hadi to power and defeat the Houthi rebels. The bombings lasted nearly a month and was to be replaced by a new operation called "Renewal of Hope" and is aimed to protect civilians and combat "terrorism". The Houthi rebels are far from defeated, indeed they have seized more territory since the bombing. Al Qaeda in the Arab Peninsula also has seized more territory including Mukalla the capital of Hardramawt province. They have also seized huge amounts of weapons from the former Yemen government stores. The bombings lasted almost a month and in many cases resulted in large numbers of civilian casualties.

Thousands of  Houthi fighters and their supporters took to the streets of the capital Sanaa on Wednesday protesting against the bombings.They were protesting what they claimed was the shelling of residential areas. After "Decisive Storm" was supposedly ended targets in both the city of Taiz and Aden were bombed. In Taiz the Houthis had captured the headquarters of a brigade loyal to the Hadi government. Most officials of the Hadi government including Hadi himself  fled the conflict some time ago to the safety of the Saudi capital Riyadh. The Houthis are mounting a new offensive on Aden from three sides.

The Houthi rebels are supported by Iran. Iran tried to discourage the Houthis from taking the capital last September. Iran wanted a political solution in which a government would be formed agreeable to the Houthis. There were attempts to broker such a government but they never worked out. President Hadi resigned as a result and was held under virtual house arrest but managed to escape to Aden where he rescinded his resignation and declared himself the legitimate president. However, attacks against him in Aden led him to flee the country to Ryadh the capital of Saudi Arabia. The Saudi bombing campaign certainly destroyed a great deal of  Houthi weaponry but also wreaked havoc in the urban areas where many of the bombings took place. The US apparently urged the Saudis to end the campaign because of its negative effects. None of the bombings were directed against AQAP who have used the chaos to extend their control often in alliance with local Sunni tribes. A Saudi prince has promised a free Bentley to up to 100 pilots involved in the Yemen strikes. Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal,  has a $300 million investment in Twitter where he made the pledge. However, the tweet has since been deleted!

On Wednesday, the Houthis had asked for "Decisive Storm" to end and for UN-brokered peace talks, in spite of the fact that the UN negotiations failed before. The UN is hardly a neutral party since it has passed sanctions against two Houthi leaders, and former ex-president Saleh, their ally, as well as imposing an embargo on arms shipments to them. But then the US mediates between Palestine and Israel and it is hardly neutral either. Iran too is in favor of negotiations and a peace deal. Former president Saleh also urged that all sides should "return to dialogue to solve and treat all the issues". In a gesture of goodwill the Houthis released the Hadi defense minister, the brother of president Hadi, and a military commander all of whom had been help captive for nearly a month.

Sources:
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2015/04/fighting-fresh-air-strikes-mark-phase-yemen-150423001409834.html
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2015/04/iran-vows-saudi-led-air-strikes-yemen-rebels-150415142527136.html
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3050739/Saudi-prince-pledges-free-Bentley-pilot-involved-Yemen-air-strikes-claimed-1-000-lives.html
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2015/04/20/carrier-intercepts-iranian-arms/26082755/
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-32411311
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2015/04/saudi-led-coalition-begins-phase-yemen-campaign-150421155500641.html

1 Comment

Canadians protest Orwellian terror laws

23/4/2015

3 Comments

 
PictureCanadian prime minister Stephen Harper
 60 Canadian business leaders sign letter against new terror bill

Joining in with many other groups and individuals, 60 Canadian business leaders signed a letter opposing the new anti-terror bill C-51 of Stephen Harper's Conservative government.

There have been protests ever since the bill was introduced, and during hearings, there were countrywide protests during a day of action back on March 14, but protests are still going on with a number of protests in different cities throughout Canada today. Many critics have suggested that the bill as a whole should be rejected because we already have laws that can deal adequately with terrorism. Other critics demand radical changes.

There has been such a strong reaction to the bill, even the Conservatives are suggesting now that they will make some amendments. They have turned some of the hearings into a farce asking critical witnesses irrelevant hostile questions. Significant critics such as their own privacy commissioner were not even invited to testify.

The bill is filled with vague language and would give police more powers to target any threats to Canadian security which include influencing the government through unlawful means, or interfering with Canada's financial stability. Environmentalists and aboriginal activists fear the powers of the bill will be used to disrupt their activities. The former chair of the Security Information Review Committee, warned that parts of the bill were unconstitutional and would face challenges in the court. This will not bother the government which can use taxpayer money to fight issues right up to the Supreme Court making it costly for those who want to raise a constitutional challenge.

The Canadian Bar Association has already written a letter opposing the bill as well, claiming it would deprive Canadians of liberties while failing to increase their safety. The business leaders claimed that the bill would give the Canadian Security and Intelligence Services power to take unjustified actions against businesses including taking down websites.

The letter said:“As it stands, C-51 criminalizes language in excessively broad terms that may place the authors of innocent tweets and the operators of online platforms such as Facebook, and Twitter, along with Canada’s Hootsuite and Slack, at risk of criminal sanction for activities carried out on their sites.”

A satirical site, the Lapine, claims that Stephen Harper is warning normal Canadians to stay away from the protests against his bill noting the protesters had very bad personal hygiene: "“Look. These people don’t brush their teeth regularly. They wear the same underwear day after day. They smell really, really bad,” Harper said over his shoulder to reporters as he arrived earlier today at a fundraising brunch."

The Liberal leader Justin Trudeau long ago said that his party would support the legislation although they want changes made. Even without the changes he said his party would vote for the bill. The main opposition, the New Democratic Party opposes the legislation at least as it is now.
 
Sources:
http://thelapine.ca/bill-c-51-protesters-have-bad-personal-hygiene-warns-harper/
http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2015/04/21/canadian-tech-leaders-oppose-c-51_n_7111150.html
https://www.google.ca/?gws_rd=ssl#q=Liberals+support+bill+c+51
http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/bill-c-51-day-of-action-protests-denounce-new-policing-powers-1.2994226

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    Ken Hanly

    Ken is a retired philosophy professor living in the boondocks of Manitoba, Canada, with his Filipina wife. He enjoys reading the news and writing articles. Politically Ken is on the far left of the political spectrum on many issues.

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