The rise of Corporate Power was the fall of democracy. Over the long haul, US politics has revolved around a deep tension between democracy and an unrelenting drive for plunder, power and empire. Granted that our democracy has been seriously flawed and only rarely revolutionary, yet the democratic movements are the source of every good thing America has ever stood for.
Since the mid-1970s, when the corporations fused with the state, a new imperial order emerged that killed what remained of representative democracy. Not only would corporations exercise public authority as only government once had, but government would coordinate and serve corporate activity. Power and profits became one and the same. Corporate power has replaced democracy with oligarchy and justice with a vast militarized penal system. Instead of innovative production, they plunder people and planet.
To achieve this new order, elections and the economy had to be drained of any remaining democratic content. Both Democrats and Republicans were eager to have at it.
By the 1990s “Third Way” Democrats like Bill Clinton abandoned what was left of the New Deal to try to outdo the Republicans as the party of Wall Street. The Republicans pioneered election fraud on a national scale in 2000, 2004, and 2016; a lesson the Democrats learned all too well by the 2016 Primary. Neither major party wants election reform since free and fair elections would threaten the system itself.
So-called private corporations like Facebook, Google and Twitter control information and manage the 1st Amendment. The corporate media now broadcast propaganda and play the role of censor once monopolized by the FBI and CIA. The migration of propaganda work to civilian organizations began under Ronald Reagan.
Read more at:
How Corporate Power Killed Democracy - CounterPunch.org
Showing posts with label Corporate Power. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Corporate Power. Show all posts
7/7/22
Democracy in decline: How Corporate Power Killed Democracy - the Fusion of the Corporation and the State
The rise of Corporate Power was the fall of democracy. Over the long haul, US politics has revolved around a deep tension between democracy and an unrelenting drive for plunder, power and empire. Granted that our democracy has been seriously flawed and only rarely revolutionary, yet the democratic movements are the source of every good thing America has ever stood for.
Since the mid-1970s, when the corporations fused with the state, a new imperial order emerged that killed what remained of representative democracy. Not only would corporations exercise public authority as only government once had, but government would coordinate and serve corporate activity. Power and profits became one and the same. Corporate power has replaced democracy with oligarchy and justice with a vast militarized penal system. Instead of innovative production, they plunder people and planet. To achieve this new order, elections and the economy had to be drained of any remaining democratic content. Both Democrats and Republicans were eager to have at it.
By the 1990s “Third Way” Democrats like Bill Clinton abandoned what was left of the New Deal to try to outdo the Republicans as the party of Wall Street. The Republicans pioneered election fraud on a national scale in 2000, 2004, and 2016; a lesson the Democrats learned all too well by the 2016 Primary. Neither major party wants election reform since free and fair elections would threaten the system itself.
So-called private corporations like Facebook, Google and Twitter control information and manage the 1st Amendment. The corporate media now broadcast propaganda and play the role of censor once monopolized by the FBI and CIA. The migration of propaganda work to civilian organizations began under Ronald Reagan.
Read more at: How Corporate Power Killed Democracy - CounterPunch.org
Since the mid-1970s, when the corporations fused with the state, a new imperial order emerged that killed what remained of representative democracy. Not only would corporations exercise public authority as only government once had, but government would coordinate and serve corporate activity. Power and profits became one and the same. Corporate power has replaced democracy with oligarchy and justice with a vast militarized penal system. Instead of innovative production, they plunder people and planet. To achieve this new order, elections and the economy had to be drained of any remaining democratic content. Both Democrats and Republicans were eager to have at it.
By the 1990s “Third Way” Democrats like Bill Clinton abandoned what was left of the New Deal to try to outdo the Republicans as the party of Wall Street. The Republicans pioneered election fraud on a national scale in 2000, 2004, and 2016; a lesson the Democrats learned all too well by the 2016 Primary. Neither major party wants election reform since free and fair elections would threaten the system itself.
