When the Netherlands’ newly coronated king made his first annual appearance before parliament, he turned some heads when he addressed the deficiencies of the Dutch welfare state. “Due to social developments such as globalisation and an ageing population, our labour market and public services are no longer suited to the demands of the times”, the king said in a speech written by Liberal prime minister Mark Ruttes cabinet. “The classical welfare state is slowly but surely evolving into a ‘participation society’”, Willem-Alexander continued. By this he meant that the public systems should start encouraging self-reliance over government dependency.
It is worthwhile to reflect on the challenges faced by the Dutch welfare system. In a knowledge based economy, influenced by strong global competition and dynamic economic development, public policy must encourage thrift, education and build-up of social capital. Discouragingly high taxes and encouragingly high benefits are no way of doing so. Such policies are therefore likely to become even greater obstacles to social and economic development as they are today.
Read more at:
The Dutch Rethink the Welfare State | Newgeography.com
Showing posts with label Conservative. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Conservative. Show all posts
9/24/21
The U.S. Supreme Court: Now a Roman Catholic Institution? - by Terri Langston
Silent assent is insidious – and cowardly. In civilized societies, the rule of law ensures that cogent rules, based in law, apply equally to every member of society.
The rule of law protects us from each other, too; that is, from the worst behaviors toward fellow human beings that humans can be given to.
As Aristotle wrote: “It is more proper that law should govern than any one of the citizens.”
Read more at: The U.S. Supreme Court: Now a Roman Catholic Institution? - The Globalist
The rule of law protects us from each other, too; that is, from the worst behaviors toward fellow human beings that humans can be given to.
As Aristotle wrote: “It is more proper that law should govern than any one of the citizens.”
Read more at: The U.S. Supreme Court: Now a Roman Catholic Institution? - The Globalist
8/31/21
Brazil: Arrested, killed or victory: Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro on his future
Brazilian far-right President Jair Bolsonaro on Saturday said he sees three alternatives for his future: winning the 2022 presidential elections, death or prison.
"I have three alternatives for my future: being arrested, killed or victory," he said, in remarks to a meeting of evangelical leaders. Bolsonaro later added that the first option is out of question. "No man on Earth will threaten me."
Bolsonaro's remarks come as he has been questioning Brazil's electronic voting system and threatened not to accept the results of next year's presidential election. He has been calling for the adoption of printed receipts, saying that electronic ballots are vulnerable to fraud.
Read more at: Arrested, killed or victory: Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro on his future
"I have three alternatives for my future: being arrested, killed or victory," he said, in remarks to a meeting of evangelical leaders. Bolsonaro later added that the first option is out of question. "No man on Earth will threaten me."
Bolsonaro's remarks come as he has been questioning Brazil's electronic voting system and threatened not to accept the results of next year's presidential election. He has been calling for the adoption of printed receipts, saying that electronic ballots are vulnerable to fraud.
Read more at: Arrested, killed or victory: Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro on his future
8/17/21
Afghanistan: Taliban promise peace at Kabul news conference as rescue mission launched to save 6,000 Brits
Homira Rezai, who grew up in the war-torn country until she was 13 and now lives in Dudley, described how the militants were already drawing up lists of women to target for future punishments.
She told BBC Women's Hour: "Just an hour ago, I received an update from Kabul where they are going house to house searching for women who were activists, women who were bloggers, YouTubers, any women who had a role in the development of civil society in Afghanistan.
"They are going door to door targeting those women and marking the doors with bright pink or bright-coloured paint to ensure 'this is the house we need to come back to and do something about them'."
Read more at: Afghanistan news latest: Taliban promise peace at Kabul news conference as rescue mission launched to save 6,000 Brits
She told BBC Women's Hour: "Just an hour ago, I received an update from Kabul where they are going house to house searching for women who were activists, women who were bloggers, YouTubers, any women who had a role in the development of civil society in Afghanistan.
"They are going door to door targeting those women and marking the doors with bright pink or bright-coloured paint to ensure 'this is the house we need to come back to and do something about them'."
