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

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EU under Attack: America’s Billionaires Battle Each Other for Political Control over Europe - by Eric Zuesse

A contest for political control of Europe is gearing up between two American teams, one headed by the long-established George Soros, and the other now being set up by the upstart Steve Bannon, US President Donald Trump’s former campaign-manager. Soros has long led America’s liberal billionaires in controlling Europe, and Bannon is now organizing a team of America’s conservative billionaires to wrest that control from the liberal ones. 

Whereas Soros claims to represent the public’s interests, Bannon claims to represent the population’s interests — that’s the ‘populist’ side of America’s billionaires, versus the established ‘public-interest’ (Soros) side of them.

Two American brands of ‘philanthropists' will thus now be fighting for control over Europe's political markets (or institutions).

It’s a battle to serve either ’the public’ or else ’the people’, and each political brand will be struggling to keep Europe as an ally in American billionaires’ war against Russia (which all American billionaires want to defeat), but each team does this from a different ideological perspective, one being ‘liberal’, and the other being ‘conservative’. 

Just as there is liberal-conservative political polarization between billionaires domestically within a nation, there also is such political polarization between billionaires regarding their given nation’s foreign policies; and America’s billionaires are politically very highly polarized, both nationally and, increasingly, internationally as well. None of them is progressive, or left-populist. The only ‘populism’ that any billionaire currently promotes is right-‘populist', which is Bannon’s team. (Stalin was left-‘populist’; and Hitler was right-‘populist’; but neither dictator really was at all populist, which is simply democratic and against the aristocracy.) Both teams demonize each other within the United States for control over the US Government, but both are now competing against each other internationally for control over the entire world, by two different brands: liberal versus conservative. Both brands endorse ‘democracy’ or “the allies”; and both support spreading that ‘democracy’ by means of invading and occupying ‘dictatorships’ or “the enemies.” 

In Europe, this is called “imperialism”; in America, it is called “neo-conservatism” or “neoconservatism”; but no American billionaire actively opposes it (because to oppose it would be to oppose the aristocracy itself, the billionaires’ control over the Government — the very system that has been enormously successful for them, far more than the public itself recognizes)

For the complete report click on: America’s Billionaires Battle Each Other for Political Control over Europe

The Czech Republic’s pro-Russian president is in trouble - Taking back the castle

As Democratic checks and balances buckle in Poland and Hungary, the Czech Republic has seemed to many like the next central European country in line to succumb. Andrej Babis, a billionaire businessman, became prime minister after winning October’s general election despite facing fraud charges. He now collaborates closely with his country’s pro-Russian though largely ceremonial president, Milos Zeman. Liberals fret that the pair pose a growing challenge to the rule of law and to the Czech Republic’s pro-Western orientation. But Czech voters and institutions appear to be pushing back
.
Although Mr Zeman came top in the first round of the country’s presidential election, scoring 38.6% of the vote on January 12th-13th, he fell well short of a majority. The runner-up, Professor Jiri Drahos, a soft-spoken political novice who previously led the Czech Academy of Sciences, won a larger-than-expected 26.6%, which puts him in a good position to displace the incumbent in the run-off at the end of the month. Three days later, on January 16th, parliament rejected Mr Babis’s attempt to form a minority government.

As the leader of the largest party, he was invited to try to do so by the president, though he controls just 78 of the 200 parliamentary seats, lacks a coalition partner and is accused of fraud in connection with EU subsidies for a development project. All told, the presidential second round, on January 26th-27th, is shaping up as a referendum on the direction of the country, if not the entire region.

In September MPs voted by 123 to four to strip Mr Babis of his immunity from prosecution on the fraud charges, but because parliament was then dissolved for the October election, they must now do so again. In noticeable contrast to Mr Zeman, Mr Drahos has called on Mr Babis to give up his immunity voluntarily, and prove his innocence. On January 16th Mr Babis obliged. With police and prosecutors pressing the case, the Hospodarske Noviny newspaper recently leaked a report from EU investigators accusing Mr Babis of “numerous breaches of national and EU legislation”.