So-called private corporations like Facebook, Google and Twitter control information and manage the 1st Amendment. The corporate media now broadcast propaganda and play the role of censor once monopolized by the FBI and CIA. The migration of propaganda work to civilian organizations began under Ronald Reagan.
Read more at: How Corporate Power Killed Democracy - CounterPunch.org
9/25/19
Capitalism: Yes it's broken and liberals to recover it must Eat humble Pie
Yes, capitalism is broken. To recover, liberals must eat humble pie
Read more at:
Support EU-Digest, Almere-Digest, Insure-Digest which have reported the news without any political affiliation since 2004, and opposes those
who seek to discredit and even destroy news organizations who believe
in the right of a free Press. You can do that by investing in an advertisement in EU-Digest, or by
giving a donation to keep our efforts going : to donate or advertise and pay by credit card,
click on: https://www.paypal.com/webapps/hermes?token=8BP18304C1657151J&useraction=commit&mfid=1567106786154_8591ae1288ebf
7/7/19
US Presidential Elections - Corporate America be aware: The next Democratic president is coming for your monopoly - by Mike Dorning
Democratic presidential hopefuls are coming out in force against the
rapid pace of corporate consolidation, a message to 2020 voters that
gained volume during their first debates in Miami last week. They’re
expanding their pledges to take on big tech, including Facebook and
Alphabet, to other industries.
Attacking big corporations is both a political message and a policy prescription. It’s one way Democrats think they can address the concerns of voters who have fallen behind, even as the U.S. economy continues to expand. As Democrats gear up to try to take back the White House in 2020, they hope the anti-corporate tone taps into the populist passion that propelled Donald Trump in 2016.
“Whoever is elected on the Democratic side would be more aggressive on antitrust than we have seen in decades,” said Jason Furman, a former chairman of President Barack Obama’s Council of Economic Advisers who chairs a U.K. initiative on digital competition.
Read more at: The next Democratic president is coming for your monopoly
Attacking big corporations is both a political message and a policy prescription. It’s one way Democrats think they can address the concerns of voters who have fallen behind, even as the U.S. economy continues to expand. As Democrats gear up to try to take back the White House in 2020, they hope the anti-corporate tone taps into the populist passion that propelled Donald Trump in 2016.
“Whoever is elected on the Democratic side would be more aggressive on antitrust than we have seen in decades,” said Jason Furman, a former chairman of President Barack Obama’s Council of Economic Advisers who chairs a U.K. initiative on digital competition.
Read more at: The next Democratic president is coming for your monopoly
The Digest Group
Almere-Digest
EU-Digst
Insure-Digest
Turkish-Digest
For additional information, including advertising rates - e-mail: Freeplanet@protonmail.com
Almere-Digest
EU-Digst
Insure-Digest
Turkish-Digest
For additional information, including advertising rates - e-mail: Freeplanet@protonmail.com
9/14/16
Britain: Also a NATION of have-nots - by Sofia Lotto Persio
The richest 1 per cent of Britain’s population owns almost more than 20
times the total wealth of the poorest fifth, according to a shocking new
report by Oxfam.
The charity’s findings show that around 634,000 of the wealthiest people are worth 20 times as much as the poorest 13 million — making Britain one of the most unequal countries in the developed world.
It also revealed that over half of the country’s wealth is concentrated in the richest 10 per cent of the population, while the poorest 20 per cent shares barely 0.8 per cent of Britain’s wealth between them.
Oxfam UK programme head Rachael Orr said: “The UK is one of the richest countries in the world, but it’s a nation divided into the haves and have-nots. While executive pay soars, one in five people live below the poverty line and struggle to pay their bills and put food on the table.”
The charity has put forward a four-point plan to shake-up corporate culture and stamp out inequality, including giving employees greater representation on company boards and ending tax avoidance and closing British-linked tax havens.
It has also suggested that the most highly paid person at a firm earn no more than 20 times the salary of the lowest-paid worker to help narrow the wage gap.
“Addressing the practices of unscrupulous business needs to be a central part of the government’s plans to even up the economy,” said Ms Orr.