Read more at: Afghanistan news latest: Taliban promise peace at Kabul news conference as rescue mission launched to save 6,000 Brits
10/6/19
7/4/16
Is Hillary Clinton a Warmonger? - by Michael J. Brenner
Former Secretary of State (and Senator and First Lady) Hillary
Clinton has based her campaign for president of the United States States
heavily on her many years of foreign policy experience.
Especially outside the United States, that is typically regarded as an automatic positive, but that assumption deserves a critical review. Relying on “experience,” after all, is only a positive if the record is a good one that deserves to be extended.
The record demonstrates that she certainly is a hawk – someone who believes strongly in the utility of military force and is ready to use it. There is ample evidence in support of this contention.
Her actions as Senator and Secretary of State as well her speeches and campaign statements paint picture of a would-be President who views the world in terms of an ominous threat environment.
She believes that core American interests are being challenged across the globe. She is a firm advocate of intervening on a preventive basis (e.g. Syria, Libya), as well as on a preemptive or defensive basis.
She is dedicated to keeping putative rivals to the United States, like China or Russia, in a subordinate position.
This complex of attitudes puts a considerable amount of blue water between her and Barack Obama. Indeed, early in her campaign she made a point of criticizing the White House for its overly restrained policies vis-à-vis Syria’s Assad, Russia’s Putin and China’s Xi.
She only switched tacks when it became evident that she needed to associate herself closely with the Obama record in the face of the unexpected Sanders insurrection.
Read more: Is Hillary Clinton a Warmonger? - The Globalist
Especially outside the United States, that is typically regarded as an automatic positive, but that assumption deserves a critical review. Relying on “experience,” after all, is only a positive if the record is a good one that deserves to be extended.
The record demonstrates that she certainly is a hawk – someone who believes strongly in the utility of military force and is ready to use it. There is ample evidence in support of this contention.
Her actions as Senator and Secretary of State as well her speeches and campaign statements paint picture of a would-be President who views the world in terms of an ominous threat environment.
She believes that core American interests are being challenged across the globe. She is a firm advocate of intervening on a preventive basis (e.g. Syria, Libya), as well as on a preemptive or defensive basis.
She is dedicated to keeping putative rivals to the United States, like China or Russia, in a subordinate position.
This complex of attitudes puts a considerable amount of blue water between her and Barack Obama. Indeed, early in her campaign she made a point of criticizing the White House for its overly restrained policies vis-à-vis Syria’s Assad, Russia’s Putin and China’s Xi.
She only switched tacks when it became evident that she needed to associate herself closely with the Obama record in the face of the unexpected Sanders insurrection.
Read more: Is Hillary Clinton a Warmonger? - The Globalist
10/31/14
The US Political Divide: The 10 most conservative (and liberal) cities in America - Allegra Kirkland
Americans have countless stereotypes about people from different
regions of the country. There’s the polite Midwesterner, the abrasive
New Yorker, the Berkeley hippy, the gun-toting Texan. There is red
America and there is blue, and never the twain shall meet. But a study of conservative cities published in American Political Science Review suggests that the United States has a much more complicated political patchwork than we might expect.
In order to determine which cities are most conservative, researchers analyzed large-scale surveys that questioned residents of over 1,600 towns and cities about a range of policy areas, from education to healthcare. Study authors Chris Tausanovitch of UCLA and Christopher Warshaw of MIT created an ideological score for each city based on these responses. The final study looks at the 51 U.S. cities that have at least 250,000 residents.
Some of their findings, like the fact that the U.S.’ biggest urban centers lean toward the liberal side of the spectrum, are unsurprising. But there is a remarkable ideological range within states, and beyond the top contenders, the rankings aren’t what you might expect. Mesa, Arizona’s title as the most conservative city in the country fits in with our preconceptions about national politics, but the fact that Buffalo, New York is more liberal than Chicago or that Portland doesn’t even crack the top 10 is more of a surprise. According to their results, San Francisco is the most liberal city, followed by Washington DC and Seattle.
The most interesting takeaway of the study is that ideology has tangible effects on policy at the municipal level. Academic literature has long held that city officials are unresponsive to their constituents, thanks to the constraints placed on them by state and federal governments and the impossibility of catering to a constantly changing demography. Yet as it turns out, “the substantive impact of citizens’ preferences on policy outcomes is quite large.”
