As Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s power weakens, the Turkish economy’s crisis deepens. Since the end of 2012, the Turkish lira has lost more than 80 percent of its value, the worst slide in the developing world after the Argentine peso.
In its failed attempt to prop the lira up, Ankara opened the money spigot and blew through more than $128 billion in foreign exchange reserves, which many respectable economists now believe to be in the negative. In less than two years, Turkey’s Central Bank cycled through three governors. Just in the past month, rumors in the foreign media about a replacement at the Central Bank—followed by the sacking of three of its six board members, yet another interest rate cut that defies all economic logic, and Erdogan’s threat to expel the ambassadors of 10 European countries—poured oil on a five-alarm fire.
For Turkish citizens, the prices keep rising. Inflation neared 20 percent in September. According to Turkey’s largest trade union, more than 7 million minimum wage earners face hunger. Polls show that almost two-thirds of the Turkish public is struggling to make ends meet. Turkey’s best and brightest are emigrating in droves, even though the labor minister thinks they’re leaving not because there’s anything wrong in the country but because they’re free-spirited adventure-seekers.
Note EU-Digest: If a coalition of opposition forces has their way, Erdogan's days as the President of Turkey could be numbered.
For the complete report go to:
Turkey's Opposition Can End the Country's Economic Crisis
Showing posts with label Opposition Parties. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Opposition Parties. Show all posts
11/16/21
6/3/21
Israel: Civil marriage unlikely, Kotel deal for sure: What new Israeli gov’t means for religious status
If the new rotation government headed by Yair Lapid and Naftali Bennett ultimately gets sworn in (still a big if), it would be the first time since 2015 that the ultra-Orthodox parties were not part of the ruling coalition. It would be the first time Israel has a prime minister who wears a yarmulke (though in the tradition of a certain type of Orthodox Jew, Bennett’s is very small).
Read more at Civil marriage unlikely, Kotel deal for sure: What new Israeli gov’t means for religious status quo - Israel Election 2021 - Haaretz.com
Read more at Civil marriage unlikely, Kotel deal for sure: What new Israeli gov’t means for religious status quo - Israel Election 2021 - Haaretz.com
3/27/20
EU -The Netherlands: Dutch Exceptionalism: Will Holland's Looser Corona Policies Pay Off?
One EU country after the other is moving to restrict public life. The
Dutch government has opted for less drastic measures, hoping for herd
immunity and relying on the common sense of its people. But the country
has still had to make adjustments to its policies.
The Big Bazar in Winterswijk is, as usual, full of "Big Deals!" despite the coronavirus. Plastic footballs, clothespins for hanging laundry, flower pots and various other things are for sale at the store in the Dutch border town. There’s a stand with jackets in front of the clothing shop next door and the drug store Kruidvat across the street has a special offer on creme. People seem relaxed as they stroll through the pedestrian zone and there's not a face mask to be seen. If you visited Winterswijk last Saturday, you could have been forgiven for thinking that the pandemic doesn’t even exist here. But just 10 kilometers away, in the town of Vreden on the German side of the border, almost all the stores have been closed for several days.
Opposition politicians in the Netherlands have been highly critical of the strategy. "Many Dutch people feel like they are being made part of a big experiment,” Lodwijk Asscher, the head of the country’s center-left Social Democratic Party has said. Right-wing radical politician Geert Wilders has said: "Rutte is playing Russian roulette with our people. Many people will get sick as a result. People will die.” Scientists believe that 60 to 70 percent of the population would have to come into contact with the virus to achieve herd immunity, the equivalent of more than 10 million Dutch people. Even with a low mortality among the young and the fittest, this would mean thousands of deaths. And the health system would soon be at its limits.
Read more: Dutch Exceptionalism: Will Holland's Looser Corona Policies Pay Off? - DER SPIEGEL
The Big Bazar in Winterswijk is, as usual, full of "Big Deals!" despite the coronavirus. Plastic footballs, clothespins for hanging laundry, flower pots and various other things are for sale at the store in the Dutch border town. There’s a stand with jackets in front of the clothing shop next door and the drug store Kruidvat across the street has a special offer on creme. People seem relaxed as they stroll through the pedestrian zone and there's not a face mask to be seen. If you visited Winterswijk last Saturday, you could have been forgiven for thinking that the pandemic doesn’t even exist here. But just 10 kilometers away, in the town of Vreden on the German side of the border, almost all the stores have been closed for several days.
Opposition politicians in the Netherlands have been highly critical of the strategy. "Many Dutch people feel like they are being made part of a big experiment,” Lodwijk Asscher, the head of the country’s center-left Social Democratic Party has said. Right-wing radical politician Geert Wilders has said: "Rutte is playing Russian roulette with our people. Many people will get sick as a result. People will die.” Scientists believe that 60 to 70 percent of the population would have to come into contact with the virus to achieve herd immunity, the equivalent of more than 10 million Dutch people. Even with a low mortality among the young and the fittest, this would mean thousands of deaths. And the health system would soon be at its limits.
Read more: Dutch Exceptionalism: Will Holland's Looser Corona Policies Pay Off? - DER SPIEGEL
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