TUC general secretary Frances O’Grady welcomed the report recommendations.
“There’s widespread support now for elected worker seats on company boards, including from the Prime Minister,” she said.
“It would make sure boardrooms focus on long-term success, which would encourage companies to invest in their staff and help working people to get fairer pay deals. It’s the right thing to do, so let’s make it happen.”Corporations’ role in amassing vast amounts of wealth was highlighted in a Global Justice Now study released yesterday, showing that corporations make up 69 per cent of the world’s 100 richest entities. US transnational retailer Walmart is worth more than Spain, Australia and the Netherlands.
Three Chinese state-owned companies — State Grid, China Petroleum and Sinopec Group — are bigger than the economy of South Korea.
In 2000, corporations already represented 51 per cent of the world’s top economic entities and this trend has increased relentlessly throughout the years.
Global Justice Now director Nick Dearden said the British government has facilitated the rise in corporate power through tax structures, trade deals and even aid programmes that help big business.
“The vast wealth and power of corporations is at the heart of so many of the world’s problems,” he said.
“The drive for short-term profits today seems to trump basic human rights for millions of people on the planet. These figures show the problem is getting worse.”
Read more: Morning Star :: Britain: a NATION of have-nots | The Peoples Daily
The charity’s findings show that around 634,000 of the wealthiest people are worth 20 times as much as the poorest 13 million — making Britain one of the most unequal countries in the developed world.
It also revealed that over half of the country’s wealth is concentrated in the richest 10 per cent of the population, while the poorest 20 per cent shares barely 0.8 per cent of Britain’s wealth between them.
Oxfam UK programme head Rachael Orr said: “The UK is one of the richest countries in the world, but it’s a nation divided into the haves and have-nots. While executive pay soars, one in five people live below the poverty line and struggle to pay their bills and put food on the table.”
The charity has put forward a four-point plan to shake-up corporate culture and stamp out inequality, including giving employees greater representation on company boards and ending tax avoidance and closing British-linked tax havens.
It has also suggested that the most highly paid person at a firm earn no more than 20 times the salary of the lowest-paid worker to help narrow the wage gap.
“Addressing the practices of unscrupulous business needs to be a central part of the government’s plans to even up the economy,” said Ms Orr.
TUC general secretary Frances O’Grady welcomed the report recommendations.
“There’s widespread support now for elected worker seats on company boards, including from the Prime Minister,” she said.
“It would make sure boardrooms focus on long-term success, which would encourage companies to invest in their staff and help working people to get fairer pay deals. It’s the right thing to do, so let’s make it happen.”Corporations’ role in amassing vast amounts of wealth was highlighted in a Global Justice Now study released yesterday, showing that corporations make up 69 per cent of the world’s 100 richest entities. US transnational retailer Walmart is worth more than Spain, Australia and the Netherlands.
Three Chinese state-owned companies — State Grid, China Petroleum and Sinopec Group — are bigger than the economy of South Korea.
In 2000, corporations already represented 51 per cent of the world’s top economic entities and this trend has increased relentlessly throughout the years.
Global Justice Now director Nick Dearden said the British government has facilitated the rise in corporate power through tax structures, trade deals and even aid programmes that help big business.
“The vast wealth and power of corporations is at the heart of so many of the world’s problems,” he said.
“The drive for short-term profits today seems to trump basic human rights for millions of people on the planet. These figures show the problem is getting worse.”
Read more: Morning Star :: Britain: a NATION of have-nots | The Peoples Daily
6/13/16
The Global Economy: Globalization's Gluttony - by Anatol Zukerman
 |
| Corporate Power Rules Globally |
By the goblins of global gluttony.
While gullible workers of troubled world
Work in the sweat of their brows
Crass corporations grab the world’s wealth
And don’t even share it with its creators.
This pen-and-ink drawing captures the shifting mindset among American workers. For decades, they went along with the promises of their leading politicians that, despite all the harsh changes in the national economy, there would be a brighter tomorrow. But now, these voters are running out of hope.