Read more: The Czech Republic’s pro-Russian president is in trouble - Taking back the castle

Ukraine: Fear and loathing in Ukraine: a very “European” protest - by Denys Gorbach and Oles Petik

Discussing the far right in Ukraine is an uneasy, or should we say an all too easy, task for international commentators. Every manifestation of nationalist feelings, incident of hate speech, street violence, or usage of politically marked symbols is immediately advertised as further proof of the horrors of “the Kiev coup regime, with its racist and fascistic programmes” (the quote is, incidentally, taken from one of the readers’ comments at oDR) or explained away in the all-too-understanding manner of Maidan sympathisers opposing Russian imperialism.

In view of the impossibility to maintain a sober analytical perspective, many observers abstain from reporting and commenting on Ukrainian issues altogether. Indeed, the hysterical polemics between Putin’s fans and Maidan’s true believers is one reason why events of major significance in Ukraine are underreported or plainly ignored in serious western media. Contradictory facts are usually framed with regard to the military conflict and diplomatic talks, in which “Ukraine” (or the “Kyiv regime”) is perceived as a monolithic entity — be it a young democracy courageously fighting off the “hybrid war” or a “fascist neoliberal puppet of Washington masters”.

Yet the events, which are too often glossed over in this manner, can actually say something important about what’s going on inside the country.


Two weeks ago, a mass protest took place in Yagotyn, a small town outside of Kyiv. Local residents, cheered on by activists from various far right groups, protested against the construction of a new temporary accommodation centre for refugees.

A week later, Lviv became the arena of intense public confrontation over an Equality Festival scheduled for 19-20 March. The church, the far right, the city council, the police, and passive yet hostile general public joined forces to prevent the event from taking place — they were outraged with the LGBT+ component of the festival’s program.

Far from being “another day in fascist Ukraine” or “one more vicious provocation of Russian secret services and lying media”, these events actually reveal a new trend that is developing today in Ukrainian society: as people learn how to come together for genuine and spontaneous mass protests, the far right is learning how to infuse these actions with their specific agenda and to lead them.

Is there a way to prevail over populism in this conflict? The answer appears to lie on the surface: the socially progressive cause is doomed to fail unless it is accompanied by the “social cause” — the struggle against austerity and falling standards of life. Unless Ukrainian liberals seriously take on the socio-economic agenda, they are bound to lose to their populist rivals. These groups are perfectly able to combine their nationalism and social conservatism with social-democratic rhetoric, thus monopolising both the right and the left.

Read the complete report:: Fear and loathing in Ukraine: a very “European” protest | openDemocracy

Canada has a new prime minister — and he won by a long shot

Justin Trudeau, new PM of Canada

Justin Trudeau will become prime minister of Canada.
It's official: Canada has a new prime minister.

Canadians went to the polls on Monday to decide who would be their next leader, and Liberal Party leader Justin Trudeau came out a clear winner.

By late Monday evening, it looked as though Trudeau's Liberals would form a majority government.

As the numbers rolled in, incumbent Stephen Harper resigned as leader of the Conservative Party.

This is the first time in 9 1/2 years that Canada has had a new leader.

Read more: Canada has a new prime minister — and he won by a long shot - Yahoo Finance

Islam and Liberals: Maher to Ayaan Hirsi Ali: Why Do Liberals ‘Blame the Victim’ When It Comes to Islam?

Bill Maher spoke with Ayaan Hirsi Ali last night about a recurring topic of his, radical Islam, and spent quite a lot talking about liberal reactions to it.

Maher brought up how liberals have targeted Hirsi Ali and may have also had the Muhammad cartoon contest on the brain when he asked why so many liberals, who normally “hate blaming the victim,” do so when it comes to radical Islam.Hirsi Ali said she’s not sure why liberals do that, and Maher argued that liberals also try to justify so much in a culture that’s decidedly illiberal.

Maher alluded to liberals he “used to respect” who keep arguing with him on this issue, rebutting the suggestion that there are other Muslim nations which are basically “bastions of freedom and democracy.”

He told Hirsi Ali that liberals just don’t understand that the position the two of them are taking is the liberal one. Hirsi Ali agreed that what radical Muslims do is an “assault on liberalism.”