The most liberal cities have higher taxes per capita, rely on less regressive tax systems, and spend twice as much per person as their most conservative counterparts. And as Hunter Schwarz points outat the Washington Post, “even cities with governments designed to be less partisan, with institutions like nonpartisan elections and professional managers instead of elected mayors, are in line with residents’ political beliefs.”
Read more: The 10 most conservative (and liberal) cities in America - Salon.com
In order to determine which cities are most conservative, researchers analyzed large-scale surveys that questioned residents of over 1,600 towns and cities about a range of policy areas, from education to healthcare. Study authors Chris Tausanovitch of UCLA and Christopher Warshaw of MIT created an ideological score for each city based on these responses. The final study looks at the 51 U.S. cities that have at least 250,000 residents.
Some of their findings, like the fact that the U.S.’ biggest urban centers lean toward the liberal side of the spectrum, are unsurprising. But there is a remarkable ideological range within states, and beyond the top contenders, the rankings aren’t what you might expect. Mesa, Arizona’s title as the most conservative city in the country fits in with our preconceptions about national politics, but the fact that Buffalo, New York is more liberal than Chicago or that Portland doesn’t even crack the top 10 is more of a surprise. According to their results, San Francisco is the most liberal city, followed by Washington DC and Seattle.
The most interesting takeaway of the study is that ideology has tangible effects on policy at the municipal level. Academic literature has long held that city officials are unresponsive to their constituents, thanks to the constraints placed on them by state and federal governments and the impossibility of catering to a constantly changing demography. Yet as it turns out, “the substantive impact of citizens’ preferences on policy outcomes is quite large.”
The most liberal cities have higher taxes per capita, rely on less regressive tax systems, and spend twice as much per person as their most conservative counterparts. And as Hunter Schwarz points outat the Washington Post, “even cities with governments designed to be less partisan, with institutions like nonpartisan elections and professional managers instead of elected mayors, are in line with residents’ political beliefs.”
Read more: The 10 most conservative (and liberal) cities in America - Salon.com
9/1/14
Germany: Saxony's election: Another little piece of Europe shifts right
As one the supporters of the Alternative for Germany (AfD), founded only
last year, cheered into the echoing vault they had rented for their
election-night party next to the river Elbe in Dresden. The evening's
first projection on August 31st had just put the AfD near 10% of the
vote in Saxony, clearly above the 5% threshold to enter that state's
parliament. Moments later, Frauke Petry (pictured), the party's boss in
Saxony, entered and was mobbed as though she were a rockstar. Great
work, she beamed back at her fans, but the real effort only starts now:
In two weeks, the Alternative also wants to enter the state parliaments
of Brandenburg and Thuringia.
The AfD began as a single-issue party, calling for an orderly unravelling of the euro. In the past year, it has added piecemeal other positions, from an increase in direct democracy to a return to conservative economics. At times--as in Saxony, where it is strongest--it has also mixed xenophobic innuendo into its messages. Although it pulls voters from all the other parties, it is most successful on the right.
The Alternative's newest success, coming hard on the heels of its entry into the European Parliament earlier this year and representing its first participation in a state parliament, had a contrast in the failure of the liberal party, called the FDP. It was ejected from Saxony's parliament, just as it was thrown out of Bavaria's and the federal Bundestag last September. The FDP thus appears dead, perhaps gone for good from German politics. In effect, it has been replaced by the Alternative.
Read more: Saxony's election: Another little piece of Europe shifts right | The Economist
The AfD began as a single-issue party, calling for an orderly unravelling of the euro. In the past year, it has added piecemeal other positions, from an increase in direct democracy to a return to conservative economics. At times--as in Saxony, where it is strongest--it has also mixed xenophobic innuendo into its messages. Although it pulls voters from all the other parties, it is most successful on the right.
The Alternative's newest success, coming hard on the heels of its entry into the European Parliament earlier this year and representing its first participation in a state parliament, had a contrast in the failure of the liberal party, called the FDP. It was ejected from Saxony's parliament, just as it was thrown out of Bavaria's and the federal Bundestag last September. The FDP thus appears dead, perhaps gone for good from German politics. In effect, it has been replaced by the Alternative.