As the biggest American corporations liberally shed jobs at home and have effectively abandoned America for cheap labor and tax havens abroad, working-class voters feel at the receiving end of the stick.
The fact that these companies at the same time have American government in their claws does not make working-class voters feel better. Social benefits, meager to begin with, have been further reduced. Yet, another, fairer social compact is possible, as corporations in Europe demonstrate.
Not so in the United States, where corporations are not only determined to ignore the will of American people in order to expand their power and increase their profits, but get away with it due to bought-off politicians.
It is a painful irony that the latter claim to protect the “public” interest. It only leads to more bitterness that nearly all major American politicians – including the current crop of candidates for President of the United States – have made critical statements about corporations many times over many years. But it was just words, never followed up with deeds.
This globalization for the rich continues. If it isn’t more inclusive, it will fail.
Read more: Globalization's Gluttony - by Anatol Zukerman
3/28/16
US Food Safety: A Remarkable Triumph of Democracy Over Corporate Power, GMO Labeling Has Finally Arrived in the U.S. -- by Andrew Kimbre
 |
| GMO' Labeling: Corporate Hypocrisy On Steroids |
Over the course of just a few days, several major companies have announced they will label GE products, including Kellogg’s, ConAgra, Mars and General Mills. Earlier this year, Campbell’s announced it would label. What caused this wave of GE labeling? It certainly hasn’t been a sudden realization that more than 90 percent of Americans want labeling, which polls have shown for many years. And these companies have never been pro-labeling. Just the opposite. Each has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to fund massive PR campaigns opposing various state GE labeling initiatives.
This sudden turnaround was actually triggered by a remarkable triumph of democracy over corporate power that took place last week in the U.S. Senate. That vote involved an attempt to pass what many call The Deny Americans the Right to Know (DARK) Act. This bill introduced by Senator Pat Roberts (R-KS) was specifically designed to rescind all state laws requiring labeling of GE foods. Of special concern was Vermont’s labeling law, which is scheduled to go into effect July 1, 2016.
Feeling the pressure of the Vermont deadline, the Grocery Manufacturers Association, Monsanto and other large chemical and industrial ag companies put enormous pressure on the Senate to pass the DARK Act. Against this array of powerful companies were tens of millions of Americans involved in the food movement.
Most mainstream media outlets predicted an easy victory for corporate power. But the companies soon realized they were in a serious battle. Their primary argument that labeling was going to raise the cost of food got shot down when the study they relied on turned out to be bogus, and food companies such as Campbell’s said the costs would be minimal. Their other argument was that without the DARK Act they would be confronted with a “patchwork” of different GE labeling laws. That argument also failed when it was demonstrated that Vermont’s requirements were the same as those in Connecticut and Maine, the only other states having voted for labeling.
Then they introduced a supposed “compromise” version of the DARK Act that would allow them to voluntarily indicate whether a product contained GE ingredients via QR codes, websites and call-in numbers. This proposal quickly ran into trouble when research showed millions of Americans could not even read QR codes. Half of low income and rural Americans do not own smart phones, nor do two-thirds of the elderly. This grossly discriminatory scheme would also force shoppers to triple or quadruple their shopping time to find out about GE ingredients. They would have to call in to inquire about a product, or take a picture of each product with their phones and upload them, assuming they were able to get on line.
The DARK Act was an obvious attempt to hide non-labeling under the guise of labeling. Senator Barbara Boxer correctly called the bill a “sham and an embarrassment.” Then it came down to the vote. By Senate rules, Monsanto and the big food companies needed 60 votes in the Senate to get the DARK Act to a final vote. Despite predictions, they didn’t even come close: the final vote was 49-48 against the bill. Democracy defeated corporate power. The right to know of Americans won. At that point several major food corporations saw that they were not going to be able to bully the Senate into erasing the Vermont law or those of other states. Within hours the dominoes began to fall as one corporation after the other announced they would comply with the Vermont labeling mandate.