Read more and view the TV interview : Maher to Ayaan Hirsi Ali: Why Do Liberals ‘Blame the Victim’ When It Comes to Islam? | Mediaite

The Netherlands: Dutch coalition talks begin

The Dutch Liberal party, which this week narrowly won a general election on a pro-euro ticket, said on Friday it wanted to discuss forming a coalition with the Labour party, beginning a process that may include a third party and could take months

Both parties are pro-Europe and backed bailouts for European Union member states with debt problems, but negotiations will be tough between the right-of-centre Liberals, whose government collapsed in April over austerity measures, and the social democratic Labour, who want to share power with the Socialists.

"In the Liberals' opinion, a cabinet which has at least Liberals and Labour has to be investigated first. That is also logical looking at the election result," Prime Minister and Liberal Party leader Mark Rutte told reporters.

Euro-sceptic parties polled strongly until the last minute, but voters dismissed radicals on both the right and the left in the end, opting instead for established parties with track records in government and international affairs.

The Liberals and Diederik Samsom's Labour gained enough seats in Wednesday's general election to form a two-party majority in the lower house of parliament, but need another partner to ensure the smooth passage of laws through the Senate.

Read more: Dutch coalition talks begin | Radio Netherlands Worldwide

Dutch Elections: PM Rutte's Liberals slightly ahead in exit poll but Samson's PVDA can still win.

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte's Liberals are one seat ahead of the opposition Labour Party in a closely contested election, an exit poll after Wednesday's vote showed.

The two pro-European parties, Liberals and Labour, had 41 and 40 seats respectively out of a total of 150 seats in parliament, the exit poll by Dutch broadcaster NOS/RTL showed.

It seems however that the Labour party of Diederik Samson could still win if the predicted results in the Netherland's  large cities hold true. 

EU-Digest

Libya: Unofficial counts show liberals leading Muslim Brotherhood in Libyan election - by Maggie Michael

Libya’s first nationwide elections in nearly five decades brought hints Sunday of an Arab Spring precedent: Western-leaning parties making strides over Islamist rivals hoping to follow the same paths to power as in neighbours Egypt and Tunisia.

While final results from Saturday’s parliamentary election could still be days away under a two-tier selection system, unofficial and partial counts from Libya’s biggest cities suggested liberal factions were leading the Muslim Brotherhood and allies in a possible first major setback to their political surge following last year’s uprisings.

If the Libyan trend holds — which is still far from certain — it would challenge the narrative of rising Islamist power since the fall of Western-allied regimes from Tunis to Cairo. It also could display the different political dynamics in Libya, where tribal loyalties run deep and groups such as the Muslim Brotherhood at times co-operated with the rule of Moammar Gadhafi.

Read more: Unofficial counts show liberals leading Muslim Brotherhood in Libyan election - The Globe and Mail

Why modern conservatives are way off base - by Stephen Goldstein

"After careful, thoughtful, longtime, objective, clinical observation, I have come to the inescapable conclusion that "conservatitis," the mutant of mainstream conservatism that is epidemic today, is a certifiable illness curable only by a protocol of extra-strength liberalism. But I get ahead of myself out of pity and my desire to give hope to the afflicted. First things first: Victims and those who care for them need to understand the exact nature and extent of the seven "deadly" symptoms of conservatitis before taking or administering "the cure."

The seven symptoms of conservatitis are:
1. Lack of empathy
2. Paranoia
3. Hallucinations
4. A neurotic desire to live in the past
5. Selective morality
6. A neurotic commitment to failure
7. An abnormal desire to pledge

Note EU-Digest: Winston Churchill once said: "Show me a young conservative and I'll show you someone with no heart. Show me an old liberal and I will show you someone with no brains."

For the complete report : Why modern conservatives are way off base - Sun Sentinel

Denmark: Gallup shows Liberals advancing

A new Gallup poll for Berlingske shows the Liberal Party moving forward and the government alliance now only 1.4 percentage points from the opposition alliance.

The poll shows the opposition wining 50.6 per cent of the vote if an election were held today, while the government and its support parties would garner 49.2 per cent, according to Berlingske’s online edition.
“A really positive poll that shows that nothing has been decided yet. I am happy that all of the parties in the government alliance are being rewarded for their courage in carrying out the necessary reforms,” Liberal Political Spokeswoman Ellen Trane Nørby tells b.dk.

For more: Gallup shows Liberals advancing - Politiken.dk