Read more: Saxony's election: Another little piece of Europe shifts right | The Economist
2/1/14
France: Francois Hollande Asked: 'Do You Think Your Private Life Has Made France An International Joke?'
British journalists poured scorn on French reporters earlier this
month when Hollande gave his first press conference following
allegations of an affair were made public - accusing them of being too
afraid to ask probing questions.
And during a joint press conference between David Cameron and Hollande at an RAF airbase today, The Daily Telegraph's senior political correspondent, Christopher Hope, went for the jugular with this question.
The question was controversial with some. Axelle Lemaire, a French Socialist politician, said it was "disrespectful and discourteous for a UK journalist to ask President Hollande about his private life in such a way". She added: "Is that journalist a joke?"
Lemaire, who represents French citizens living in London, dismissed the argument that the grilling was justified on the basis of a free press.
She told the Daily Mail's political editor on Twitter: "Nothing to do with free press. You were scandalized when Closer showed photos of the Duchess of Cambridge. Double standard?"
Read more: Francois Hollande Asked: 'Do You Think Your Private Life Has Made France An International Joke?'
And during a joint press conference between David Cameron and Hollande at an RAF airbase today, The Daily Telegraph's senior political correspondent, Christopher Hope, went for the jugular with this question.
"Monsieur le Président. I know this is a very sensitive subject for you. Do you think your private life has made France an international joke? Are you still having an affair with Julie Gayet? And do you wish she was here?"Hollande, who scrunched up his face at the personal question, told Hope: "I'm afraid I would decline to answer."
The question was controversial with some. Axelle Lemaire, a French Socialist politician, said it was "disrespectful and discourteous for a UK journalist to ask President Hollande about his private life in such a way". She added: "Is that journalist a joke?"
Lemaire, who represents French citizens living in London, dismissed the argument that the grilling was justified on the basis of a free press.
She told the Daily Mail's political editor on Twitter: "Nothing to do with free press. You were scandalized when Closer showed photos of the Duchess of Cambridge. Double standard?"
Read more: Francois Hollande Asked: 'Do You Think Your Private Life Has Made France An International Joke?'
7/8/12
Dutch right-winger lawmaker Geert Wilders brings his crusade against Islam to conservative conference in Colorado
Right winger Dutch parliamentarian Geert Wilders brought his crusade against the Islamic religion to Denver last weekend, warning an audience at the Western Conservative Summit that Europe and the United States are vulnerable to an insidious takeover by what he termed a “dangerous, totalitarian ideology” masquerading as a religion.
“If we do not stop the Islamization, we will lose everything: our identity, our culture, our democratic constitutional state, our freedom, and our civilization,” Wilders told an audience of roughly 1,000 gathered in the main ballroom at the downtown Hyatt Regency Denver on Saturday. The annual summit, in its third year, is sponsored by the Lakewood-based Colorado Christian University’s Centennial Institute and had an estimated 1,300 attendees over three days.
While the reaction to Wilders was mixed — he received repeated standing ovations during his 45-minute talk, but perhaps a third of the audience members remained planted in their seats throughout — one Colorado lawmaker said Americans should take the Islamic threat seriously and consider prohibiting the construction of mosques in the state.
Read more: Dutch lawmaker brings his crusade against Islam to conservative confab | Colorado Statesman
“If we do not stop the Islamization, we will lose everything: our identity, our culture, our democratic constitutional state, our freedom, and our civilization,” Wilders told an audience of roughly 1,000 gathered in the main ballroom at the downtown Hyatt Regency Denver on Saturday. The annual summit, in its third year, is sponsored by the Lakewood-based Colorado Christian University’s Centennial Institute and had an estimated 1,300 attendees over three days.
While the reaction to Wilders was mixed — he received repeated standing ovations during his 45-minute talk, but perhaps a third of the audience members remained planted in their seats throughout — one Colorado lawmaker said Americans should take the Islamic threat seriously and consider prohibiting the construction of mosques in the state.
Read more: Dutch lawmaker brings his crusade against Islam to conservative confab | Colorado Statesman
7/25/11
Norway and the politics of hate
Societies have been changing fast. There is mounting frustration that officials at both European and national level seem not to listen to the views of the voters.