Is the battle over? Hardly. Chemical companies, including Monsanto, and some major food companies will no doubt fight on, and try to find some other way to convince the Senate to circumvent Vermont and other state labeling requirements. It will be a hard sell. Will the Republicans in the Senate really allow a second vote on GE food labeling when they won’t even allow one vote on a Supreme Court nominee? Will they continue to listen to Monsanto when the company has already announced its plans to attempt to merge with a foreign company to avoid paying taxes in the U.S.? Whatever the corporate powers decide they can be sure of one thing: they will once again come up against a strong food movement. We must remain vigilant in defending our right to know.
Read more: In a Remarkable Triumph of Democracy Over Corporate Power, GMO Labeling Has Finally Arrived in the U.S. | Alternet
1/29/16
EU - Not all is bad: 5 great laws the EU nailed down in 2015 for its citizens
 |
| Divided we fail, United we gain |
David Cameron and the Christian Social Union even want to introduce a national veto, illustrating the trust that Brussels has haemorrhaged in "certain circles".
But not all is bad, As a matter of fact - if we did not have the EU, things could be quite awful for all of us, as we would not have any more controls over corporate manipulations, affecting our daily life, and even the food we eat. Also, local government's hanky panky in making "under-the-table" tax deals with multi-national corporations, already quite a problem, would probably go completely out of control.
1) Every year, around 30,000 people are killed in traffic accidents on European roads. New EU legislation will require car manufacturers to build their vehicles with devices that automatically notify the emergency services in the event of an accident.
2) Use of Internet Data and privacy laws: EU data-protection reform comes into force in the spring and is implemented by member states over the next two years. Companies like Google and Facebook will now have to provide clear terms and conditions, with understandable symbols. In this way, citizens will have more useful information that will let them decide what information they want to make available. "Simple symbols will make it clear for everyone what companies can and cannot do with your data," said MEP Jan Philipp Albrecht (Greens), rapporteur for the data protection directive.
3) Booking holidays and weekend breaks on the web continues to increase in popularity. Travel agents and providers have recognised this trend and have started to link their flight deals to car rentals, hotels and other deals. The total cost of the package being bought is not always clear to the consumer and there is sometimes a lack of protection.
Come the spring, new rules will mean that such offers are classed as package holidays. That means that consumers will be better protected. A standard 14-day return policy will be guaranteed and there will be more transparency and comparative deals on offer. If travel providers go bankrupt, then customers will always be paid back their money.
4) Banks often like to keep their customers in the dark about fees and Brussels has moved to make that a thing of the past. New legislation will now mean that customers will be given more clear information about the fees charged when making purchases with credit cards. The maximum charge for credit cards will be 0.3% of the value of the transaction and the maximum for debit cards will be 0.2%.. You are encouraged to question your banks about their charges and if you don't like what they tell you contact the European Ombudsman.
5) In the EU, around 100 billion plastic bags are used annually, about 8 billion of which end up being carelessly dumped in the oceans, where they have a huge impact on the environment and eco-systems. "In the North Sea, 94% of birds' stomachs contain plastic," reported the European Commission.
Brussels decided in 2015 to make the member states massively reduce their production and use of plastic bags, giving the 28 countries the choice of binding targets or pricing. EU states were given the choice of either ensuring that no plastic bags are given away free by 31 December 2018 or reaching the goals of 90 bags maximum per person per year by 2019 and 40 bags maximum by 2025.
Divided we fail, United we gain .
EU-Digest
4/12/15
Democracy: the party is over - corporations have taken over
It used to be kings, but a new book called "Power, Inc.: The Epic
Rivalry between Big Business and Government, and the Reckoning that Lies
Ahead" argues that global corporations are now in charge.
Author David Rothkopf is a former Commerce Department official, and now editor-at-large of Foreign Policy magazine.
In his book, Rothkopf discusses the population size of various corporations and compares them with countries. For instance more people work at Walmart worldwide than live in countries such as Botswana and Slovenia. Rothkopf said the comparison is to point out the power of various companies and the political influence they wield.
"It has an impact on the outcome of things," Rothkopf said. "Who do you think had more impact on the global climate talks, Sweden or Exxon? Exxon had more political power. If it has more influence, they're going to sort of pursue things in a direction that serves their bottom line. That's what they're legally supposed to be doing.
What we need is a balance. Particularly on the global stage we need a balance. We don't have international institutions that can balance it. The government's power is shrinking more and more every day."
EU-Digest
Author David Rothkopf is a former Commerce Department official, and now editor-at-large of Foreign Policy magazine.
In his book, Rothkopf discusses the population size of various corporations and compares them with countries. For instance more people work at Walmart worldwide than live in countries such as Botswana and Slovenia. Rothkopf said the comparison is to point out the power of various companies and the political influence they wield.
"It has an impact on the outcome of things," Rothkopf said. "Who do you think had more impact on the global climate talks, Sweden or Exxon? Exxon had more political power. If it has more influence, they're going to sort of pursue things in a direction that serves their bottom line. That's what they're legally supposed to be doing.
What we need is a balance. Particularly on the global stage we need a balance. We don't have international institutions that can balance it. The government's power is shrinking more and more every day."
EU-Digest
7/24/14
US Power Shift Benefits Corporate America: the Hobby Lobby Ruling impact on US and EU US trade negotiations
Last month, as you’ve probably heard, a closely divided Supreme Court
ruled that corporations with religious owners cannot be required to pay
for insurance coverage of contraception. The so-called Hobby Lobby
decision, named for the chain of craft stores that brought the case, has
been both praised and condemned for expanding religious rights and
constraining Obamacare.
But beneath the political implications, the
ruling has significant economic undertones. It expands the right of
corporations to be treated like people, part of a trend that may be
contributing to the rise of economic inequality.
The
notion that corporations are people is ridiculous on its face, but
often true. Although Mitt Romney was mocked for saying it on the
campaign trail a few summers ago, the U.S. Code, our national rule book,
defines corporations as people in its very first sentence.
And since
the 19th century, the Supreme Court has ruled that corporations are
entitled to a wide range of constitutional protections. This was a
business decision, and it was a good one. Incorporation encourages
risk-taking: Investors are far more likely to put money into a business
that can outlast its creators; managers, for their part, are more likely
to take risks themselves because they owe nothing to the investors if
they fail.
The
rise of corporations, which developed more fully in the United States
than in other industrializing nations, helped to make it the richest
nation on earth. And economic historians have found that states where
businesses could incorporate more easily tended to grow more quickly,
aiding New York’s rise as a banking center and helping Pennsylvania’s
coal industry to outstrip Virginia’s.
The notion of corporate personhood
still sounds weird, but we rely upon it constantly in our everyday
lives. The corporation that published this column, for instance, is
exercising its constitutional right to speak freely and to make
contracts, taking money from some of you and giving a little to me.
Note EU-Digest: the above should be a clear warning to the EU not to sign any major trade agreement with the US wich has laws in place which gives profit based and not democratically run corporations the same legal rights and status as human beings.
Read more: What the Hobby Lobby Ruling Means for America - NYTimes.com
5/11/12
The European Summer Revolution: Naomi Klein was right in her book "the Shock Doctrine"
The past four years have proved a total vindication of Klein's argument. A crisis of the market was cleverly transformed by free market ideologues into a crisis of public spending. Across Europe, the biggest slump since the 1930s has been used to push through policies straight out of some right-wing wet dream: the slashing of taxes on the rich and major corporations; the selling off of public services; and a bonfire of workers' rights. It is disaster capitalism on speed.
But, this week, the great revolt against the Shock Doctrine began. That is exactly how we must understand the sudden sea change in European politics: not least, the election of Socialist François Hollande in France, and the stunning breakthrough of anti-austerity leftists in the Greek elections.