With globalisation, national identity seems to have become more important. The nation state stubbornly remains the focus of most people's identity. And so nationalist parties have made gains in many parts of Europe. There are frequent expressions of concern about the growing influence of these parties. Others say that they provide a useful channel for the feelings of frustration and alienation.
Some of Europe's leaders, from Angela Merkel to David Cameron, have questioned multiculturalism. The danger, of course, is that such statements can encourage extremism. Others say that in Europe the debate needs to be had, openly and transparently about immigration and multiculturalism
For more: BBC News - Norway and the politics of hate
With globalisation, national identity seems to have become more important. The nation state stubbornly remains the focus of most people's identity. And so nationalist parties have made gains in many parts of Europe. There are frequent expressions of concern about the growing influence of these parties. Others say that they provide a useful channel for the feelings of frustration and alienation.
Some of Europe's leaders, from Angela Merkel to David Cameron, have questioned multiculturalism. The danger, of course, is that such statements can encourage extremism. Others say that in Europe the debate needs to be had, openly and transparently about immigration and multiculturalism
For more: BBC News - Norway and the politics of hate
2/18/11
Europe: After the Great Recession, the Great Regression - by Paul Taylor
After the great recession, Europe has embarked on a great regression.
Wages, pensions, unemployment insurance, welfare benefits and collective bargaining are under attack in many countries as governments struggle to reduce debts swollen partly by the cost of rescuing banks during the global financial crisis.
Unlike bankers and bondholders, the European social model is being given a haircut — a light trim in Nordic countries, but a brutal short-back-and-sides in some others. The rollback of wages and social benefits is toughest in Greece, Ireland, Romania and Latvia, which are implementing bailout programs designed by the International Monetary Fund and the European Union. “The messages are the same: Cut wages — public sector wages, minimum wages — reduce benefits and raise retirement ages, and also reduce employment protection in certain countries,” Mr. Monks said.
Under the banner of fiscal sustainability, Europe’s mostly center-right governments are unwinding some cherished gains of the era of social progress that began after World War II, at the price of widening inequality.
Emerging countries like China and India achieved competitiveness through low wages, no collective bargaining, little or no health care and social insurance, and disregard for the environment in exploiting resources and production. “The question for Europe is: Do we emulate that model?”, said Mr. Papandreou the Greek PM in Davos. “Because what we are seeing is on the one hand a race to the bottom at the level of the middle and working class, and at the other end a race to the top.”
For more: After the Great Recession, the Great Regression - NYTimes.com
Wages, pensions, unemployment insurance, welfare benefits and collective bargaining are under attack in many countries as governments struggle to reduce debts swollen partly by the cost of rescuing banks during the global financial crisis.
Unlike bankers and bondholders, the European social model is being given a haircut — a light trim in Nordic countries, but a brutal short-back-and-sides in some others. The rollback of wages and social benefits is toughest in Greece, Ireland, Romania and Latvia, which are implementing bailout programs designed by the International Monetary Fund and the European Union. “The messages are the same: Cut wages — public sector wages, minimum wages — reduce benefits and raise retirement ages, and also reduce employment protection in certain countries,” Mr. Monks said.
Under the banner of fiscal sustainability, Europe’s mostly center-right governments are unwinding some cherished gains of the era of social progress that began after World War II, at the price of widening inequality.
Emerging countries like China and India achieved competitiveness through low wages, no collective bargaining, little or no health care and social insurance, and disregard for the environment in exploiting resources and production. “The question for Europe is: Do we emulate that model?”, said Mr. Papandreou the Greek PM in Davos. “Because what we are seeing is on the one hand a race to the bottom at the level of the middle and working class, and at the other end a race to the top.”
For more: After the Great Recession, the Great Regression - NYTimes.com
1/6/10
Avatar: Why do Conservatives hate this movie?
It's no secret that "Avatar" has been stunningly successful on nearly every front. The James Cameron-directed sci-fi epic is already the fourth-highest-grossing film of all time, having earned more than $1 billion around the globe in less than three weeks of theatrical release. The film also has garnered effusive praise from critics, who've been planting its flag on a variety of critics Top 10 lists (it has earned an impressive 83 score on Rotten Tomatoes). The 3-D trip to Pandora is also viewed as a veritable shoo-in for a best picture Oscar nomination when the academy announces its nominees on Feb. 2.