Portugal after being bailed out by the EU and IMF – is pushing through a far-reaching free market agenda. The first wave of the most radical privatization program in the country's history is under way, including the selling off of energy, water, public transport and the national airline. VAT on electricity and gas has been hiked from 6 per cent to 23 per cent, driving up energy bills; many public sector workers are facing a drop in income of a quarter; and unemployment benefits have been slashed by nearly a fifth. Austerity has plunged the country into a deep recession, and debt-to-GDP ratio is soaring: but that is not the point. Portugal is being remade in the image of neo-liberal dogma.
For the first time since this crisis began, the momentum is with those taking on the Shock Doctrine. It has the potential to change the whole political climate also in the capitalist stronghold Britain. Polls show two-thirds reject the Government's economic program. The Tories and their Lib Dem allies got a kicking in the recent elections. Cameron's approval ratings are in free fall.
An attempt to use the so-called economic crises, which was actually a crisis which started from within the financial sector, to transform society in the interests of the top is now floundering in Europe and will soon also come tofull bloom in the US. The prospect of building alliances across Europe is no longer fanciful. It is a moment of transition: what happens next is uncertain - but the old ways are certainly dying.
EU-Digest
But, this week, the great revolt against the Shock Doctrine began. That is exactly how we must understand the sudden sea change in European politics: not least, the election of Socialist François Hollande in France, and the stunning breakthrough of anti-austerity leftists in the Greek elections.
Portugal after being bailed out by the EU and IMF – is pushing through a far-reaching free market agenda. The first wave of the most radical privatization program in the country's history is under way, including the selling off of energy, water, public transport and the national airline. VAT on electricity and gas has been hiked from 6 per cent to 23 per cent, driving up energy bills; many public sector workers are facing a drop in income of a quarter; and unemployment benefits have been slashed by nearly a fifth. Austerity has plunged the country into a deep recession, and debt-to-GDP ratio is soaring: but that is not the point. Portugal is being remade in the image of neo-liberal dogma.
For the first time since this crisis began, the momentum is with those taking on the Shock Doctrine. It has the potential to change the whole political climate also in the capitalist stronghold Britain. Polls show two-thirds reject the Government's economic program. The Tories and their Lib Dem allies got a kicking in the recent elections. Cameron's approval ratings are in free fall.
An attempt to use the so-called economic crises, which was actually a crisis which started from within the financial sector, to transform society in the interests of the top is now floundering in Europe and will soon also come tofull bloom in the US. The prospect of building alliances across Europe is no longer fanciful. It is a moment of transition: what happens next is uncertain - but the old ways are certainly dying.
EU-Digest
4/24/12
Journalistic Ethics: Billionaires' day at the Leveson inquiry - by Michael White
The Leveson inquiry into phone hacking has turned its attention to the secretive, foreign-based billionaires whose shadowy grip on much of Fleet Street influences millions of ordinary British lives. But the session was not all about the Telegraph-owning Barclay brothers. The Russian oligarchs and their Australian rival, Rupert Murdoch, also shared the spotlight.
They are all very different, but also similar, as billionaires tend to be, in important respects, such as having lots of money. And their devotion to free enterprise and meritocracy also has a strongly counterintuitive side to it: heredity.
So the Russian tycoon Alexander Lebedev, who bought the London Evening Standard and (for £1) the Independent, was represented by his son, Evgeny (31), to whom dad gave both newspapers, as dads do. The Barclay twins, Dave and Fred, did the same. They sent young Aidan Barclay (55), who is chairman of the Telegraph Media Group, but does not own it yet.
For more: Billionaires' day at the Leveson inquiry | Media | The Guardian
They are all very different, but also similar, as billionaires tend to be, in important respects, such as having lots of money. And their devotion to free enterprise and meritocracy also has a strongly counterintuitive side to it: heredity.
So the Russian tycoon Alexander Lebedev, who bought the London Evening Standard and (for £1) the Independent, was represented by his son, Evgeny (31), to whom dad gave both newspapers, as dads do. The Barclay twins, Dave and Fred, did the same. They sent young Aidan Barclay (55), who is chairman of the Telegraph Media Group, but does not own it yet.
For more: Billionaires' day at the Leveson inquiry | Media | The Guardian
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)