But amid this avalanche of praise and popularity, guess who hates the movie? America's prickly cadre of political conservatives.
6/23/07
Washington Post: Changing Patterns in Social Fabric Test Netherlands' Liberal Identity - by Molly Moore
Dutch Parliament in the HagueFor the complete report from the washingtonpost.com click on this link
Changing Patterns in Social Fabric Test Netherlands' Liberal Identity - by Molly Moore
For years, W.B. Kranendonk was a lone ranger in Dutch politics -- the editor of an orthodox Christian newspaper in a nation that has legalized prostitution, euthanasia, abortion and same-sex marriage and allows the personal use of marijuana. Today, with an orthodox Christian political party in the government for the first time, and with immigration anxieties fueling a national search for identity, the country that has been the world's most socially liberal political laboratory is rethinking its anything-goes policies.
6/19/07
The Loft: Europe’s Move Toward Conservatism
The Loft » Blog Archive » Europe’s Move Toward Conservatism: "For the complete report from the Loft click on this link
Europe’s Move Toward Conservatism - by Greg Reason
"Private intelligence company Strategic Forecasting, Inc. (STRATFOR) recently published an article describing what it sees as the imminent end of the leftist domination of Europe. Specifically, the article says, “…2007 will see the end of the left as a leading force on the Continent." In its analysis, STRATFOR states that a slow shift to the political right in Europe extends beyond Germany, France and the United Kingdom, and includes Poland, Finland, Sweden, the Netherlands, Belgium and Austria, the result of elections that have seen moderate and conservative parties making substantial gains. While I agree with STRATFOR that a noticeable shift to the right is occurring in European politics, I break with their analysis on the future of the European Union."
3/27/07
AsiaNews.it: - Multiculturalism and Islam: Muslims in Europe, no to ghettos, yes to integration - by Samir Khalil Samir sj
For the complete report in Asia News click on this link
Muslims in Europe, no to ghettos, yes to integration - by Samir Khalil Samir sj
The question of national identity is very important both for newly-arrived Muslims and for those who have lived in Europe for some time. They should be made to feel proud of being European. If they live in Italy and if they integrate in Italy, they should be able to say "I am Italian" and not just because they are able to have a passport or they are standing on Italian soil.
Let’s take for example the shocking situation that developed in Milan some time ago, when a group of Arab parents (Egyptians) pulled their children out of public school and opened an Arab school: intellectuals and Italian political figures emphasized this choice as an effort to "maintain their roots," to be educated in the Arabic language.... This, for them, is not the priority, nor is it for the state. It is rather a task for the family and perhaps some cultural groups. The task for politicians should be to help integration, help immigrants find work, guarantee dignified housing and affordable rent, and all this on the condition that immigrants are willing to adopt the European way of life.
Karen Jesperson and Ralf Pittelkow former eminent members of the Social-democratic party in Denmark wrote: "fundamentalists are gaining ground among the young Muslim people of Europe: They are seeking to interfere in the lives of people, even those who are integrated, to indicate to them various kinds of behaviour: how to dress, what to eat, how to handle certain problems, etc, so as to distinguish themselves from others. They are warning people that if they do not do this, they risk disappearing like salt in water." Karen Jesperson and Ralf Pittelkow blame this increase in radical Islam on the West for having praised the "cultural ghetto" position, with the excuse or the idea of multiculturalism."
For Europe the reasoning should be as follows: "we cannot accept people who come to Europe only because they have guarantees of making a living, unemployment insurance, health assistance, etc. Note EU-Digest: "Europe must set conditions that promote integration. If immigrants participate in the European society and the development and enrichment of its culture and economy, they must be treated as citizens with the same rights enjoyed by other Europeans. Local European governments should do everything they can to promote this. On the other hand, Europe is a democratic and secular society and it must never permit that the democratic pillars on which this society stands are being threatened by radical, fundamentalist, or ultra-conservative forces from within or outside Europe."
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